Battery not staying charged

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 11:17 AM

I have a wildcat 322RK 5'er and we all the sudden started having problems with the battery , first i noticed that the slides would not come in and checked the battery and it was dead so i went and bought another one because of it being a couple of years old and a really cheap one . That got the slides in but then after we got to the camp site around a hour later the inverter started beeping so i was able to turn it on and it stopped but then the same thing happen the next outing and i had to charge the battery again . I thought that it was my 2 YO turning the switch on and running the battery down but i don't think that is the problem because i went to run one of the sidles in last night and the same thing again the battery is almost dead . I keep it plugged in all the time so something is not keeping the battery charged for some reason . Any help would be great .
I am not sure why that the slides run off of just the battery but to me that just not a good thing .

Phreak480 · 09-22-2022, 11:25 AM

You need to see if your converter (or inverter charger) is charging the battery.

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phreak480

You need to see if your converter (or inverter charger) is charging the battery.

Not sure how to do that , i do know that is does not stay on or when i look at it there are no lights on it . We never had this issue and it came up all the sudden . I guess the inverter can just go bad ?

**Flybob** · 09-22-2022, 11:29 AM

Please clarify a few things, You said after an hour at the campsite the inverter started beeping. Were you plugged in at the campsite? If you are connected to shore power , why are you using the inverter? If you have a meter please measure the voltage at the battery terminals with 5er connected and disconnected to shore power and report back. Check to insure you have not accidentally pulled the breakaway switch.

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Please clarify a few things, You said after an hour at the campsite the inverter started beeping. Were you plugged in at the campsite? If you have a meter please measure the voltage at the battery terminals with 5er connected and disconnected to shore power and report back. Check to insure you have not accidentally pulled the breakaway switch.

Yes i was plugged into power when it started peeping . I will check the voltage today when i get home and see .

Aussieguy · 09-22-2022, 11:33 AM

how long have you had this 5'er
what are you charging with
do you have a multi meter

a) measure the voltage of battery directly at the battery terminals without any charger being on... should be about 12.6 (no shorepower or solar connected)

b) turn on charger measure again .... it should be about 13.6 .. if less than this then you need to check your charger

How long were you charging ... you might have to leave the charger on for 10 hours or more depending on your battery size and charger type.

make sure 12v is not getting drained by fridge or other high amp item...
inverter fridge tv etc etc .... turn off as much as possible while charging.

**bikendan** · 09-22-2022, 11:35 AM

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the Electrical and Charging Systems sub-forum since the OP's questions are specific to this section.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Forest River Forums mobile app

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

how long have you had this 5'er
what are you charging with
do you have a multi meter

a) measure the voltage of battery directly at the battery terminals without any charger being on... should be about 12.6 (no shorepower or solar connected)

b) turn on charger measure again .... it should be about 13.6 .. if less than this then you need to check your charger

How long were you charging ... you might have to leave the charger on for 10 hours or more depending on your battery size and charger type.

make sure 12v is not getting drained by fridge or other high amp item...
inverter fridge tv etc etc .... turn off as much as possible while charging.

We have had it for 3 summers now . I have a meter i can use to see. I have left it on for around 10-12 hours . I just thought that the battery would stay charged while it is plugged into power is that not right ?

Aussieguy · 09-22-2022, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theeelranch

We have had it for 3 summers now . I have a meter i can use to see. I have left it on for around 10-12 hours . I just thought that the battery would stay charged while it is plugged into power is that not right ?

If your converter is working correctly then it should keep up and charge your battery with NORMAL load from the usual stuff that a 5'r has

BUT did you add a high amperage device to your 12v?

converter/charger may put out 50amps but if you are using 45 amps then you are only getting a small amount of charge into your battery... it would then take a couple of days to charge up a large battery.

if you know how to measure amps with your meter you can check this
you need a good meter that can read 12v DC over 10amps
most of the cheaper meters may blow their own internal fuse if you try to read more than 10amps DC

The biggest cause of poor charging is a bad cable connection.
check all the connections to the battery are clean and tight.
take each connection/terminal OFF to inspect it.

make sure no build up of corrosion (white powder stuff)

do the same with the negative cable where it connects to frame or bus bars.

Aussieguy · 09-22-2022, 12:22 PM

when you store the trailer do you keep any sort of charger on it?

letting the battery run totally flat is the quick way to kill it.

in storage take off a battery terminal ... this will keep the drain on the battery to a minimum .... or take it home with you and store it on a battery maintainer

Custmachr · 09-22-2022, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theeelranch

Yes i was plugged into power when it started peeping . I will check the voltage today when i get home and see .

Sorry but lets verify if you are talking about a converter (convert 120 VAC to DC) or an invertor (coverts 12 VDC to 120 Volt AC)

Thanks,

unyalli · 09-22-2022, 12:52 PM

A battery monitor is an invaluable tool now and every day going forward. When you believe you have everything turned off it will verify this. When you believe you should be charging it will verify this. A good one will keep a history.

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

when you store the trailer do you keep any sort of charger on it?

letting the battery run totally flat is the quick way to kill it.

in storage take off a battery terminal ... this will keep the drain on the battery to a minimum .... or take it home with you and store it on a battery maintainer

I always have it plugged into powder when it's not in use . I haven't had a problem the first two summers at all with the battery staying charged .

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Custmachr

Sorry but lets verify if you are talking about a converter (convert 120 VAC to DC) or an invertor (coverts 12 VDC to 120 Volt AC)

Thanks,

I am talking about the battery not being charged when it is plugged into power . So it's not really the inventor or converter i don't think .

Phreak480 · 09-22-2022, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theeelranch

I am talking about the battery not being charged when it is plugged into power . So it's not really the inventor or converter i don't think .

Yes it is. When on shore power either a converter or an inverter-charger combo charges the battery.

It's possible your charging device (one of the above types) has failed, a fuse has blown, or your battery is bad.

Larry-NC · 09-22-2022, 01:23 PM

You aren't messing with a battery disconnect switch, are you? The battery won't charge if that switch is open. If you are storing the trailer while it's connected to power, leave that switch closed.

Joe_GA · 09-22-2022, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theeelranch

I am not sure why that the slides run off of just the battery but to me that just not a good thing .

The slides draw too much current for the converter to operate them. That is why you need a fully charged battery.

**Flybob** · 09-22-2022, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theeelranch

I am talking about the battery not being charged when it is plugged into power . So it's not really the inventor or converter i don't think .

The battery is charged by the converter. A converter converts 120VAC from shore power into 12VDC to charge the battery and run 12V appliances. An inverter converts 12VDC into 120VAC to run appliances such as a commercial fridge. Some high end RVs have both and they can either be separate or in one enclosure. Since you have a battery charge problem, you need to check the converter. When connected to shore power, the battery should charge. Battery Voltage should be >13.8V. A few things to check. There are two high current fuses ( 30-40A) in the fuse panel. If you accidentally created a short when changing the battery, they could be blown, They are generally not in the neat rows with the smaller fuses. Also check the breakaway switch. If your 2YO accidentally pulled it, the brakes are on and they use a lot of power. Some good reading after you solve this can be found in the library under electrical. "The 12V side of life"

PhilFromMaine · 09-22-2022, 02:01 PM

IMO, the POs post has too many unknowns or points of confusion. Basically, any RV I have ever seen will function completely if plugged into shore power even without a battery present.

Without shore power, all the necessary electrical needs will run off the battery. If you are on reliable shore power and there is no 12 volt power, most likely your converter has failed. When the converter fails the battery will soon follow when all its charge is used up.

The inverter beeping is most likely because there is an error code indicating a depleted battery.

Theeelranch · 09-22-2022, 03:52 PM

This is what I have with a single battery. I guess I need to make it a little simpler maybe I’m asking it the wrong way.
Since we have had the Rv I have had a 50am plug wired in at my house and leave it on , I never disconnect the battery on the battery disconnect switch and for two summers the battery has not had a problem staying charged until the last few times I have went out in it. I put a new battery on a few weeks back and it stayed up for a weekend and then the next weekend it was dead again. I’m just wondering if the converter could have just went bad all the sudden. I have not changed anything or anyway I normally do when it was working correctly.

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