Battery Question

[snickers]

We have a JayFlight SLX 7 195RB. I like to pick my campsite for the view and privacy, so we hardly ever have a site with electric. We have an interstate hd24 marine/rv battery and a Renogy 100 Watt solar panel, monocrystalline panels, so they charge even on cloudy days.

The problem we have been experiencing is that when I am showering or doing dishes(running the pump) my lights and fan take a dive and go off. My volts are above 12/13, is this an amp problem? Would two 6v golf cart batteries solve this problem. We did just purchase the Westinghouse 2200/1800 inverter generator, but I am an early riser and like to shower first thing in the morning, well before the 9am generator run time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[RogerR]

Have you done or had a load test done on the battery. You can take it to most autoparts stores. You may have no reserve capacity even though it appears to have a full charge.

Alternatively, you may have a poor connection. I had a similar problem and found almost invisible corrosion on a ring terminal where I hooked up to the battery. It also could be at any junction, fuse or at the converter. Don't forget the ground to the frame for the battery or for the converter. Both can cause failure to transmit power.

[SuckyFisherman]

I have a similar trailer and the same solar. I have two of those batteries and i have made it 4 days without any issues. i paid attention to shut things off when not in use.

I have a generator also, I brought it along in case i didn't make it and needed to put the slide back in to go home.

So to make a long story longer, i would suggest 1 more battery or the two golf cart batteries when you need to replace what you have

[snickers]

Thanks, will check your suggestions out!

[snickers]

We don’t leave things on and we shut the pump off when not in use, it is just hubby and I. I do run a 12 v window fan all night. In the spring we are going to the two 6v batteries.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by snickers

We have a JayFlight SLX 7 195RB. I like to pick my campsite for the view and privacy, so we hardly ever have a site with electric. We have an interstate hd24 marine/rv battery and a Renogy 100 Watt solar panel, monocrystalline panels, so they charge even on cloudy days.

The problem we have been experiencing is that when I am showering or doing dishes(running the pump) my lights and fan take a dive and go off. My volts are above 12/13, is this an amp problem? Would two 6v golf cart batteries solve this problem. We did just purchase the Westinghouse 2200/1800 inverter generator, but I am an early riser and like to shower first thing in the morning, well before the 9am generator run time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Your 12v side is probably rated up to 30 amps (limited by the fuse at the battery) and runs on 10 gauge wire. Are you lights LEDs? How old is the battery? Has it always done this or is it a new condition? What amperage does your fan and and water pump pull? Does your solar charger indicate that it's charging the battery properly? I would expect the system to be able to cover a couple reasonable DC items and the lights simultanously without tripping things.

Two things come to mind:

• The battery is failing. It may show appropriate voltage but not have necessary capacity.
• There's a bad connection somewhere at the battery (most likely) or elsewhere on the 12V side of the trailer. Check for corrosion, bad connections, corroded main fuse at the battery, corroded grounding screws on the frame near the battery.

[snickers]

The tt is a 2021, purchased last October, always kept plugged in when not in use. Pump pulls 35, not sure on fan, but not a lot, led lights. I’ll look up the fan amps tonight when we check out the other suggestions. Thanks! Fans 1.68 to 2.89 and 2.6 to 3.0.

[snickers]

Where is my converter located?

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by snickers

The tt is a 2021, purchased last October, always kept plugged in when not in use. Pump pulls 35, not sure on fan, but not a lot, led lights. I’ll look up the fan amps tonight when we check out the other suggestions. Thanks! Fans 1.68 to 2.89 and 2.6 to 3.0.

What's the size of your main fuse near the battery's positive terminal?

[sciencenerd]

Originally Posted by snickers

We have a JayFlight SLX 7 195RB. I like to pick my campsite for the view and privacy, so we hardly ever have a site with electric. We have an interstate hd24 marine/rv battery and a Renogy 100 Watt solar panel, monocrystalline panels, so they charge even on cloudy days.

The problem we have been experiencing is that when I am showering or doing dishes(running the pump) my lights and fan take a dive and go off. My volts are above 12/13, is this an amp problem? Would two 6v golf cart batteries solve this problem. We did just purchase the Westinghouse 2200/1800 inverter generator, but I am an early riser and like to shower first thing in the morning, well before the 9am generator run time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Did you check the electrolyte level in the battery? My feeling is that one group 24 battery is not enough for extended camping without hookups. It's okay for a weekend, but not 3+ days. I would go with two 6V golf cart batteries.

[RogerR]

When you find the problem, battery, connection, fuse size or whatever please post here so we can learn and save time when it happens to us.

thanks

[snickers]

Will do RogerR. We are going out after dinner to tinker around.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by snickers

Where is my converter located?

It's part of your circuit breaker/fuse panel. Should look something like this.

[MontanaRick]

I've got a nearly identical setup, 195RB (2018), 100W Renogy suitcase, but a series 27 battery (shouldn't make THAT much of a difference). BUT, I don't run a fan all night. My solar fully charges the battery pretty much every day if it's in the full sun even half the day.

In our experience, we have been able to go 4 days without charging (solar or otherwise) and still be at 50% on the battery. With the solar, we just never come close to running out of power, and we've boondocked for up to 30 days straight.

When the pump runs, the lights do dim, but that's about it.

My guess is that you need a new battery, as others have noted. Because of your fan usage, you might need more than we have, running a 2 amp/hr fan for 8 hours will take a pretty good chunk of your available battery.

[snickers]

Thank you! MontanaRick, that is pretty much the conclusion we have come to.

This was a good learning experience for hubby and I. We "re-discovered" our operator's manual for our Power Center and are now very familiar with our AC/DC set up and converter. We checked out all of the suggestions in the thread and that helped us to learn many things as well. We have a Westinghouse 2200/1800 generator coming and will use that to help charge the battery to full for now. When we had sunny days we did not have an issue, but the last few times out have been overcast. I am not a fan of running a genny, so we will upgrad to a two battery system next season.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by snickers

The tt is a 2021, purchased last October, always kept plugged in when not in use. Pump pulls 35, not sure on fan, but not a lot, led lights. I’ll look up the fan amps tonight when we check out the other suggestions. Thanks! Fans 1.68 to 2.89 and 2.6 to 3.0.

2.89 amps + 3.0 amps = 5.89 amps.
5.89 amps x 8 hours = 47.12 amp-hours.

Your battery probably has about 100 amp-hours of capacity and lead acid batteries shouldn't be depleted below 50% capacity in order to avoid shortening their lives. Therefore, just running your fans at max is eating up your entire usable battery capacity each night.

Your statement that it's been overcast on your past few trips means the battery might be sound but just isn't getting recharged sufficiently. The charge controller on the solar panel should be indicating how many amp-hours it's putting back into the battery.

If you don't like genny's and space or weight (for 6v batts) is a concern, take a look at lithium batts. You can use about 80% of their capacity (for best longevity of the batt) versus 50% for lead acid. Expensive, but might be worth it for your boondocking preferences.

[Pacman1214]

Originally Posted by Bob K

2.89 amps + 3.0 amps = 5.89 amps.
5.89 amps x 8 hours = 47.12 amp-hours.

Your battery probably has about 100 amp-hours of capacity and lead acid batteries shouldn't be depleted below 50% capacity in order to avoid shortening their lives. Therefore, just running your fans at max is eating up your entire usable battery capacity each night.

Your statement that it's been overcast on your past few trips means the battery might be sound but just isn't getting recharged sufficiently. The charge controller on the solar panel should be indicating how many amp-hours it's putting back into the battery.

If you don't like genny's and space or weight (for 6v batts) is a concern, take a look at lithium batts. You can use about 80% of their capacity (for best longevity of the batt) versus 50% for lead acid. Expensive, but might be worth it for your boondocking preferences.

X2 for lithium batteries. I would also suggest getting more solar panels though. I have a 100 AH lithium and 400 watts of solar and I've been running the DC side without the converter for 2 months full time.

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by snickers

We have a JayFlight SLX 7 195RB. I like to pick my campsite for the view and privacy, so we hardly ever have a site with electric. We have an interstate hd24 marine/rv battery and a Renogy 100 Watt solar panel, monocrystalline panels, so they charge even on cloudy days.

The problem we have been experiencing is that when I am showering or doing dishes(running the pump) my lights and fan take a dive and go off. My volts are above 12/13, is this an amp problem? Would two 6v golf cart batteries solve this problem. We did just purchase the Westinghouse 2200/1800 inverter generator, but I am an early riser and like to shower first thing in the morning, well before the 9am generator run time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Originally Posted by Bob K

2.89 amps + 3.0 amps = 5.89 amps.
5.89 amps x 8 hours = 47.12 amp-hours.

Your battery probably has about 100 amp-hours of capacity and lead acid batteries shouldn't be depleted below 50% capacity in order to avoid shortening their lives. Therefore, just running your fans at max is eating up your entire usable battery capacity each night.

Your statement that it's been overcast on your past few trips means the battery might be sound but just isn't getting recharged sufficiently. The charge controller on the solar panel should be indicating how many amp-hours it's putting back into the battery.

If you don't like genny's and space or weight (for 6v batts) is a concern, take a look at lithium batts. You can use about 80% of their capacity (for best longevity of the batt) versus 50% for lead acid. Expensive, but might be worth it for your boondocking preferences.

OP stated they have an Interstate HD24 Marine/RV Battery. Our ORV came from the dealer with a pair of these and they don't have much capacity - only 64ah. Using the "50%" rule of thumb gives you only 32ah usable. That's not a lot to work with.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by ttavasc

OP stated they have an Interstate HD24 Marine/RV Battery. Our ORV came from the dealer with a pair of these and they don't have much capacity - only 64ah. Using the "50%" rule of thumb gives you only 32ah usable. That's not a lot to work with.

Excellent catch. Thanks. Yes, I can see her fans eating up the entire battery each night even if only on low or medium.

@snickers--A Group 31 battery might still fit your battery box & give you a bit more capacity to get through the rest of the season if you'd like to hold off on making a 6v vs. lithium decision.

[thenne1713]

Originally Posted by snickers

We don’t leave things on and we shut the pump off when not in use, it is just hubby and I. I do run a 12 v window fan all night. In the spring we are going to the two 6v batteries.

Your fan drawing battery down and UR not allowing enough recharge; alternate= Fan/ LIGHTS=OFF for a period before shower, battery can bounce back (some) = Maybe enough for pump for shower/ maybe not. BUT any battery terminal or wiring corrosion, even slight, can stop battery from charging over 75% the previous day?