Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-27-2017, 08:06 AM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
Radio/CD/DVD player draining batteries.

My radio/CD/DVD player is draining my batteries when my cut-off switch is in Off position, even if I am on shore power. I do not understand where my problem is but what I know is :
1) Radio, water pump and level indicators are energized when Coach batteries are connected, fuse #2 is in and cut-off switch is ether on or off.
2) Radio, water pump and level indicators are not energized when fuse #2 is out.
3) Radio is not energized but water pump and level indicator are energized when the coach batteries are disconnected , fuse #2 is in and cut-off switch in Off position.
How can I have the radio energized via the same fuse as the water pump and the level indicator when the coach batteries are connected and having only the radio not energized when the coach batteries are disconnected?

I have a 2014 Lexington 265DS motorhome.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 09:01 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 169
It doesn't make sense that anything would be energized if your battery cut-off is in the disconnect position.. unless you are still connected to the shore power source.

Disconnect from the shore power, turn the battery to off and see if the condition still persist. Note: the shore power will supply power to the 12 volt converter in most RV's. thus run your Radio and other 12v appliances. You don't even need a battery in most cases if you are plugged into the shore power.

My response might seem a bit condescending but it's not my intention.
JCDMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 09:26 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Payson, AZ
Posts: 3,859
something not right in your post. you first say the radio is draining the battery when cut off switch is off (1st sentence). then in point 3 you say radio not energized when cut-off switch is off. can't be both!


when you did the tests were you connected to shore power or not? that could have an impact as if connected to shore power the converter would supply 12 volts even if battery cut-off was set to off. also, in point 2 you say things went off when fuse #2 was pulled. can you try that again both with the battery cut-off set to on and again when set to off? it might be that the fuse only controlled a couple of the devices you mentioned and the others were to another fuse but they were off because the battery cut-off was set to off.
__________________
2015 cardinal model 3825fl
2015 dodge ram 3500 dually
CHICKDOE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 12:48 PM   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
May be my English is not good enough to be clear, so I will try to be clearer :
1) As mentioned in my first sentence, I am connected to shore power. And I can add that I was connected to shore power all the time in the three cases.
2) If I disconnect from shore power and I turn the cut-off switch to off, then nothing is energized, including the radio.
3) The way I concluded that it is my radio which is draining the batteries is that it is energized when the batteries are connected and the cut-off switch in off position (case 1) and not energized when batteries are disconnected and the cut-off switch still in off position (case 3).
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 02:02 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 169
Your second description demonstrates that everything is normal. If you are connected to the shore power then everything should work including radios, DVD players and lights. You can literally remove the battery and leave it at home and as long as you are connected to the shore power everything will work. Note: this is not a good idea if you have electric brakes. The battery is what sets the brakes in the event that your trailer comes loose from your tow vehicle.
JCDMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 03:04 PM   #6
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
No everything is not normal as if I disconnect the batteries my radio will not work even if I am connected to shore power. So, if I leave my cut-off at off and use the radio/CD/DVD player, it uses the power from the batteries instead of from the shore power.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 03:05 PM   #7
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
By the way, I have a motorhome, so no electric brakes.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 03:13 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 169
Motor home? Hmmm. You have more than one battery bank, yes? One to start the motor home and one for the living quarters? Is it possible that your Radio is connected to the car battery?
JCDMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 04:19 PM   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
The radio is also energized by the chassis battery when the ignition is on. But this is not supposed to be related to my problem.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 04:23 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 169
Sorry, I don't have a clue.
JCDMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2017, 04:26 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 169
Good luck. I hope you find a solution.
JCDMeyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 12:52 PM   #12
Dahagen
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Cascade Idaho
Posts: 560
If your radio works when the ignition is on, then your radio is incorrectly wired to the chassis, or vehicle battery. I am assuming that the battery drain is on the chassis battery, not the coach batterie(s).
dahagen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 12:55 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Wisconsin/Florida
Posts: 1,905
Quote:
Originally Posted by RFLLambert View Post
By the way, I have a motorhome, so no electric brakes.
Is the radio you speak of in a dash "head unit", meaning in-dash display? If so, what brand? Our head unit is a Magnadyne and the radio remains on when we turn the ignition off. There is a button on the top left corner labeled "NAV" as for navigation. depress this button until you see the screen display rotate and it will shut off. It has to be depressed for approx 5 seconds. Once it has been turned off in this manner, it will have to be re-energized by repeating the same step, i.e press NAV and hold it until the screen comes on.
PenJoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 01:19 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
camaraderie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,832
I believe your radio has a direct power connection (with fuse) to the ENGINE battery that maintains the stations in memory. Cutting off battery switches in the coach has no effect on this. Suggest you get a battery disconnect for the engine battery like this one and your radio will no longer be energized.

About 7 bucks at walmart.
__________________
________
Cam
2015 Georgetown 280DS
2019 Vespa Primavera 150's (pair)
camaraderie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 08:32 PM   #15
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
To JCDMeyer : Thanks for your try.

To dahagen : The radio/CD/DVD player is the in dash unit and it is also connected to the chassis (or vehicle) battery, which is correct. My problem is not with the chassis battery but with the coach batteries.

To PenJoe : I have a Magnadyne model M3-LCD and I also have to turn it off after I turned the ignition to off. My problem is not that I can't turn it off. My problem is that when I listen to a movie in the evening, the energy used by the DVD player comes from the coach batteries instead of the shore power. That is what I defined as 'the radio draining the coach batteries'.

To camaraderie : As mentioned, the problem is not that I can't turn the radio off and it is not the chassis (or engine) battery that is drained.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2017, 09:34 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
camaraderie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,832
RFLLambert.... I don't see how your unit can be powered from both your chassis battery in some conditions and your house battery in others. There is only ONE power wire according to your manual for that model and no provision for separate amplification. There is a 15 amp fuse on the radio so that would be the absolute max it could draw...but at full volume with a DVD on..it is likely no more that 5-8amps. There is also a separate memory wire with a 1 amp fuse wired directly. Can you quantify the amp draw on your house batteries with clamp meter? That would go a long way to isolating the issue as you pull fuses. Just clamp the house positive wires one at a time with a DC clamp to see the current draw under your various scenarios and pull fuses till the draw goes away. Suggest you also clamp the engine wire connections for the radio to see what they are. Good luck...something is definitely amiss based on your descriptions.
__________________
________
Cam
2015 Georgetown 280DS
2019 Vespa Primavera 150's (pair)
camaraderie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2017, 07:12 AM   #17
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
It is usual in motorhomes to have two sources of power for the radio. If there is only one power wire, that means that there should be a relay somewhere that switches the power source from one to the other.

I am not in the stage of finding what is draining my coach batteries and at which rate. After the tests I made, it is obvious to me that the radio is draining the coach batteries because it doesn't receive energy from the shore power. My question is how can I fix that problem? Is there a defective relay somewhere that doesn't send energy to the radio from the shore power?
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2017, 08:10 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
Iwannacamp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 7,916
I have no MH, but I am considering a switch to turn off my POC radio. I have pushed every button on it and the remote...it says "good-bye" but it's still on. I left my unit unplugged for a few days...dead battery...lesson learned.
__________________
2017 Puma 297RLSS
2005 Ram 2500 4X4 diesel SMOKER!!
I love puns, irony and tasteless jokes...
born in Texas.... live in Arkansas
Iwannacamp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2017, 04:39 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Wisconsin/Florida
Posts: 1,905
Quote:
Originally Posted by RFLLambert View Post
To JCDMeyer : Thanks for your try.

To dahagen : The radio/CD/DVD player is the in dash unit and it is also connected to the chassis (or vehicle) battery, which is correct. My problem is not with the chassis battery but with the coach batteries.

To PenJoe : I have a Magnadyne model M3-LCD and I also have to turn it off after I turned the ignition to off. My problem is not that I can't turn it off. My problem is that when I listen to a movie in the evening, the energy used by the DVD player comes from the coach batteries instead of the shore power. That is what I defined as 'the radio draining the coach batteries'.

To camaraderie : As mentioned, the problem is not that I can't turn the radio off and it is not the chassis (or engine) battery that is drained.
Now we are starting to understand your problem. The in-dash head unit that plays the DVD is powered by the coach battery under the hood. It has a "parasitic draw" on the coach battery even when it is turned off. The TV is being operated off of shore power. So both have different power sources and there is no common (dual sources) to power the DVD. The only thing connecting them is the video cable.

There is only one condition where the house batteries and the coach battery will cross paths. If your coach battery goes dead, there should be a switch on the lower left side of the driver's seat. Depressing that switch will allow the house batteries to power the coach starter.

If the coach battery is not kept charged over a period of time, the parasitic draw will drain the battery. There are instances where it will drain the battery in a matter of days. So, it is suggested that you either do not have a full charge on the coach battery, the battery is on its way to the recycle bin, there is an abnormal parasitic draw from the head unit, or, there is an abnormal parasitic drain from other coach electronics. I know this because I went through this. Our daily driver battery went dead in two days of sitting. The head unit installer said it was a drain from other than the head unit. The vehicle techs blamed it on the head unit. Neither found the problem. By accident, I disabled the interior lights and problem solved. It is frustrating, but it was a process by elimination.

Unless you are boondocking, I would suggest getting an AC 115 volt DVD player. You also need to check on the coach battery condition. If that is good, check for abnormal parasitic draw. Finally, the dvd drive motor and sound system just may be too much for the coach battery over the matter of hours.
PenJoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-30-2017, 01:15 PM   #20
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 64
To PenJoe : According to the Battery Control Panel, what I call 'Coach' batteries are the batteries in the living area and the battery under the hood is the 'Chassis' battery. In addition this is a motorhome. So we are not talking about TV and there is a battery isolator in the Battery Control Panel on witch both the 'Chassis' and the 'Coach' batteries are connected and I understand that it is used to recharge the 'Coach' batteries while I am driving. This is in addition of the switch on the lower left side of the driver's seat that allows the 'Coach' batteries to power the engine starter when needed.
Again, my problem is not with the 'Chassis' battery but with the shore power that doesn't energize the Radio/CD/DVD player.
RFLLambert is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
batteries, drain, dvd, radio

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:12 AM.