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Old 04-03-2015, 05:51 PM   #1
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How to ruin an RV battery

How to ruin a flooded cell RV battery. These are not in any significant order as I cannot tell you which is worst. Some of these don’t apply to AGM batteries, but AGM batteries can be abused too.

1. Go out camping with no hookups, run the battery down, do not charge it up for days to weeks, or wait until you go out again to charge it.

2. Leave your battery half charged for weeks. It will never take a proper charge again.

3. Let your battery go dry, and then re fill it and expect it is OK. It is not, once the plates become exposed, it is all over.

4. Leave your conventional single stage charger connected to your battery 24/7 and don’t check the water level frequently (like once a week or more).

5. Don’t totally disconnect your battery over the winter months when you are not using the RV. There are always some little loads which will run it down and a discharged battery left sitting will never recharge properly.

6. Buy an RV from a dealer who has not disconnected the batteries and let the visitors play with the power systems. The batteries will have been discharged and sat, and damaged. You buy them with the RV. What a deal! A few months old and shot.

7. Buy non deep cycle replacement batteries. I assure you that they will not last long. The dual purpose “stating/deep cycle” batteries are not a lot better. True deep cycle batteries will last much longer.

8. Go camping and run your batteries down to the point they are dead, then get the generator out and re-charge them a little. Then go home and wait days or weeks before you charge them again. Hey, the lights work, the batteries must be OK. Not.

If possible never let your batteries fall below 40% charge, and re-charge promptly to 100%. Do not let your batteries sit at half charge for days or weeks.

Even a few very deep discharges (to <20%) will significantly shorten the life of a true deep discharge battery. The same will ruin a dual purpose or starting only battery.

9. Let dirt and crud accumulate on your battery top. Dirt gives a good path to discharge across the battery terminals over time, especially when sitting for long periods.

10. I am sure I have missed something.
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Old 04-03-2015, 06:34 PM   #2
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Ask your teenager to check or maintain it.
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Old 04-03-2015, 06:58 PM   #3
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Old 04-03-2015, 07:02 PM   #4
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This is why solar has grown on me. I like the idea that it's topped up in the storage lot ready to go when I grab it and go. Although so far it seems to charge really fast from the 10A 12V through the tow connection.
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Old 04-03-2015, 11:40 PM   #5
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The only downside of our solar system is that I have to park the AS where sun will hit it most of the day. The batteries stay nicely charged winter and summer in storage and on the road as well. Our Tacoma TV does charge it some, but the solar system does most of the heavy lifting.


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Old 04-04-2015, 01:18 AM   #6
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You forgot the most effective, and most spectacular method of ruining a battery-- drop a wrench across the terminals.
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Old 04-04-2015, 05:50 AM   #7
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What not to do......thank you.


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Old 04-04-2015, 11:35 AM   #8
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I buy Deka Deep Cycle batteries 1100 cranking amps!
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Old 04-04-2015, 01:20 PM   #9
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Doesn't do the wrench much good either. That's why you use eye protection and disconnect the negative lead of the battery first!


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Old 04-04-2015, 03:10 PM   #10
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When cleaning the terminals let the baking soda cleaning solution get in to the battery. Is another method of destroying a battery.
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Old 04-04-2015, 03:17 PM   #11
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Or mix AGM and non-AGM batteries. Someone did that in my Airstream, and eventually it catches up with you and the batteries overheat.
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Old 04-04-2015, 03:55 PM   #12
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How to ruin an RV battery

This is my first post on the Airstream Forum, so forgive me if I inadvertently breach Forum etiquette in this very long reply/question. We live in Los Angeles, and store our 19' Flying Cloud in an open facility in Marina Del Rey. My niece and her family keep their 16' Bambi in another open storage facility near Pasadena. We both just spent a week dry camping in Death Valley. Prior to leaving for DV our coach had been idle for six plus months; however, the solar panel had kept the batteries charged. (The batteries are flooded Interstate Deep Cycle, installed Jan, 2013.) The drive to DV took 5-6 hours, and the batteries were fully charged upon arrival. There was no shortage of sunshine throughout our stay. The first full day there, we ran both fans all day while we were out hiking, thinking the solar panel (12 volts - 10 amps, producing 12.8-13.0 volts consistently) would replenish the batteries. That evening there was enough charge in the batteries to run the lights into the evening , and the fans all night. We didn't use the fans the next day, but did use the 1,000 watt inverter to boil water/blend smoothies, had the lights on that evening, and ran the fans all night. By the third night, we could only run one fan, and some lights because the solar panel had not completely recharged the batteries (the monitor never showed the batteries as 'charged'). The fourth, fifth and sixth nights were progressively worse - we used camp lights, no fans, and the batteries still discharged so much with minimum water pump usage that by morning, no charge was left. Have we found a new way to ruin RV batteries, or did we expect too much from our solar panel?

Ps - We've been back a couple of days now. I washed the solar panel and its output is 13.8-14.0 volts. The output monitor keeps alternating between 'charging' (yellow light), and 'charged' (green light). The batteries appear to be retaining their charge.
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Old 04-04-2015, 04:31 PM   #13
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You may have expected too much from your panel. What's the panel capacity in watts?

What is the battery capacity in amp-hours. To me, it sounds like you tried to pull too much off the battery and the panel did not have enough capacity to put it all back.


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Old 04-04-2015, 05:01 PM   #14
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@ rmkrum
You may have expected too much from your panel. What's the panel capacity in watts?

What is the battery capacity in amp-hours. To me, it sounds like you tried to pull too much off the battery and the panel did not have enough capacity to put it all back.

I'm not sure where to find the battery capacity in amp-hours? The top of the battery has the following designations: SRM-24 550 CCA 690 MCA. I also don't see any information on the Solar Charge Controller referencing wattage; only amperage. Is there another place to look on either the solar panel, or the batteries for the information you requested?
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Old 04-04-2015, 05:17 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bdinla View Post
@ rmkrum
You may have expected too much from your panel. What's the panel capacity in watts?

What is the battery capacity in amp-hours. To me, it sounds like you tried to pull too much off the battery and the panel did not have enough capacity to put it all back.

I'm not sure where to find the battery capacity in amp-hours? The top of the battery has the following designations: SRM-24 550 CCA 690 MCA. I also don't see any information on the Solar Charge Controller referencing wattage; only amperage. Is there another place to look on either the solar panel, or the batteries for the information you requested?
Those sound like standard Interstate wet cell group 24s, which are 80 amp/hours each.
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Old 04-04-2015, 05:52 PM   #16
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@rmkrum
What's the panel capacity in watts?
Digging through the sales material, I found a reference to the solar panel capacity: it's 95 watts.
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Old 04-04-2015, 06:01 PM   #17
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@ lewster
Those sound like standard Interstate wet cell group 24s, which are 80 amp/hours each.
Thanks for that information. Unfortunately, my ignorance is about to be exposed: do you think we overtaxed the batteries' capacity, pulling too much power using the inverter, perhaps?
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Old 04-04-2015, 06:25 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bdinla View Post
This is my first post on the Airstream Forum, so forgive me if I inadvertently breach Forum etiquette in this very long reply/question. We live in Los Angeles, and store our 19' Flying Cloud in an open facility in Marina Del Rey. My niece and her family keep their 16' Bambi in another open storage facility near Pasadena. We both just spent a week dry camping in Death Valley. Prior to leaving for DV our coach had been idle for six plus months; however, the solar panel had kept the batteries charged. (The batteries are flooded Interstate Deep Cycle, installed Jan, 2013.) The drive to DV took 5-6 hours, and the batteries were fully charged upon arrival. There was no shortage of sunshine throughout our stay. The first full day there, we ran both fans all day while we were out hiking, thinking the solar panel (12 volts - 10 amps, producing 12.8-13.0 volts consistently) would replenish the batteries. That evening there was enough charge in the batteries to run the lights into the evening , and the fans all night. We didn't use the fans the next day, but did use the 1,000 watt inverter to boil water/blend smoothies, had the lights on that evening, and ran the fans all night. By the third night, we could only run one fan, and some lights because the solar panel had not completely recharged the batteries (the monitor never showed the batteries as 'charged'). The fourth, fifth and sixth nights were progressively worse - we used camp lights, no fans, and the batteries still discharged so much with minimum water pump usage that by morning, no charge was left. Have we found a new way to ruin RV batteries, or did we expect too much from our solar panel?

Ps - We've been back a couple of days now. I washed the solar panel and its output is 13.8-14.0 volts. The output monitor keeps alternating between 'charging' (yellow light), and 'charged' (green light). The batteries appear to be retaining their charge.
It is hard to estimate your actual use from afar and your description, but, although the fans don't take a lot of power on low, on high they use much more and you have two of them. On high they take about 1.5 amps each or 3 amps total. Running them for 24 hours would take 75 amp hours which is the total capacity of one battery.

Your refrigerator electronics and fan take more power. Along with the pump and the water heater electronics, I would estimate another 1 amp per hour or 24 amp hours in a day's time.

The inverter should be shut off when not being actually used, as it takes 1.7 to 1.9 amps per hour not doing anything. If you left it on, it can take 40 to 45 amp hours a day.

Then you said you were using the inverter to "boil water". That can really really take your batteries down. Use propane and the stove to boil water, not your batteries. Run the blender to make smoothies, that is a short use and not too bad, but not to heat water.

If you have a factory solar system, it probably does not put out much more than 50 to 100 watts (4 to 8 amps) maximum for a few hours a day, but you are using power 24 hours a day.

Sounds like you have simply overloaded your system. learn to conserve power. You have a pretty limited amount to begin with.

Be sure to totally recharge your batteries before you put your rig(s) away too, otherwise you will ruin your new batteries.
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Old 04-04-2015, 06:48 PM   #19
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@idroba, rmkrum, and lewster
Thank you for all of your input regarding my battery question, especially for the original post and the detailed reply by idropa. This is such a valuable forum for those, like myself, who are not as mechanically savy as so many of you appear to be. I appreciate your taking your time to walk me through this issue.
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Old 04-04-2015, 07:05 PM   #20
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General comments: Using your batteries to heat water can really suck your batteries down. If you use a 1000 watt microwave running off an inverter, you are discharging your 12 volt batteries at the rate of 1.4 AH (ampere-hours) per minute, or 84 AH per hour. I believe the fans draw about 3 amps each when running, so the two of them add another 72 AH discharge, per 12 hours (if they are running constantly and not cycling on and off via thermostats) (142 AH per 24hours). I believe the batteries you referenced have a capacity of approximately 84 AH each (when new) (total 168 AH) and I think the guidelines are to not let your batteries go below 40% of capacity (if so that means you only have 100 AH per day available for use, excluding solar generation).

You state the solar was putting out 10 amps at 12 volts. That may be the max, with less in the morning and tapering off in the evening, going to nothing at night. Lets say that effectively you produce 10 amps for 10 hours per day, or 100 AH per day from your solar (more in summer, less in winter).

If you have incandescent lights, they draw about 5 times the power of LED lights, so depending on how much lighting you are using they can suck the batteries down too. To heat a quart of water from 60 degrees up to boiling (without boiling) takes 7.4 AH (continuing to heat it with 1000 watt inverter would be adding another1.4 AH per minute).

All that said and done, I’m a believer in using the propane stove to heat water, and run the fans and lighting judiciously. A heavy overcast day can mess up your anticipated solar generation. Don’t let the batteries get too far discharged. Make sure they have the plates in the batteries complete covered (by adding distilled water if necessary). You can play around with the numbers, but still see that without additional power being supplied you still have to be conscious of your rate of consumption.

Sorry for being so verbose…
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