Battery Voltage

[RangerJay]

I started to wake up the trailer today after its winter hibernation - put the battery back in and fired up the furnace to put a load on it. Voltage out of the garage was 12.77 volts. After a couple of hours of the furnace cycling on and off (below freezing last night and just above today) I checked the voltage from inside the trailer with my plug in voltage meter. After the furnace shut off the voltmeter read 12.4 volts. I seemed a little low so thought I would check at the battery with the multimeter - it read 12.60 volts.

So my question is: is it normal to have a such difference in the voltage between the battery and inside the trailer?

Thanks,


Jay

[dznf0g]

Well, it depends on how many mechanical connections are between the battery post and the spot where you checked inside the AS....and how tight and clean those connections are.

Every connection has a voltage (drop) penalty, so what you see could be normal, or not. Try cleaning each connection and re tightening each. Star washers are never a bad idea, as they really "bite" and make good mechanical connections.

[RangerJay]

Thanks - I didn't know that - the connections that come to mind quickly would be into and out of the converter and the connections into and out of the 12V panel - am I on the right track?

Thanks,


Jay

[idroba]

Also the fuse connections, and just the fact that there is loss in the wire which is always going to be there. I have seen far worse than the 0.2 voltage drop you are seeing. Of course, remember that you have the ground (negative 12 volts) side to consider as well as the + side.

However, I note you were measuring at rest, with no load. That makes me think that your meters are not agreeing with each other. Check with the same meter only.