new 2012 sabre 31 rets6, used 1 time and battery completely dead. battery brand is interstate. the battery sticker on top shows a date of 5/12, im assuming thats the date of manufacture. this camper is less than 1 month old, and my wife and i were careful to unplug/shut down anything that wasnt going to be needed (i.e radios, clocks, fridge, lights etc.)
wanted to go camping this weekend, and by that i mean leave in the morning. all info is in the camper as far as paperwork goes. dealer is closed and am wondering if anybody has any ideas of what kind of parasitic loss could be taking place?
why isnt a batttery shut off offered as standard equiptment or at least as an option? didnt know it was dead until i hit the landing gear retract button to hook up. aggravating as all get out.
as far as warrenty, since i cant get to my paperwork, is this going to be a forest river or interstate problem?
new 2012 sabre 31 rets6, used 1 time and battery completely dead. battery brand is interstate. the battery sticker on top shows a date of 5/12, im assuming thats the date of manufacture. this camper is less than 1 month old, and my wife and i were careful to unplug/shut down anything that wasnt going to be needed (i.e radios, clocks, fridge, lights etc.)
wanted to go camping this weekend, and by that i mean leave in the morning. all info is in the camper as far as paperwork goes. dealer is closed and am wondering if anybody has any ideas of what kind of parasitic loss could be taking place?
why isnt a batttery shut off offered as standard equiptment or at least as an option? didnt know it was dead until i hit the landing gear retract button to hook up. aggravating as all get out.
as far as warrenty, since i cant get to my paperwork, is this going to be a forest river or interstate problem?
Numerous parasitic draws i.e. co monitor. Just plug it into your tv, retract the jacks and go camping. Shore power will charge it up when you get to the campground. When you get home again, just pull a cable on the battery or install a disconnect.
At the least, your entertainment system, propane detector and CO detector will all be drawing current. The fridge control board and AC/heat thermostat might also.
Joel
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2011 Silverado 2500HD Duramax, 4x4, crew cab, long bed
Palomino Puma 253-FBS, 27' 5th wheel
1994 19' Class B on Chevy chassis
as far as warrenty, since i cant get to my paperwork, is this going to be a forest river or interstate problem?
A normal healthy battery will be dead in a little over a week if not connected to a charger. Normal parasite load (about an amp) will deplete a fully charged 75 AH battery in about 250 hours.
Even with just internal resistance (using a battery disconnect), a fully charged battery will "self discharge" in 3 - 4 weeks.
Just put that battery on a battery charger for 24 hours and it should be good as new. It can take 3-5 days using the converter to fully charge a depleted battery to "full."
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
you will have to pull battery and charge with a battery charger...
Don't think he'll have to pull the battery. If the tv being hooked up will let him retract the jacks, the tv will start the charging of the battery and when he gets to the campground, he can just plug in a charger without removing the battery. Converter should pick it up tho'.
Don't think he'll have to pull the battery. If the tv being hooked up will let him retract the jacks, the tv will start the charging of the battery and when he gets to the campground, he can just plug in a charger without removing the battery. Converter should pick it up tho'.
If its a wfco it'll prolly kill it !
They have a hard enough time not imploding at normal charging !
I'm not saying it wont work but if it was mine and truly my opinion id take it out and charge it at no more than 6 amps an hour 2 would be best .
Don't think he'll have to pull the battery. If the tv being hooked up will let him retract the jacks, the tv will start the charging of the battery and when he gets to the campground, he can just plug in a charger without removing the battery. Converter should pick it up tho'.
If the battery is truly dead; the converter will be "off line" and will not come online until the battery recovers to at least 6 volts via an external charger.
Using the TV alternator may very well hurt his battery due to excessive charge rates (see attached PDF on Single Stage chargers - Alternators).
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Location: No longer own a Forest River product, but enjoy the info on this site
Posts: 309
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwaynerz
new 2012 sabre 31 rets6, used 1 time and battery completely dead. battery brand is interstate. the battery sticker on top shows a date of 5/12, im assuming thats the date of manufacture.
This is totally normal if you store your camper for a time. The info presented above is correct.
There is a draw in the battery even when not camping. For this reason, lots of folks use / install a battery disconnect to remove the 'parasitic draw' factor.
Just a thought - consider adding a battery disconnect and shut down the power to the coach when she's not in use and you should have some power when you hook up again.
Solar is another option (but out of my league for $$$ and mechanical abilities). This would keep your batteries charged when the RV is not in use.
This is totally normal if you store your camper for a time.
the time my camper has been stored is just a bit more than 2 weeks. took battery to o'rielly's to have it checked, they put it on their little charger/tester and 30 minutes later it said i had a full charge. we shall see in the morning
i bought 2 wing nuts to make battery disconnect just a bit easier, so total cost this eve so far has been a whopping $2.60 including 30 minute recharge. will see in the morning if the 30 minutes was worth it, or if i just spent 1/2 hour jabbering with the parts guy. i really do appreciate his effort tho.
This is totally normal if you store your camper for a time.
the time my camper has been stored is just a bit more than 2 weeks. took battery to o'rielly's to have it checked, they put it on their little charger/tester and 30 minutes later it said i had a full charge. we shall see in the morning
i bought 2 wing nuts to make battery disconnect just a bit easier, so total cost this eve so far has been a whopping $2.60 including 30 minute recharge. will see in the morning if the 30 minutes was worth it, or if i just spent 1/2 hour jabbering with the parts guy. i really do appreciate his effort tho.
Are you not able to plug your camper in while at home?
no, i have to put it in storage. not because of crabby neighbors like my neighbors down the street have, but because i live on a cul de sac, have 5 vehicles (wifes car, my truck, the old car in the garage and the kids 2 cars) and parking is at a premium. i only bring it home a day or 2 before we are due to head out.
maybe after 1 of the kids leave, it will come home permanently to roost.
Yes, the tech was car guy. Starting batteries have very thin plates and can take a "quick charge" and be "good to go." House batteries have very thick plates and take a LONG time to charge.
30 minutes is NO WAY long enough to charge a deep cycle.
24 hours on a dedicated charger minimum from dead.
You have to replace 75 amp hours of charge. At 20 amps steady it will take 3.75 HOURS of charge. This is not possible because 20 amps constant will BOIL your battery dry. The multi stage charger will detect the increase in voltage and step the charging current DOWN. Each step drops the current down to less than an amp for the last 20% of capacity.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
there should be enough in it now to raise/lower landing gear even tho im not opposed to hand cranking. maybe some time on the house current before we go, and then again at the cg will do something for it til we return sun eve.
i need to invest in a multi stage charger for all my batteries. rv and old car both.
there should be enough in it now to raise/lower landing gear even tho im not opposed to hand cranking. maybe some time on the house current before we go, and then again at the cg will do something for it til we return sun eve.
i need to invest in a multi stage charger for all my batteries. rv and old car both.
there should be enough in it now to raise/lower landing gear even tho im not opposed to hand cranking. maybe some time on the house current before we go, and then again at the cg will do something for it til we return sun eve.
i need to invest in a multi stage charger for all my batteries. rv and old car both.
My money is on "you will be cranking" so find out where the crank is and where it goes. A good 4 stage charger (with a desuplphation phase) is a tool that should be in everyone's tool chest.
My money is on "you will be cranking" so find out where the crank is and where it goes. A good 4 stage charger (with a desuplphation phase) is a tool that should be in everyone's tool chest.
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