Battery going totally dead between camping trips?

vito · August 2015

I was told by the dealer that I should not worry about the battery becoming completely dead while parked in my driveway since as soon as I start driving the battery will start to recharge. Judging by the small green light on the panel under the bench seat by the shower door, I assume that when this little light is out it means the battery is totally depleted. Just sitting, running nothing, it seems to take about a week from fully charged to dead. First, is this a problem or not? Second, I'm not sure what might be using the power up when it appears nothing is using electricity, so why would it be dead so quickly? It would be simple enough for me to run the electric line to an outlet in my garage (with an adapter) to keep the battery charged, but is there any reason to do so other than possibly the night before a camping trip so that I can get the refrigerator nice and cold for travel?

jkjenn · August 2015

http://amzn.to/1MFEYQZ I disagree with your dealer, but a week seems to fast, too. I am not sure which light you are referring to, unless that is where your LP detector is installed. You never want your RV battery to dip below 50% charge or you could be ruining your battery.

What will wear down the battery? Phantom power draw from the LP and smoke detectors and the Jensen. I recommend you either:

Keep it plugged in, remove it, install a battery cut-off switch, or get a solar trickle charger. Any of those things should deal with the issue. I have a 10 watt Goal Zero solar trickle charger that seems to be doing a good job. The Teardrop Shop now sells them.

The other thing you will probably want to get is a battery meter (voltmeter.) A number of use this inexpensive one that you can get from Amazon to monitor your battery status.

Nomad · August 2015

Agree with Jenn - Your dealer is off base on this one.

Fred · August 2015

Have a 2004 tab with the same problem.
fred

vito · August 2015

I checked the T@b again. I actually had left one light on, the little LED in the outside handle. Hard to imagine that the small LED could run down the battery in just a week. Was I correct that if the little green light for the carbon monoxide detector is out it means the battery is dead? Anyway, I will disconnect the shore power in a few hours, assuming the T@b battery is fully charged by that time. My next trip will be in 8 days, so I will watch and see if the battery lasts that long now that I know nothing is turned on.

breakaway · August 2015

Read about the battery in our owner's manual in the tech section

AnneLark · August 2015

I drove about 300 miles from our first real camping trip, where we were hooked up to electricity, water and sewer overnight. We barely got quick showers, and couldn't get water at all from our sink faucet with or without the pump. We dumped sewer before we left, and there was nothing in the gray water tank. After the trip home I turned on the fan for the evening to have heat relief while unpacking. When I got back later THAT evening, everything was dead. I thought maybe it was a defective brand new battery, but I read that others are having similar problems. I don't need the Jensen or the CO2 monitor to remain lit until the battery dies. Please T@B, if you are going to sell these as campers, you are going to have to make it just a wee bit more camper friendly. Our dealer told us that hooking to electricity would not recharge the battery. Big problem. It could easily have been a deal breaker. All of us aren't wanting to drive 400 miles every day to "dry camp" and we don't want to be limited to parking in expensive campgrounds. But surely everyone isn't having these problems, or we would hear a loud coordinated scream for our money back? I just noticed on the side of the utility box that it isn't "safe" to use any other brand of solar trickle chargers to charge the battery. Not very user friendly, T@B guys! I was so hoping to report that our monstrous investment would prove a blessing. Can't do that today. Maybe another day?

AnneLark · August 2015

I don't seem to have the full owner's manual! I have more than a dozen leaflets of installation instructions, but cannot find the tech (battery) section of an owner's manual. Could you tell me where I might find this information? Possibly online?

vito · August 2015

When I plug into shore power I hear the converter fan go on. It must be charging the battery because now interior lights work.

AnneLark · August 2015

YEA!! Going to go get an extension cord!! Hope that fixes my battery problem!

Verna · August 2015

AnneLark said:

YEA!! Going to go get an extension cord!! Hope that fixes my battery problem!

@AnneLark, do a search (upper right hand corner) for dead battery or recharging battery or phantom draws (one word searches are better). There are many, many discussions already here about how to take care of your battery and about the phantom draws of the different "parts" of the T@B. We've discovered many ways to keep the battery above the 50% mark. We, here are this forum, discover ways to help all of us.

Please do not blame the manufacturer of the T@B. Once you buy a vehicle, the battery maintenance is your responsibility, as it is on the T@B.

Nomad · August 2015

AnneLark - Here's a user's manual by a user - http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/19038/#Comment_19038

I'm full-time on the road and have had very few problems - Everything works as advertised. Just have to get to know the systems. Campers are actually a little more complicated than houses - two different electrical systems, fridges that can work three different ways, etc. Once you're settled in, all seems to go as expected.

jkjenn · August 2015

The T@b follows the same protocol as most RVs when it comes to batteries and phantom power draws. It's one reason why there is so much info on the web about adding a battery cut-off switch.

AnneLark · August 2015

Thanks y'all. Got the power and extension cord hooked up, and of course everything seems to be working while hooked up. Will try tomorrow to see if battery works without it hooked up. Hoping, hoping!

ChanW · August 2015

Bear in mind that recharging a totally discharged battery can take 24 hours or more when using shore power.

And, depending on your TV's alternator and charging system, it can take much longer when only using your TV.

vito · August 2015

I was told that driving for as little as 45 minutes was enough to fully charge the T@b's battery, but then again, I'm finding that much of what I was told by the technician at the dealer may not be correct. Before I leave for a camping trip I hook up the shore power, primarily to get the refrigerator cold. Then it runs on battery power while I am driving, and then again on shore power when I get to the RV park. Only when and if I ever boondock will the battery really matter. Although I do admit that if I decide to spend a night in a Walmart parking lot, I would expect the battery to power everything on the T@b with the exception of the air conditioner, and if the battery is not up to doing that much it would be a real problem. And I also wondered what would it cost to replace the T@b battery? I have no idea of the cost of this size and kind of battery.

Verna · August 2015

Under $100 for a similar battery, Vito.

jkjenn · August 2015

vito said:

I was told that driving for as little as 45 minutes was enough to fully charge the T@b's battery, but then again, I'm finding that much of what I was told by the technician at the dealer may not be correct. Before I leave for a camping trip I hook up the shore power, primarily to get the refrigerator cold. Then it runs on battery power while I am driving, and then again on shore power when I get to the RV park. Only when and if I ever boondock will the battery really matter. Although I do admit that if I decide to spend a night in a Walmart parking lot, I would expect the battery to power everything on the T@b with the exception of the air conditioner, and if the battery is not up to doing that much it would be a real problem. And I also wondered what would it cost to replace the T@b battery? I have no idea of the cost of this size and kind of battery.

Not sure if you have the 2-way or 3-way fridge. The three way fridge burns a lot more battery when run on battery than the 2-way. I am going to assume you have the 3-way, since you have the S-Maxx.

Battery charge time depends on how depleted the battery is and what kind of fridge you are running, as well as the output from your TV. If I run my fridge on battery all day, even while being charged by the TV, it will deplete the battery. Your TV output has to outdo your battery usage enough to charge it. In my case, the fridge + other phantom draws use more than my TV generates.

In terms of using battery overnight at Walmart, you should be able to do that if you are using lights, only. Television, the fan, and the fridge will all drain the battery too fast. If you use your fridge on propane, you should be OK. So, for dry camping, if you want the battery to last, stick to lights only, limited use of water pump, fan for brief periods, and fridge on propane.

Nomad · August 2015

Ditto Jenn - I find the vent fan to be a big draw. The only time I turn the fan on is when I'm hooked up or generating solid solar. Another trick that I think Jenn also does is travel for 2-3hrs with the fridge on battery then turn it off for 1-2hrs, step-n-repeat. Gives the TV a break from running both the fridge and keeping the battery charged.

vito · August 2015

Thanks for the advice. If the T@b were a tad bigger, maybe it could include a small generator powerful enough to run everything for real dry camping. Then a larger fresh water tank, larger gray and black water tanks and we'd be all set. But by then the T@b might be big and heavy enough that I would need a truck to tow it, which is exactly what I didn't want and the reason I bought the T@b. I guess the key to boondocking is to be very frugal with the use of battery power as well as water. Not sure that camping would have much apeal to me if I had to be too frugal.

Nomad · August 2015

Vito - I boondock all the time and don't feel deprived. But, you either need a beefier battery system, or solar and/or generator or be aware of what you can or can't do/run. The T@B (all campers for that matter) as delivered are campground campers with limited boondocking capacity. The biggest limiting factor for me is not power but food.
Frugality is in the mind of the beholder. If you're the type that needs the luxuries of home - long hot shower every morning, appliances, etc. boondocking won't be for you.

RollingLagrima · August 2015

Ughhh...brand new t@b, drove it from dealership to camp for three days hooked to shore power the whole time, voltmeter in 12v outlet showed 13.3-13.9 the whole time (plugged in). When I un-hooked from shore power to hook up to TV, all 12v outlets, interior lights, fan, etc. dead...drove the rest of the way home (about 3 hours) hooked to TV, stopped once to check meter, read 13.5, proceeded home, unhooked from TV, 12v voltmeter would not even read, as plug is powered by 12v...battery dead as dead can be it appears. Checked the 10 fuse at the battery, it was fried. Replaced it, new one immediately fried. I am out of fuses. What am I missing? The battery apparently had been dead this entire time...now what? I will search around the topics. Anybody have this same experience?

Nomad · August 2015

Sandra - My 120w Zamp's great - Had solar charging for 3hrs this AM, then traveled for 3hrs with fridge on battery mode. When I stopped and unhooked (with fridge still in battery mode), monitor was showing 12.5. Hooked up solar and with the ceiling fan on full, fridge on propane, the monitor is showing 13.4.
I'll turn the fan off when the sun goes down and I'll expect 12.5-12.8 come morning using lights as needed (except porch light). This is with a small 24 battery.

Verna · August 2015

Sally, you've got a 100% short across the leads.

I think you're familiar with a volt ohm meter. Put the meter on ohms with the leads off of the battery and see if you have a short on those leads. Check for voltage coming back to you from the converter (I'm not totally sure what you will find on these leads.)

You can also see how many volts you get out of the battery with the leads off of it. Try the Zamp solar leads when not connected to anything--should be nothing, no voltage, no short.

If you do find a short or voltage where it shouldn't be, then I'll have to figure it out from there.

AnneLark · August 2015

This is wonderful to have this forum for understanding what and how and why . . . and how different it appears from the sales and tech pitches. We still are quite fond of our T@B, and it sure has a learning curve to it. We are most grateful for the manual put together by fellow T@Bbies. Everyone, let's all contribute our experiences on batteries, battery usage and all the details on how to save juice, how to protect the battery, etc., and have a complete power manual to go with the 2014 T@B manual.

mawebb · August 2015

The fuse on the battery should be a 30 amp fuse. Same as the main fuse on the converter. I believe it's in the lowest postion (nearest the floor). If I recall they are green on color, anyways, they should have 30 stamped on them. The only reason I can think a 10 am fuse would blow so quickly is if. The fridge is turned on to 12 volts. Everything else draws very low amps.

RollingLagrima · August 2015

Thanks VERNA and MAWEBB. I will try using a 30 am at the battery instead of the 10 am that was there. There is one spare 30am taped to the inside of the converter lid. And yes, I am certain I attempted to turn the norcold on to battery power, so maybe that was the cause. If that does not work, I will try VERNAS diagnostics.

thanks again...

RollingLagrima · August 2015

Well, in trying to check the fuses at the converter box on the floor, i managed to drop one inside the frame as i was trying to put it back. I will now have to take the face of the box off to get to the fuse just out of reach and to continue my checks. 114 degrees in the T@B right now. Must...drink...water. I WILL get this working.

jcfaber1 · August 2015

Vito, you may want to consider 2 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in a series. It will give you a lot more capacity. After that would be solar.

John

Nomad · August 2015

jcfaber1 - For my type of camping, it's the opposite - would like both but the solar's been the go to tech for me. As long as there's light, there's battery.

jcfaber1 · August 2015

They do kind of go hand in hand. If you boondock then you need solar or a generator. solar is our choice.

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