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Scott608's avatar
Scott608
Explorer
Aug 10, 2016

Another Battery Question plus more

I am new to the forum but not new to camping ??

I just purchased a used 2007 Keystone Outback 27' with two slides. This was an upgrade from our 2006 TrailSport Hybrid that we simply out grew. We had the TS for 5 years with very few issues.

Ok so here are my questions and I hope the experts here can help. I did a lot of reading already but did not find the advice I was looking for yet.

I'll give as much detail as possible.

Brought the Outback home last Wednesday with a brand new Interstate battery. Plugged it in to test everything and charge the battery. We leave it plugged in at home anyway. Unplugged it at 2:00 on Friday afternoon and drove 4 hours to our camp site.

Set up and everything is great. We barely use power other than the pump. Propane fridge and hot water. In the TS we could go 6 days before switching the battery to the back up we bring with us.

So we go from Friday to Sunday at midnight and the battery is dead. I thought that was really fast based on my previous experience. I put the spare battery which was fully charged. I do need to get a volt meter to be sure though. The dealer we bought it from said the Low LP alarm would kill the battery in a week. Again strange to me. I disconnected it on Monday morning.

We left Tuesday morning at 9:00 and returned at 9:30 PM and the battery was completely dead. I connected to my truck and charged it for an hour. 7:00 this morning dead again, which o get because I only charged for an hour.

Fridge it has only
Hot water propane based
No lights on while we were gone or even when we came back. We switched to battery based lanterns and flash lights.
The booster for cable was on but I shut that off as well we have not use for it anyway
I'm at a loss for what could be draining it so quickly. What should I start with?

Next while setting up someone accidentally stepped on the emergency break-away and the plunger came all the way out. I put it back in no big deal, but with my TS if that happened a dealer needed to reset it before I could tow again. I am afraid that when o start towing tomorrow morning that the breaks will be on. Does anyone have experience with this camper and how that will work? Calling my dealer next.

Anyone use solar to charge a battery and have good luck?

Thank you in advance.
Scott
  • garyemunson's avatar
    garyemunson
    Explorer II
    Aug 11, 2016
    Ditto on the fridge draw. People remember the old propane fridges that didn't have any electronics and think the new ones should work the same. Wrong.
  • Scott608's avatar
    Scott608
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    Just wanted to thank everyone for replying this morning.

    I do think solar will work better for me. Time to do some research before the next camping adventure.

    Have a great week.
  • jauguston's avatar
    jauguston
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    Solar is great but you have to consider where you park to make it work. If you want to park in a shady site to keep cool your solar system will not do you much good. A Honda EU 1000 run on gas will charge your batteries and it is nice and quiet. I use one for battery charging when my 800w solar system will not keep up with our power use. The sun does not shine all the time here in NW Washington. I use a 3 gallon outboard fuel tank with my 1000 and it will run for our needs when weather reduces the solar output to near nothing due to clouds and rain for a week without refueling. The 1000 has over 2000 hours on it without any problems.

    Jim
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Aug 10, 2016
    If you are prepared to upgrade the propane tank then consider a propane generator.

    I would add 600 watts of solar. Costs for a DIY are around $2 per watt.
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Aug 10, 2016
    If you are prepared to upgrade the propane tank then consider a propane generator.

    I would add 600 watts of solar. Costs for a DIY are around $2 per watt.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    Anecdotal reference to use can only point out the large draw items so that battery use can be extended. To really nail down what is happening with your 12 V system, measurements is what's needed. I think you know this.

    I'd suggest , as others do, if you do a lot of off grid camping, install two 6V golf cart batteries. They will allow you to use your 12V system with more reserve power and are more durable when discharged to a low level. Using any other battery to complete discharge and then charging it up half way or even fully, is a recipe for battery demise. You will also first loose battery capacity before the battery dies. The cheap marine hybrid batteries can't endure many cycles like that before they die.

    With the trailer you have, you're always going to be discharging power because of parasitic loads.Even if you pulled all the 12V fuses, there will be some draw on the system. The best cure for that is installing a disconnect switch in the circuit from the battery to the distribution panel. If the emergency break switch is powering the breaks, it will very quickly drain the battery as there is a lot of draw with that. That circuit, however, should not be closed with the disconnect switch. There is usually a separate wire for it so it isn't a problem to have it always powered. The reasoning is that if you forget to enable the disconnect switch before travel, the emergency braking is still enabled.

    Solar charging and off grid camping is like peanut butter and jelly. You should do some research and you can post over in the Tech Issues section of the Forum where us sun lovers hang out. I've had solar for three years, operate a 120V fridge and entertainment devices, power all the typical 12 V things and have not used a converter, battery charger or any other besides the solar panel to keep two battery banks charged and ready for use. I only camp off-grid.

    Welcome to the Forum and keep posting. Members here can help you with anything RV, and any problems can be sorted. Happy trails!
  • korbe's avatar
    korbe
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    fitznj wrote:
    The fridge is on LP only.

    That's what you think.......... the fridge still needs 12V to operate.

    As I said in my earlier post - the fridge was my biggest power drain and it's a "lp only" fridge but the electronics suck juice.

    My frig on LP was tested as using 0.30a for the electronics.
  • Scott608's avatar
    Scott608
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    fitznj wrote:
    BTW: If you want to find the power draw on your TT you can do the following:

    - pull out all the 12V fuses, put a voltmeter on the battery and replace 1 fuse at the time - note which circuit is drawing the power by reading the voltmeter (you can do this with an ammeter to get more accurate reading)


    I will be doing this as soon as I get home.
  • Scott608's avatar
    Scott608
    Explorer
    Aug 10, 2016
    beemerphile1 wrote:
    Scott608 wrote:
    beemerphile1 wrote:
    Scott608 wrote:

    ...while setting up someone accidentally stepped on the emergency break-away and the plunger came all the way out. I put it back in no big deal....


    That is very likely the problem. If the electric brakes are engaged it will drain the battery quickly.

    There is no reset needed but the pin has to be put back in with the correct orientation to open the contacts.


    That's interesting. I just double checked this and the plunger can only be inserted in one direction. I'm so frustrated by this I hate not knowing.


    The wrong way, it will go partly in.

    The right way it will go all the way in and you may even hear and feel the contacts open as the pin separates them.


    The plunger snapped in with a loud click. Note that the plunger is all plastic.

    I will check the hubs when I start driving tomorrow. The dealer said in good as long as the plunger is inserted.

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