Constantly dead battery ... after only two months of ownership!

Gidget

I've had my Gidget (2018 T@B 320s) since June 1; two and a half months. She has been camping four times. I noticed right away that every time I removed shore power, a blowing noise emanated from the a/c area. Since it did it every day, I thought it was some sort of normal exhaust. 

Last weekend when I attempted to go camping, I noticed the battery was completely dead when my electric tongue jack simply would not turn on. Got it jumped and went on my way. Three days after returning from camping, and not being on shore power, the noise from the a/c area has stopped and so has my battery. Obviously, that's the cause of the power drain but I have no idea how to figure out what on earth that blowing noise is. The a/c is off (doesn't work without shore power anyway) so what is in that area that's killing my battery???? Please give me some idea so I know how to intelligently tell my dealership what's needs to be fixed.  Thanks so much, as always, for any assistance you can offer.

jgram2

@Gidget That is odd, I’ve never read anything about an a/c death rattle here. Hopefully when the rest of the nation wakes up, someone will have a clue to offer.  Keep us posted if you end up calling your dealer or NüCamp please.

Gidget

@jgram2 I knew I should have posted earlier but this was the first available moment to myself I've had pretty much all week. So, thanks for chiming in and I will keep you posted! Cheers!

Sharon_is_SAM

When the converter is charging your battery, you will hear a fan under the bench.  However, you say you hear the noise after you disconnect shorepower.  The A/C has a switch for the exhaust fan on the wall.  Make sure that is turned off.

Once you get a new battery, hook up to shorepower and turn on the battery cut- off switch to charge the battery.  Then, with storage, make sure everything is turned off and  isolate the battery by turning the cut- off switch to off.  That way, those items with phantom draw will be turned off so your battery does not drain.  

ScottG

@Gidgit, as Sharon suggested, it sounds to me like you are leaving the 12V ventilation fan for the air conditioner on. It should also run when you are plugged into shore power, but you are probably just not noticing it.

Once you unplug from shore power, the fan starts to run on the battery rather than the converter. It's not a big power draw, but it's enough to kill your battery over several days.

Before investing in a new battery, try fully charging your battery. If you don't have a stand-alone smart charger, you can just plug the T@B into shore power, make sure everything is off that can be turned off, and let your converter charge your battery for at least 24 hours. (Make sure your battery cut-off is ON while you do this.)

If you have seriously depleted the battery, it might be toast and will no longer hold a charge very well. However, you could get lucky, so it's worth a try.

Do you have a voltmeter or some other way of checking your actual battery voltage?

Gidget

@Sharon_is_SAM and @ScottG ... thank you so very much! I will do that. Gidget is parked in my parking space here at home so I have shore power to plug her in and test the battery for holding a new a charge. So, what exactly is the a/c wall switch for? I mean the a/c has a switch on the actual unit to turn it off and on?  Regardless, I'll check to see if that switch is on. I've never noticed it before nor used it! Sounds like it could be something easy so thank you so much!

PS - @ScottG, nope, no voltmeter but thank you for suggesting that. I'll order one now. Any specific kind you recommend?

Sharon_is_SAM

The Tab A/C is a home window unit.  Typically installed so it hangs out a window and dissipates heat.  In the Tab, it is surrounded by casing that does not allow as much heat to escape, resulting in less cooling and dehumidification.  The wall switch controls a fan that draws fresh air into the unit via the black roof vent.  It improves cooling.  I recommend placing a label on the front of the A/C that reminds you to use the extra fan.  Come to think of it, we need a label, too!

Gidget

Sharon_is_SAM said:

The Tab A/C is a home window unit.  Typically installed so it hangs out a window and dissipates heat.  In the Tab, it is surrounded by casing that does not allow as much heat to escape, resulting in less cooling and dehumidification.  The wall switch controls a fan that draws hot air away from the unit and exhausts through the black roof vent.  It improves cooling.  I recommend placing a label on the front of the A/C that reminds you to use the extra fan.  Come to think of it, we need a label, too!

Oh, wow... what a fantastic answer!!! Thank you so much Sharon!!! Now, I understand why sometimes it cooled well and humidified and other times it didn't... had no idea what that switch was until now! Thanks SOOO much!!!

ScottG

@Gidget, for day to day monitoring, many of us use a simple automotive monitor like this that plugs into the power port above the sink. There are several different types but all do basically the same thing. 

A multimeter is also handy. These can range from $10 to $100's--but any cheap one should work for your purposes. These are handy because you can check your battery voltage right at the battery, even when it is disconnected from the camper. They are also good for diagnosing problems if needed.

 

When you are reading the voltage in your T@B, there are some limitations to what these things tell you, but we can discuss that after you get one.  :-)

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes @Gidget.  Just the other day we were camping in 99% humidity.  I turned the A/C on and left for the day.  We returned to a Tab with the entire outside dripping wet, windows fogged up and interior surfaces wet.  Guess what, we forgot to turn on the fan!  Once we turned on the fan and wiped down the interior, things cooled and dried out quickly.  A testament to how sufficient the A/C is when used correctly!  Now for the label....

Mouseketab

Also, if you are storing your T@B without power, be sure and turn off the battery with the switch in the front bin. Besides the little fan for the A/C there are other things that are always "on", such as your Jensen radio, your propane detector, and the "reverse sensing switch" on your overhead fan. These things are known as parasitic drains.

jgram2

Whoa, @Mouseketab! I didn’t know about the fan sensor parasite! Thanks!

ScottG

???

What's the "reverse sensing switch" on the overhead fan? That's a new one on me, too!

MuttonChops

Mouseketab said:

. . . and the "reverse sensing switch" on your overhead fan.

Not to get too far off the main thread.

The Roof Fan Reverse Switch is electrically after the On-Off 3-Speed Switch.  Also with the Fan Lid (Cover) down there is safety switch to stop fan operation.

Fan reverse switch is not a parasitic current draw item.

Verna

Only the 10+ speed fans have a parasitic draw—not the standard 3-speed fans installed at the factory. 

jgram2

You know, the algorithms we need to employ to answer questions we all have is getting more complex with every mod and every model! Not necessarily a bad thing, but a thing thing nonetheless.

Mouseketab

Mine is a Northern Breeze with a variable speed knob. We were always told it had a reverse sensing switch that was a parasitic drain. I really don't care anymore since I started storing in the garage plugged in all the time, but if you are storing without power, always turn off or disconnect the battery.

Mouseketab

ScottG said:

???

What's the "reverse sensing switch" on the overhead fan? That's a new one on me, too!

It keeps you from reversing direction while the fan is running.

Sharon_is_SAM

I remember a discussion mentioning the sensor operation for the remote was constantly seeking a signal and a source of parasitic drain, but maybe it wad just an issue for the remote batteries.

BrianZ

Hi, @Gidget, hope you're getting to know your T@B better & have learned to turn off that battery switch when not plugged in to house power, so you don't run it down.

I realize this thread is a few months old, but thought I would add a couple of minor points..
First, about the A/C accessory fan, mine is wired to draw extra fresh air into the box to improve efficiency, not to exhaust, as previously mentioned.  Here's a picture of it mounted on the underside of the roof vent - it's just a little computer type DC fan..

Without it, the A/C unit may struggle to bring in enough fresh air though that same side vent used mainly to exhaust hot air.  You can see its wires going down to the switch.

Also, Scott had a good suggestion for getting a multimeter, which can be handy for other things besides checking voltage, like testing "continuity" to see if a fuse is bad.  For battery voltage, you already have a built-in meter accessible by pressing the "BATT" button on the SeeLevel monitor next to the sink..

I installed a separate battery monitor above ours, and by comparison with that or a voltmeter connected directly to the battery, I'd say the SeeLevel voltage agrees to within less than about 50 millivolts, so quite reliable.  This reading shows the battery at about 90+% charged, with battery switch on & converter unplugged from house power. 

You should check it frequently to see what's normal when plugged in vs unplugged.  Ours typically shows a 13.6V "float" charge when the converter is plugged in & actively charging, or after a couple of days & fully charged, it will drop back to 13.2V trickle charge.  Hope this helps.