Dead battery
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Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
Forum Discription: Perplexed/need help with a problem - ask here
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11843
Printed Date: 05 May 2024 at 12:57am
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Topic: Dead battery
Posted By: Tomcheryl
Subject: Dead battery
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2018 at 5:02pm
Hello all we need your help again
My husband and I are pulling our pod from phoenix to British Columbia.
After the first day we noticed our battery was not holding a charge but we did not worry about it because all of our stops were full hook ups. This has been our second battery with this pod the first one only lasted 5 months. We thought it was a dud and our dealer replaced it with a new one. We have taken the pod out approximately 12 times since we bought it in September 16, And they were all on short three day camping trips. At some point during the weekend we always have to turn the truck on to charge the battery. We are super conservative with our battery usage. On the third day we noticed the battery was not even recharging so we stopped and bought a new one. this new battery is also no longer holding a charge something must be drawing down the battery., And we have noticed that this happens while we are pulling.
We have solar panels and were able to recharge the battery to full capacity but this morning after three hours of traveling we noticed the battery is completely empty !!!! I thought it might’ve been the fridge so I turned that to the lowest setting possible before we got on the road, But that did not make a difference
obviously there’s a problem.
What could possibly be causing this problem ???
Thanks Cheryl
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Life is short,it’s time to roll
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Replies:
Posted By: john in idaho
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2018 at 5:14pm
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Is the fridge on battery or propane when you are pulling? Are you sure the TV can charge a battery thru the plug? Is the HWH on propane? Get a book about 12$, on amazon called the 12 volt bible for boats -- applies to RVs as well . Read it and buy a digital voltmeter for another $10.
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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2018 at 5:14pm
Well, you have a drain issue. Something is draining that battery. The fact your TV is not charging may be a clue. The TV adds a different set of issues and you indicted this happens when pulling only. I think you need some expertise and guessing doesn't help you. The fridge should not be issue.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2018 at 6:47pm
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Whether the fridge is the issue can depend a whole lot on how well your tow vehicle charges the Pod battery while on the road. I think the fridge is an excellent guess (but just a guess). It seems logical to run the fridge on 12v while on the road, but it still sucks the juice out of the battery. It is, arguably, best to run the fridge on propane unless you have 120v hook-ups.
If it's not the fridge, we may need another clue!
TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser
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Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2018 at 7:34pm
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You have at least a drain issue (as others have mentioned). You probably also have an issue with your TV not supplying 12V to the trailer. If it's not charging with full hookups, then you may also have an issue with the converter (or a bad connection).
I suggest you get a meter that allows you to actually see how much current is being used by your trailer when you think everything is off. Idle current on most R-pods should be less than 100 milliamps.
Then look at the TV not charging and/or converter not charging as separate issues.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 6:03am
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Set your fridge to propane, always. Even when traveling. After the furnace, the fridge is the second biggest battery killer. The fridge will use resistance heat to run in DC volts mode.When you are in propane mode, only the electronics of the fridge use power (very little).
The other thing may be your charger/converter. Defective and not charging the battery possibility.
One 12 volt marine/RV "deep cycle" battery is not enough for a weekend running the fridge on 12 volts.
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2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler
2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD)
2013 VW Touareg TDI
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 7:54am
One 12V marine/RV "deep cycle" battery is not enough for overnight let alone a weekend if running the fridge on 12V. Even my dual 6V batteries did not last the night before the refrigerator started beeping the one time I tried. That was the first and last time I tried using 12V to run the refrigerator. Since then, it is either 120V shore power or propane.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 7:59am
Something I have seen. The TV may not be fully set up to supply 12V charge to the TT battery when towing. Many vehicles come with the tow package and a 7 pin connector, but require the addition of something as simple as a fuse to enable the tow 12V capability. Also because it is fused it can fail, I think you need a multimeter to determine just what the TV is supplying. I know you said you used it, but also said it didn't charge while traveling. Just a thought.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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Posted By: crankster78
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 8:44am
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Greetings
Plug your TV to the RV and check the voltage at the RV battery. If the TV is charging the battery, you should see about 13.6 or higher voltage. Many TV's including my F-150 do not charge the battery. When traveling I use the propane to run the fridge. Turn it off when gassing up the TV.
Crankster78
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Crankster 78 R-179 2015
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Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 3:21pm
Cranster78, Why would your TV not charge the TT battery? Is it connected? To me that is a loss of capability.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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Posted By: Tomcheryl
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 10:49pm
Thank you everyone
We will definitely be working on this problem when we get back home. We only use the battery to run the fridge while we are traveling otherwise it is always on propane. I thought it was not safe to have the propane turned on while traveling. And while dry camping the fridge is always on propane, tent camping for almost 20 years has made us very conservative with our battery use.
Our TV is a Nissan frontier crew cab 2014 v6.
We are back on the road tomorrow and I will have the fridge turned completely off
Hopefully that will solve the problem even so I will definitely make a point of trying all the suggestions made.
Thank you again I appreciate all your help and knowledge!!!!!
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Life is short,it’s time to roll
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 8:43am
Traveling with propane is not a problem. I have been doing it since we bought our 179 with the exception of our first trip where I tried the battery and ran it down. I had put bug screens on all the openings for refrigerator, water heater, and furnace so it isn't even an open flame (screens act as a flame arrestor). I have not had any problems doing so. The only problems i have are keeping it cool enough when the ambient temperatures are in the 90's. It just can't stay cold enough.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 9:52am
I have that exact tow vehicle, except its a 2015. My Frontier puts out 14.2 amps from the 7 pin, the few times i checked. I always run on battery when i travel. I have never come close to draining the battery. Quite frankly when I get to where i'm going, I always get 2/3 full, from battery indicator panel. That is the highest reading you can get I think, unless you plug in to something. I would throw a meter on your T.V. plug in. Pin number 4 (located at approx 1 o'clock) is your 12v supply, and pin 1 (approx 7 o'clock) is your ground. Your meter (set to d.c. volts) should read above 12 volts, propably high 13's or low 14's. I think traveling with propane on could be risky. Maybe only 1 in a thousand chances of something bad happening, but the one time it happens, it could really screw up your day.
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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding
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Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 5:38pm
We have never traveled using the battery for the fridge, always propane. Guess that is because when my folks got their first pop-up in the 1960's my dad hooked up propane to a small fridge that he installed in the camper. When they upgraded to a Shasta in 1971 it came with a fridge and again, dad always used propane while en route. Never an issue nor have we ever known of anyone who has ever had a problem using propane for the fridge while en route. I like the fact that since we boondock a lot, both our batteries read 100% full upon reaching our destination for the day. And if we are in a national park for a week, we easily will get 6 days minimum from both batteries, in the mountains when night temps are below 50. We expect much more if going during warmer temps.
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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 5:44pm
StephenH, when temps are that warm, we position our 177 so that the fridge is on the shady side during the afternoon and early evening, this helps a bit, but you probably already know that. Also, does your fridge have 2 muffin fans? Ours does and since positioning the bi-metal switch as high as possible above the cooling fins, the fans come on sooner and run more often, resulting in a bit cooler temps inside during those 'warm' days of summer.
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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 8:31pm
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Mine came with one muffin fan. I added two small fans that are mounted to the top cover to blow hot air out. I also have a fan inside the refrigerator to circulate heat. None of that helps in got weather. When it is in the 90's or higher, it is hard to get it even into the high 40's inside the refrigerator. Sometimes, we do not have a choice in how to position the 179 so sometimes we may get shade in the afternoon and sometimes sun.
The only reliable refrigeration I have available is the Envirocooler Free Piston Sterling Cooler I picked up at our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It will keep right around 4C (about 39F) even in ambient temps in the 90's. It only starts to struggle when the temps get close to 100F. Even then, it still holds close to 4C, maybe getting up to 5C or 6C.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Posted By: marshel
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 1:45am
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If your Frontier didn't come with a factory tow package, there are two relays that need to be installed to make the wiring fully functional. Even if you have the factory tow, it'd be worth checking them if you're not getting voltage at the proper pin.
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Posted By: Tomcheryl
Date Posted: 18 Jul 2018 at 11:52pm
Well thanks again. We have been off line for a little while. Turning the fridge off during towing solved the battery drain issue. We had shore power at every stop so I would crank the temperature of the fridge up. Everything stayed nice and cold.
I will still check our TV when we get home , I think something’s fishy there.
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Life is short,it’s time to roll
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Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2018 at 2:13am
Nothing fishy. Traveling with the fridge on battery will often drain it. Always travel with the fridge on propane. It is not a safety issue.
TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser
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