RC Pilot Jim
Senior Member
We haven't talked much about battery life which is a factor to be aware of.
Our FWC factory battery is now 40 months old. We "store" the rig under a carport 5 days a week. With the Trimetric we monitor the percent of full during those days.
Percent of discharge averages 6-10% per week. Driving and parking in the sun always has brought battery back up in less than 6 hours.
This last month we've noticed a change. Reading dropped to 73% (from 98%) in two days. Solar charging brought it up to 84% in 4 hours. Back under carport on the 110 volt trickle charger slowly at l "Point 9 amp to Point 1 amp" ...brings it back up. Though after 60 hours charging - battery now at 91%..
Second Edit
As late as June 2015, the 1.25 amp trickle charger would run the fridge and top off the charge to 100% in less than 12 hours
The sign of a dying battery:
1. Won't hold a charge
2. Rapid discharge
My manual doesn't state the warranty on the battery. Contacting Four Wheel,
Answer "The batteries have a 2 year warranty and a third year pro-rated warranty(Exide). (Battery Life) depends how the battery was charged and discharged. They generally will last between 3 to 5 years."
Question on battery age at installation?
Answer: We only bring batteries in quantities for the week so we don’t have a large inventory of batteries just sitting around. The distributor we buy from has a fast turnover of his inventory so we have fresh batteries for our campers, they even run out at times.
If your having problems charging with solar you may be dealing with an old battery. Be sure to check with a second charger either shore power or a "battery-tender" type charger.
From what I have read the industry has figured battery life so they die pretty close to expiration of the warranty. 40 months out of a 36 month guaranteed battery is good service.
First Update:
This morning trickle charger been running 84 hours - battery now at 92%. Today I will disconnect the "trickle" charger/maintainer and check the discharge point tomorrow.
Second Update 9-3-15
When the battery was replaced the old battery was an East-Penn manufactured Model "Intimidator" NOT an Exide. Four Wheel swtched from East-Penn to Exide sometime in the last 3 years. After my research I decided to purchase that same battery and did not know I owned one until the mechanic removed the old one from its case.
Our FWC factory battery is now 40 months old. We "store" the rig under a carport 5 days a week. With the Trimetric we monitor the percent of full during those days.
Percent of discharge averages 6-10% per week. Driving and parking in the sun always has brought battery back up in less than 6 hours.
This last month we've noticed a change. Reading dropped to 73% (from 98%) in two days. Solar charging brought it up to 84% in 4 hours. Back under carport on the 110 volt trickle charger slowly at l "Point 9 amp to Point 1 amp" ...brings it back up. Though after 60 hours charging - battery now at 91%..
Second Edit
As late as June 2015, the 1.25 amp trickle charger would run the fridge and top off the charge to 100% in less than 12 hours
The sign of a dying battery:
1. Won't hold a charge
2. Rapid discharge
My manual doesn't state the warranty on the battery. Contacting Four Wheel,
Answer "The batteries have a 2 year warranty and a third year pro-rated warranty(Exide). (Battery Life) depends how the battery was charged and discharged. They generally will last between 3 to 5 years."
Question on battery age at installation?
Answer: We only bring batteries in quantities for the week so we don’t have a large inventory of batteries just sitting around. The distributor we buy from has a fast turnover of his inventory so we have fresh batteries for our campers, they even run out at times.
If your having problems charging with solar you may be dealing with an old battery. Be sure to check with a second charger either shore power or a "battery-tender" type charger.
From what I have read the industry has figured battery life so they die pretty close to expiration of the warranty. 40 months out of a 36 month guaranteed battery is good service.
First Update:
This morning trickle charger been running 84 hours - battery now at 92%. Today I will disconnect the "trickle" charger/maintainer and check the discharge point tomorrow.
Second Update 9-3-15
When the battery was replaced the old battery was an East-Penn manufactured Model "Intimidator" NOT an Exide. Four Wheel swtched from East-Penn to Exide sometime in the last 3 years. After my research I decided to purchase that same battery and did not know I owned one until the mechanic removed the old one from its case.