Author Topic: Battery draining on 26' Artic Fox (Read 782 times)

kathijoz · « **on:** February 28, 2012, 02:00:14 PM »

My 2011 26' Artic Fox model 26x will drain a battery very quickly in less than one day of use. My wife and I are very careful to use only minimal battery power when we are dry hooked up but after 1 day of light use we are down to 10.5 volts if we use the 1200 watt inverter that drops down to maybe 4 hrs. We have two 24 group batteries one is a Costco Marine deep cycle with a CCA 550 and the other is a Maintenance Free with a CCA of 650, both batteries are less than one year old and have been tested as good. If the trailer is not used for 1 1/2 months both batteries will be dead. Is there a way I could do load amp test on this trailer as the dealer already check this out and said everything is fine. Thank you for the help. Robert

Water Dog · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2012, 02:09:15 PM »

The first thing I would do is remove both batteries and take them to an auto parts store and have them run a load test on them. But there are a couple of questions; why are there mismatched batteries, and what is minimal use? Are you running things like your furnace? What are you running off your inverter?

kathijoz · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2012, 03:15:27 PM »

Hi Dennis, I had are local auto parts store do a load test on both of them and they passed. When we purchased the trailer it only had one battery the Maintenance Free battery the Costco battery I added later. We do use the furnace now and then but not very often as the winter camping in California is very mild. If we turn on a light it is off as soon as we are finished and we will use the propane for the refrigerator. The inventor is not tied into our 12 volt system we will run a small extension cord to run our 20" flat screen tv and dvr. Would it be worth it to replace both batteries with the same type?. Thank you for your help Robert

donn · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2012, 03:30:43 PM »

First problem is the mismatched batteries. The weakest one will drain the stronger one. Second once you turn on the furnace you can literally watch the amps draining out of the batteries. Third, I suspect that you are not recharging them fully during the day. How are you recharging the batteries during the day?
Even sitting unused there are parasitic draws from the batteries that can drain them in a week or so. Do you have the trailer at home? If so do you leave it plugged in?
How do you charge the batteries between trips?

Water Dog · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2012, 03:36:22 PM »

The maintenace free battery is not a deep cycle battery and is made more for starting cars (short bursts, then recharge) and the marine battery while much better is not a true deep cycle. My guess is that your load depletes the maintenence free rather rapidly and the marine battery is trying to power what you have plus maintain the charge in the maintence free. Also don't forget about phantom loads that are running like CO detector, chargers, etc. I think if it were me I would experiment a little and maybe pull the maintenance free battery out of the system and try with just the marine battery.

Carl L · « **Reply #5 on:** February 28, 2012, 03:48:51 PM »

Quote from: kathijoz on February 28, 2012, 03:15:27 PM

Hi Dennis, I had are local auto parts store do a load test on both of them and they passed. When we purchased the trailer it only had one battery the Maintenance Free battery the Costco battery I added later. We do use the furnace now and then but not very often as the winter camping in California is very mild. If we turn on a light it is off as soon as we are finished and we will use the propane for the refrigerator. The inventor is not tied into our 12 volt system we will run a small extension cord to run our 20" flat screen tv and dvr. Would it be worth it to replace both batteries with the same type?.

Yes, if you are having the problems you describe. Your current batteries are both mismatched and they are not true deep cycle RV suitable units. They have sacrificed deep cycliing (few thick plates) for starting capacity (many thin plates).

What you want are a pair of true deep cycle RV batteries or golf cart batteries. You should aim for a pair of AGM 12v deep cycle units hooked up in parallel or a pair of 6v golf cart batteries hooked up in series. One good brand is Lifeline, see their description of deep cycle RV batteries at http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/rv.php . Trojan is another brand well spoken of around here.

Yes, these units will be pricey -- but they will give you the best service.

kathijoz · « **Reply #6 on:** February 29, 2012, 02:00:03 PM »

Thank you to all who reply about my battery problems, I contacted lifeline and will be picking up a set of AGM 12 volt batteries and will be trying these in a few weeks and will report my findings. My trailer is located on the side of my house would it be helpful to keep the trailer plugged in 24/7 to keep the batteries up to charge and would this prolong the life of the batteries. Thank's again Robert

Ned · « **Reply #7 on:** February 29, 2012, 02:28:40 PM »

Be sure to use a charger that has an AGM charging profile. They use a lower float voltage than flooded cell batteries.

kathijoz · « **Reply #8 on:** March 01, 2012, 10:06:03 AM »

Ned, Would I need to change out the standard charger that came with my Artic Fox trailer? Thank you Robert

Water Dog · « **Reply #9 on:** March 01, 2012, 10:18:16 AM »

Take a look at this link concerning battery charge rates. I would check the specifications on your current battery charger and see if it is at least a three stage charger with a float voltage that is within the voltages shown on the chart.

Ned · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2012, 10:21:26 AM »

That would depend on what make and model charger you have. If it can be set to output only 13.2-13.3V in float mode, that's what is recommended for AGM batteries. Flooded cell batteries usually have a float voltage of 13.6-13.7V and that will shorten the life of AGM batteries.

LTG · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2012, 11:13:31 AM »

Lifeline battery owner's manual says that it is not necessary to keep the batteries on charge while in storage. Charge the batteries prior to storage and remove the negative battery cables. Then boost charge the batteries every 3 months to maximize battery life.

Jammer · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2012, 12:12:28 PM »

Quote from: Carl L on February 28, 2012, 03:48:51 PM

You should aim for a pair of AGM 12v deep cycle units hooked up in parallel or a pair of 6v golf cart batteries hooked up in series.

Carl, I'm curious why you recommend AGMs. In general they have a shorter useful life and less capacity for their size than flooded cells. While they have their benefits in situations where venting is not possible or a vertical orientation cannot be maintained, and they don't require periodic addition of water, those benefits don't matter much in a typical RV installation.

Ned · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2012, 12:45:39 PM »

Our Lifeline AGM batteries are exactly the same size as the Trojan T-105 and have the same AH capacity, 220AH. AGM batteries can sustain more charge/discharge cycles than flooded cell batteries and are fast charging as they have lower resistance. As a result, with proper care, AGM batteries will last longer than flooded cell batteries. Since many (most?) batteries die from neglect, the maintenance freedom of AGM batteries is a real advantage in an RV.

Carl L · « **Reply #14 on:** March 01, 2012, 01:10:15 PM »

Quote from: Jammer on March 01, 2012, 12:12:28 PM

Carl, I'm curious why you recommend AGMs. In general they have a shorter useful life and less capacity for their size than flooded cells. While they have their benefits in situations where venting is not possible or a vertical orientation cannot be maintained, and they don't require periodic addition of water, those benefits don't matter much in a typical RV installation.

Whut Ned said.

denmarc · « **Reply #15 on:** March 01, 2012, 01:59:14 PM »

Quote from: Ned on March 01, 2012, 12:45:39 PM

As a result, with proper care, AGM batteries will last longer than flooded cell batteries. Since many (most?) batteries die from neglect, the maintenance freedom of AGM batteries is a real advantage in an RV.

In YOUR honest opinion, IF one (me) was to do proper maintenance on a pair of flooded group 27's in parallel, matched pair bought used and tested good (5th Summer of use coming up), would you still recommend the AGM's?

BTW...I paid $90.00 for the pair.

Ned · « **Reply #16 on:** March 01, 2012, 02:05:58 PM »

I don't recommend one way or the other, that's your decision. I can only point out the advantages and disadvantages of the AGMs. The disadvantage is the cost. In all other respects, they're a better choice than flooded cell batteries.

denmarc · « **Reply #17 on:** March 01, 2012, 02:32:29 PM »

Ned,
I see your point. And it's well considered. But in today's economy, cost is one of the biggest factors.

If I could ask how much you paid for your AGM's, I'll bet it doesn't come close to the $90 bucks I spent. No offense meant. I don't see the advantage to anyone who takes the time to do a little shopping locally, and then take care of their investment. Not rocket science. Too much "disadvantage" (cost) to outweigh the cost, availability, and versatility of flooded cells. At least for the time being.

Just sayin'

Ned · « **Reply #18 on:** March 01, 2012, 02:48:32 PM »

The first set in 2001 were $150/each. The replacements in 2005 were over $200/each. Certainly not close to you $90 but I would never buy used batteries either.

denmarc · « **Reply #19 on:** March 01, 2012, 03:59:53 PM »

Fair enough. $200.00+ each in 2005 for the set. How many batteries in the set?

And please understand that I am not dropping the hammer on your decision toward your choice of batteries! I mean that! I am simply trying to convey that some of us out here haven't retired yet. And if the current government has it's way, maybe we won't be able to.

Point is, there are a whole bunch of us who still want a life for our families. And we are willing to buy "used".
Soooo, there are those who thought they had it all figured out (me), and then got notice that where they worked was going to be closed. The offer was made to keep my job if I wanted to move half way across the state. Not an option for me. I got caught in the middle. Unemployed for almost 2 years.

Enough of that. Getting off topic. But a good example on why someone would not want to run out and buy a couple AGM's (you never said how many you bought in the "set"), when a few phone calls and a small amount of research and legwork can save you the difference. A couple hundred of bucks is a big difference!

Maybe I just got lucky, Ned. I don't know. All I can say I can't see spending the extra on anything more expensive than flooded right now. With a little research into brand, availability, purchase price, warranty, etc...
Much more worth my money than an AGM.

Ned · « **Reply #20 on:** March 01, 2012, 04:28:32 PM »

I have a 4 battery house bank. I'm not telling you or anyone to buy AGM batteries, just making the comparison. In fact, since we don't boondock nearly as much as we used to I will probably replace the AGMs with flooded cell batteries when the time comes.

News:

Author Topic: Battery draining on 26' Artic Fox (Read 782 times)