I killed my battery!

[K&M Roadies]

Hi all,

After our last trip in mid-November, I forgot to turn off the battery connection when I dropped my 2670MK at storage. I couldn't get back to shut off power for about a month, and now it has been just sitting since then. We are going out at the end of the month, should I get a new battery, or can I use a charger to bring it back to life?

[Cate&Rob]

Hmmm . . . that depends on the quality (and age) of the battery. Some will survive a complete discharge, often with some reduction in charge capacity. You will need a battery charger that is either old technology or has a "repair" cycle. Many modern chargers will not even try to charge a completely discharged battery. For the cost of a new battery, I would probably bring one with me and change out the old battery for a worry free camping trip. You can take the old one home and try to recharge it. If this works, you have a "spare" battery . . . never a bad idea.

BTW . . . the battery switch does not turn off everything. There are still small loads that will kill a battery in a week or so. Best to completely disconnect the battery when you store the trailer for more than a few days.

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Cate&Rob Sorry for the tag Rob, but for some reason it will not let me tag Kevin. You may be able to tag him as I think it's an apple thing.

Kevin, you may get just enough charge into he battery on the drive from the storage yard to home for the converter or standard battery charger to take over and complete the charge. I dropped my unit off at the dealer for service and they did not tell me it would be 6 weeks (otherwise I would have turned off my kill switch). Battery was completely dead on pickup, and by the time I got home about 1/2 charged. I had to leave the truck plugged into the unit to unhook, then shore power for everything else.

Long story short, but the battery is holding. Do not think it's at 100% like new (battery was 6 months old at time) but it does hold enough charge to unhook, level, the unit, and get all 3 slides extended before hooking to shore power. Still shows over 12V, but that's about as far as I usually trust the batteries anyway.

[Cate&Rob]

Cate&Rob Sorry for the tag Rob, but for some reason it will not let me tag Kevin. You may be able to tag him as I think it's an apple thing.

Hi Joseph,

Kevin should see your post because he is the originator of the thread.

Agreed that Apple and this Forum are not working well together. I typically use Apple's Safari browser, but have to use Google Chrome to get the Forum tag functions to work. Even this does not always work on my iPad.

Rob

[K&M Roadies]

Thanks Rob & Joseph! I am mechanically inclined but, electricity, although I understand it, is the bane of my existence. Is the battery in these any different from a car battery? 12 volt is 12 volt, right? The TT was delivered in June, so assuming the battery is only 6 months old, but knowing it was probably on a shelf before installation. I'd rather not spend hundreds more, but I agree that having an extra battery can't hurt.

[Country Campers]

Thanks Rob & Joseph! I am mechanically inclined but, electricity, although I understand it, is the bane of my existence. Is the battery in these any different from a car battery? 12 volt is 12 volt, right? The TT was delivered in June, so assuming the battery is only 6 months old, but knowing it was probably on a shelf before installation. I'd rather not spend hundreds more, but I agree that having an extra battery can't hurt.

The battery should be a general deep cycle marine/rv battery. You could pull the battery and take it to your local auto parts store and have them check it, if you have a favorite mechanic that would work also or even a battery store. Any of these should be able to tell you if it is bad or not, they maight even charge it for you unless you already have a charger. If you could get shore power to the RV the on board charger should charge it to see if it will hold. I also agree with the above that the battery disconnect switch does not disconnect everything. If you leave the RV in storage I would recommend disconnecting the positive battery cable.

Brian

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Kevin,

The battery in your trailer is installed by your dealer . . . not by Grand Design . . . so its quality is unknown. Grand Design usually specifies a Group 27 Deep Cycle battery, but your dealer could install any 12V lead-acid battery. This is essentially the same as a "car battery". Many dealers save a few dollars by installing a smaller Group 24 battery (I know because my dealer did this) but this size of battery should function and charge the same . . . it just has a slightly lower electrical storage capacity.

The cost of replacement is not as high as you might think. You should be able to find a good quality Group 27 lead-acid battery for about $150.

Rob

[howson]

12 volt is 12 volt, right?

From what I learned at RVSA, an RV battery installed by a dealer is supposed to be akin to a deep-cycle versus the starting battery typically installed in a vehicle. The difference is the size of the plates that make up a cell so the battery can perform it's intended task.

A starter battery has thin plates that are made to provide a large amount of current quickly. These thin plates are not designed to get discharged too deeply.

An RV's deep-cycle battery has thick plates that are designed to provide power (a relatively low amount of current compared to the demands on a starter battery) over a longer period of time. The thicker plates can withstand a deeper discharge on a regular basis.

It's actually amazing how much information there is on the subject of betteries. https://batteryuniversity.com/ is an excellent resource on the topic.

So...that's a long answer to write that that no, "12V is not 12V." If you need a replacement, get a battery that's intended for RV/Marine use..

Howard

[K&M Roadies]

Thanks a bunch to all of you for all the info! This is our first RV after 50 years of tent camping, and we are looking forward to many years of happy travels. Maybe we cross paths one day?

[Cate&Rob]

Thanks a bunch to all of you for all the info! This is our first RV after 50 years of tent camping, and we are looking forward to many years of happy travels. Maybe we cross paths one day?

Kevin & Margarita:

You are in the right place to ask any technical questions about your new RV adventure. We were all where you are, at some point. With members of this forum spread across every part of the North American continent it would be almost impossible to travel anywhere without running into some of us . There are Grand Design Rallies in many locations. See the Grand Design website for information on Rallies of like minded folks, close to wherever you are https://gdrv4life.granddesignrv.com/events/calendar

Rob

[Arnold S]

Hi all,

After our last trip in mid-November, I forgot to turn off the battery connection when I dropped my 2670MK at storage. I couldn't get back to shut off power for about a month, and now it has been just sitting since then. We are going out at the end of the month, should I get a new battery, or can I use a charger to bring it back to life?

I think your battery may survive, You can check out the condition before the trip. Probably the might not get damaged for a month

[Guest]

X2 on Brians advice to fully charge the battery and take it to a local auto parts store for a load test. This also works well for anyone preparing for the first trip of the season since eventually all batteries will fail.

Jim