house and chassis batteries discharging quickly

[gabbiesrv7a]

Im a new motorhome owner and new to this site.  I can't keep my rv from discharging within a few days to the point i can't start the engine, even with my booster engaged.  The rv is a 2005 national tropical.  Are the house batteries and/or chassis batteries too old and i need to replace all or is there something constantly drawing power that I'm not aware of.  your help is appreciated, gabby

[John From Detroit]

If your batteries are Originals then they are 12+ years old   Average life is 7-10 years so you hit on the answer.

[Charlie 5320]

Im a new motorhome owner and new to this site.  I can't keep my rv from discharging within a few days to the point i can't start the engine, even with my booster engaged.  The rv is a 2005 national tropical.  Are the house batteries and/or chassis batteries too old and i need to replace all or is there something constantly drawing power that I'm not aware of.  your help is appreciated, gabby

One way to find out,is to remove and charge them on a battery charger, then have them tested. If they test bad you will have your answer. If they test good then you can look for a problem. The PO of my coach told me my house batteries were in good condition, but I had my doubts because one had swelled up a bit. He had the coach plugged in most of the time, so he really didn't know. I charged the batteries and a couple days later one of my house batteries was at 4.8 volts when they were disconnected from the coach. I replaced them both. You might want to check on the converter, as my Dolphin had a 50 amp Magnetek converter and it was loud and only put out 12.59 volts, so it never really charged my batteries to full state. I replaced it with a Progressive PD9260, it's very quiet and charged my batteries to full state in 24 hours.

[ArdraF]

Agree that it's probably old batteries but there also are "phantom" draws from things like CO detectors, refrigerator, any clocks, little lights like the TV, etc..  They don't add up to a lot but they are a draw which can be a problem with old batteries or ones that have been allowed to discharge too much and too frequently.  Once you get new batteries you can start learning about managing your electricity including what draws the most (usually air conditioner, microwave, blender and hair dryer) and what those pesky phantom loads actually draw.  Look at the plates on all your appliances to see their amps and you'll begin to figure out what is the most problematic.

ArdraF