Community Forums

agibson51 · 07-18-2012, 01:12 PM

I have a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star, very new to all of this. I wanted to put it in storage for a month but when I went to check on it after two days my house batteries had gone down to 68%. They were at 98% went I put it in storage. I turned off all breakers and used the store button. Not sure what is causing the batteries to drain? Can someone please explain where I should even start?

cutrell01 · 07-18-2012, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agibson51

I have a 2003 Newmar Dutch Star, very new to all of this. I wanted to put it in storage for a month but when I went to check on it after two days my house batteries had gone down to 68%. They were at 98% went I put it in storage. I turned off all breakers and used the store button. Not sure what is causing the batteries to drain? Can someone please explain where I should even start?

When you say they were 98%, were you unplugged from shore power? How old are the batteries? Did you check the water level before putting in storage? Could be a bad cell and they are not holding a charge. Maybe use volt meter and check output of each battery.

agibson51 · 07-18-2012, 02:00 PM

Normally I keep it plugged into shore power and after I took it to storage I checked the battery reading and it said 98%. The water levels are fine and have checked the cells on the batteries also. They are all showing good.

Jim_HiTek · 07-18-2012, 03:39 PM

In many RVs, including mine, there are still parasitic loads on the battery banks even with the main 'salesmans' switches turned off. If you have an Inverter/Converter unit that might be doing it. Or there are several safety devices that are wired directly. CO, Propane, etc. Then there are the computers for the engine and tranni, many times those stay powered (but usually by the chassis battery). But those things are such a light load, I'd think you'd get at least 3 days out of your house batteries. Perhaps the Inverter is wired directly.

What a lot of people do is simply disconnect the ground cables when storing for a few days.

While you've got the battery grounds disconnected and everything shut off, you can use many Digital Voltmeters on the 10Amp scale to measure the parasitic loading. If it blows the fuse in the meter, you'll know there's at least 10 amp drawn. Most RVs will be way under 10 amp.

Ed_G · 07-18-2012, 05:32 PM

As Jim already stated, RVs have many parasitic loads that draw current from the batteries even when the 'store' switch is turned off. Doesn't your motor home have a primary battery cut off switch...usually located in the battery bay?

choo choo 1 · 08-25-2012, 08:17 PM

i have a 92 pace arrow that i have been having the same problem except that all my batteries go dead including the main battery with the battery diconnect switches in the off postition after a week or so.any ideas.

Ed_G · 08-26-2012, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by choo choo 1

i have a 92 pace arrow that i have been having the same problem except that all my batteries go dead including the main battery with the battery diconnect switches in the off postition after a week or so.any ideas.

Questions arise: I am not familiar with a 92 Pace Arrow but must ask, what do you mean by "all my batteries" ? You have a set of two or four for your house batteries, and you have a "chassis" battery that starts the engine. Are you speaking of all of those batteries including the engine battery?

Also, when you speak of the battery disconnect switch are you speaking of a large battery switch located probably in a bay containing the batteries or of a smaller panel switch inside your motorhome living area? The smaller disconnect switch inside your motorhome does not turn ALL the electrical devices off ( e.g. the refrigerator, LPG alarm, CO2 alarm, etc. ) so yes, your main house battery bank may go dead with just this switch turned off. However, the main battery disconnect switch that is usually located in a bay with the house batteries DOES disconnect the batteries from everything..... like disconnecting the wire to the batteries. If you are still running your house batteries down when this switch is turned off I would suspect the switch may be defective. It isi also possible your batteries are bad and can not hold a charge over a few weeks time. It should be easy to test both.

dennis45 · 08-26-2012, 12:59 PM

I had the same issue with my 03 and it came down to old batteries not holding a charge. I replaced all the House batteries and the Chassis batteries.
However, even with the Store button in the off postion, they will drain in about a week or so. When I put my rig in long term storage, I remove the Ground from the House batteries.
There is also a Master Disconnect Switch (manual toggle) in the Engine Compartment that disconnects the Chassis Batteries. You should use this switch in addition to the House Store Switch when storing for a week or more. On mine, it is located on the back panel to the right of center when you open the compartment door.