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Old 01-06-2016, 12:57 PM   #1
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Battery Issue Perhaps?

When we purchased our Shasta Phoenix 5th wheel new in March 2015 I would be able to turn the battery switch on the night before going out to cool down the fridge for packing in the morning. The battery would still show 3-4 green lights on the board. This even if it was 2-4 weeks between trips. I run overnight on LP not battery.
Now after 2 idle weeks and doing the same thing, in the morning even though its cold, the check fridge light is on and only one green light is showing for the battery. Water levels are fine. Is it normal for a battery to start acting up after less than one year? Nothing is left on, all lights are off as is the tv antenna booster. Your thoughts?
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Old 01-06-2016, 03:37 PM   #2
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Batteries lose capacity as the temp drops.


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Old 01-06-2016, 03:39 PM   #3
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Yes, but here in Florida we just had one of our warmest December's on record.
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Old 01-06-2016, 03:40 PM   #4
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Possibly I assume 2 propane tanks? Maybe tank is empty and/or auto change-over did not switch over to full tank? Both tank valves open....


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Old 01-06-2016, 03:44 PM   #5
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I thought you were referring to OAT not internal refrig temp....
Check propane system.


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Old 01-06-2016, 03:55 PM   #6
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Both tanks were open. Fridge temp was fine but battery down to one green light so fridge check light was because battery was not giving enough juice to ignite the fridge to keep it going. As soon as I plugged into the tow vehicle all was fine! I can only assume its a battery issue it just seems 10 months is a pretty short time for it to act this way. It takes a charge fine just overnight seems to drain too fast. Was fine until December.
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Old 01-06-2016, 05:07 PM   #7
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I would suspect that you are actually running your battery down to about 30% capacity or lower during those 2-4 week periods. I don't know what 3-4 lights on the board means, or how accurate the lights are at measuring voltage. As soon as your converter comes on line, the lights are meaningless. The life of your battery also depends on what type of battery it is.


A starting battery is only good for 4-8 cycles down to below 50% capacity - then it's toast. A Sears Marine Diehard "deep cycle" is supposed to do 200 cycles to 50% capacity, which gives a reasonable lifetime on boat/trolling motor use. True deep cycle batteries (golf cart batteries are an example) will often do 500+ cycles to 50%.


The 50% is somewhat arbitrary. If 40% is your minimum, you will have fewer cycles than at 50%. 60% minimum charge gives more cycles than 50%. Deep cycle batteries are rated at 50% because of the trade-off in battery life vs usable capacity (the curve is non-linear and is optimal near 50%).


Rather than depending on the lights, measure voltage at your battery posts before hooking up a charger or turning on the converter. 12.1 volts represents about 50% capacity; 12.6 to 12.8 volts is fully charged.


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Old 01-06-2016, 05:18 PM   #8
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Also, given that you most likely have a starting battery in your unit, a year is about all you can expect out of them in this application.
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