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Dead battery after a cold front - what to do different!
This is a true story that happened to me when I drove to Banff, Canada.
SITUATION: This was in a National Coach I once owned.
* I was camped for 3 days in a National Park with water, but no power.
* The day before was 70F outside, but a cold front came in that evening and the temperature dropped to 20F the next morning.
* I ran my furnace heater throughout the night (who wouldn't); and in the morning I noticed my heater fan was not working. And the ceiling fluorescent lights were low.
* Checkout time was 11AM and it was bitter cold outside. So I rushed to get ready and I could not wait to get my engine started. She cranked-over twice and then nothing.
* I hit the boost switch to jump the house batteries to the engine battery... and my engine cranked over twice more and then nothing. (But at lease I knew the boost solenoid was working.)
* Ug! All I was thinking about was if I can jump this beast, and if not, how do I call for service in Canada when my cell phone signal was too low to work from the campsite and the lodge was 3 miles away, which would mean unhooking the tow car in the cold, etc.
WHAT SHOULD I (YOU) HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
In general, I now believe dealing with dead batteries is first and foremost about making good choices. And when it is freezing outside you really need to make really good choices. I learned this the hard way. So will tell you what I should have done differently with the hopes that this story will help you out of a similar jam.
A) LOOK FOR CLUES: Low cabin ceiling lights are a clue that your engine batteries are low. These are 12V engine battery devices. And if you don't have enough power to run you heater fans, that's a clue your house batteries are low or dead. So turn these accessories off before you proceed.
B) BE CALM AND PATIENT: Think about your conditions and your options -- BEFORE YOU TAKE ACTION.
Everyone rushes to start the engine when it's cold outside. But not so much when it's warm outside. ...After all, it's only natural to be in a hurry when it's freezing outside. Therefore, you need to be aware you will have some myopic tendencies that you need to fight-off when it's cold outside.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
* Don't continue to crank your engine if you know you do not have enough battery juice to get the engine started. You will only drain your battery down further.
* Understand that condensation/water will build up when driving from a high pressure area (sea level) to a low pressure area in the mountains (typically above 6,000' MSL); and this condition is made worse when the temperature drops over night from a hotter day (which means there is more moisture in the air) to a colder/dryer day when the cold front passes over.
Condensation on your cabin windows maybe a clue as well, but I wouldn't go that far. However, I do use this as a reminder. "If it's cold outside, maybe I should start my generator before I start my engine."
==> And before you rush to start your engine under these cold conditions, this is the time to check and drain some fuel from your fuel filters or wherever your coach has a low point in your fuel system.
Don't be lazy. Yes it's freezing outside, but you need to weather it and drain your fuel lines before you try to start your engine, because if water does get past your fuel filter, it will hit your engine like a brick and could cause engine damage. And then where will you be? This is also a good time to see if your diesel fuel is flowing or congealed.
==> So if I were you, I would try to get my generator started before I try to start my engine.
* BUT FIRST: Before you start your generator, you should turn off the inverter/charger. This is so there is minimum load on the generator after it engages in about 5 seconds. Why? You want the generator to heat up before you put a load on it or it could die and then you might not have enough battery juice to start the generator up a second time.
* Don't be surprised if you need to hold down the generator start button for an extra-long time. When it's cold outside, and when your batteries are low, your generator may take more time to "do whatever generators need to do" before they start.
* After 5 minutes, you can turn the inverter/charger on.
* After 10 minutes more, you can turn on your engine block heater if you intend to let your generator run for an hour or more.
The block heater needs 1-4 hours to be effective, depending on the outside temperature and how long your engine has been sitting in the cold. And this time also depends on if you have a 500W or a 1000W block heater. (So watch for overloading your power panel.)
==> Then give you generator time to charge your house batteries (and your engine batteries if your coach was wired for that option.)
==> Don’t be in a rush. With your generator started, you can probably turn on your furnace heater… if your power panel says you are not putting too much load on the generator. And smarter power management systems will keep you from overloading the system, but I like to monitor it anyway.
PREPLANNING: Plan for the cold.
* This means adding a fuel additive to your tank before you arrive at your destination if you think you will be starting your generator in colder than 20F weather.
* To repeat: After you start your generator and let it run for 10+ minutes, you can turn on your engine block heater for 1-4 hours
* You can even change your generator oil to Synthetic 5W-30 before your trip. Same goes for your engine oil, but my ISC-350 likes 15W-40 oil for everyday use. So unless you are going to operate your rig over the winter I wouldn’t bother with an engine oil change to Synthetic.
I hope these suggestions help you make the right choices when you have dead batteries in the cold.
In my case, I didn’t think everything through, because I just hooked up a 1200CCA portable battery pack I keep handy… to my house batteries and then I started my generator. But I still had to "brave the cold."
If you don’t have one of these high output power packs, then you can always get a jump from your tow car. And if you don’t have either a portable battery pack or a tow car, then you really ought to pay attention to your conditions outside and what to do when your batteries are dead due to cold weather or you will be sitting around for a service vehicle to help you, which can mean hours of delay and aggravation.
The good news is that dead batteries from running your heater fan all night long will come back quickly under a charge.
But you might as well plan ahead and give your engine block heater time to heat your engine anti-freeze, which in turn will heat your engine block, which in turn will heat your engine oil. Anything less, will make it harder for your engine to start in cold weather.
Note: Weak house and engine batteries will seem to work fine when it’s above 50F outside, but when you drive your RV to temperatures that drop overnight, into the 30’s-20’s, things can become “touch-and-go” when it comes to battery cranking amps.
And this doesn’t have to be in Canada. In fact, last Nov-2018 I was in Biloxi, MS and this very thing happened… only the temp dropped into the low 30's, but this time I was better prepared. I started up my generator first, then my inverter/charger, (no engine block heater)... and 30 minutes later I was on the highway without the need to use my battery booster pack.
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