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We just returned from FL and three months on shore power. Upon arriving home, I parked the fifth, and it has been sitting now for 10 days. Last night, I checked the battery status and it showed nearly dead so, I plugged up. This morning, the inverter indicates battery has reached 90% charge and will now charge at a lower rate until reaching full charge.
My question is, should this battery discharge so much in only 10 days? There was no load indicated except detectors. It is 2-3 years old.
in addition, I noticed while on shore power, that all the lights would dim slightly. This is not a new phenom. It has happened a lot in the past.
-- Edited by Rsunde on Tuesday 12th of April 2016 01:57:27 PM
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God adds to ones life those hours spent fishing, camping and beaching.
Most fifth wheels don't come from the factory with an inverter, especially if it only has one battery. Did you have them add one or did you add the inverter after market? Is the inverter an inverter/charger OR do you have an inverter and a separate converter that charges the batteries?
Here are the potential issues (throwing some possibilities in there for everyone):
1. There is always a "phantom draw" on the batteries if you do not disconnect them (physically removing them or using the "battery disconnect"). That phantom draw is often 1 - 2 amps per hour, so it is certainly possible (and probable) that the battery has discharged that much in 10 days.
2. If you have an inverter and the inverter is left on, it would certainly drain the battery in that amount of time as it draws amps from the battery just to run. So, if you have a stand-alone inverter, it should be turned off when not on shore power. If you have an inverter/charger, the inverter function should be turned off.
3. It is possible that your battery charger (inverter/charger or converter) is not set/programmed to charge the type of battery you have. There are different charging rates for different battery types, and if the charger is not set properly it can overcharge your battery in which case your battery is probably "toast".
4. Often fifth wheel manufacturers install cheaper converters that don't have three-stage charging capabilities which properly control the amount of charge going into the battery when on shore power and keep the batteries form being overcharged. It is assumed that the fifth wheel will never be used unless it is on shore power, so there is little concern for the "battery charging" function of the converter. As long as you are plugged in, the battery will have enough charge to run 12-volt functions, but it will discharge very quickly when not plugged in. This happened to us, and we found our battery was "toast" when we tried to boondock the first time.
5. Many fifth wheel manufacturers install hybrid marine batteries as house batteries. They are not true deep cycle batteries as they are designed to both crank an engine and run 12-volt functions on a boat and they will only have about half the discharge cycles of a true deep cycle battery. Could be that the battery has reached its useful life.
6. If the battery has been allowed to discharge too deeply over time (hasn't been maintained while not in use), it's likely "toast".
7. If you bought the coach new, it is possible the battery was damaged prior to you taking possession. We've seen numerous times at dealerships and RV shows where 12-volt lights have been left on while not plugged in thus draining the batteries. When we buy an RV, we have absolutely no idea how the batteries have been treated prior to purchase.
I once heard an RV tech say "RV batteries don't die often, they are usually murdered", and the two main reasons are overcharging and undercharging. Again, it's often assumed that the batteries will continually be properly charged when on shore power, but that's not necessarily the case if the charging equipment isn't correctly matched to the batteries. And batteries are finicky creatures that need proper care, maintenance, and re-charging to full capacity as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the manufacturers and dealers don't give us very good tools or information on how to properly maintain, test, and monitor our batteries.
So, yes it is not unusual for a single house battery (even a new one) to discharge completely in 10 days if there is no charge going in. But battery discharge (and failure) can be accelerated by all the other factors mentioned above as well.
You are right. I absolutely agree with all you have said. I mistakenly referred to my Smart Converter as an inverter. It has 3 stage charging and now shows the battery full and being maintained.
Do you have any advice or solutions as to the light dimming? It happens frequently when on shore power and we are using the TV, microwave clock, lights, refrig. And computer router and modem.
Thanks for your fine help.
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God adds to ones life those hours spent fishing, camping and beaching.
