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Herman Snerd · 03-08-2016, 12:19 PM

2010 Fleetwood "Discovery" 40G. Only 23K miles as of this weekend.

I replaced by chassis batteries last summer with the batteries recommended by Spartan/Fleetwood. Problem is that if I let the coach sit (covered storage) for more than about 3 weeks, the batteries die.

I use both the master switches inside the coach as well as the two large "MASTER" disconnect switches inside the inverter compartment to put her "to sleep" and the batteries still go dead after a very short time.

I've put a voltmeter on the batteries and I do see a small current draw after I put in "to sleep" but for the life of me, I cannot tell where it's coming from.

Another thing I learned is that the two large, "MASTER" disconnects in the inverter area don't seem to do a dadgum thing. I can still flip the two small toggle disconnects inside the rig, start her up, and run normally. Makes me scratch my head...

Any thoughts or suggestions?

cb1000rider · 03-08-2016, 01:10 PM

I've never had much luck chasing down all the parasitic drains. That's what those switches are for. Sounds like whatever solenoid those switches trigger is locked in the ON position.. Resolve that or add a 2nddary disconnect.

**TonyDi** · 03-08-2016, 01:25 PM

Parasitic drains can be very hard to find. If you indoor do you have elec.? If so I battery tender will solve the problem. Or if it's going to be in storage for a while disconnect the negative on the chassis battery.

computerguy · 03-08-2016, 01:48 PM

My unit is actually in the shop for a bunch of warranty work. That is one of the items on the list. Happens after 2-3 weeks without using (disconnected from shore power and battery soleniods switch off. Mine is less than a year old so it might just be that they let the battery go dead a few times on the lot and the battery is shot. If they do not find anything I will install a manual disconnect on the chassis battery terminal itself. Simple enough to do as an added precaution.

F76Marion · 03-08-2016, 01:55 PM

Tony is correct, a low level drain can be a bear to locate, but it can be done.
Someone probably Decided that it was a pain to have to turn on things to get lights (or something).
So, until you get it sorted out, when you are leaving the coach, go out to the bank that is discharging and pull a cable. If the bank is made up of parallel jars, break up the bank. When you come back, bring a meter and see who is down. If only one jar is bad, it can kill the bank.

Frank

Tony Lee · 03-08-2016, 03:22 PM

Your propane alarms might be one - often connected to chassis battery direct so they can't be isolated. Often draw 1/10 amp. Not much but over three weeks is 50 amp hours. Engine and transmission management systems. Dash clocks, radio.

BUB1988 · 03-09-2016, 06:42 PM

We have an 03 Gulfstream Yellowstone DP and we had the same problem. One thing I found was that the previous owner had auxiliary wiring connected directly to the batteries. This meant that the disconnects, we have three, were ineffective. What we did was bought a solar panel that keeps all 4 batteries, 2 chassis and 2 house, charged fully. We have discussed the battery drain issue with quite a few folks and most of them all say their batteries are also dead within 3-4 weeks. This is even with only phantom drain.

dpinvidic · 03-09-2016, 07:21 PM

Herman,
The easiest thing to do is rewire the input to your disconnect switch for each battery set.
Just make sure you have a single battery cable from the battery to one side if the switch. .Forget about tracing wires.....unless you want a headache.

Many times the inverter is connected directly to the battery before the switch.

Regards,

Dan