Battery discharge

[davisiowa1955]

I have a 2006 Georgetown with tow new coach batteries. The batteries go dead in 3-4 days. I do use the battery disconnect. I have replaced the disconnect and the solenoid. The only other part is the $250 circuit board.

Has any one else had this problem? Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks, Ron

[JLeising]

Suggest you charge the batteries and pull one of the battery cables off. If the batteries still discharge, bad batteries. If not, something is still drawing power with disconnect turned off. On our Solera the slideout, the step and the radio are still connected with the disconnect turned to "off".
Good luck -

[davisiowa1955]

Thanks, They are brand new batteries. I will check the others, but I do hear something click on the stairs when I connect the batteries.

Thanks.

[Still Kickin]

Steps will always be energized for safty reasons.

[Mikegjax]

JLeising just for info, when my 2014 Solera battery switch is off the radio has no power and the steps will not re-track. When the ignition is turned on, only then will the steps retract but the radio remains un-powered. Funny there would be that difference between model years.

[JLeising]

Mikegjax - On our 2012 Solera "S", there are actually three 12 volt power lines to the radio - one (ignition switched) from the Mercedes chassis and one from the switched house batteries go through a small isolation circuit to the switched 12 volt radio input; one from the unswitched 12 volt house batteries goes to the "always on" 12 volt input to the radio. With that configuration the radio will play with the house disconnect turned "off" but the ignition "on"; also with the house disconnect "on" but the ignition "off" (e.g., while camping); and will be "off" (except for a very low current to remember stations and time) when both the ignition and the house disconnect are "off". I mentioned it in this thread since the "always on" 12 volts to the radio comes from the house batteries in my coach and is not turned off by the house disconnect - if the OP's radio is similarly wired, a fault in that circuit could run down his batteries with the disconnect turned "off".
I believe the step also is wired such that its motor is always powered by the house batteries, but it can be triggered by the screen door switch or by the ignition switched chassis power. Not as certain about its wiring as I am about the radio - I haven't yet had to troubleshoot it. As I believe it is powered by the house batteries even when the house disconnect is "off", I mentioned it - if I am correct and it is powered by the house batteries with the disconnect "off", a circuit fault there could similarly cause house battery drain. Same rationale applies to the slideout, and any other circuit that is connected ahead of the disconnect switch.

Regards,

Jim

[leomosley]

I find that my coach batteries do lose their charge over time (a few weeks), even with the disconnect switch. I added a mechanical disconnect (see pic), which I use when in storage. They are cheap, easy to install, and ensure there is no draw. Hope this helps!


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[BillMFl]

This is a pretty common issue, worse for some FR models and not so bad for others. But there is at least a small drain for them all. Two days to total discharge seems extreme. You should use a test meter to measure the actual drain when fully charged. A disconnect right at the battery is a sure solution. My batteries drop to 3/4 charge in just a few days. If I'm storing for a long time I simply disconnect the negative cable.

[bend302]

I have 2-4yr old 12V batteries in my GT. They go down in a week or less with battery disconnect off. My solution is a battery tender.

Bill

[davisiowa1955]

All ideas are great. I think that 2-3 days is an extreme. Also it will drain the chassis battery if not disconnected.

[BillMFl]

My 2012 360 has a Parallax converter 12v power supply. It is rated for 1120 watts and has a designed output of 13.8 volts at no load and a minimum of 13.6 volts at full load. It is model 7465 and is their largest model. They have a model 7455 which can also be a 7455T that is rated at only 965 watts. The T designation means that after 13 hrs of continuous hook up to a 120vac power source it will step down to a charge rate of 13.6 volts so as not to overcharge the batteries. The T model is was not available in the 7465 model when my coach was built. Don't know about later years. So as it stands, my coach can and in fact does overcharge the batteries when plugged in without a substantial load. The solution is to either add a battery minder, be your own battery battery minder by disconnecting/reconnecting power, or by adding a manual disconnect to the primary negative or positive terminal, thus isolating the batteries and preventing discharge. The rate at which the batteries decline varies by MH model depending on the number of items that remain "hot" even though the house switch is in the off position. Also if you are using the red lights on the control center to check your battery charge level, you need to be disconnected from shore power. The signal will always indicate "full" when the coach is plugged in. The indicator is not as accurate as a true voltage meter (which some owners buy and wire in) but it is reasonably close if you are not plugged in and the house switch is in the "on" position. Sealed deep cycle batteries (which I installed in my coach) have the advantage of surviving deeper discharge levels for more charge cycles and don't boil dry quickly like unsealed batteries. The batteries that came with my coach boiled over several times. The deep cycle have remained maintenance free for a year now. Also my LP gas alarm no longer goes off from charging fumes. All this info is my personal opinion and carries no explicit or implicit guarantee. haha

[camaraderie]

Bill...may I suggest that you consider upgrading your battery charger to a modern 3 stage charger with an EQ feature.
Your charger is NOT rated for 1120 watts....that is the input wattage. It puts out 65 amps at 13.8 V which is a maximum of 897 watts. But that is unimportant. What is important is that it is a dumb charger that does not get maximum life from your batteries and does not take proper care of them 24x7.
In suggesting a new charger...you should (assuming wet cell batteries) get one that delivers 20-25% in AMPS what your deep cycle battery banks total amp hour rating is.
So...if you have 400amphours of batteries...you should be looking at around 80-100 amp hours of charger power in a SMART charger.
A smart charger will charge your half depleted battery bank (never take it below 50%) first at around 14.7V....then drop down to around 13.8 and finally maintain at 13.2-13.4V and less than 1% amperage indefinitely. The final step ...equalization is usually done at around 15.2V for short periods of time to "stir things up" and prevent sulfation. Some chargers do this automatically on a schedule...others require you to select it manually. Since RV's sit around so much unused...this is a BIG deal.

Suggest you look at the IOTA engineering converter/chargers ONLY with their SMART IQ 4 stage module. Their DLS90 would be ideal for a 400amphour bank like many have...and their DLS45/55 is ideal for a couple of 6V golf carts as found in a lot of smaller coaches. Both are available on Amazon.
I'd note that wet batteries cannot accept a bigger charge current than about 20% of their rated amphours. It does NO GOOD to oversize your charger. Won't hurt anything but your wallet!

May I also suggest you get an AC/CD CLAMP meter for around 60 bucks so that you can clamp your wires and know PRECISELY how much draw you are getting on your red battery wire when it is all shut off. And then trace where the draws are coming from. LIKE this:

[BillMFl]

Thanks for the info. I am aware of it all but since I use my coach only a few weeks a year I have chosen not to spend the money to upgrade the charge system. As a retired former engineer I made the decision to become a "self" battery minder. I store the coach at home and it has its own dedicated circuit which I turn on as required. Your post should be a very good source for anyone looking to upgrade. Thank you for the good info.

[Mikegjax]

Here is a link to parasite draw trouble shooting. It is for automotive but principles are the same. Hope it is helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by BillMFl

Thanks for the info. I am aware of it all but since I use my coach only a few weeks a year I have chosen not to spend the money to upgrade the charge system. As a retired former engineer I made the decision to become a "self" battery minder. I store the coach at home and it has its own dedicated circuit which I turn on as required. Your post should be a very good source for anyone looking to upgrade. Thank you for the good info.

Gotcha Bill... hopefully others can use this...you seem to have it well in hand! I'm good at the electrical/battery stuff...but a complete newby on the rest...taking delivery in June sometime so I'm sure I'll have lots of stuff YOU can answer for me then!