Gulfstream 8378
Pleasant View
New Member
Joined: 02/02/2012
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
 Offline
|
How long should your house batteries stay charged? If you cut everything off. I didn't flip the main breaker but everything else. Has not been plugged in for a week and completely dead?
|
FIRE UP
Ramona, CA. USA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/08/2004
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
Well Sir,
I'm certainly no expert on house batteries but, if, as you say, everything is shut down in terms of drains on the house batts, and, if they were fully charged when you left it, a week ago, I'd say they should have been still up at least some. But, I think as always, there's some variables in the equation. Like, how old are they? Are they in good shape, are the connections clean, are you sure all the parasitic drains are off?
If you really want to make sure that all the parasitic drains are off, and if you have one, then use the AUX battery shut off switch to turn the system off. Then, if you REALLY, REALLY want to make sure, then disconnect the ground side.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 White Honda CRV EX-L,4WD w/NAV Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND
|
sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
Senior Member
Joined: 04/13/2003
View Profile
|
If you forgot to disconnect the batteries (like you say) your LP gas detector will drain them completely. How long it takes is dependent on all those factors listed in the previous post. A week is certainly not out of the question....
Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/Jeep Engineer
2003 Damon Challenger 348 Class A - F53 Triton V10
|
rvrepairnut
bc
Senior Member
Joined: 11/11/2011
View Profile
Offline
|
Gulfstream 8378 wrote:How long should your house batteries stay charged? If you cut everything off. I didn't flip the main breaker but everything else. Has not been plugged in for a week and completely dead?
you have bad batterys or you have a short somewhere.Your house batterys if say were just running a lpg detector should go 2 months or more and of course this depends on do u have 2 6 volt batterys or 4
If 4 They will last a long time
|
Oasisbob
Portland Oregon 97266
Senior Member
Joined: 11/18/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
I have a shut off switch and my batteries will go a few month's without draining. I wonder if you have a Co2 or smoke detector that is draining them? When you reconnect the battery cable does it arc at all? This would indicate a power draw. Best of luck and let us know what you find.
Oasis Bob
Wonderful wife & 4 Really Fun kids
2008 KIA Sedona 3.8L 24 valve V-6
2001 Bantam Trail Lite B-19
HAPPY TRAILS
|
|
|
kcstepp1992
Indiana
Full Member
Joined: 09/10/2011
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
The only way they would drain that fast is if they are old/used up or if you got phantom drains using them down. To kill them off completely within a week and if the batteries are good, then you need to find someone with a DMM and the ability to use it to find out what is draining your juice.
|
Buck62
Charleston, South Carolina
Senior Member
Joined: 04/28/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
sch911 wrote:If you forgot to disconnect the batteries (like you say) your LP gas detector will drain them completely. How long it takes is dependent on all those factors listed in the previous post. A week is certainly not out of the question....
Been there,done that. When I forgot to disconnect the batteries I would have dead house batteries. The LP detector will have a parasitic drain on the battery plus look at your radio and other 12V items that remain on. I have a master disconnect that disconnects all 12V power house and chassis. I also have the disconnect switch by the entrance door for the house batteries. I have found it easier to use the master disconnect.
|
69gp
New England
Full Member
Joined: 09/13/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Hi,
I do not think that your smoke detector or carbon detector is causing your battery to die down in a week.
These detectors draw about .o5 amps per hour. If you had a small 100 amp hour battery the detectors should run for about 42 days. This is the formula for finding this out. Battery size- 100 amp hour divided by .05(amperage of device) =2000 hours- (Divided by the numbers of hours in a day)=24= 83.5 days. divided by the numbers of devices 2= 41.7 total days battery should last.
formula is (battery size divided by load divided by 24= battery length of life.
This is only true if you have a fully charged battery and in excellent shape.
If your in a cold area I would maybe look at your fan for heat. I had this happen to me even with the LP shut off the fan would run at night time when it got cold outside therefore killing my battery real fast.
This is what I would do to try and find out what is drawing your battery down. First shut all your lights and equipment off. Disconnect the CO and the smoke detector. Pull all your fuses or shut your breakers off. Now disconnect you positive lead off the battery. Next make a 12 volt test light with #12 wire. Make it long enough so that you can see the light from inside the RV. Wire one end to the battery terminal and the other to the heavy wire you took off. The light should be off, if its on then the trouble is between the battery and your fuse or breaker location. More then likely the light would be off.
Now one at a time turn the breakers on or put the fuses back in. The test light should stay off. If the light comes on then that circuit is going to ground. You could have a wire going to ground and not trip or blow a fuse. This method will narrow the location down for you.
It takes a little time but you will find the trouble.
Steve B
* This post was
edited 03/12/12 12:16pm by 69gp *
Steve B
4100 lb 8.872@ 156 MPH naturally aspirated
Square peg in a round hole is the way to go
|
ArchHoagland
Clovis, CA, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 11/28/2004
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
How old are the batteries?
Have you ever checked them with a hydrometer?
Do you know, with the use of a digital voltmeter, if they were fully charged?
Are the battery connections clean and tight?
When you say completely dead...do you know what the voltage is at the battery terminals?
They should stay charged for more than a week without any problem.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg
2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes
Nothing is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.
|
jerseyjim
New Jersey
Senior Member
Joined: 09/02/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
When brand new, I had some serious battery drain. Contacting my coach maker....he told me the TWO most likely culprits were the sensors...propane and carbon monoxide.
Asking how I might disconnect them...he told me that they were LEGALLY obligated to "hard-wire" them into the battery...and therefore there was no LEGAL way he could tell me how to disconnect them. He advised me to return to my dealer where the dealer might install a toggle switch on them.
Hellow..ACE Hardware?
Problem solved.
|
|
|
