battery spark/something drawing current

One possible draw that is common and not always evident is leaving the TV anteanna amplifier turned on after a trip.

wa8yxm wrote:
Filter cap in the converter?

If your trailer has a converter that is the cause of your spark.

The drain on the battery cause has been covered by other posts.

Actually the most accurate measure is Specific Gravity. A fully charged Lead Acid cell has a S.G. of 1.265 or so (Varies slightly by manufacturer) Test S.G. using a hydrometer or better, a refractometer.

When you get a new battery, put it on a charger until the S.G. stops rising in all cells. This is the Fully Charged state for your battery. (Note: they should all be the same!) Make note of this for future reference.

(I learned this from Mexicowanderer. If I got it wrong it's not his fault!)

How to you tell if the battery is fully charged? I wrecked my first set of batteries by believing the voltage method only an hour after charging. You really need to wait 8 hours for voltage or panel lights to tell the truth. Full charge is 12.6 and avoid going below 12.0 which is where damage begins. So you need an accurately calibrated meter.

Just an observation: If all four fuses were pulled at the same time, there would be no power to three of them until the "main" fuse was installed.
This is not a good test of battery function or exceptional draw in a circuit (sparks). You will need a meter or test light to correctly diagnose 12V electrical problems. I would start by pulling the battery and having it load tested. Chances are that if allowed to fully discharge a number of times, it is no longer any good.

Filter cap in the converter?

Definitely need to check amperage draw. If it's a small draw then battery is bad. Large draw then keep searching.

Pull battery cable. With multi electrical tool set to amperage place one lead on battery and other on cable. Avoid testing by size of spark. Something will go bad.

A few more details please:

1) What size and type of battery? ie group 24? 27? Marine/RV or true Deep Cycle?
2) How old is the battery?
3) How long were you camping before the battery went dead? Normal routine or anything different?

There's also the heater that keeps the fridge from sweating between the doors. If that's on it draws .5 amps all the time.

knuckles3314 wrote:
Thanks for those replies. What exactly am I looking for when I am checking something like the propane detector? Is it bad wiring or something else?

Those items are always on unless you put a battery cutoff switch or disconnect the battery. They will run a battery down in one to two weeks. If Frig is on can run down even faster. If you run furnace it can run down in one day.