Battery

[CasaDelSol]

DH has a question about our battery. First question is what is the general battery life? We have a 2006 2955RL that doesn't seem to hold the charge as well as it use to.

2nd question - DH installed an on/off switch for the battery a couple of years ago. Even with the battery in the off position the battery drains down. Could there be something on that we do not know about that is draining the battery? Thanks for the help I know is on the way

[HamRad]

If the battery is the one that came with the unit then it is probably about time to get a new one. The type of battery that dealerships supply usually are good for about a couple of years.

My original batteries lasted only a couple of years. When I replaced them I got a slightly better quality battery. And they are now going on their 5th year. I will probably switch over to the 6 volt type batteries when I replace the current ones.

It could be that you do still have a load running off the battery even though you have turned the battery selector to off. My rig does not have the battery cutoff so you'll have to get an answer from someone who has such a setup.

Good luck.

HamRad

[CasaDelSol]

Thanks for the quick reply. DH says he has the cut-off directly off the positive lead. We have had the unit for 3 1/2 years and it is going on 4 years old so it is more than time to replace it. Going to Sears today!! Thanks

[jimcol]

If the cut off switch is directly on the positive lead I don't see how there could be anything running off the battery. My suspecions would be the same as HamRad's. Our original battery only lasted a couple of years.

[NCFischers]

Batteries normally last about 5 years. Sometimes, original batteries don't last that long and sometimes, they have been sitting on a shelf for a while before they are installed. A new battery should solve your problem.

[Tom S.]

A lot of battery life depends on how they have been maintained and used (or abused). We don't do much primitive camping, so our battery is hardly ever used - just for hooking up and unhooking.

[Waynem]

What I had forgotten in my years was the fact that battery need to be desulfated. Rather than go into a long disertation on batter sulfation, here is a LINK

I'm a little different in that I have chassis battery, and then house batteries. Those being equivalent to your TV and RV batteries. I was having a problem with the house batteries dropping voltage, even with the switches turned off. I purchased a Battery Minder and what a difference it made. I finally had to replace the house batteries when they checked bad.

You can purchase an inexpensive hydrometer and check your batteries for specific gravity. It's a simple process. It will give you an idea of their state. Only check them after a full charge and resting for 24 hours.

Good luck.

[Red939]

Battery life question has been answered. As for power drains, if the DH unstalled an on/off switch, I'd think it would turn everything off...unless there is another wire attached to the battery. The OEM cutoff does not turn off the power to the landing gear.

[CasaDelSol]

thank you all for such great replies!!

[thor]

any battery that sit without achrging it every couple of months will loose its charge.is this battery a deep cycle battery? if you plug in your unit the converter has a built in charger.take a tester and read the volts with the trailer plgged into 30 amp the battery should read 14 amp .if it is less check the fusees on your converter .there is two 30 amp fuses one could be blown .put your battery on a good charger and charge it till you get 14 amp.but remeber that any battery must be charged every couple of months are it we loss power