Battery Failure at Cracker Barrel

T@Balong

While on a recent trip from Michigan to Florida, we decided to overnight at Cracker Barrel, which would have been a first for us.  With colder overnight temps expected, I turned the Alde on propane and we headed in for a nice dinner.   When we came back to the T@B about an hour and a half later, the temp in the trailer had not risen, and the control panel warning light was blinking red.  Some background........I keep the battery charged while at home, not through the converter but straight to the battery using a Deltran Battery Plus 1.25 battery charger.   The battery (a Trojan AGM 100ah) was fully charged the morning we left home and I did not run the fridge on battery while traveling.  So what would cause this battery problem?   We have a 2015 T@B 320 with the Alde 3010 unit.  The control panel in the Alde was replaced last fall by Thuma in Elkhart, Indiana.  The battery is one year old.  Today, I recreated the Cracker Barrel experience.   A fully charged battery, set the Alde on propane, calling for heat and hot water, and the thermostat set for 70 degrees.  My plug-in battery monitor indicated 12.6 volts when I started.   Two hours later, the monitor was down to 10.35, the red warning light was blinking, and of course, there was no heat.  Tomorrow I am taking my T@B and battery to where the battery was purchased so that they can diagnose what's going on.   Do I have a faulty battery?  Is there something I could have done which would cause this problem?  Any advice?

Sharon_is_SAM

Sounds like a faulty battery. It sure sounds like a 12.6 V should be fully charged.  Do you have an inverter that may have been left on?  

ScottG

Rapid draining under load can certainly be a symptom of a failing battery, and batteries do sometimes just give up quickly.

Are you absolutely certain nothing else was accidentally left on? For example, the 3-way fridge in a 2015 can drain the battery pretty quickly if it is inadvertently left in DC mode. 

T@Balong

No I don't have one.    I've been trying to think what might be causing such a rapid drain on the battery but nothing comes to mind.

T@Balong

We've known for years that running the fridge on battery, even while towing, is a real battery drain so I know that's not the problem.  I'm hoping tomorrow the battery shop will agree to replace it.

Grumpy_G

There are a couple of things you can try. With a fully charged battery turn on the fridge on DC and watch the battery monitor. If the voltage drops quickly within a few minutes it's likely the battery (on DC the fridge draws around 10amps). Compare voltage when running the Alde it should drop much less. 

As a side note, I'm somewhat leary that the Deltran can properly charge a 100 Ah battery. I do use one myself but only to maintain charged batteries. 

T@Balong

I brought my T@B to the battery dealer, demonstrated to them how the battery tanked while the Alde was on propane and not hooked up to shore power.  They kept the battery overnight, charged it up and said I'm good to go.   I'm still not sure what is draining the battery when I use propane with the Alde.   

ScottG

I'm curious as to what they are basing "good to go" on. Even a failing battery will appear take a charge, but it won't necessarily hold that charge over time, or under load. Do you know if they monitored it for a while after charging, or--better yet--load tested it? 

T@Balong

That is a good question I will have to ask, thanks for all the tips.