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Topic: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help! (Read 5 times) previous topic - next topic
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Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Yahoo Message Number: 46986
Hello All,

Previous posts have discussed that levelers should be connected to the "battery terminal", not the "terminal on the starter solenoid".

Could someone explain to me the issues with where the power for the levelers comes from?
 We purchased the Bigfoot levelers (the Lite model, not the automatic ones) for our 23.5 FL (1995)about a year ago.  Ever since then, the engine battery voltage will drain down within two weeks during storage.  We thought that the battery problem was a coincidence, and replaced the engine battery thinking that the battery might be old, as we weren't the original owner.  We also replaced the alternator, as we were given advice that that could also be the problem.
Neither seems to have helped.  We have also taken the RV to two mechanics to have the electrical system checked out.  Both say that there is not a drain on the engine battery.

I know that it is bad for the battery to drain so low (down to 11.0v) within two weeks, so each weekend, I go to the storage lot partially uncover it and run the engine for about 20 minutes.  While the engine is running, the volatage goes up to 13+ volts.  When the engine is off after running, the voltage drops to the low 12's.
 Even after several hours of driving during a trip, the battery loses its charge within two weeks.  Previous to installing the levelers, we were able to store the RV for about a month, and never have the battery go dead.

At this point, I don't know from which location the levelers are getting their power, but I wanted to get an understanding of the issues from this group before I go back to the leveler installer.

Or if anyone has additional suggestions/solutions, they are most welcome to share them with me!

TIA for your help.

Cindy
Cindy Beck
2004 MB Blue/White, Honda CRV
Corona, CA
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 46989
Cindy,

If the mechanics did their job properly, they would remove one battery terminal (the negative one would do), then with everything you normally have "off", hook an ammeter between the negative terminal and vehicle ground. This will show if, and how much, dra
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 46990
Bob,

That's a confounding thought--that the levelers are wired to the coach batteries.  To check it out, I assume that if I take one of the leads off one of the coach batteries, the levelers wouldn't work at all, if they were connected to the coach batteries.  I'll have to give that a try.

Thanks for your reply,

Cindy
Cindy Beck
2004 MB Blue/White, Honda CRV
Corona, CA
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 46991
Bumper,

Part of the inconvenience for us is that the RV is stored
Cindy Beck
2004 MB Blue/White, Honda CRV
Corona, CA
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 46995
If I turn off the coach battery disconnect the levelers do NOT work.
Trust me. I did that and later forgot the disconnect was off. No levelers. ;-)
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 46999
Quote from: Cindy"

Bumper, It's interesting that you said that running the engine for 20 minutes is not charging the battery.
Cindy

Cindy,

Sorry for your problem and I think you misunderstood Bumper's comment. Running the engine IS charging the battery, but it normally does so so slowly that for the first twenty minutes you're doing nothing but replacing the charge you used to start the engine. You'd probably have to run the engine for hours to gain any significant charge on the coach batteries, an unrealistic prospect.

Paul
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47001
Thank you for the clarification, Paul. Yup, that's what I meant (g).

Also, running the engine for short periods, and especially idling the engine for even longer periods, helps promote internal corrosion. This is due to the fact the engine oil doesn't get hot enough to "boil off" moisture which is a by-product of the combustion process. This moisture will combine with sulfer
bumper
"Yonder" '05 MB
"WLDBLU" glider trailer
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Levelers and drain on engine bat
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47003
At 04:26 PM 11/28/2004 +0000, you wrote:

Quote
You'd probably have to run the engine for hours to gain any significant charge on the coach batteries, an unrealistic prospect.
I assume there's a difference between "running the engine" with no load, and driving a distance in the LD. It doesn't seem to take hours to charge the coach batteries when we've pretty thoroughly discharged them, if we are driving to a new destination. OTOH it takes at least a half hour of running the engine at rest, so to speak, to gain any significant recharging of the coach batteries when they are very low.
 I bring this up because there have been several messages about using the engine to recharge the coach batteries when they run low and you don't have a generator, and as I recall they typically mention half an hour periodically as what people do in this circumstance. I know we've done it as a stopgap measure, when boondocking, but I realize it doesn't provide much of a charge.

Sonsie
Re: Levelers and drain on engine battery??--Help!
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47005
"I know that it is bad for the battery to drain so low (down to 11.0v) within two weeks..."
 Cindy, I don't like to say this, but...from everything I've read, if your batteries are drained down to 11V, that causes permanent damage. In fact, anything below 12V will reduce the lifetime of the batteries--the number of charge/discharge cycles they can handle.
 I don't know thing about leveler wiring, so I don't know what's causing the rapid discharge you reported, but even if you add a solar panel right now, you may find yourself replacing those batteries fairly soon--the damage has already been done.

Andy Baird
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Help!
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47499
How can I stop every message from showing up in my email. I edited my membership "message delivery" options to "No email" but I'm still being overwhelmed like it changed nothing. I use my computer to manage our real estate properties and other business and I can't handle the volume of mail.

Tom
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Help!
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47504
When did you change it?  It can take from a few hours to a few days for the change to take effect.

Patty

tlgatchell wrote:
 
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Help!
Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 47514
it sometimes takes a while before Yahoo updates their system.  If you want to stop the messages sooner, create a filter & send them to the trash w/out you even seeing them.  Be nearly the same as not getting them, unless you are getting your email on a slow (cellular) connection.

tlgatchell wrote: