Battery solar question

[spirit608]

Hi, I have a imagine 21bh with solar package. It's only 1 month old. Its been sitting in the sun but batterie was dead. Do I have to disconnect the battery from inside items to keep the battery charged enough to use the electric jack. Is it the fridge that drains the battery so much? Phil

[Ynot4me2]

Look up parasitic power draws on here. Even if you pull the battery disconnect, there's still some draw like the co2 sensor that stays on. On ours, after a week or 2, the battery is dead. Best to disconnect at the battery to preserve it.

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[spirit608]

Thank you!

[Hoopy Frood]

Is it a complete solar package, or just a solar battery charger/maintainer? Was your Battery Disconnect Switch turned to "OFF"? What kind of refrigerator, residential, 12V, or absorption? Just one battery?

[Soundsailor]

Is it the fridge that drains the battery so much?

Yes, the 12-volt frig in your unit can draw 3 to 4 amps per hour. That may not seem like much, but over 24 hours that is at least 72 Ah used. The solar package should provide enough power to cover that use if everything is working OK. The stock system can supply about 12 amps with good sun. So if you're getting 6 to 8 hours of good sun, you should be OK. But your unit probably came with a 100 Ah lead-acid battery. Lead-acid batteries can be damaged if discharged below 50%. So in practice, you only have about 50 Ah of usable storage. A couple of cloudy days with the frig running and you've probably run well under the 50% discharge. Bottom line, turn off the frig when not in use. Consider switching to a LiFePo4 battery, faster charging and these can be discharged nearly to 0% without damage.

[Second Chance]

Thank you!

@spirit608 -

Hi and welcome to the forum! Here are a few forum tips to get you started:

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Rob