Battery question 16XRB

[Javin]

I have a few general questions regarding the battery on my 16XRB.

I was told when I bought my trailer that in order to charge the battery on my trailer you need to drive with the cable connected to the tow vehicle. After picking up my trailer for the first time this year, I drove for less than an hour, and the battery worked for a short period of time once I got it home. Now my battery seems to be low/dead. Fuses are all fine and trailer works fine when plugged into my house power.

I am just wondering, is there any other way to charge the battery on my trailer other than driving/running my vehicle with my trailer plugged to the vehicle?

Also, I will be doing alot of dry camping and was thinking of buying a backup/2nd battery. Can any one suggest what type of battery to buy? The battery came with the trailer and I have no idea what type to buy for a back up.

thanks again for suggestions

[Zenar]

Originally Posted by Javin

I have a few general questions regarding the battery on my 16XRB.

I was told when I bought my trailer that in order to charge the battery on my trailer you need to drive with the cable connected to the tow vehicle. After picking up my trailer for the first time this year, I drove for less than an hour, and the battery worked for a short period of time once I got it home. Now my battery seems to be low/dead. Fuses are all fine and trailer works fine when plugged into my house power.

I am just wondering, is there any other way to charge the battery on my trailer other than driving/running my vehicle with my trailer plugged to the vehicle?

Also, I will be doing alot of dry camping and was thinking of buying a backup/2nd battery. Can any one suggest what type of battery to buy? The battery came with the trailer and I have no idea what type to buy for a back up.

thanks again for suggestions

Plugging in the trailer into an outlet will charge the battery. An hour is nothing and will hardly charge that battery. You might have gotten 15 amps...

[Javin]

thanks once again for the info, plugging it in to my house over night(something i have never done) charged it nicely.

Not sure if someone could suggest a good replacement/back up battery that works well and lasts longer.

[BCx213]

Originally Posted by Javin

thanks once again for the info, plugging it in to my house over night(something i have never done) charged it nicely.

Not sure if someone could suggest a good replacement/back up battery that works well and lasts longer.

I do a lot of dry camping..I have a AGM Group 31 battery. Rated for 105 amp hours. It charges faster than the Deep Cycle flooded battery and maintains storage charge better than flooded with little maintenance. Check your battery group rating, typically they range from group 24, 27 or 31. I carry a inverter generator as well as a Go Power 120 watt folding solar panel

[bankr63]

There will be lots of opinions on what type of battery is best. Really, any 12V battery will work, the bigger capacity (amp hours, CCA (cranking amps) has no bearing on trailer use) the better generally.
Mine came with a group 24 deep cycle from the stealership, but I replaced it with a larger group 27 deep cycle as that one got shaky. The battery box was my limiting factor; the trailer had a group 27 sized box (stamped on the inside of the lid) so I had room. You can go with even larger sizes, but then you get into changing over the storage box. You can go with better technology than flooded and/or AGM, but then your prices start to rise and you may need to change your charger/converter to accommodate the new battery.

If you want a second battery, you might want to check and see if there is room to put a wider battery box in the place of the current one. This might take a bit of modification if your current box is 'railed' in, but double wide boxes are easy enough to find.

[Brancozorus]

Hi Javin. As others mentioned you can charge your battery while the trailer is plugged into "shore" power. I have also bought a battery tender that came with battery terminal leads. I leave this on the battery and then plug the battery tender in when the trailer is sitting in the driveway. Its fine to use the 120v charging system but I have heard that battery tenders do a better job of not over charging the battery and they extend the life of the battery. Ive found this to be true. As long as you dont need to power your fridge or want to run 120v devices in the trailer while in storage the battery tender works great. I also keep the battery inside during the winter with the battery tender plugged in.

As for the second battery, there are tons of options. The best being running a dual 6v system, you'll get more capacity. Downside is needs more space and expensive. I also have an 16XRB and the tongue area is super tight. There might not be enough room for two tall 6v batteries in boxes on the tongue and the propane tank. Ive looked at a few options but all require quite a bit of work/work around. I ended up buying a larger deep cycle marine battery with more amp hours, that combined with a 120w portable solar panel keeps me charged.

Hope that helps!

[bankr63]

Just a quick additional comment. If you want to keep your battery topped off while the trailer is stored, you can add a small solar panel and charge controller. I have a 40W panel that I keep up on the roof while parked at the storage lot. With the limited draws in the trailer, my battery is always at 100% when we pick it up, and the clock on the radio still has the correct time.

This panel can also keep up with our demand for a boondocking weekend, but we are pretty power conscious. We also converted to 100% LED lighting inside the TT. A bigger panel like @Brancozorus uses would probably keep up with the demands of a longer outing without needing a second battery.

[Javin]

Originally Posted by Brancozorus

Hi Javin. As others mentioned you can charge your battery while the trailer is plugged into "shore" power. I have also bought a battery tender that came with battery terminal leads. I leave this on the battery and then plug the battery tender in when the trailer is sitting in the driveway. Its fine to use the 120v charging system but I have heard that battery tenders do a better job of not over charging the battery and they extend the life of the battery. Ive found this to be true. As long as you dont need to power your fridge or want to run 120v devices in the trailer while in storage the battery tender works great. I also keep the battery inside during the winter with the battery tender plugged in.

As for the second battery, there are tons of options. The best being running a dual 6v system, you'll get more capacity. Downside is needs more space and expensive. I also have an 16XRB and the tongue area is super tight. There might not be enough room for two tall 6v batteries in boxes on the tongue and the propane tank. Ive looked at a few options but all require quite a bit of work/work around. I ended up buying a larger deep cycle marine battery with more amp hours, that combined with a 120w portable solar panel keeps me charged.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the info as i was interested in hearing from other 16XRB owners. After 4-5 years of summer use our battery suddenly seems to act differently. We used to be able to dry camp for a week with out issues. Now at the end of our trip the lights dim when using the water pump and the power awning won't work at the end of our trip unless i connect to my vehicle and run the engine for a while.

Without changing the battery box what are the best options I'm wondering for a battery replacement? That area is already very tight.

[RogerR]

4 to 5 years is pretty good life if you have run the battery down to the point the lights are dimming. I suggest you get a battery voltage monitor and make sure you don't kill the new one. As to batteries, car starting are useless, start/deep batteries are also not worth it as they won't last. Minimum is a true deep discharge battery, next is AGM and lithium is best but way pricey.

I like the solar option for week long camping with voltage monitor and a deep discharge battery as big as you can get or 2 6 volt batteries.

[Javin]

Originally Posted by RogerR

4 to 5 years is pretty good life if you have run the battery down to the point the lights are dimming. I suggest you get a battery voltage monitor and make sure you don't kill the new one. As to batteries, car starting are useless, start/deep batteries are also not worth it as they won't last. Minimum is a true deep discharge battery, next is AGM and lithium is best but way pricey.

I like the solar option for week long camping with voltage monitor and a deep discharge battery as big as you can get or 2 6 volt batteries.

Thanks for the advice. Just wondering how a battery voltage monitor will help not kill a new battery? Other than storing my battery indoors in the winter I am unsure of the best general battery practices to ensure longer life.

[RogerR]

There are a ton of posts you can access by using the search function in the gold bar above.
A simple voltage monitor will tell you when your battery is starting to run out of power before it becomes damaged by over discharge. In deep discharge wet batteries this is about 12.2 volts. Read this if you want a good description of how and what a battery does.

https://www.solar-electric.com/learn...ery%20Voltages
Even a little meter like this works for me. search amazon
USB Car Charger Volt Meter Car Battery Monitor with LED

To simplify, if your battery drops below 12.2 or so you will damage the battery and shorten the life.

[Brancozorus]

Originally Posted by Javin

Thanks for the advice. Just wondering how a battery voltage monitor will help not kill a new battery? Other than storing my battery indoors in the winter I am unsure of the best general battery practices to ensure longer life.

Yea 4-5 years is good life. I had a 650amp hour battery and got a deep cycle 850amp hour with a good warranty. It’s not as good as 2 6v but better than 650ampH and cheaper than the cells.

As for voltage meter I installed Some thing similar to one of these.


https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-J00...tmeter+&sr=8-6

I installed a normally open push button (push to close) in front of it. When you push the button it displays the current voltage. This is better than the 4 bar meter that comes with the trailer. Once you get to know you’re voltages you’ll know if you’re charging, high charge, mid low etc.

I placed it next to the other meters and awning switch and used a couple wire taps to tap into the awning constant power and ground.

For best battery life practices use a battery tender or a trickle charger between use and while in storage through the winter. Usually they come with a set of leads and I just leave those on. When the trailer is parked I plug in the tender and not the trailer 110v. The trailer charging system isn’t as good as a tender avoiding overcharge.

Hope that helps!

[Javin]

thanks to everyone for the great info, as everything with rving there is always something else to learn and buy!

I figured out the 16XRB is a group 24 battery. Can anyone give an opinion on if this battery looks decent? I prefer to buy local as my wife is pressuring me to get one before our next trip.


https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...-0102498p.html

[RogerR]

That's a very expensive battery. I like the AGM because it will last longer and doesn't need water but the one you are looking at is a 24. That's the smallest capacity out there. If you need more than one night without a recharge, use a converter or anything else a group 27 or 31 would be better. Best is 2 6 volt Trojans but they would be wet cells. You would have to do a lot of camping to justify an AGM or not be able/willing to check a wet cell.
More important, how are you going to keep it charged? Solar, generator or just keep it plugged in at every campsite and then go with a cheapo and spend the money elsewhere.

[Javin]

Originally Posted by RogerR

That's a very expensive battery. I like the AGM because it will last longer and doesn't need water but the one you are looking at is a 24. That's the smallest capacity out there. If you need more than one night without a recharge, use a converter or anything else a group 27 or 31 would be better. Best is 2 6 volt Trojans but they would be wet cells. You would have to do a lot of camping to justify an AGM or not be able/willing to check a wet cell.
More important, how are you going to keep it charged? Solar, generator or just keep it plugged in at every campsite and then go with a cheapo and spend the money elsewhere.

Thanks so much for the info. I am still trying to figure all this out as a noob and what battery is best for our needs. We often do a week of dry camping with no shore power so a decent battery is needed i think. Also our 16XRB has no solar currently. Also I don't have much room to change the battery box to a bigger one so I am looking for a quick swap to a new battery that will fit in the current box which is group 24.

By spending the extra money on a AGM do I not have to worry about draining the battery to low and checking the voltage or will that still cause damage/shorten life span?

[RogerR]

NOPE! over draining any battery will shorten it's life. Read this site

https://www.kendrickastro.com/lvc.html which explains battery drain max limits. They are trying to sell a gizmo but they do explain limits. Even a 100 watt portable solar panel with a cheapo controller and alligator clips will extend your batteries capacity. That is the simplest short of a generator to recharge it.

[Javin]

Originally Posted by RogerR

NOPE! over draining any battery will shorten it's life. Read this site

https://www.kendrickastro.com/lvc.html which explains battery drain max limits. They are trying to sell a gizmo but they do explain limits. Even a 100 watt portable solar panel with a cheapo controller and alligator clips will extend your batteries capacity. That is the simplest short of a generator to recharge it.

Yikes, good to know. Is plugging in to a tow vehicle and running the engine another option once the battery gets low or is that not as effective as solar/generator? I am finding choosing a new battery that is right for our needs a very tough decision and my wife wants me to get one asap

[RogerR]

Batteries take hours to charge even with a large commercial charger plugged into a 20 amp outlet. Your car or truck is at the end of maybe 20 or 30 feet of small wire and can only push a very small charge rate. Maybe 2 to 7 amps. It would take hours to charge the battery much. A solar panel will also not charge fast but it has all day to put in some amps. Read up on solar a bit.

[Javin]

Thanks once again for all this great info. Just curious approximately how many volts would a new charged battery read with a volt meter? My old battery is reading 13 after charging over night so i am guessing that is low and ready to be replaced?

[RogerR]

You want the resting voltage. Take it off the charger and wait 12 hours or more. Fully charged is 12.6 volts if your meter is accurate. But remember, a fully charged battery does not indicate how many amps it can provide. As batteries age they degrade due to chemical changes. Sometimes they fail due to a broken internal part but mostly from age and charge cycles over time.

Read this site for some info on testing and general battery information.
https://deepcyclebatterystore.com/ho...ain-batteries/