Batteries

[Bougeois]

I parked the 30 classic 2017 for and month, first time with out a trickle charger and came out today and batteries were dead. I always turn the red master switch off even when I have trickle charger hooked up. Is this normal?? And what exactly does the red master switch turn off?

[OTRA15]

I don't know your model well enough to assess whether your reference to a "red master switch" is to the Use/Store switch referred to below, but that might a good thing to clear up first. Please describe the switch you mean including its location and method of operation. Hopefully other Classic owners will stop by to help.

There is a recent thread which might be a good read, and introduction to the typical Use/Store switch and its idiosyncrasies:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f37/...es-170411.html

In Post #5 of that thread, there are additional links to various other recent battery threads which are also informative.

Did you have your trickle charger clipped directly to the battery terminals?

Good luck!

Peter

[J-Dog]

If your trickle charger was hooked up to your batteries and not plugged into a 110 volt source, that may be an issue. Could you tell us your battery charger model? If it is an old "Battery Tender" I believe it will discharge the battery under those conditions.
According to the Battery Tender website the "Battery Tender Plus" will not discharge your batteries. A quote from their website states: "The Battery Tender Plus battery charger is protected from reverse current".

[tjdonahoe]

My 13 31' classic would be dead in 12 days, the radio, co2 sensors are drawing even with switch being off...

[CruizinDux]

If you don't want to hookup to SP or a trickle charger, disconnect the negative terminal to separate the batteries from any parasitic draws (radio, co2 and I've heard, the woofer) leaving only the batteries condition and the appropriate normal draw down.

I don't have SP so if it's longer than a week of neg disc, I bring them home for a bench trickle (and also easier to monitor H20)
bob

[paiceman]

Yes it's normal. As noted there are some electronic items in our trailers that are not turned off by turning the battery disconnect off. In addition to the items mentioned the Inverter draws power, even if turned off at the Firefly, especially if a phone charger or the like is plugged into one of the plugs, it will draw power.

Ours in in a storage lot, but we have a 110v outlet we can plug into so ours in storage is plugged in all the time. When we did not have access to the plug I use to take the batteries out and bring them home and put on trickle charge.

Bud

[mojoe7009]

Solar panels will keep them charged if storing outside. Pricey but it works and beats dead batteries.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by paiceman

Yes it's normal.
. . .

Even with a trickle charger hooked up per Post #1?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Bougeois

I parked the 30 classic 2017 for and month, first time with out a trickle charger and came out today and batteries were dead. I always turn the red master switch off even when I have trickle charger hooked up. Is this normal?? And what exactly does the red master switch turn off?

Wondering if you could provide us with more detail based on the posts so far?

Thanks,

Peter

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

My 13 31' classic would be dead in 12 days, the radio, co2 sensors are drawing even with switch being off...

How does the OP's trickle charger factor into the equation in your opinion? Shouldn't it have kept the batteries charged up, regardless of the Use/Store switch and parasitic loads?

[mojoe7009]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

How does the OP's trickle charger factor into the equation in your opinion? Shouldn't it have kept the batteries charged up, regardless of the Use/Store switch and parasitic loads?

OP's post says it was the first time "without" the trickle charger hooked up.

[OTRA15]

Thanks moejoe7009, I sure missed that one! All I saw was the "with" and not the separate "out" [not written as one word "without"]

Apologies to all.



Peter

[Bougeois]

This switch. Obviously it looks like I'm going to disconnect my batteries when I do not have it on shore power. From what I read the camper has a built in trickle charger for the batteries when hooked up to shore power or to the back of your vehicle.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

On the 2017 the batteries will charge when the switch is in the "store" position. If you have solar (and sun) they still charge in "store". The charger converter is not a really good thing to use for trickle charging. If you have shore power, spend the $30 or so on a stand alone trickle charger. Plugging it in through the solar charger port is the easy way to do it.

Bob

[paiceman]

The factory installed converter does not "trickle charge" it charges. When mine was in it would keep the batteries charged at 13.7, too high and batteries were being over charged. I changed out the converter to a four stage and now batteries are kept at 13.1 - 13.2 which is where they should be and not be over charged.

As I stated the inverter on these things alone can and will discharge the batteries if left alone. The factory solar on my unit will not keep my batteries charged unless I turn off the inverter on the inverter not the panel and disconnect and or turn off everything in the trailer.

[mojoe7009]

Originally Posted by paiceman

The factory installed converter does not "trickle charge" it charges. When mine was in it would keep the batteries charged at 13.7, too high and batteries were being over charged. I changed out the converter to a four stage and now batteries are kept at 13.1 - 13.2 which is where they should be and not be over charged.

As I stated the inverter on these things alone can and will discharge the batteries if left alone. The factory solar on my unit will not keep my batteries charged unless I turn off the inverter on the inverter not the panel and disconnect and or turn off everything in the trailer.

Changing out the converter to a 4-stage is a game changer. Works great for me as well.

I've never turned off my inverter at the inverter but my solar panels have always kept my batteries charged perfectly while in storage. Do you have AGM batteries? Not that it should make any difference in charging.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

How does the OP's trickle charger factor into the equation in your opinion? Shouldn't it have kept the batteries charged up, regardless of the Use/Store switch and parasitic loads?

My 1.5 amp charger will keep my batteries up with the switch on, charger is on only 2 days a week, I now use a solar panel fastened to my shop wall and plugged directly to the batteries..works good...

[paiceman]

Yes we have AGM batteries, I actually in thinking about it, just today, our trailer is stored in a storage yard. The trailer sits by itself away from any other RVs and is parked parallel to a storage unit building, which happens to have a 110v outlet we use. But, our solar panels are not flat on the roof, they are up towards the front and somewhat on the side of the white part of the roof. The road side panel losses direct sun at about 1:00pm most days, and the curb side panel then gets the sun at a slight angle, so I doubt we are getting a good charge from the solar system. Plus, were we live in Pittsburgh, PA we only have about 90 days a year without clouds. Which is why the 110v at the storage facility is handy as we stay plugged in all the time. YES, the four stage is a "game changer".

[Bougeois]

Originally Posted by paiceman

The factory installed converter does not "trickle charge" it charges. When mine was in it would keep the batteries charged at 13.7, too high and batteries were being over charged. I changed out the converter to a four stage and now batteries are kept at 13.1 - 13.2 which is where they should be and not be over charged.

As I stated the inverter on these things alone can and will discharge the batteries if left alone. The factory solar on my unit will not keep my batteries charged unless I turn off the inverter on the inverter not the panel and disconnect and or turn off everything in the trailer.

Good grief, just when I was thinking I was getting close to figuring this thing out.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Bougeois

Good grief, just when I was thinking I was getting close to figuring this thing out.

Hi

Actually it's even more complicated. The factory charger in the Classic *does* go into a lower voltage (stage 3) mode. It takes it a long time to do it and it triggers back out of the float level at a fairly low current. If you have any significant load (beyond the inverter "off current" and propane detector) it will never go into float mode.

There is another answer: Never leave the trailer very long. Spend a lot of time camping out in it

Bob