Dead (new) battery

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by AirCanuck

14.27VDC being supplied with vehicle running.

Would that be enough to charge the battery while the fridge runs? Will the fridge draw from the battery in DC mode while the vehicle is off?

Should be as long as the black wire is the right gauge, always worked for me.

Yes the fridge would be pulling from the trailer battery when the ignition if off. However, if you do not have a relay or diode in the fuse block for the trailer it would also draw on your car battery.

Next test would be hook the car up to the trailer and check the voltage at the battery with the engine running and everything in the trailer off.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by AirCanuck

14.27VDC being supplied with vehicle running.

Would that be enough to charge the battery while the fridge runs? Will the fridge draw from the battery in DC mode while the vehicle is off?

Yes, if the gauge of the wire can deliver the 11 amps and more. There's two pieces to the puzzle, volts and amps. Next is to verify the gauge/size of that power wire.

[scweddnc]

I can’t answer your DC fridge issue but I can say that I’ve always used propane for fridge when towing and have had zero issues. I read a lot about the topic on this and another forum. Most people that had chimed in used propane during tow. Some states it’s illegal to have propane on while driving thru a tunnel. I’d venture to say that the majority of RVs out there run propane while traveling.

[camper Rick]

Originally Posted by AirCanuck

2009 Jay Series 1007

Drove 3.5 hours yesterday and 5 today with the fridge on DC mode.

Today arrived at the site and as soon as I had the trailer unhooked from the car, I heard a beeping. Looked inside and the propane gas alarm has a red light and is beeping. Turned the fridge from DC to off and it stopped. Ok, I'll deal with it later.

Still not hooked up to AC, turn on the "northern breeze" fan and notice it's running slowly. Turn if off and turn on a light, thinking Hmm is the battery low? Light is very dim and the propane alarm starts beeping again with a red light. Then j realized the battery is indeed dead.

My question is:

Did I kill it by leaving the fridge on DC overnight? I thought DC mode only worked when the vehicle was providing power while running.

Second question - shouldn't the battery have charged again after 5.5 hours of driving today?

We are hooked up to AC now so no emergency but I would like to figure out what's going on. It's a brand new battery so hopefully all is ok.

Wisdom please!

I had something similar happen when changing battery it blew 4 fuses in the panel. It would not charge. Replaced fuses and it fixed everything. It was caused by my wrench briefly shorting across terminals. Good luck.

[kblast523]

Originally Posted by Dubblbubbl

The specs on my Norcold 3-way shows a 11.2 amp draw on 12v. 11 amps over 8 hours is going to be 88ah of drawdown. Depending on your battery capacity an 88 amp draw may bring it way down.

On my 2005 F150 there is an additional square relay in the fuse box that controls the charge current to the trailer. This was not installed from the factory but was included in the tow package kit when I bought the truck in 2005. Looking it up online it’s identified as the “Trailer Tow battery charge”.

Likewise on the 2017 and newer Nissan Titan. It has a 200amp/hr alternator and a 10 gauge wire to the trailer connector. There is a relay in the under hood fuse box that prevents back loading of the vehicle battery. In addition, there is a 30amp circuit breaker to the trailer 12v supply...just in case.

[MPD56]

Hello Members:
Just my two cents.

From my 2019 355MBQS jayco manuals

It depends on the make and model of your frig. Mine has a 12 VDC and 120 VAC Heater.

In AC Mode - In AC Mode, it runs off 120 VAC. If the power shuts off it switches to LP. If your frig only has one 12VDC heater, the convertor changes 120 VAC to 12DC to the heater.

In DC Mode - it runs off 12VDC from the battery, there is most likely a fuse inline there.


In LP Mode - it runs on LP, some models need 12 volt for control.

My way of thinking, the facts are.

Usually an alternator can put out 100 or more amps, my Ford has a 300 amp alternator.

If the alternator can't put out enough amps or voltage the warning light comes on in the vehicle.

With vehicle not running there should be 12.8 VDC at the battery

With the vehicle running, the altenator should boost that voltage up at the battery to around 13.4 volts, or you would get a warning coming from the vehicle. Which hasn't been mentioned. So that tells me there is nothing wrong with the vehicle's charging system.

Next thing I would check is if there is the same voltage or a little lower at the trailer battery With the vehicle running, if it over 13 VDC, I would think there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.

Without knowing what the voltage at the trailer battery is, I don't know which way to go in troubleshooting?


As for the 12 gauge wire, when you get the system fix, you can run the frig on dc with the vehicle running and if the wire starts to get warm, then I would be concerned and think about changing to a larger gauge.

Remember the current running through the ground wire by trailer brakes and lights is well over 20 amps.

So my top of the head diagnose, is the vehicle system and frig are ok, the wiring from the vehicle to trailer has a problem. My guess is your not getting over 13 VDC at the trailer's battery.

[Groveite]

One simple check would be to clean the aux (camper) battery terminals thoroughly to ensure a good connection and then check the battery voltage while connected with the tow vehicle running. Also check that the 12V heating element in the back of the fridge is working properly. BTW the really old 3 ways (I've been using absorption units for 47 years) did not need any power supply to run on propane but any of the newer ones for RV use require a 12V power source no matter what the energy source is . We always have run our units on LP while travelling except for tunnels and ferries.

[saunterr44]

You may have just been stuck with a dead battery, from the beginning. Mine was a POS, swapped it out and haven't looked back

[AirCanuck]

I'll hook it up and measure the voltage w vehicle running. Also I'll call the guys who installed the wiring and see what gauge they use.

Won't be a dead battery as it's brand new. Terminals are thus also clean.

[AirCanuck]

Called the guys who installed it, he said they use 12 gauge wire.

He said it's more of a battery maintainer type system ie, if I let the fridge run all night and drain the trailer battery then kept it running during the drive, the car would not be able to both run the fridge and charge the battery.

Makes sense.

[BenGriffey]

Originally Posted by Groveite

One simple check would be to clean the aux (camper) battery terminals thoroughly to ensure a good connection and then check the battery voltage while connected with the tow vehicle running. Also check that the 12V heating element in the back of the fridge is working properly. BTW the really old 3 ways (I've been using absorption units for 47 years) did not need any power supply to run on propane but any of the newer ones for RV use require a 12V power source no matter what the energy source is . We always have run our units on LP while travelling except for tunnels and ferries.

So I disconnected my battery since it was dead even after charging. Just plugged in my pup so I can run the fridge for a few days before our trip, doesn't seem to be working. I'm wondering if I hook the dead battery back up, will it work? Or do I need to go to the store and buy a brand new battery? Have no intentions of running it off battery powers solely, but not having the battery connected seems to be stopping it from getting power so it can cool down for our trip.

[ARoamer]

Originally Posted by BenGriffey

So I disconnected my battery since it was dead even after charging. Just plugged in my pup so I can run the fridge for a few days before our trip, doesn't seem to be working. I'm wondering if I hook the dead battery back up, will it work? Or do I need to go to the store and buy a brand new battery? Have no intentions of running it off battery powers solely, but not having the battery connected seems to be stopping it from getting power so it can cool down for our trip.

If your battery has been dead for awhile it's probably damaged.
(from the web)---------->
If your battery is:

• Reading 0 volts, chances are the battery experienced a short circuit
• Cannot reach higher than 10.5 volts when being charged, then the battery has a dead cell
• Fully charged (according to the battery charger) but the voltage is 12.4 or less, the battery is sulfated

Sulfation is the natural byproduct when the battery discharges. Naturally, re-charging the battery will reverse the sulfation crystals and turn it back into electrolyte, ready to produce power again. But if a battery sat, uncharged, severely discharged, and/or drained for extended periods of time, the sulfation will increase in size and harden onto the plates. This covers the surface area of the plates, removing the chemicals needed to produce power.
Sulfation decreases the potential to reach a full charge, and it self-discharges the battery quicker than normal. Charging a sulfated battery is like trying to wash your hands while wearing gloves. At this point, charging alone will not restore the battery to a healthy condition. The majority of replacement battery purchases occur when the original battery has reached this point.
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So,
If your RV is plugged into 120AC the power converter should supply 12vdc to run things, no battery needed, just be sure your disconnected positive battery cable can not touching anything as your power converter will be supplying power to it. If you still don't have 12v for lights, etc, check your breakers and fuses.

If you plan on towing you should have a good battery as that battery powers your trailer's emergency brakes if there is an emergency disconnect from your tow vehicle.