Battery always draining....

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 05:11 PM

We have a Forest River Rockwood Premier Hardtop Tent Trailer. We have been having problems with the battery always draining. We were told to disconnect the ground wire from the battery when just sitting and not plugged in to a power source. When we bought the trailer there was a toggle switch put in which replaced the power off switch when the stove/sink were put down. We always leave the toggle switch in the on position even with the 12V and 120V switches in the off position. Is it possible that there is still something drawing power in the trailer since the toggle switch is in the on position? That is all that we can think of as to why the battery does not hold its charge. We bought a new marine battery this year and have never run off of the battery as of yet. Any input would be appreciated.

markb5900 · 08-10-2017, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna H.

We have a Forest River Rockwood Premier Hardtop Tent Trailer. We have been having problems with the battery always draining. We were told to disconnect the ground wire from the battery when just sitting and not plugged in to a power source. When we bought the trailer there was a toggle switch put in which replaced the power off switch when the stove/sink were put down. We always leave the toggle switch in the on position even with the 12V and 120V switches in the off position. Is it possible that there is still something drawing power in the trailer since the toggle switch is in the on position? That is all that we can think of as to why the battery does not hold its charge. We bought a new marine battery this year and have never run off of the battery as of yet. Any input would be appreciated.

I don't know your unit, but do you have a TV antenna with a booster?

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 05:14 PM

No we do not. We only have a fridge and a converter.

markb5900 · 08-10-2017, 05:17 PM

Do you leave your fridge on?
It does draw on the battery even though on propane.

jwh4984 · 08-10-2017, 05:21 PM

The radio even off will draw power so does the carbon monoxide detector

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 05:26 PM

We do not have the fridge on that we know of. That is why I am thinking that the toggle switch that was put in should be switched to off when we come home as it may still be drawing power from the battery.

markb5900 · 08-10-2017, 05:26 PM

Until you can find the draw, maybe a light in a cabinet is on you haven't found (btdt).
Install a battery disconnect switch, about 10.00 bucks and flip it so your battery stops draining when not camping/on shore power

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 05:26 PM

We never thought of the carbon monoxide detector. That could be drawing power from the battery as well.

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 05:28 PM

Thanks Mark. We will look into purchasing one of these switches in hopes of fixing the problem. Your input is greatly appreciated.

markb5900 · 08-10-2017, 05:32 PM

Here you go, about an hour to install.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/12-Volt-3...&wl13=&veh=sem

Jmkjr72 · 08-10-2017, 05:46 PM

When the battery is connected any thing that is on is a parasitic drain
Co2 and gas detectors are always on unless you pull a wire from the battery
If you have brakes on your camper if the breakaway is not in right it can activate the brakes activated drain

Are you disconect the battery come back and find it dead if so bad battery
If you are not disconected everything in your camper can drain the battery

jwh4984 · 08-10-2017, 07:18 PM

Best thing to do is either disconnect battery or plug into shore power that helps keep battery charged you can buy a 15 amp adapter to use a regular house hold plug

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 07:22 PM

Thanks. We usually plug into the house power a couple of days before heading out to get the fridge cold. When we plug into the house power we make sure all of the connections are on the battery to charge it up again. Appreciate your help

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 07:25 PM

We will make sure that the toggle switch that was installed is in the off position when we come home this weekend. That could be what we are doing wrong. Someone wired that switch in and the local trailer dealer said it was put in to replace the switch that would shut the power down in the trailer once the sink/stove were put down. We are still learning and this is our 2nd year with this trailer. We should have it down to a science by the end of this season!!!

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 07:28 PM

We typically only plug the fridge in to house power a couple of days prior to going camping to get it cold. We will be running it off of propane this weekend as we are going dry camping. Will have to keep this in mind for the weekend. Will be going dry camping in a couple of weeks but will be borrowing a generator for that weekend so will not have to run the fridge on propane. Such a wealth of information from everyone on this forum!!

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 07:30 PM

Thanks Mark. Will check our local Walmart to see if they carry this item. If not will order from their website. Appreciate all of your help

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 07:33 PM

We disconnect the ground wire when we come home and not plugged into the house power. We thought that just taking that wire off would resolve our issue. It is a brand new battery this summer and have not run off of battery as usually get electrical sites at the campgrounds. Should we be disconnecting all of the wires when we come home so that the battery holds its charge?

**bikendan** · 08-10-2017, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donna H.

Will be going dry camping in a couple of weeks but will be borrowing a generator for that weekend so will not have to run the fridge on propane.

DON'T use a generator for the fridge, that's why you run it on propane.
You'd have to run the generator 24 hours!
It's much cheaper and efficient to run it on propane.

We've been dry campers for 30 years and NEVER have run our fridge on the generator.
Either shore power or propane.

And it's the CO monitor that drains batteries, not CO2.

We have a $7 battery disconnect switch from Walmart that we used for 11 years on our previous HTT.

**Flybob** · 08-10-2017, 08:09 PM

The CO/Propane detector will kill the battery in a few weeks that is why it was recommended that you remove the negative battery terminal. You can add a battery disconnect switch which will do the same thing. As for the toggle switch. If it was put in to replace, the plunger switch that shuts off power to everything in the roof, I would either keep it off or go back to the plunger switch. When the top is put down, the lights in the top will touch the canvas and or mattress. If you accidentally leave a light on, it could cause a fire That is why that switch is there. If you have power where you store it, you can add a battery tender which will keep the battery topped off with out the worry of overcharging.

Donna H. · 08-10-2017, 08:11 PM

Thanks! Good to know not to run the fridge on the generator. We will use the propane when dry camping. Will definitely look into the battery disconnect switch from Walmart!! Thanks

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