Mark… My Words
Do you have questions about RV technical issues, the RV lifestyle
or RVs in general? Ask Mark!
Hi Mark,
My travel trailer is equipped with two lead acid RV/marine batteries. When I leave the trailer plugged in at the house between trips, the battery electrolyte level drops significantly. Is it better to just leave the trailer unplugged and let the batteries go low? I've tried a 1.5 amp battery maintainer, but the same thing happens when I use that. I guess my question is what is the proper way to maintain these batteries when not in use?
Regards,
Jerry
Most RV converters will boil off some water when the rig is left plugged in for a long time during storage. To avoid this, you can unplug the rig and disconnect the batteries, then use an automotive battery charger once a month to keep the batteries topped off. Once a month for 8–12 hours will do it. Or you can use a timer to turn on your converter once a day for an hour or so. That will keep the batteries up and not use so much water. Many converters plug into a standard outlet inside the rig, so that's an easy fix. Finally, you can just check and fill those batteries on a regular basis. It really doesn't hurt them to lose water to the charging process as long as you faithfully maintain the electrolyte level above the plates by adding distilled water when needed.
Hi Mark,
Sometimes my Heart inverter will turn on and off while charging the batteries. Other times it works just fine. Any ideas as to cause and how to correct? The inverter is about 14 years old.
Traws
Judging from the age of your unit, I'd bet that the cooling fan is either seized up or running too slowly to provide adequate cooling when the unit is charging. When the unit gets too warm, the built–in overtemp protection shuts it down until it cools off. Since it depends on the ambient temperature, it may happen only on warmer days. It's really just a guess, but check the cooling fan. They are easily replaced if they fail.
Hi Mark,
I just bought a 2005 Pleasure–way (Dodge Sprinter chassis with a Mercedes Benz 2.7 diesel engine) and when I overnight, the battery drains down unless I'm hooked up to an electrical outlet. I see where the previous owner purchased a new battery last spring, so I'm thinking he had problems, too. I'm totally new to this RVing and haven't a clue what's wrong.
Eileen
I'm assuming that the house battery is what's running down. Some smaller rigs don't have a separate house battery and use the engine battery to run lighting and such, but as far as I can tell from researching the year/model, your unit should have a separate house (auxiliary) battery to run the 12v lights and fans in the RV. Many things can cause a house battery to run down quickly. Are you being conservative in your use of 12V lights and devices when you are dry–camped? A single house battery only has about 100 AH of capacity at best, so you must ration your power usage a bit. If you are conserving power and still having problems, then you may have what I like to call a “phantom load.” That's a 12V electrical load that's on and drawing power that you aren't aware of. When plugged in, it's no big deal, but when dry–camping with no electrical hookups, it can run your battery flat in a hurry! Look for a light inside a compartment that's been left on or a closet light or fridge light that doesn't go out when you close the door.
If you can't find a phantom load, you should have the battery system and charger examined by a qualified person who can check the charging and static voltage at the battery and test the battery for overall health. You can do this yourself if you are handy with a meter. A healthy battery should read 12.6 or better when not under any load, and your charging system (converter) should raise that voltage to around 13.5 or so when you are plugged into AC power.
Hi Mark,
I have always been concerned about starting the RV while plugged into electricity. Does this harm the converters or relays in any way? It seems like they would be trying to switch over to 12 volt.
Thanks,
Bobby
In general, RVs are designed with that operating scenario in mind, so you should not cause any problems by starting the RV while the shore power cord is plugged in. However, in my opinion, it's better to avoid doing so. I have seen altogether too many RVers attempt to drive away while their power cord is still seated firmly into the campground receptacle. The results are generally accompanied by fireworks, which will be somewhat entertaining for your neighbors and upsetting to the campground owner. If you always make it a rule not to start your rig until all hookups are disconnected, it's unlikely that you'll ever have such an experience!
Hi Mark,
In your reply to the person with the CPAP running on an inverter, you stated that deep–cycle batteries do not like being deeply discharged. I had always been told that was the main purpose of deep cycle batteries as opposed to automobile types. Was that a typo or has my info been wrong? If regular batteries can be deeply discharged, it would seem to me they would be a better choice in an RV for running the 12 volt equipment.
Pete
Deep–cycle batteries are designed to tolerate a much deeper discharge than a starter battery. That's why they are called by that name. However, all deep–cycle battery manufacturers rate the lifespan of their batteries based on depth and number of discharge/recharge cycles, and in all cases, they recommend that you never discharge the battery below 80%. Repeated deep discharges will “wear out” a battery much faster than shallow discharge/recharge cycles. A good rule of thumb for RVers is to avoid discharging the battery below 50% when possible, and always completely recharge the battery as soon as possible. Don't let them sit in a discharged state for long periods. Below is a link to battery testing information on the Trojan Batteries website. It includes a table showing voltage vs. state of charge.
http://www.trojan–battery.com/Tech–Support/BatteryMaintenance/Testing.aspx
Do you have a question for Mark?
Please submit your question via email to woodalls@escapees.com
Please remember, material will be edited. Because of the large volume of material and correspondence submitted, individual replies will not be possible, nor can we acknowledge receipt of your material. Selected questions will be answered in future issues of the Diamond Club newsletter in the Mark, My Words column. The Mark, My Words column also appears in Escapees magazine, a bi–monthly publication of the Escapees RV Club. For more information visit www.escapees.com/magazine
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Mark Nemeth has been involved with all things RV for more than ten years, including almost 5 years on the road as a fulltimer. Nowadays, Mark is parked for a while and works on staff for the Escapees RV club as technical advisor, consumer affairs director, and instructor in the Escapees RVer's Boot Camp program.
Some content previously printed in Escapees magazine, published by the Escapees RV Club. All material provided by Mark Nemeth, Escapees Magazine Technical Advisor and Boot Camp Instructor. For more information about the Escapees RV Club, please visit www.escapees.com or call 888–757–2582.
