Batteries went dead

[campertom]

I have a 1995 Jayco SL 240 TT. I put 2 new batteries in it. We used it for the first time 2 weeks ago. I brought it home and parked it in the driveway. Last night I went to turn on the lights and no lights. It was not plugged into 120v.
The batteries shouldnt go dead in a couple of weeks. I don't know of anything that was left on that would drain the batteries.
Does someone have any ideas what to check for to see why the batteries went dead? Thanks Tom

[Crabman]

There are parasitic drains that can kill the batteries in two weeks such as LP/Carbon monoxide alarms, it happened to me on my last trailer when I did not disconnect a terminal. Many of us have installed battery disconnect switches to avoid this when not using the trailer. It is also possible you have a short somewhere adding to the normal drains on the battery.

[clutch]

To keep the batteries up you either have to plug it in or disconnect the batteries. There are several sensors that will deplete your battery in a few days.

[FPM III]

I've run my battery down by forgetting to turn off the television antenna amplifier. It's an item that can be easily missed when leaving the campground. On our TT, the little green "on" indicator light for the amplifier that's in the wall outlet is hard to see as it's obscured by the television and the extension "Y" cord that's plugged into the recepticle's 12V outlet.

Your coach's radio can be a drain too. Some need electricity to keep the clock running and the memory energized for it's pre-set stations.

[RoyBraddy]

What i do here is when I get home i just plug my shore power cable into the garage 120VAC 15A Receptacle using a RV30A-15A Adapter from Walmart. You need to get the "DOGBONE" type adapter which is 18-inches long. If you need to run an extension cord out to your trailer use a 10-Gauge Heavy Duty (10-3) Extension cord (Mine is 75-feet long) and just plug it into the garage 120VAC 15A receptacle then plug the adapter above in the end of it where your Shore power Cable will plug in at. This idea is only good for 30A trailer shore power connections.

I can run everything on my Trailer off this setup without any problems. I just cant run two big current items like the Air Conditioner and Microwave at the same time or it will trip the garage breaker. The main idea however is to keep your battery charged up using the on-borad converter/charger...

The thinga to look for is to make sure none of your connection get warm to toouch and never turn on your air conditioner if the AC voltage in the trailer is less than 110VAC. Pick up a RV 120VAC AC meter and plug it in where you can see it good inside the trailer to monitor your AC voltage... Been doing this for years with no ill effects...

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

What i do here is when I get home i just plug my shore power cable into the garage 120VAC 15A Receptacle using a RV30A-15A Adapter from Walmart. You need to get the "DOGBONE" type adapter which is 18-inches long. If you need to run an extension cord out to your trailer use a 10-Gauge Heavy Duty (10-3) Extension cord (Mine is 75-feet long) and just plug it into the garage 120VAC 15A receptacle then plug the adapter above in the end of it where your Shore power Cable will plug in at. This idea is only good for 30A trailer shore power connections.

I can run everything on my Trailer off this setup without any problems. I just cant run two big current items like the Air Conditioner and Microwave at the same time or it will trip the garage breaker. The main idea however is to keep your battery charged up using the on-borad converter/charger...

The thinga to look for is to make sure none of your connection get warm to toouch and never turn on your air conditioner if the AC voltage in the trailer is less than 110VAC. Pick up a RV 120VAC AC meter and plug it in where you can see it good inside the trailer to monitor your AC voltage... Been doing this for years with no ill effects...

I also plug mine in at home from my garage. I have a voltmeter plugged in the trailer to watch the voltage.

[prooney]

I just pull the fuse attached to my battery cable when I park it in the driveway, otherwise between the radio and the carbon monoxide detector my battery is dead in a few days.