How long should coach batteries last ?

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alfapwr

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2006
Posts
16
Hi Y'all,

We got our Jayco TT in August 05 and had the dealer add a 2nd coach battery.

We camped a lot in the year and a half since we bought it, but now the coach batteries just don't seem to hold a charge.  They barely lasted one night after being fully charged, powering only the fridge and occasional furnace use.  They used to last much longer when dry camping ( like at lease 3 days ).    Are the batteries that cheaply made ?  Are they just one of those maintenance items you have to do every year or so ? Any suggestions ?  I do know that the charger is properly hooked up and functioning.

Thanks

Dan
 
Have you checked the electrolyte level in the batteries?
 
Both the fridge and the furnace blowers take considerable power. On cold nights with the furnace running about every 15 minutes, my two T125's (240AH) would barely last the night - and the fridge was running on propane. What type/size are your batteries? I suggest running the fridge on propane; it takes very little gas. It's also not good to drain them past about 50% MAX. once or twice isn't all that bad, but consistently running them down beyond that will seriously affect their lifetime and ability to hold a charge. If your charger has an "equalize" setting, you may be able to recover some of the lost capacity.
 
We camped a lot in the year and a half since we bought it, but now the coach batteries just don't seem to hold a charge.

1.  Are those batteries pure deep cycle units or the marine starting/deep cycled dual purpose units?  If the latter, replace themo with former.

2.  My fridge has a dry wall, high humidity operation switch.  Boondocking with it ON position one night, it ate my batteries alive.  As I learned the next morning, that switch should be on on only when attached to shore power.

3.  Have you ever ran the batteries to zero, say by leaving them idle for several months?  Running a battery to zero kills about  30% of the rated capacity when recharged.



 
If you don't have one of the newest converter/chargers, you don't want to leave the RV on shore power when not in use.  The continuous charging current will seriously shorten the life of the batteries.  One vendor suggests only putting them on charge for a day or two each month and leaving them disconnected otherwise.
Art
 

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