Help HTT battery

[Mellohoney]

Just bought 2011 rockwood roo camped for the first time Labor Day weekend. No electric hook up. We received no time from our battery, maybe an hour before lights dimmed and another hour or so before fridge stopped. Hardly used anything that would drain battery. We saw other TT w/out generators or hook ups with no issues. We had to continue turning on our truck to charge battery. QUESTION: how do we use the accommodations of our trailer by using our battery w/out issues? Thank you in advance - melanie

[rbpru]

If you have a new battery and it does not provide reasonable service, I would find the problem before deciding on an upgrade or generator.

If you know the amp/hour capacity of the battery, you should have a rough idea of its performance. I would also use an ammeter to check for excessive current draw in the system.

[beemerphile1]

Rolling Condo wrote:
Best advice would be to upgrade batteries...Upgrade the converter...Upgrade lights...Lastly a 1000W generator....

I disagree, the first step is to find the problem before throwing a couple thousand dollars at it.

1 be certain battery has water in it
2 be certain battery is fully charged before leaving
3 be certain the tow vehicle is charging the battery while towing
4 be certain all connections are clean and tight
5 be certain the refrigerator is set to power saver
6 be certain the refrigerator is operating on LPG, not battery
7 be certain there are no other drains to the system

Also, the battery does not operate the receptacles or any 120vac appliances. You must be connected to shore power or an inverter for those.

[Mellohoney]

Thank you everyone so much. The dealership didn't find anything wrong with the battery, but gave us a new one anyway. And replaced a fuse in fridge, so now that's ready. I will check to see if we have a multimeter, and check that we are getting over 13 volts. This weekend we are camping with hookups so I am so excited to see how different this experience is. Thank you again for your advice! - Melanie

[BarneyS]

Check that your refregerator door defrost switch is off. It is usually located right above the the molding on the door. It is used to keep condensation from forming on the door frame and will deplete the battery in short time if left on.

Actually it is not really a "defrost" swith but a switch to turn on a resistance heater that runs around the doors of the fridge to keep condensation from forming on the cold surface. Like any resistance heater, it draws a LOT of power. I believe the user manual says to use it only when running on shore power.
Barney

[opnspaces]

Mellohoney wrote:
Thanks everyone. Yes we had the camper plugged in to our house electric for several days before we left. Also, used all LED lights inside and none of our outlets worked either (don't know if that's expected). Would you say that w/out a generator, people wouldn't even consider camping w/out hookups? We are super new to this whole world of camping..

In short, no that is not normal. Especially with LED lights. You should have easily been able to go the weekend on a good battery just like all your camping neighbors did.

You said the trailer is a 2011. Is the battery new, or is it a 2011 battery? If the battery is not new I would suspect it first.

Do you have a multimeter? If so check the voltage with and without the trailer plugged in. You should be getting over 13 volts at the battery when plugged in. If yes then your battery is suspect. Pull it out and have it tested for free at Autozone, checker/Schucks/Kragen etc. If not reading over 13 volts your onboard charging system is suspect.

From the factory your outlets and your A/C will not work on battery power. You will need to plug in, run a generator, or install an inverter to get the outlets working.

Once you get the battery situation figured out you will be just fine camping without hookups.

Yes we will help you get it figured out, just do your best to answer the questions we post and we'll get you out camping without hookups.

Be aware we have no problem spending your hard earned money. So don't get too nervous if someone recommends a $500 solution. Read all the posts and you will get a feel for what is necessary and what it nice to have.

I'll start with necessary for a weekend trip in my opinion is one battery, but two is better. 3-4 batteries is going into the nice to have realm.

[westend]

Mellohoney wrote:
Thanks everyone. Yes we had the camper plugged in to our house electric for several days before we left. Also, used all LED lights inside and none of our outlets worked either (don't know if that's expected). Would you say that w/out a generator, people wouldn't even consider camping w/out hookups? We are super new to this whole world of camping..

If your 120V outlets weren't working when plugged in at home, it's a good possibility that your converter was not powered, either.
There are many folks camping without a generator. We have a lot of battery storage and some of us have solar.

You also need to disconnect the battery from the trailer when not in use, i.e. in storage. The dealers and manuals don't describe this but the parasitic 12V items in your trailer will discharge a typical battery in days. Do that a few times, your battery will be dead and gone.

[hddecker]

X2 on going to 2-6 volt golf cart batteries. They will give you more reserve power the 2-12 volts.

If you want to stay with 12 volt batteries, get at least Group 27 batteries and be sure that they are true deep cycle. The hybrid starting/deep cycle batteries, the plates are not as thick and don't have the reserve capacity of true deep cycle.

[clg82]

I had the same problem this past weekend....barely got a day out of ours....and also had mine hooked up for 3 days prior to leaving to camp.....what are your suggestions for how we remedy this so it doesn't happen again? keep the trailer plugged in 24/7 so they stay charged....didn't mean to jack your thread 🙂

[coolbreeze01]

I'd start with two new batteries. Check the water level fairly often and refill with distilled as needed.

[Mellohoney]

Thanks everyone. Yes we had the camper plugged in to our house electric for several days before we left. Also, used all LED lights inside and none of our outlets worked either (don't know if that's expected). Would you say that w/out a generator, people wouldn't even consider camping w/out hookups? We are super new to this whole world of camping..

[jmcgsd]

Sounds like either the battery was not fully charged when you left, you have a bum battery, or both.

New batteries do go bad, as a matter of fact it's pretty common. Just had it happen with a new battery from AAA in my VW Jetta.

Good luck with it.

[Rolling_Condo]

Best advice would be to upgrade batteries to a pair of 6V golf cart type. Upgrade the converter to a multi stage type (check Bestconverter.com). Upgrade lights to LED. Lastly a 1000W generator to recharge."

[ChooChooMan74]

I have a Roo myself, and that is very odd. 1) Is it a good battery to begin with? 2) Are you charging it off your Tow Vehicle going down the road? Is there power coming from your TVs 7 pin outlet?

With 1 battery in my Roo, I don't think I could last a weekend, even though I switched to all LEDs inside and out. If I was to camp a lot without hookups, I would consider 2 good deep cycle batteries.

[Dakota98]

Sounds as though the battery was in a low state of discharge prior to you using the TT. Was the TT connected to shore power before you left on your trip ? If the battery was not "fully" charged & low when you left, that answers the question. If a battery is low in the beginning, your TOW VEHICLE will not charge it enough. Your lights & refer stopped working because of "low voltage". If you have a multimeter, check the battery, 12.6 + volts indicate a fully charged battery.
12.1 = 50% 11.3 = 10%
Disconnect the battery from the coach. Get it on a battery charger as soon as possible, check the water level in each cell & make sure the plates are covered, ( use distilled water ) if not, add to 1/8" below the slot of each cell. If the battery is extremely low & I suspect it is, Do not try to charge the battery with the TT convertor, it will not put enough amperage to the battery to make any difference.

Go to this web site for information regarding battery maintenance.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-support/battery-maintenance/