New Battery Problems

[Zapnod]

I just purchased a 2022 Thor Omni RS36. The first time I took the RV out the batteries get so low by morning time they do not have enough power to start the generator. The batteries are fully charged when I go to bed. I was running the furnace and tank heater. Any thoughts on why this is happening?

[Lt Keefer]

Just because you have a new RV doesn't mean it came with good batteries.

[coachray]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

Just because you have a new RV doesn't mean it came with good batteries.

That would be my first thought.

[Judge]

The 6V Golf Cart batteries are cheap ones and as previously posted, they may not be working properly because of age or because they were drawn down below 50% capacity too many times on the lot, which damages the batteries. The cells could also be dry or did get dry on the lot.

My 2020 Magnitude SV34 batteries were about dead when I did a walkthrough a couple years ago. They had the Inverter on for no reason while it was on the lot and so the two fridges kept drawing the batteries down.

Anyway, I did add two additional 6V batteries (Duracells from Batteries Plus) to add some additional capacity but I eventually changed over to LiFePO4 batteries last season.

[DavidEM]

Here is a guess at your power demands. Not all is continuous.

DC fridge: 5 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 20 Ah
Furnace: 6 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 24 Ah
Tank heater: 3 amps at 100% for 12 hours- 36 Ah
Misc: 1 amp at 100% for 12 hours- 12 Ah.

Total for 12 hours: 72 Ahs

If you have one battery it is dead after 12 hours. If two maybe 50%. Or less if they weren't fully charged or going bad.

So... Replace the batteries and consider adding more batteries or change to lithiums if you do this often.

David

[lwmcguir]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Here is a guess at your power demands. Not all is continuous.

DC fridge: 5 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 20 Ah
Furnace: 6 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 24 Ah
Tank heater: 3 amps at 100% for 12 hours- 36 Ah
Misc: 1 amp at 100% for 12 hours- 12 Ah.

Total for 12 hours: 72 Ahs

If you have one battery it is dead after 12 hours. If two maybe 50%. Or less if they weren't fully charged or going bad.

So... Replace the batteries and consider adding more batteries or change to lithiums if you do this often.

David

I think David nailed it regarding amp draw. I changed to AGM so I could run heat and fridge all night long prior to generator time

[Zapnod]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Here is a guess at your power demands. Not all is continuous.

DC fridge: 5 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 20 Ah
Furnace: 6 amps at 33% for 12 hours- 24 Ah
Tank heater: 3 amps at 100% for 12 hours- 36 Ah
Misc: 1 amp at 100% for 12 hours- 12 Ah.

Total for 12 hours: 72 Ahs

If you have one battery it is dead after 12 hours. If two maybe 50%. Or less if they weren't fully charged or going bad.

So... Replace the batteries and consider adding more batteries or change to lithiums if you do this often.

David

Thanks for the advice. I will contact Camper World and see if I can get some new batteries out of them since I bought the RV 5 days ago.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Zapnod

Thanks for the advice. I will contact Camper World and see if I can get some new batteries out of them since I bought the RV 5 days ago.

Dealers trashing/destroying lead acid batteries is a known issue. It's a fact that batteries drained to zero several times dramatically shortens their useful life. And just because the battery is fully charged afterward makes no difference... internal damage will show when it discharges very quickly.

Proving the dealer trashed the batteries is another issue... sometimes very difficult. Many times it's better to bite the bullet and invest in new batteries... THEN take care of them!