Quick-to-die House Battery

[CAW2018SiestaSS]

HI. Checked the forum posts and didn't see anything recent on this.

I have a 2018 Thor Siesta Sprinter 24 SS. We have been on the road now for about 5 weeks, and on two occasions, when we took an AirBnB, our house batteries were dead in less than two days. I had the refrigerator running on gas, no lights on, no a/c, no NOTHING.

Am I missing something? I checked if the frig would run if I turned off the shore power switch and it won't. The batteries at this point are 2.5 years old, and I'm thinking about stopping tomorrow and having them checked since we will be visiting someone who can't have the rig in his yard, so our frig will be on gas for 4 days. If necessary, I'll just replace the two house batteries, but my concern is that I'm missing something here, and the documentation that came with this rig is too minimal to provide any assistance.

Thank you in advance.

[Hugh.vines@att.net]

Originally Posted by CAW2018SiestaSS

HI. Checked the forum posts and didn't see anything recent on this.



I have a 2018 Thor Siesta Sprinter 24 SS. We have been on the road now for about 5 weeks, and on two occasions, when we took an AirBnB, our house batteries were dead in less than two days. I had the refrigerator running on gas, no lights on, no a/c, no NOTHING.



Am I missing something? I checked if the frig would run if I turned off the shore power switch and it won't. The batteries at this point are 2.5 years old, and I'm thinking about stopping tomorrow and having them checked since we will be visiting someone who can't have the rig in his yard, so our frig will be on gas for 4 days. If necessary, I'll just replace the two house batteries, but my concern is that I'm missing something here, and the documentation that came with this rig is too minimal to provide any assistance.



Thank you in advance.

Have you got a twelve volt refrigerator

[CAW2018SiestaSS]

It is a Norcold. The control circuit is 12 v, but the refrigerator will operate on 120 v ac if that is available AND the control switch is in Automatic. I make sure I put it in the Gas mode when I can't put shore power to the rig.

[Bob Denman]

He said that the 'Fridge was running on gas...
At two and a-half years old: the batteries should still have some life in them. How are their water levels?
Worst case: you might need to run the generator a couple of hours each day...

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by CAW2018SiestaSS

HI. Checked the forum posts and didn't see anything recent on this.

I have a 2018 Thor Siesta Sprinter 24 SS. We have been on the road now for about 5 weeks, and on two occasions, when we took an AirBnB, our house batteries were dead in less than two days. I had the refrigerator running on gas, no lights on, no a/c, no NOTHING.

Am I missing something? I checked if the frig would run if I turned off the shore power switch and it won't. The batteries at this point are 2.5 years old, and I'm thinking about stopping tomorrow and having them checked since we will be visiting someone who can't have the rig in his yard, so our frig will be on gas for 4 days. If necessary, I'll just replace the two house batteries, but my concern is that I'm missing something here, and the documentation that came with this rig is too minimal to provide any assistance.

Thank you in advance.

The first thing to do is test the batteries. There are only three ways to test flooded batteries (non VRLA). Easiest is to spend the buck and buy a battery load tester and see if they can accept a load. The second ways is to pull the batteries and take them to NAPA, Autozone, Advanced Auto, or any other FLAPS and have then load tested. Lastly, you can use a battery hydrometer to check the acid in your batteries. I still use a little 5 colored ball one that I bought 40 years ago. Testing your batteries will help point you toward your problem.

[Lt Keefer]

Refer, parasitic draws like smoke detector, LPG detector, radio presets combined with low later levels in the batteries could be the culprit. Please explain the airBnB while on the road in your RV.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

...Please explain the airBnB while on the road in your RV.

Maybe they just felt like crapping in someone else's toilet...

[ducksface]

Before you pull your batteries out
TAKE PLENTY OF PICTURES OF The Wiring SET UP.
It's a very typical giant fail to not remember where all the wires go.

[CAW2018SiestaSS]

Our daughter and son-in-law, who we haven't seen in 9 months because of COVID - we live in Florida, they in San Jose - joined us in Utah for a tour of Zion. 4 adults in our 25' Siesta is a non-starter so we booked an AirBnB.

[Yaktop]

Drain those batteries once and they’ll never be the same. Updated ours to 2 agm’s added a 100 watt solar panel and havent had an issue since. Well worth the investment.

[CAW2018SiestaSS]

Bob - you win. I had not checked one bank of one battery because the jumper to the second house battery prevented access. So, I overcame my laziness, took off the jumper, and discovered two of three cells bone dry. Replaced the battery. Thanks for the help.

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by CAW2018SiestaSS

Bob - you win....

"Maybe they just felt like crapping in someone else's toilet..."

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by CAW2018SiestaSS

Bob - you win. I had not checked one bank of one battery because the jumper to the second house battery prevented access. So, I overcame my laziness, took off the jumper, and discovered two of three cells bone dry. Replaced the battery. Thanks for the help.

I guess even a blind hog can still find the occasional acorn...
I wish I was wrong, and it was something less drastic; but I'm glad to have helped.

[MaceMan]

I believe you will find the fridge only runs on 12 vdc and the indicator light for ac really means its getting the power from the inverter charger and not the batteries. A dc motor will not operate on ac voltage.

[JJSmith]

My battery story is a little different but this could happen to anyone be warned.
I bought a new 2018 Gemini TX my 2 house batteries lasted 1month then died right in my driveway before I even took a trip. I had them replaced under warranty by the dealer in Albany NY. I found out later the new original house batteries had been taken out and replaced with old batteries by who I don't know the RV was new when I bought it. On my first trip with my new RV you guessed it the engine battery died. Found out the new Mercedes battery had been cannibalized and replaced with an old used interstate battery sometime before I took the RV home from the dealer. The engine battery in the sprinter is under the floor in front of the front seat so you would never know it was tampered with. I was lucky a local Mercedes dealer replaced the battery with no charge. I reported this to Thor customer service but the rep sounded mostly disinterested and said it was a dealer issue. Dealer of course denied any knowledge.

[Yaktop]

[QUOTE=MaceMan;256889]I believe you will find the fridge only runs on 12 vdc and the indicator light for ac really means its getting the power from the inverter charger and not the batteries. A dc motor will not operate on ac voltage.[


RVs use both AC, alternating current, and DC, direct current, to power the components of your electrical system. The 12-volt DC system runs the electrical components of the engine and battery of your ride while the 120-volt AC system runs all the typical appliances and power outlets found on most RVs

[Howard1257]

Just replace them. I waited and then had to do them on the road.

[paulwadley]

I replaced both of my house batteries back in December. I recently added the Flow-Rite MP2000 dual battery water system to it. Now I only have to pump the water in by hand through one hose. No more having to remove each cap and check each cell. It makes the job much easier. The system replaces the battery caps and connects both batteries together with a watering line. It can not overflow the individual cells. It costs around $70.00 with the optional hand pump bulb on Amazon.

Paul

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by MaceMan

I believe you will find the fridge only runs on 12 vdc and the indicator light for ac really means its getting the power from the inverter charger and not the batteries. A dc motor will not operate on ac voltage.

Wrong on so many levels:

No DC motor in an RV fridge

Always needs 12 VDC for control power

Heat is created by:

1 - Propane, or
2 - 120 VAC heating element.

[OldWEB]

No DC motor in an RV fridge

Careful... even Dometic now makes DC compressor reefers.