My batteries are on the fritz. They won't take a charge. First the sequence of how the became broken:

1. parked trailer and master power was left on.
2. returned to use trailer for next trip. Batteries are DEAD.
3. went on trip and expected charge while driving (500 miles) would give sufficient charge
4. Plugged in for weekend and things seemed fine. Had enough battery to run fridge while driving (on propane) and on return trip.
5. After trip, was careful to turn off master power.
6. two weeks go by and we head on next trip. Batteries show dead from control pannel. I suspect things are not so good now. We leave on trip and have enough battery to cool fridge while driving. (again 500 miles)
7. Arrive at next location. batteries are still dead. plug in.
8. Two mornings later, one battery is boiling. I unplug and shut off all but essential power. I filled all cells and hoped for a good charge while driving home. -- no luck
9. At home, I plugged in over night and checked batteries next day (24 hours)

I pulled out the DMM and disconnected and test each battery individually. They read about .5 volts. ???? Both batteries read about the same. Now, I'm wondering if I am just setting DMM wrong so I switch to AC and check the plug to wall and it reads 124V as expected. Then I switch back to DC and test my truck battery that reads 13.8V or so.

I can pull the batteries and try to individually try to charge them with a three stage charger. Sounds more like they are toast though.

One last perplexing thing is I re-connected the batteries and had everything plugged in. The converter should be charging the batteries at this point so I tested across each battery individually and across both and still read less than one volt.

My converter is something 7300 which when I last checked is a common model but I can't remember the make.

Sounds like you fried them. They may be holding a little of a charge but when the real load comes in the fall flat. The DMM reading could have just been a fluke with the points you where touching. As far as the converter, my guess is the batteries were sucking so much it was'nt giving a true reading. Of course, it's also only designed to charge the batteries, not supply actual voltage at that point.


You can take the batteries out once the're charged and go have them load tested. I believe the test is different for actual car batteries but none the less they should be able to hold a load for a little while. Just a guess. Someone else will probably no more. Call some of the RV places near you and ask how they test RV batteries.Edited by: Terrain Twister

Your fridge is probably running off your TV battery and alternator while you are traveling. Pull the batteries and put them on a regular charger and see if that makes a difference. If they will charge take them to be load tested. Autozone does it for free. While the batteries are out check your converter to see if it is putting out 14+ volts without any load. Put your DMM on the battery connections. That should tell you if they are good. Batteries, even deep cycle, do not like to be drained down to nothing. Odds are you have some bridging going on which is shorting the plates out. If your batteries are stored where they may be subjected to cold weather at the minimum make sure they are kept fully charged. That gives the electrolyte a lower freeze point. If possible, pull the batteries and store them in your garage.

Deep cycle batteries do not last long in very heavy use. You might
check out a pair of 6 volt golt cart batteries (wire them is series for
12 volts) at sams club . THey are under $50 a piece and are very
"sturdy" batteries too and hold up well in heavy use. (A pair of
them in series can support a 25 amp load for nearly 5 hours none stop
and lesser loads for much longer.

Edited by: snoman

Rockin,


The fridge uses very little power (if any) while on propane. That's probably while it's OK when driving.Edited by: Terrain Twister

I took it to the dealer today and things are looking good. I gave them the full list of issues we've had over the 7 months:


window slides coming out


propane tank isolation valve leaks when off tank disconnected


battery/converter issue


step ripped halfway off from hitting tree stump


landing gear crank doesn't fit right and falls out in high gear


tv/radio antanae get virtually no reception


rust spots forming in the manger we use


range hood cover on exterior is broken


awning bolt stripped out





They were shocked at the number of issues. Most are really small but it is a long list. They were also surprised we have 14,000 miles this year and another 1000 to do before the end of the season and the 56 nights we've stayed in the trailer. (we both work full time, this is mostly long weekends)


They will fix everything under warranty, including the batteries and the step that got ripped off hitting a tree stump. Plus, they are going to install a stud divider ($500 as quoted when purchased) for free.


If they fix everything, I'll be a happy camper. Once I get the trailer home (we have an offer on a house where we will put the trailer in the side yard) I'll probably put the batteries on a good 3 stage charger over the winter and not plug in unless it is being used. If they will do it, I'll look into upgrading the converter and or batteries if they have to replace them anyway. (do I want 6V golf carts or optima blue tops?)

You've been getting some good info here, but for more info on camping and rv stuff that you will ever want to know, I suggest you check out www.rvnet.com (http://www.rvnet.com) They have a separate section for each tyupe of rv, towing issues, towing vehicles, tech issues, etc.