Beginner Battery Lesson

DeeDee

I've searched the forum, looked through all the literature that came with my T@B and I'm still confused about battery readings and what they should be. I really don't want to kill the battery. I have the group 24 battery and a brand new T@B with the Sea Level display. When plugged into shore power the reading is about 13.6 and unplugged it reads 12.5. What should the readings be when I have a fully charged battery and at what reading should I know to plug in, turn on the TV or charge with solar? I've ordered a plug in monitor, will that give any more info than the Sea Level?

ScottG

Those numbers seem about right. The 13.6V reflects the charging voltage from the onboard battery charger that runs when plugged into shore power, and does not really tell you anything about the battery itself. 12.5V may be a little low for a new, fully charged battery, but how long it's able to hold its charge is probably a better indicator of its overall health. Keep in mind the T@B has quite a bit of phantom drain and it will discharge your battery (and eventually kill it) if you leave it connected while parked in your driveway. Don't ask me how I know... ;-)

Seriously, grab a cup of coffee and hit the forum again. You'll need to wade through a lot of chit-chat and friendly debate, but everything you want to know about batteries is in here somewhere!

Michigan_Mike

Hi Dee Dee,

For best search results on the forum try a one word search as Vanilla's search platform isn't too sophisticated and you will yield better results using a single word search.  

As long as you don't let it drop below 50% consecutive times you should be fine.  If you don't already have a battery shut-off switch in your trailer that will help with any parasitic drain via LED circuits, mounted components and USB ports, etc.  I normally charge my battery up, check the voltage via my mounted LED volt meter, then use my on/off switch and shut the trailer off during idle times when not in use.  That will help to keep the battery in good health and you can go back periodically and check the voltage as batteries do discharge normally even when in storage.  

Here is a chart that will help you out and keep in mind that a battery on a charger or even when charged by your electric converter on your trailer will show higher readings when plugged into shore power.  Even after you unplug your trailer readings will be high and do drop off after the battery has had time to rest and the charge dissipates and adjusts over a half hour or so.  

DeeDee

Perfect, just the info I needed.