Battery Disconnect

[dfleming17@cox.net]

I used the battery disconnect switch to turn the battery off when I put the rig in storage; however, the leveling system stayed on and the battery was dead when I picked it up.

Is this normal for the Redwood 2012 36FB?

[johnboytoo]

Welcome ! Yes - you've learned what we learned

Question - did you check to see if you have more than one battery ?

[atom ant]

Yep - typical for many RVs.

[JellyStonePark]

Yep, me too! Thought we were doing something wrong after turning off the the battery disconnect switch only to find the batteries dead again when taking the Rig out of shortage. I have to find a resolution to this problem! Whatever the draw is I can't seem to find it. Short of physically removing the cables off the batteries I don't know what else to do. Your thoughts would be most appreciated.

[S&K]

Originally Posted by JellyStonePark

Yep, me too! Thought we were doing something wrong after turning off the the battery disconnect switch only to find the batteries dead again when taking the Rig out of shortage. I have to find a resolution to this problem! Whatever the draw is I can't seem to find it. Short of physically removing the cables off the batteries I don't know what else to do. Your thoughts would be most appreciated.

Small things like a light that was left on could do that? (Things you don't think about). Fantastic Fan on, or other things on auto?

[atom ant]

That is a big draw Jellystone. I've left mine for a couple of months without disconnected the cables (but I did over winter).

You can start to narrow it down by removing a battery cable and putting a voltmeter between the cable and battery. It should read ~12V with everything off if you have a draw. Start pulling fuses until it goes away. Some may be normal like the CO2 monitor, but once you get it isolated to the specific circuit or two you can focus on that. You can also put a cheap ammeter on the battery cable (inductive type) with the cables hooked up and do the same thing with the fuses to find out what it pulling such high amperage.

[RifRaff]

Found parasitic power drain. Gas detector, power for frig, 12v. Buy a low voltage. Current detector. Check each wire, thought I had a problem til I did this. Disconnected certain wires, no issue now.

[JellyStonePark]

I'll start my search Monday as I have the full day to play hide and seek with the Redwood. Thanks for the suggestions and testing methods, hoping it just something simple. Will keep you posted

[johnboytoo]

I found out this week that our heater is on when the disconnect is off too !

Never had that in an rv... Really wonder what someone at Redwood was thinking if that's intentional ?!?

Had to hook up the truck and let it idle for a few minutes to charge the batteries enough to move the jacks !

[atom ant]

That is really weird. That went past my logic barrier.

[JellyStonePark]

JohnBoyToo,

you described my exact situation when picking up our rig last week from storage. However I had to pull out the trusty Honda generator and actual plug in the land line to get enough juice to the batteries. After about five mins. I was able to get the landing gear to retract. Planning to spend time out at storage tomorrow, and first on my list of items to check will be the heater. Thanks for the info.

[markw]

I wonder If we could just add a second disconnect to the other cable, to keep from having to unhook them.

Mark

[JellyStonePark]

That is the same thing I was thinking today as I was hunting for the problem draw. Just for the record, I couldn't find anything inside the coach that was powered with the Battery disconnect in the off position. I was still able to move the slides with the switch off but I expected that. Without a meter it's next to impossible to track down the problem. I am leaning more and more to adding another disconnect switch.

Darrell

[5th_Time]

Probably did water heater by design. There is a 12v relay on the WH. No 12v? no relay, no AC. You can only run the WH on propane.

On my RL, the orange 12v wire on the relay disconnected from the wire nut within the bundle. It took me a couple weeks to hunt this one down... Ugh.

But how much can a relay draw?

[markw]

After looking over the battery compartment yesterday, adding a second disconnect won't fully solve the battery drain while stored. They will self discharge each other while being hooked together. It will just take longer.

Mark

[atom ant]

Batteries will discharge each other?

[markw]

If two batteries hooked up in this manner are not perfectly equal, (and they won't be) they will constantly be trying to get there. The lesser will bring the other down. This will continue back and forth.

I don't think there is a problem with two 6s wired for 12. I'm no electric expert, only what I believe is correct from past reading.

Mark

[atom ant]

I understand they would try to equalize, but thought everything stopped once they equalized. I guess that would mean the only effective way to isolate the batteries is to go to the rotary type switch that has batt 1 - batt 2 - both - off, like I see on a boat.

[piper guy]

Brad, that's what I changed mine to. When I shut my batteries off - they are OFF
Used the marine switch you described. Also, when the GenSet gets installed next month, I'm adding a dedicated generator battery on its own disconnect switch. Most boats are wired so that the generator battery powers nothing but the starter for the GenSet. That way if you run the house batteries down too far, you can fire the generator and run the charger for everything.

There is enough room in the GenSet to add a small battery like my garden tractor has. Should be more than enough to start GenSet. When all is finished I'll send a picture .

[atom ant]

Pic would be great! I never thought of putting a separate battery for the gen. Tons of room both below and on top of the heat shield. Every time I crawl up in there to mess with something Dory says I found my Man Cave.