Dead Battery

[MommaHuffman]

I have a dead battery on my Roo 233. If I hook it up to my portable generator, will it recharge my deep cell battery? If so, how long will it take till it's fully charged? Is there some sort of gauge to show the charge level in this battery?
Thanks in advance!

[rbneron]

You can charge it by plugging your trailer in (provided the battery is connected) to a land live, using your portable generator to power your trailer's converter, or use an external battery charger. If you have an ac source available, easiest, though generator will work.

[wbdvt]

How dead is your battery? Did you take a voltage reading? The battery will reach a point called cell reversal where it has been discharged to a point where it can not be recharged. I am going by memory here but I believe it is at around 1 volt per cell. For a 12 volt battery, this would be around 6 volts (6 cells in a 12 volt battery)

[bikendan]

why don't you just use the trailer's converter/charger to recharge it? it's as fast as a separate battery charger.

was the trailer hooked up to shore power? if not, parasitic power drains will empty a single battery in just a few days.

does your Roo have a battery disconnect switch, which will prevent this drain.

and don't plug the battery directly to the generator. this is the MOST inefficient way to recharge the battery.

your control center should show a ballpark charge level on the battery.

[MommaHuffman]

I was going to hook up the camper to my generator, using the converter to charge the battery.
As for parasitic power drains, do you mean the alarms for CO and LP? My LP alarm was beeping recently due to the battery draining, I'm assuming.
My control center just has the pump switch and the levels for my storage tanks.
So should I disconnect my battery while my unit is being stored for the winter?

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by MommaHuffman

I was going to hook up the camper to my generator, using the converter to charge the battery.
As for parasitic power drains, do you mean the alarms for CO and LP? My LP alarm was beeping recently due to the battery draining, I'm assuming.
My control center just has the pump switch and the levels for my storage tanks.
So should I disconnect my battery while my unit is being stored for the winter?

Yes the alarms and the stereo etc. My unit draws .22 amps with everything shut off. That's 4-5 amps per day and with a single 80 amphour battery, it would take less than 2 weeks until the battery was in trouble, and prone to freezing. Some units have even more stuff to draw current.

If your battery if truly dead it is possibly toast or at the least serious damaged, but you can try to spin up the generator to see what you got. I would recommend that you get an external charger that does desulfation and equalizing and you may be able to salvage the battery that way once you try to charge with the onboard converter.

AND yes disconnect the battery if you are not plugged in and away from it for more than a few days.

[aiscpl6]

That is the best way to charge the battery.
Yes, the battery will only last a few days due to these draws. If you do not have a disconnect switch then unhook one of the wires from a terminal on the battery.
If you can plug it in to shore power during the winter the battery will be fine. I can not so I took the battery home and top it up with a charger every few weeks. If you have a trickle charger you can leave it hooked to that all the time. Also, keep the battery off of a cold surface like in an unheated garage floor.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by MommaHuffman

I was going to hook up the camper to my generator, using the converter to charge the battery.
As for parasitic power drains, do you mean the alarms for CO and LP? My LP alarm was beeping recently due to the battery draining, I'm assuming.
YES!
My control center just has the pump switch and the levels for my storage tanks.i also have a 2007 Roo and your control center has a battery level indicator, along with the pump switch and tank levels. push the bottom button labeled "Battery" and it'll light up 1-4 lights indicating battery level.
So should I disconnect my battery while my unit is being stored for the winter?
YES!

get a battery disconnect switch and you simply turn it to disconnect.
i have one on my dual battery setup and after 4 months of storage, the batteries were only down 10%.

[ependydad]

I disconnect my battery via disconnect if the camper is being stored for more than a day if I don't have power to it.