Battery drain/solar questions

[PeterV]

Hi there,

I was away for 4 weeks and the camper was unused. I had left the camper battery full and the red switch was "off" so there should not have been any drain from the various monitors, etc. - basically I thought everything should be disconnected.

Coming back, I took the volt meter to it, and much to my surprise it showed 7.8 V.. basically dead! (The truck starting battery was still at 12V, comparatively). Any ideas what could be causing this drain? I have the solar panel (and it's not in sunlight), but I thought the charge controller is supposed to prevent any drain (it's all stock FWC solar panel/charge controller, on a 2008 Eagle). Could it be a faulty charge controller? Or is the solar panel actually disconnected from the battery when the red switch it turned off, so it's not even a part of the equation?

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[mtn-high]

Yer battery may have simply shot the sh*t. Mine did the same thing last Winter.(2008 Hawk)

 

[Hittheroad]

Yer battery may have simply shot the sh*t. Mine did the same thing last Winter.(2008 Hawk)


Could be battery, 7volts is really low, but I am pretty sure the red switch does not disconnect everything. It would be nice if FWC included a complete wiring diagram with each camper. The solar and solar controller are probably still active. I find I need to recharge every month or so if the camper is just sitting.

 

[ntsqd]

I make a point of driving the truck to work at least once a week. The worst thing that you can do to a vehicle is not operate it.

 

[bsharp007]

Hi Peter, I believe you have to keep the red switch ON (pulled out) to keep charging the battery from the solar system. Hopefully no permanent damage to the battery happened. It's better to keep the battery trickle charged from the solar system. With the red switch off (in) the battery will slowly discharge even though there are no appliances drawing off it. A month or so sounds about right especially with the colder weather we have been having here.

Will





Hi there,

I was away for 4 weeks and the camper was unused. I had left the camper battery full and the red switch was "off" so there should not have been any drain from the various monitors, etc. - basically I thought everything should be disconnected.

Coming back, I took the volt meter to it, and much to my surprise it showed 7.8 V.. basically dead! (The truck starting battery was still at 12V, comparatively). Any ideas what could be causing this drain? I have the solar panel (and it's not in sunlight), but I thought the charge controller is supposed to prevent any drain (it's all stock FWC solar panel/charge controller, on a 2008 Eagle). Could it be a faulty charge controller? Or is the solar panel actually disconnected from the battery when the red switch it turned off, so it's not even a part of the equation?

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[jha6av8r]

I like to drive mine once a week also, but haven't noticed any battery drain at all with my truck sitting. The solar keeps up or seems to. I would also bet FWC would send you a wiring schematic if it was a factory install. Try contacting Terry in operations.

 

[PeterV]

Hi Peter, I believe you have to keep the red switch ON (pulled out) to keep charging the battery from the solar system. Hopefully no permanent damage to the battery happened. It's better to keep the battery trickle charged from the solar system.


Hey Will & others,

I do drive the truck more often as well, but was out of the country on vacation - this is not a regular occurrence

I'm sure the solar panel would do a great job keeping the battery topped up if it saw sun, except for the camper is in a carport with zero sunlight (and the solar panel/FWC roof is like 6" from the ceiling), so the solar doesn't charge it while it's sitting. The various propane/carbon monoxide detectors kill the battery so I thought disconnecting the red switch is the best way to reduce battery drain.

Perhaps the battery is indeed in need of replacement, because the furnace heater also killed it within 4 hours on the first trip to Moab (fully charged battery, 32 degF outside, heater was set to 65 while we were having dinner, 3-4 hours later it was flat)... and here I am reading about people running the heater for multiple nights in a row (I don't run it at all at night). I guess that's another red flag.

I added a second battery (blue top optima) that I have from my other car for this weekend's trip, but might look into replacing the original as well. I just wish I could be certain that it's the battery that's the problem and not something to do with the solar panel!

Stan@FWC, if you are reading this forum, can you confirm whether solar is disconnected completely by the red switch? In which case I guess it's the battery... Thanks!

 

[Phird05]

I would agree that you need a new battery/batteries. There's no way it should drain after 4 hours. I have two golf cart batteries in my Hallmark and can go 2-3 days before worrying about the charge. When I do camp in cold temperatures I bring along a couple of battery powered lanterns and try not to use the house lights very much. I also have my fridge/freezer operating on gas while in camp. I tend to be pretty conservative while camping in cold temps. If I am away from the camper I don't have the furnace on at all. I don't have the heater set very high while sleeping, but lean over to turn it on before getting out of the sack to make coffee.

Good Camping!

Paul

 

[bsharp007]

Hi Peter, Fyi your camper also has a built in smart charger if you can connect it to 110 in your carport (the blinking light in the cabinet). However the battery should have run the heater longer then 4 hours imo. Also you might be surprised that even though your camper is out of direct sunlight it still might be able to recharge the battery via the solar panel. Here's a copy the owners manuel from FWC and you have one in your packet as well, it does answer your question regarding the red switch and my understanding after re-reading it is when the switch is in the (in) position the solar panel will not charge the battery.

http://www.fourwheel...ners_Manual.pdf
Hope this help,

Will


Hey Will & others,

I do drive the truck more often as well, but was out of the country on vacation - this is not a regular occurrence

I'm sure the solar panel would do a great job keeping the battery topped up if it saw sun, except for the camper is in a carport with zero sunlight (and the solar panel/FWC roof is like 6" from the ceiling), so the solar doesn't charge it while it's sitting. The various propane/carbon monoxide detectors kill the battery so I thought disconnecting the red switch is the best way to reduce battery drain.

Perhaps the battery is indeed in need of replacement, because the furnace heater also killed it within 4 hours on the first trip to Moab (fully charged battery, 32 degF outside, heater was set to 65 while we were having dinner, 3-4 hours later it was flat)... and here I am reading about people running the heater for multiple nights in a row (I don't run it at all at night). I guess that's another red flag.

I added a second battery (blue top optima) that I have from my other car for this weekend's trip, but might look into replacing the original as well. I just wish I could be certain that it's the battery that's the problem and not something to do with the solar panel!

Stan@FWC, if you are reading this forum, can you confirm whether solar is disconnected completely by the red switch? In which case I guess it's the battery... Thanks!

 

[PeterV]

Ah yes, thanks for the reminder about checking the manual, I sometimes forget

"Regarding the recharging of the campers Auxiliary Battery:
* When using the truck’s charging system or the solar panel, the red or silver 12v master switch can be in the “IN” or “OUT” position to allow recharging of the auxiliary battery."

So the solar controller / panel is connected regardless of the master switch.
Theoretically a faulty solar controller could also be responsible for this, but other signs point to the battery as more likely... especially if nobody seems to have experienced problems w/ the solar controllers in the past.

It also says: "Disconnect 12 volt power to camper with the master switch (red push/pull knob near fuse panel & circuit breakers) if camper is not being used, over time the alarms may drain the battery."

So I guess I did the right thing / it's best to disconnect when not in use and there are no downsides to doing that...

 

[bsharp007]

Hmm..looks like I need to read the owners manuel Anyway looks like the battery is the culprit.

Will





Ah yes, thanks for the reminder about checking the manual, I sometimes forget

"Regarding the recharging of the campers Auxiliary Battery:
* When using the truck’s charging system or the solar panel, the red or silver 12v master switch can be in the “IN” or “OUT” position to allow recharging of the auxiliary battery."

So the solar controller / panel is connected regardless of the master switch.
Theoretically a faulty solar controller could also be responsible for this, but other signs point to the battery as more likely... especially if nobody seems to have experienced problems w/ the solar controllers in the past.

It also says: "Disconnect 12 volt power to camper with the master switch (red push/pull knob near fuse panel & circuit breakers) if camper is not being used, over time the alarms may drain the battery."

So I guess I did the right thing / it's best to disconnect when not in use and there are no downsides to doing that...

 

[WaltK]

So I guess I did the right thing / it's best to disconnect when not in use and there are no downsides to doing that...


That only gets you so far. With your long times between uses it's probably better to have a battery maintenance charger in the camper that you plug in when storing your camper. Batteries themselves self discharge, and older ones can be even worse at that. With a modern maintenance charger (that won't overcharge the batteries) you would not even have to worry about the minor users of your house battery system and your battery would always be ready to go with as much charge as it will hold. And your batteries would also have improved life. Just make sure it's one specified for this job and your type of battery.

Note it's really best to not discharge your battery down more than about half way. Any more and you are shortening it's life. If you have a practice of often carrying the battery down to flat you should consider more battery capacity. It will cost you less in the long run through not near so many battery replacements.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Sounds like a bad battery.

Some only last 3 - 5 years, so that could be it.

The solar is independent of that master on/off switch.

The battery should last longer than 4 hours running the furnace.

I'm on the road in Denver.

But you can call Terry toll free in our service department if you would like.

1-800-242-1442.

Thanks

: )

 

[JHanson]

Peter,

Even a standard lead-acid battery in good condition wouldn't lose nearly that much voltage in a month. And an AGM wouldn't drop more than a half volt. It's almost certainly the battery.

 

[chnlisle]

Jonathon,

You just answered my question too. The solar panel charges the AGM just fine but when I run the Engel fridge it drains down to zero. Last spring in Baja and even here in The Old Pueblo the battery held up fine with the fridge running. So it must be the battery. I see I need to pay Interstate a visit.