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Old 05-05-2016, 02:07 PM   #1
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FINALLY, a resolution for our chassis battery draining problem!

The gremlin hiding in our beloved Bay Star has been outed. As hard as it was to believe, pulling the fuse for the dash radio finally stopped the sucking sound that was the chassis battery draining dead in 2-3 days. Apparently even in the "off" position the radio was still pulling power. Kudos to the guys at Independence RV in Winter Garden, FL who definitively diagnosed it.

Our first work-around had been to set up a trickle charger to keep the battery from draining. However, that required being plugged into shore power (not a problem when at home or most sites where we stay, but a problem at some locations--like the infield at a NASCAR race). Then we added a battery disconnect switch to the chassis battery, and that was also an acceptable workaround.

It is nice to know the source of the problem. We never use the dash radio for anything other than the USB port while traveling, and I can get a plug-in for the 12V for that. I checked with Newmar and they confirmed the dash radio fuse only powers the radio. So I think for now we will leave the fuse out. For extended dry camping we will also throw the disconnect switch as an overcheck. The trickle charger will also continue to travel with us, as will the battery cables. Not going to take any chances...
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Old 05-05-2016, 02:30 PM   #2
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Put in an interrupter switch so you can use your radio and turn off the toggle switch when you stop somewhere. It is easy to do. I had the same issue on my Mountain Aire. The fan on the radio ran all the time even with the radio off. Now it is nice and quiet at night with it completely off.
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Old 05-06-2016, 06:02 AM   #3
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Hi Patti Brown,
It may not make you feel any better but you are not the only one. For some unknown reason Newmar (and dealers) have been wiring this way for over a decade.
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Old 05-06-2016, 06:15 AM   #4
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Quote:
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Hi Patti Brown,
It may not make you feel any better but you are not the only one. For some unknown reason Newmar (and dealers) have been wiring this way for over a decade.
More than a decade. Our 1996 Winnebago Adventurer suffers from this, as well.

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Old 05-07-2016, 07:05 AM   #5
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What happens when you turn off the key to your car? All systems shut down. So the answer is simple....wire that radio to your coach ignition.
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Old 05-07-2016, 07:45 AM   #6
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I don't know what kind of radio you have. I had a radio with a removeable face plate and I could shut the whole radio down by removing this face plate. If you have a removable faceplate that might be an easy solution.
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Old 05-07-2016, 09:14 AM   #7
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Mine is the same way. I see that in a lot of newer coaches there is a dash switch labeled as radio. Presumably to fully off the radio.


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Old 05-07-2016, 10:08 AM   #8
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What happens when you turn off the key to your car? All systems shut down. So the answer is simple....wire that radio to your coach ignition.

Generally speaking, RV manufacturers wire the dash radio so that it will work without having the ignition key on or in ACC so that folks can listen to the dash radio/CD player without turning the key. Usually, without some power, the radio loses the preset memory.
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Old 05-07-2016, 11:35 AM   #9
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All electronic radios have 2 hot leads, one to the ignition and a 2nd to an always hot source. If it didn't, you would lose the clock time and the pre-set radio stations. Having installed a few and wiring a few street rods, I know this to be true.

Apparently RV manufacturers think you might want to use the radio with out having the ignition or acc. on, so they wire into a 12v house circuit. The only way to kill the drain on the house batteries is to disconnect the battery.

It works for me.
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Old 05-07-2016, 07:26 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Apparently RV manufacturers think you might want to use the radio with out having the ignition or acc. on, so they wire into a 12v house circuit.
Except in our coach they wired it into the CHASSIS battery, not the house battery.
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Old 05-07-2016, 07:45 PM   #11
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Chassis battery here as well.


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Old 05-07-2016, 07:48 PM   #12
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Still an Issue? Really?

My uncle had a motorhome about 20 years and the battery kept draining overnight. We were looking at it and he touched the radio and it was hot. As yours was, it was still drawing power. Fortunately for him, his radio had a removable face place so he only had to remove that we he closed things up.
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Old 05-08-2016, 11:46 PM   #13
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On our 2004 DutchStar the radio is wired to the coach batteries. Radio doesn't work unless the overhead "Store/Use" switch is in the use mode. And yes, I lose the presets and time functions whenever the switch is set to "Store".
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Old 05-09-2016, 04:36 AM   #14
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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Thank You for posting this. We have a 2014 Bay Star 3103, and I have been looking for the source of the chassis battery drain. Since just having back surgery in January, I haven't been able to do much more than look from the outside. I had thought that the Chassis battery had followed the path of the House batteries, and had it replaced in March. I brought the coach home from storage (it's kept on a 20 amp circuit there), and the next day, the chassis battery was down to 12.6 volts. I would think that if the radio is turned off (in our case, you push and hold the volume button, until the unit turns off), that should kill the major power draw of the unit. Looks like I maybe be looking for a replacement for that radio. I already replaced it once under warranty. The size is called a double DIN correct?

Thanks again.
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