battery too lite?

[chaperall lite]

Hi, we have a 2016 puma, purchased new.... one battery... Interstate 450 cca and 550  mca.... when we park it for a week or so, the battery drains fairly fast.  the lites are on the radio and the carbon monoxide stays on all the time... we hate to unhook the battery cables every time we park it... has no battery disconnect...    the indicator lite for the battery in the camper  says 4 lites, but when we try to use the electric jack, there is hardly any power and it quits right away....  wondering if our battery is too small to run anything except lites?  we had contacted the Rv dealer earlier this spring and he gave us a new battery,,,,but the same thing happens...

 

[SpencerPJ]

I have a Puma as well.  Trust me, I installed a simple battery disconnect, couldn't be happier.  I bought this, had room on battery box and love it.  https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Battery-Disconnect-Kill-Switch/dp/B007O0BBFM/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1534443101&sr=8-18&keywords=battery+disconnect

 

[Rene T]

Or you can get one of these. Simple to install:

https://www.amazon.com/Post-Battery-Master-Disconnect-Switch/dp/B001N729FS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534444833&sr=8-3&keywords=battery+disconnect+switches

Also your LP detector is always on drawing juice from the battery.

 

[Isaac-1]

It sounds like you have the wrong type of battery, deep cycle batteries should not have CCA and MCA ratings, the CA part of those ratings are cranking amps, so you have either a starting battery or more likely a marine dual use battery, which is not a true deep cycle.

 

[chaperall lite]

Thank you both!!!  have ordered one and it's on its way....wanted something smaller so we could get the cover back on. yes, i bet we have a cheap battery......on our 5th wheel, we had two 12 volts and never had a problem... they were interstate, but can't remember anything else about them...had dry camped for 5 days with showers and still had battery left when we came home...this one is  terrible...

 

[blw2]

good move I think.

I've learned the hard way about self discharge when in storage and letting batteries discharge too far.  Spent way to much money replacing boat and RV batteries before I learned....

On my boat, I put a small battery tender on it and have had no more problems for many years now.

Just about the first thing I did on the RV was to order tow of the disconnects.  I used the exact ones Rene linked to above.  One on the house battery and one on the chassis battery.  Every time I park, I'll disconnect the batteries right on the posts as I'm locking it up.  the only exception is when on a trip and we're using the fridge and such...

Also, I hate to be a negative nellie but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if your battery is failed or failing, and you'll need to replace it soon.  Wouldn't hurt to check it with a hydrometer if you haven't recently, to be sure.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Autozone might be able to check if that battery is bad. 

Any battery disconnect is better than nothing for storage.

The reason I did the key type, I didn't want to get into my battery box each time, and I also wanted to put a trickle of security into it.  No key, no easy power, no power tongue jack, no quick steal.  I know that is a stretch with security, but I figure criminals know how to cut locks, beat off tongue locks, but to figure out how to rewire past the power tongue jack, might stump them, lol. 

 

[Isaac-1]

Solar panels are another good option that have become economical in the last few years.  Just don't buy one of those cheap 5 watt or less roof decorations.  You want at least 25 to 50 watt panel to maintain an RV battery in typical outdoor storage conditions.  These can be found online as kits with charge controller, mounting brackets, etc for under $100 though you may have to add a length of wire.  see https://www.ebay.com/itm/Newpowa-30W-Solar-Panel-PWM-10A-12V-24V-Controller-Bracket-Charging-System/121465172147 as an example though you get a lot more bang for the buck if you move up a bit in wattage such as https://www.ebay.com/itm/65W-German-Cell-Solar-Panel-kit-w-charge-controller-cables-Z-bracket/380772938924

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Interstate 450 cca...

That's a small battery by any measure, 450 CCA and only about 45 Amp-hours of use time.  I would suggest at least a Group 24 size which will have about 85 AH of use time.  Even if you just get another marine/RV type battery.  May I suggest that you review an article I wrote for the RVForum Library titled Choosing an RV Battery.  Check the dimensions of your battery box or compartment to make sure it physically fits.  If you have room, a Group 27 size offers much more capacity for a modest increase in  price. Typically about 105-110 AH.

Choosing an RV battery