Battery DRAINED

[FT4NOW]

Besides the parasitic loads, you could have started with a bad battery. The battery is a dealer installed item, it is not provided by GD.

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[offtohavasu]

Besides the parasitic loads, you could have started with a bad battery. The battery is a dealer installed item, it is not provided by GD.

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Agreed. Take the battery to a auto parts store and have it load tested. If it was drained 100% it's already experienced damage. If you put a bad battery with a good battery, it will kill the good one as well.

[boyscout]

I disconnected it last night and this morning it was able to power up the management module (or whatever you call the video screen) and turned on the generator but watched the battery power on the generator screen drop into the 11 volts range. I cannot see doing the battery disconnect at night so that there is enough power in the morning to start the generator. A deep cycle marine battery should be able to keep power overnight when nothing is on

Hi, welcome to the forum.

I've tried to absorb each post above... am I correct in thinking that it's your NEW battery that dropped to 11 volts overnight?

As others have said, one *possibility* is that the battery your dealer installed was not good. It seems unlikely that both would be bad. They both need to be *load tested", something that the people you bought the second battery can almost certainly do or you can do yourself with a ~$50 tester that you'd probably be wise to own anyway.

As others have said, there are loads on the battery that are not eliminated when you use the battery "disconnect" switch. That switch is pretty useless. A number of people here (including me) have replaced it and re-cabled things so that it completely disconnects the battery. (It's perhaps not something you want to do in the first week of owning your trailer but be prepared for lots of projects in your future. )

The "parasitic" loads on your battery - loads you can't turn off unless you literally disconnect the battery at its posts - should typically be under one amp in total. Your batteries likely have something like 70 or 80 amp-hour capacity, the math says that you SHOULD be able to leave your trailer battery connected for at LEAST several days without killing it, often more than a week, as long as everything you can turn off is turned off.

If you disconnect the battery entirely - remove at least the negative cable from the battery post - then it should hold its charge in a usable range for a month or two, often more.

So the conclusion from all that is that your battery(ies) is/are not in good shape or your trailer is drawing more than the less-than-one-amp that it should be drawing. Or both.

Testing the batteries is quick and easy; you can eliminate that possibility first.

If both batteries test well then if you have an electrical clamp meter that reads DC current (most of them do NOT do DC current) it's also quick and easy to read the draw from your battery, and if it's too high then to start checking individual circuits to find the 'something' that's pulling more power than it should. If you don't have that meter - they're expensive but I've been very glad to have one - then borrowing one or returning to the dealer are essential next steps.

Hope something there is useful.

If you respond to this post, please click on the Reply With Quote link at the bottom right corner of it or use my username with an asterisk (as in @boyscout) so I get a notification of your response and can follow up.

[ccardamo]

FT4NOW, I bought a second battery and same issue overnight. The Battery that came with it is an Interstate, and I had it tested. It was drained, but perfect. I reinstalled it and same thing, overnight with everything shut down it drained and would not power up system or start generator.

[ccardamo]

Juiceman, I have now started 3 different nights with two different brand new batteries fully charged and in the morning...dead. I did the battery disconnect and battery still had a charge in the morning, BUT, if I Was camping instead of sitting in the driveway I would NOT disconnect the battery during the night and would expect that I would still have some power in the morning. I am now plugged into home power, will drive 6 hours on Friday and will be plugged in at a park. I will be dry camping in the desert for 3 days and will probably keep my generator running the whole time. When I get back to AZ I have a service appointment where the dealer can deal with it.

Thank all of you for your input

[Canyonlight]

If not done so, suggest a call to and a conversation directly with a GDRV Customer Service Center 574 825 9679 sharing your findings. I would specifically ask that on your RV (have your VIN handy) what items have parasitic drains like various safety devices and electronics along with other items. They may also have very good suggestions on what else to check.

Please report back the results of your conversation.

Dan

[SmallBoxMaker]

Hi,

As was asked back in post #4 , Is the breakaway switch connected, with the cable intact? If there is a problem here the brakes would be engaged and that could draw down the battery quickly.

And it wouldn't be fun towing it, either.

[skier8674]

I bought a Reflection 31MB this past June. New unit... took it home and 2 days later the battery was dead while the Battery Disconnect was engaged (ie: cut power). After diving into all 120V and 12V wiring in the rig I discovered there are a number of "parasitic loads" that are wired directed to the battery (ie: propane alarm, some exterior lighting, etc). I looked for all of the obvious possible sources that could drain the battery and couldn't find any that were worth altering.

I was baffled why you even need the propane alarm or exterior lighting (pin light) etc if you have engaged the Battery Disconnect. If I engage a device that says "Battery Disconnect" I am assuming it is taking all 12V loads off the battery in order to prevent from draining the battery while not in use (ie: storage).

I am not an electrical engineer or know if there are any regulations that require GD and manufacturers to have such a setup from factory. Nor do I know if this symptom happens to every owner, but it seems that it would. For myself its an easy fix, but if I was a lower maintenance owner a dead battery after 2-3 days with battery cutoff engaged would make me a very unhappy "camper"/owner of a new rig.

The SOLUTION for me as mentioned above was to move the battery cutoff (or put in a second one) right next to the battery ensuring I cut off power to 100% of 12V devices in the Rig while in storage. I made some major upgrades to the 12V and 120V system (EMS, some 120V revisions, inverters/charges, added 12V USB outlets) including adding in a large bank of Li-Ion battery batters for extended off-grid stays. Those upgrades have nothing to do with the battery draining issue in this thread, but gave me a reason to jump right on the upgrade instead of waiting to a later date.

Bottom Line: Moving the Battery Cutoff right next to the battery will resolve any of the issues while in storage. If camping for a number of days only on the stock lead-acid battery based on your current symptoms you will either need to recharge via generator routinely or disconnect the battery at the battery post when not needed to conserve power until you can get a longer term solution in place. I believe someone also mentioned you could simply hook up a smaller solar panel directly to the battery for more of an interim solution while in storage to offset the parasitic loads (assuming the drain is not more than what those very small solar panels produce). That small solar panel isn't going to really help keep up during your dry camping days coming up though.

My thoughts. Please repost when if you get a long term solution or feedback from a dealer/GD if it's really that involved.

I thought maybe I had an anomaly with the build of my unit so I'm unfortunately glad to hear someone else experienced the same, but leaves me a bit weary of the design reason this happens.

[Flip94ta]

I would start at one corner of the trailer and walk around checking every electrical item. Seat heaters on recliners on? Fridge? Stereo on, volume down? It’s quite possible something is powered up.

[bhshaffer55]

While looking for those "mystery loads", don't forget about the less-obvious 12v TV antenna booster. In my 2019 Solitude, it's hidden in a top cabinet above the living room TV. Its green LED is in the back and hard to see!