Weak Battery Happenings

[BillandCarole]

Hi Everyone
Last week in Oregon, our 5'ver batteries started to fail. They were almost 5 years old (2008) and were only 450 CCA each. Fortunately our Honda generator kept us camping. The voltage was dropping to almost 10 volts overnight with nothing but the normal drain from things like the gas and fire detectors.
What are the ramifications as the voltage drops? What all quits? I know the fridge quits at some point as well as the furnace. Ours refused to start at 8.2 volts. I believe there is an automatic gas shutoff valve that cuts in at some point. What exactly is that point? What happens if the voltage drops real low while towing?
Regards and Thanks for your time.
Bill

[64thunderbolt]

the sail switch on the furnace cuts off @ 10.5v

And my ins co gives lifetime warranty on bodywork performed @ one of their preferred shops.

[64thunderbolt]

the sail switch on the furnace cuts off @ 10.5v

[time2roll]

Since you are charging with a generator maybe it is time to review your charging system.

[BillandCarole]

The batteries were deep cycle marine batteries and weighed 7lbs less that the golf cart batteries right next to them on the rack. The both of larger batteries had to have their respective boxes rebuilt to hold the new batteries. Due to the shape and configuration of the battery cabinet the 12 volt batteries were less work (in construction and wiring) than a rebuild for the golf cart batteries which were much taller. The old batteries lasted 5 years with half the capacity we have now. And we never ran out of power with them till last month. so for us, the replacement 12 volt deep cycle batteries was the easiest path.
Thanks
Bill

[MrWizard]

BillandCarole wrote:
Thank you for the answers. We learned important things. The brakes on the rig and the fridge were of particular importance. The brakes for obvious reasons and fridge for practical ones. The furnace and water heater were only of marginal interest in August.
We upgraded the batteries to 750CCA each (the old ones were rated at 450) but did not do the golf cart battery thing because I did not like the 6 month warranty that they came with at Costco.
Thanks again
Bill

my Sam's club golf carts lasted 30 months of continuous everyday full time use cycles, charge during day, discharge at night

that's over 900 cycles

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Warranties. Hahahahahahahahaha or down here jajajajajajajajajajajajajaja

When I buy something on the internet or for that matter ANYTHING I want POSITIVE feedback, lots and lots of golden stars or red stars.

Lifetime Warranty Alternators and Starters.
Save forty dollars, spend a hundred in fuel and dozens and dozens of hours off your life dealing with a shined-up piece of junk. They'll gladly hand you another, and another, and another...fifty, three hundred.

Batteries either fail right away or if you abuse them anytime they want. But a good brand gone wrong fails right away or not at all during the "warranty period". Accountants and analyzers spend HUNDREDS OF HOURS concocting warranty formulas that will cost the company least.

Wanna see what happens when someone screws up and gives forth a battery warranty clearly in favor of the buyer?

GOOGLE: The JC Penny (Forever) Battery

This is the DEWEY BEATS TRUMAN of the battery warranty industry. A landmark that sends shivers down the spines of the bean-counters.

Go to your MD and ask him for a warranty. Or the druggist or dentist. You can't even get a warranty for body and fender work. Try and find a warranty for Teflon coated cookware or a can of paint.

Go to the Rolls Royce of battery manufacturers: Rolls & Surrette and Crown. Look at their warranties. Trojan industrial batteries. The ONLY battery that I have EVER seen need a warranty and their manufacturer take it in the shorts, was the AC Delco VOYAGER, calcium/calcium. It was a piece of gah-baage.

Replace true golf car batteries with group 24 and 27 car jar batteries and you'll have a golf course that goes out of business after a year or so. The batteries will be warranted of course, but the labor to tow disabled cars back to the golf pro shop, and disgusted lost customers, and labor and shipping hassles will padlock the front gate of the golf course. Take your pick, 7, 11, or 13.

[time2roll]

My Costco GC-2 warranty proved completely worthless. Dang things are over seven years old 😉

[BFL13]

Mentioning the CCA for your 5er batteries instead of their AH rating might indicate that the OP is not aware of starting vs deep-cycle batteries for use in an RV as the "house" batteries.

Many or most RVs use a "marine/RV" battery that says deep cycle on it but it is really more of a modified starting battery. Better than a real starting battery though.

Not liking those 6s at that store is one thing, but you still ought to have deep cycle batteries of some sort. You can get 12v deep cycle like the Trojan T-1275 but they are expensive. 6s are fairly cheap under $100 each many places.

I don't personally (rightly or wrongly) care about longer warranties. I figure if the thing is no good it will quit soon after first use. Not a factor in finding the best deal (most AH per dollar) in the first place.

[BillandCarole]

Thank you for the answers. We learned important things. The brakes on the rig and the fridge were of particular importance. The brakes for obvious reasons and fridge for practical ones. The furnace and water heater were only of marinal interest in August.
We upgraded the batteries to 750CCA each (the old ones were rated at 450) but did not do the golf cart battery thing because I did not like the 6 month warrenty that they came with at Costco.
Thanks again
Bill

[Norskeman]

DC VOLTAGE REQUIREMENTS
The operational range of the unit is a minimum of 9.6V DC to a maximum of 22V DC, the unit will automatically shut down until voltage has decreased to 18V DC. The refrigerator requires at least 9.6V DC for proper operation; however the panel lights will continue to illuminate until voltage has dropped to 4V DC or below.

AC VOLTAGE REQUIREMENTS
Proper Operating Range is 100 to 132 Volts. If voltage drops below 100 volts, cooling efficiency will decrease with voltage decrease. The refrigerator will not switch to another mode of operation until all AC power is lost.

Landing gear motors need the proper DC voltage too - as voltage goes down the current draw goes up to provide the same power to the motor - too low of a voltage and you could damage the motor - but will probably blow fuses first.

[64thunderbolt]

the sail valve for the furnace will not open below 10.5 due to lack of air to the burner caused by the slow fan. I learned this the hard way in cold weather. The exact voltage ? 10.5 is what I was told by a tech @ the rv dealer.

[time2roll]

Why test it when you can just get a new battery?
Otherwise the power from the tow vehicle should keep stuff running.
10.5 volts is officially dead for a battery so anything less is subject to cut-off.

[ScottG]

The on-board systems should be fine while driving down the road since your Chevy should be charging the trailer battery while it's running. If it's not then you need to install the fuse and jumper wire indicated in your manual.

[TucsonJim]

If the voltage drops off that fast, then the batteries are shot. Other than the inconvenience of having to run the generator to get your lights brighter, etc. you have a potential safety issue. If the batteries do not have sufficent voltage when you're going down the road, your trailer brakes will not stop the coach if you had an emergency and the trailer disconnected from the TV.