Hi all,
As mentioned in my trip report, there were a few anomalies about
our trailer that I hoped to get some input on.
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water heater.
It threw off error messages a couple of times. First was said
to be from blocked intake our outflow (found no blockage) and
second suggested there was a fault with the combustion air
motor. On top of that, I noticed a hot/burning
wire/electronics smell at one point. After a lot of googling,
I worked off the motor cover and gave it a spin with my
fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit seemed to work
fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan is to
call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not sure it's
worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2 hours each way),
unless they feel strongly they should look at it. At the
least, I'll get it on the record with them.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was dead
after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected). After
conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after just a day
on electric heating it was dead again. The refrigerator was on
propane so there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from
the battery. Am I expecting too much?
My impression from online searching is that this not a great
battery option. Should I be looking for something different?
Thanks for any inputs!
In article <slrnv08lrq.5uf.theise@panix2.panix.com>, theise@panix.com
says...
Hi all,
As mentioned in my trip report, there were a few anomalies about
our trailer that I hoped to get some input on.
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water
heater. It threw off error messages a couple of times.
First was said to be from blocked intake our outflow (found
no blockage) and second suggested there was a fault with
the combustion air motor. On top of that, I noticed a
hot/burning wire/electronics smell at one point. After a
lot of googling, I worked off the motor cover and gave it a
spin with my fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit
seemed to work fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan
is to call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not
sure it's worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2
hours each way), unless they feel strongly they should look
at it. At the least, I'll get it on the record with them.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was
dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected).
After conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after
just a day on electric heating it was dead again. The
refrigerator was on propane so there shouldn't have been a
lot else drawing from the battery. Am I expecting too
much?
My impression from online searching is that this not a
great battery option. Should I be looking for something
different?
Thanks for any inputs!
That battery is rated at 81 amp hours. For best battery
life you shouldn't draw it down more than 50%. A typical RV
furnance will use around 7 amps per hour.
Personally I would want someone to look for that burned
wire.
On Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:28:12 -0700,
Technobarbarian <technobarbarian@gmail.com> wrote:
In article <slrnv08lrq.5uf.theise@panix2.panix.com>, theise@panix.com
says...
Hi all,
As mentioned in my trip report, there were a few anomalies about
our trailer that I hoped to get some input on.
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water
heater. It threw off error messages a couple of times.
First was said to be from blocked intake our outflow (found
no blockage) and second suggested there was a fault with
the combustion air motor. On top of that, I noticed a
hot/burning wire/electronics smell at one point. After a
lot of googling, I worked off the motor cover and gave it a
spin with my fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit
seemed to work fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan
is to call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not
sure it's worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2
hours each way), unless they feel strongly they should look
at it. At the least, I'll get it on the record with them.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was
dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected).
After conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after
just a day on electric heating it was dead again. The
refrigerator was on propane so there shouldn't have been a
lot else drawing from the battery. Am I expecting too
much?
My impression from online searching is that this not a
great battery option. Should I be looking for something
different?
Thanks for any inputs!
That battery is rated at 81 amp hours. For best battery
life you shouldn't draw it down more than 50%. A typical RV
furnance will use around 7 amps per hour.
Personally I would want someone to look for that burned
wire.
Very helpful, thanks. Regarding the smell, I'm not convinced it
was a burned wire (or component). Something hot, but maybe not
burned. Given the past history with the dealer (many, many months
to get a slide out repair), I'm not sure I want to take it to
them. It's still under warranty though, so it seems they would
be the best option.
Very helpful, thanks. Regarding the smell, I'm not convinced it
was a burned wire (or component). Something hot, but maybe not
burned. Given the past history with the dealer (many, many months
to get a slide out repair), I'm not sure I want to take it to
them. It's still under warranty though, so it seems they would
be the best option.
On 3/28/2024 8:29 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
Very helpful, thanks. Regarding the smell, I'm not convinced it
was a burned wire (or component). Something hot, but maybe not
burned. Given the past history with the dealer (many, many months
to get a slide out repair), I'm not sure I want to take it to
them. It's still under warranty though, so it seems they would
be the best option.
First, thanks for the report. I enjoyed it and am heading that
direction next week.
As far as the smell is concerned, first question I would ask is it the
first time the furnace was used? If yes, I would say it is normal. If
it is the first time for the season, it also could be considered normal
as dust and other unwanted things could have gotten in there and burned up. If it has been used before and it is not an initial burn off of machine
oils and such, you have to pay attention to exactly what it smells like.
There are webpages that give various examples of the different smells
and their causes and the action necessary if it fits the scenario.
If you DO think it was a burned wire or electrical component, you should certainly do a full inspection. If you are proficient in electrical diagnostics, I'm sure you could hook up a meter to make sure things are working within limits. The specs should be all in your documentation manuals. If not, I'm sure the stealer could. Good luck resolving this
and getting peace of mind!
In article <ZVjNN.729426$xHn7.256498@fx14.iad>, redydog@rye.net says...
Considering the 4 hour round trip and the other problems
you've had, my opinion is: Sometimes, paid-for convenience is
better than free aggravation. That assumes, of course, that
there is a nearby place that's competent enough to find the
problem and fix it.
You bring up a good point I hadn't thought of. For
warranty work on his apliances he isn't limited to the original
dealer. If it needs to be repaired any authorized service
center can do the work on his furnace.
On 3/28/2024 3:09 PM, sticks wrote:
On 3/28/2024 8:29 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
Very helpful, thanks. Regarding the smell, I'm not convinced
it was a burned wire (or component). Something hot, but
maybe not burned. Given the past history with the dealer
(many, many months to get a slide out repair), I'm not sure I
want to take it to them. It's still under warranty though,
so it seems they would be the best option.
First, thanks for the report. I enjoyed it and am heading
that direction next week.
As far as the smell is concerned, first question I would ask
is it the first time the furnace was used? If yes, I would
say it is normal. If it is the first time for the season, it
also could be considered normal as dust and other unwanted
things could have gotten in there and burned up. If it has
been used before and it is not an initial burn off of machine
oils and such, you have to pay attention to exactly what it
smells like.
There are webpages that give various examples of the
different smells and their causes and the action necessary if
it fits the scenario.
If you DO think it was a burned wire or electrical component,
you should certainly do a full inspection. If you are
proficient in electrical diagnostics, I'm sure you could hook
up a meter to make sure things are working within limits.
The specs should be all in your documentation manuals. If not,
I'm sure the stealer could. Good luck resolving this and
getting peace of mind!
I think the scope of the work (unknown at this point) would
determine your plan of action. There are a lot of good mobile
RV technicians. You might find one to come out and do an
assessment/inspection for a relatively reasonable fee. He may
or may not be cheaper in the long run than hauling it off to
the dealer.
We are getting into the heart of the RV season so leaving it
gathering dust at the dealership until it gets to the front of
the line might not appeal to you.
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water heater.
It threw off error messages a couple of times. First was
said to be from blocked intake our outflow (found no
blockage) and second suggested there was a fault with the
combustion air motor. On top of that, I noticed a
hot/burning wire/electronics smell at one point. After a
lot of googling, I worked off the motor cover and gave it a
spin with my fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit
seemed to work fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan is
to call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not sure
it's worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2 hours each
way), unless they feel strongly they should look at it. At
the least, I'll get it on the record with them.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was
dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected).
After conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after
just a day on electric heating it was dead again. The
refrigerator was on propane so there shouldn't have been a
lot else drawing from the battery. Am I expecting too much?
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
On Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:29:30 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water heater.
It threw off error messages a couple of times. First was
said to be from blocked intake our outflow (found no
blockage) and second suggested there was a fault with the
combustion air motor. On top of that, I noticed a
hot/burning wire/electronics smell at one point. After a
lot of googling, I worked off the motor cover and gave it a
spin with my fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit
seemed to work fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan is
to call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not sure
it's worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2 hours each
way), unless they feel strongly they should look at it. At
the least, I'll get it on the record with them.
After reporting an additional bout of errors (when trying to start
it up on the 12 V battery while in storage) to the dealer, they
told me I should bring it in. They ended up replacing the
combustion fan motor and the control board, all under warranty.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was
dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected).
After conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after
just a day on electric heating it was dead again. The
refrigerator was on propane so there shouldn't have been a
lot else drawing from the battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought it was
(and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at 84% when I
picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to 70% after a couple
of hours towing--with the 7-pin connected. I checked the output
at the towing vehicle, and it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think
about this matter.
Ted Heise wrote:
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It
was dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully
disconnected). After conditioning and charging, it
seemed fine--but after just a day on electric heating it
was dead again. The refrigerator was on propane so
there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from the
battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought it
was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at 84%
when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to 70%
after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin connected. I
checked the output at the towing vehicle, and it read ~14 V.
Not sure what to think about this matter.
In my pseudoexpert opinion, I allege that you're having a run
of bad luck - or you're being held accountable for some
indiscretion or other generally unacceptable behavior which you
have not yet revealed.
On Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:54:13 -0400,
bfh <redydog@rye.net> wrote:
Ted Heise wrote:
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It
was dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully
disconnected). After conditioning and charging, it
seemed fine--but after just a day on electric heating it
was dead again. The refrigerator was on propane so
there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from the
battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought it
was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at 84%
when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to 70%
after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin connected. I
checked the output at the towing vehicle, and it read ~14 V.
Not sure what to think about this matter.
In my pseudoexpert opinion, I allege that you're having a run
of bad luck - or you're being held accountable for some
indiscretion or other generally unacceptable behavior which you
have not yet revealed.
Gremlins! I just *knew* it!
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
On Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:29:30 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
1) The trailer has a Truma Combi Eco Plus furnace/water heater.
It threw off error messages a couple of times. First was
said to be from blocked intake our outflow (found no
blockage) and second suggested there was a fault with the
combustion air motor. On top of that, I noticed a
hot/burning wire/electronics smell at one point. After a
lot of googling, I worked off the motor cover and gave it a
spin with my fingers. After replacing the cover, the unit
seemed to work fine.
I'm a little leery about this one, not wanting to get stuck
without heat when we're out some freezing night. My plan is
to call the dealer and discuss it with them. I'm not sure
it's worth dragging the trailer to them (almost 2 hours each
way), unless they feel strongly they should look at it. At
the least, I'll get it on the record with them.
After reporting an additional bout of errors (when trying to start
it up on the 12 V battery while in storage) to the dealer, they
told me I should bring it in. They ended up replacing the
combustion fan motor and the control board, all under warranty.
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It was
dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully disconnected).
After conditioning and charging, it seemed fine--but after
just a day on electric heating it was dead again. The
refrigerator was on propane so there shouldn't have been a
lot else drawing from the battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought it was
(and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at 84% when I
picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to 70% after a couple
of hours towing--with the 7-pin connected. I checked the output
at the towing vehicle, and it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think
about this matter.
On 4/29/2024 9:19 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24). It
was dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully
disconnected). After conditioning and charging, it
seemed fine--but after just a day on electric heating it
was dead again. The refrigerator was on propane so
there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from the
battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought it
was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at 84%
when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to 70%
after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin connected. I
checked the output at the towing vehicle, and it read ~14 V.
Not sure what to think about this matter.
I may have missed it but did you check the specific gravity of
each cell? Check the voltage at the trailer battery (while
connected to tow vehicle with the engine running. Also, be sure
you have good ground connections.
In article <MPG.409b18ebf311de4e989780@reader80.eternal-september.org>,
technobarbarian@gmail.com says...
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought
it was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at
84% when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to
70% after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin
connected. I checked the output at the towing vehicle, and
it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think about this matter.
Thanks for the update.
What you are describing sounds like an internal short in
the battery. The battery is likely to be covered under a
manufacturer's warranty. I'd suggest that you take it
somewhere that sells that brand and have them check it.
I had a second thought about your RV problems. It's
unusual for two components in a furnace to fail at the same
time. Along with you hinky battery I'm starting to wonder if
your RV got too much electical power at some point along the
way. If you don't have a surge protector you might want to
consider adding one.
On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:07:58 -0700,
Technobarbarian <technobarbarian@gmail.com> wrote:
In article <MPG.409b18ebf311de4e989780@reader80.eternal-september.org>,
technobarbarian@gmail.com says...
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought
it was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at
84% when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to
70% after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin
connected. I checked the output at the towing vehicle, and
it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think about this matter.
Thanks for the update.
What you are describing sounds like an internal short in
the battery. The battery is likely to be covered under a
manufacturer's warranty. I'd suggest that you take it
somewhere that sells that brand and have them check it.
I had a second thought about your RV problems. It's
unusual for two components in a furnace to fail at the same
time. Along with you hinky battery I'm starting to wonder if
your RV got too much electical power at some point along the
way. If you don't have a surge protector you might want to
consider adding one.
Good observation! The dealer told me that only one of the two
parts was bad (sounded like they or Truma might not have been sure
which) and that it was best to just replace them both.
In article <v0uqfo$3fmbi$1@dont-email.me>, ganthony@gmail.org says...
On 5/1/2024 6:37 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 17:07:58 -0700,
Technobarbarian <technobarbarian@gmail.com> wrote:
In article <MPG.409b18ebf311de4e989780@reader80.eternal-september.org>, >>>> technobarbarian@gmail.com says...
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought
it was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at
84% when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to
70% after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin
connected. I checked the output at the towing vehicle, and
it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think about this matter.
Thanks for the update.
What you are describing sounds like an internal short in
the battery. The battery is likely to be covered under a
manufacturer's warranty. I'd suggest that you take it
somewhere that sells that brand and have them check it.
I had a second thought about your RV problems. It's
unusual for two components in a furnace to fail at the same
time. Along with you hinky battery I'm starting to wonder if
your RV got too much electical power at some point along the
way. If you don't have a surge protector you might want to
consider adding one.
Good observation! The dealer told me that only one of the two
parts was bad (sounded like they or Truma might not have been sure
which) and that it was best to just replace them both.
What ever happened to analysts, troubleshooters and problem solvers? All
they are these days are parts changers.. especially for warranty work.
That kind of stuff is not that hard to figure out if you have even a
rudimentary knowlege of RV electrical systems.
They might have been right. Even if they were wrong, sometimes it's best to err on the side of caution. If you screw up a furnace repair
it's possible for the furnace to self-destruct. If you get the right
mixture of propane and air in the furnace's combustion chamber, and a
delayed spark, the resulting explosion will ruin the furnance. I've only
seen this once and the damage was limited to the furnace. That was back
in the early days of electronic ignition.
You should also keep in mind that traditionally RV techs are
poorly paid. I had to get out of wrenching on RVs because I could make
better money doing anything else. The result is that most RV techs are
young men who don't have a lot of experience. Most of the time they got
all of their training on the job.
And repairing RVs isn't as simple as you think it is. These days
to properly check the circuit board in a furnace you need a fancy bit of
test equipment that the dealership may or may not have available. Back
in the early days circuit board failures were common. That ended a long
time ago.
TB
On Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:36:58 -0500,
George Anthony <ganthony@gmail.org> wrote:
On 4/29/2024 9:19 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24).
It was dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully
disconnected). After conditioning and charging, it
seemed fine--but after just a day on electric heating
it was dead again. The refrigerator was on propane so
there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from the
battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought
it was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at
84% when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to
70% after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin
connected. I checked the output at the towing vehicle, and
it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think about this matter.
I may have missed it but did you check the specific gravity
of each cell? Check the voltage at the trailer battery (while
connected to tow vehicle with the engine running. Also, be
sure you have good ground connections.
Ah, good suggestions. I got rid of my spec grav tester when I
quit working on my own cars, but will pick up a new one. I'll
also check the other pieces you pointed out.
On Mon, 29 Apr 2024 23:01:13 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
On Mon, 29 Apr 2024 13:36:58 -0500,
George Anthony <ganthony@gmail.org> wrote:
On 4/29/2024 9:19 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
In the way of an update regarding the issues I posted about a
month ago...
2) I'm suspicious of the battery (Interstate SRM-24).
It was dead after just 5-6 weeks in storage (fully
disconnected). After conditioning and charging, it
seemed fine--but after just a day on electric heating
it was dead again. The refrigerator was on propane so
there shouldn't have been a lot else drawing from the
battery. Am I expecting too much?
I'm still not sold on this battery, but the dealer thought
it was (and should be) okay. On the other hand, it was at
84% when I picked up the trailer on Saturday, and down to
70% after a couple of hours towing--with the 7-pin
connected. I checked the output at the towing vehicle, and
it read ~14 V. Not sure what to think about this matter.
I may have missed it but did you check the specific gravity
of each cell? Check the voltage at the trailer battery (while
connected to tow vehicle with the engine running. Also, be
sure you have good ground connections.
Ah, good suggestions. I got rid of my spec grav tester when I
quit working on my own cars, but will pick up a new one. I'll
also check the other pieces you pointed out.
Okay, so I just got my tow vehicle back from repair (bashed in the
lift gate backing into a telephone pole, DOH!) and was finally
able to look into this further.
Battery read just over 12 V across the terminals with the trailer
disconnect switch off. After turning it on, the multimeter gave
the same reading and the monitor in the trailer was consistent
with that...
http://panix.com/~theise/off-tow.jpg
Next I hooked up the 7-pin plug to the tow vehicle. It read about
14 V at the terminals and on the battery monitor...
http://panix.com/~theise/on-tow.jpg
FWIW, the gauge on the tow vehicle dashboard also read ~14 V.
A few minutes later, all readings had dropped to a bit over 12.
Not sure what to make of that. The tow vehicle has been showing
that same fluctuation, and its battery and alternator checked out
fine at the dealer. The tech said it might just drop when nothing
needs to be charging. That makes sense to me in theory, but it
seems the trailer battery still needed some charging.
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said it
checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80% health,
53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity. He indicated
with the monitor readings I had and his test results it was
probably going to need replacing before too long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly lower
specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have any
suggestions for addressing this finding.
A few more questions for the brain trust:
1) The battery monitor (Go Power! GP-BMK-25) is a bit mysterious
to me, and the info I find online is not that helpful. For
example, the voltage, current, and power all go up when on the
running tow vehicle, but the time remaining drops from 52:54 to
08:57 -- WTF? Maybe it's just not a valid measurement when
charging.
2) How do I check that the ground connection is good? I'm a bit
of a dummy on much of this.
3) Think I'll put the battery on a reconditioning cycle (again)
and try it one more time before replacing. Last time I ran
overnight without shore power the battery was dead in the
morning. Any other suggestions?
4) My sense is that even when in top condition this type of
battery doesn't have enough capacity for much boondocking.
I'm considering going to a pair of 6 V golf cart batteries in
series to get more than double the capacity. Does that seem
reasonable?
Thanks again for the help so far!
On 5/9/2024 4:26 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
Okay, so I just got my tow vehicle back from repair (bashed in
the lift gate backing into a telephone pole, DOH!) and was
finally able to look into this further.
Battery read just over 12 V across the terminals with the
trailer disconnect switch off. After turning it on, the
multimeter gave the same reading and the monitor in the
trailer was consistent with that...
http://panix.com/~theise/off-tow.jpg
Next I hooked up the 7-pin plug to the tow vehicle. It read
about 14 V at the terminals and on the battery monitor...
http://panix.com/~theise/on-tow.jpg
FWIW, the gauge on the tow vehicle dashboard also read ~14 V.
A few minutes later, all readings had dropped to a bit over
12. Not sure what to make of that. The tow vehicle has been
showing that same fluctuation, and its battery and alternator
checked out fine at the dealer. The tech said it might just
drop when nothing needs to be charging. That makes sense to
me in theory, but it seems the trailer battery still needed
some charging.
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said
it checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80%
health, 53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity. He
indicated with the monitor readings I had and his test results
it was probably going to need replacing before too long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly
lower specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have
any suggestions for addressing this finding.
Replace the battery, preferably with a deep cycle one.
1) The battery monitor (Go Power! GP-BMK-25) is a bit
mysterious
to me, and the info I find online is not that helpful.
For example, the voltage, current, and power all go up
when on the running tow vehicle, but the time remaining
drops from 52:54 to 08:57 -- WTF? Maybe it's just not a
valid measurement when charging.
I think you have checked this already but voltage at the
trailer battery should be between 13 and 14 volts with engine
running with trailer connected. Usually around 13.8. You would
likely see this voltage even on a battery with a bad cell. If
it's lower than that you probably have a problem with the
charging system/circuit.
2) How do I check that the ground connection is good? I'm a
bit
of a dummy on much of this.
Difficult to isolate some time. I find the easiest way for me
is to just find all the ground connections, make sure they are
free of corrosion and not loose. It can be a process.
4) My sense is that even when in top condition this type of
battery doesn't have enough capacity for much boondocking.
I'm considering going to a pair of 6 V golf cart batteries
in series to get more than double the capacity. Does that
seem reasonable?
Yes. Again, deep cycle batteries. Regular 12v auto batteries
are not made to be discharged and recharged over and over. Of
course, if you hit the lottery you could go with lithium.
If within your budget, I would just replace the trailer battery
with one 12v or two 6v as you suggested.
Thanks again for the help so far!
On Thu, 9 May 2024 17:46:07 -0500,
George Anthony <ganthony@gmail.org> wrote:
On 5/9/2024 4:26 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
Okay, so I just got my tow vehicle back from repair (bashed in
the lift gate backing into a telephone pole, DOH!) and was
finally able to look into this further.
Battery read just over 12 V across the terminals with the
trailer disconnect switch off. After turning it on, the
multimeter gave the same reading and the monitor in the
trailer was consistent with that...
http://panix.com/~theise/off-tow.jpg
Next I hooked up the 7-pin plug to the tow vehicle. It read
about 14 V at the terminals and on the battery monitor...
http://panix.com/~theise/on-tow.jpg
FWIW, the gauge on the tow vehicle dashboard also read ~14 V.
A few minutes later, all readings had dropped to a bit over
12. Not sure what to make of that. The tow vehicle has been
showing that same fluctuation, and its battery and alternator
checked out fine at the dealer. The tech said it might just
drop when nothing needs to be charging. That makes sense to
me in theory, but it seems the trailer battery still needed
some charging.
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said
it checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80%
health, 53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity. He
indicated with the monitor readings I had and his test results
it was probably going to need replacing before too long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly
lower specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have
any suggestions for addressing this finding.
Replace the battery, preferably with a deep cycle one.
THanks, George.
FWIW, the current battery is a deep cycle model.
1) The battery monitor (Go Power! GP-BMK-25) is a bit
mysterious
to me, and the info I find online is not that helpful.
For example, the voltage, current, and power all go up
when on the running tow vehicle, but the time remaining
drops from 52:54 to 08:57 -- WTF? Maybe it's just not a
valid measurement when charging.
I think you have checked this already but voltage at the
trailer battery should be between 13 and 14 volts with engine
running with trailer connected. Usually around 13.8. You would
likely see this voltage even on a battery with a bad cell. If
it's lower than that you probably have a problem with the
charging system/circuit.
Yep, this checks out okay.
2) How do I check that the ground connection is good? I'm a
bit
of a dummy on much of this.
Difficult to isolate some time. I find the easiest way for me
is to just find all the ground connections, make sure they are
free of corrosion and not loose. It can be a process.
Thanks.
4) My sense is that even when in top condition this type of
battery doesn't have enough capacity for much boondocking.
I'm considering going to a pair of 6 V golf cart batteries
in series to get more than double the capacity. Does that
seem reasonable?
Yes. Again, deep cycle batteries. Regular 12v auto batteries
are not made to be discharged and recharged over and over. Of
course, if you hit the lottery you could go with lithium.
If within your budget, I would just replace the trailer battery
with one 12v or two 6v as you suggested.
Thanks again for the help so far!
Ditto.
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said
it checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80%
health, 53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity. He
indicated with the monitor readings I had and his test results
it was probably going to need replacing before too long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly
lower specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have any
suggestions for addressing this finding.
On Thu, 9 May 2024 21:26:42 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said
it checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80%
health, 53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity. He
indicated with the monitor readings I had and his test results
it was probably going to need replacing before too long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly
lower specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have any
suggestions for addressing this finding.
I reconditioned, then fully recharged this battery (Interstate
SRM-24) with my Noco Genius 5 charger and put it back on the
trailer. The Dometic GoPower monitor (GP-BMK-25) reports 68% of
capacity. Does that monitor have to be reset when the battery has
been disconnected for a few days, or is this a true reading and
just more evidence the battery should be replaced?
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
On Thu, 9 May 2024 21:26:42 -0000 (UTC),
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:
Next, I took the trailer battery in to Interstate. They said
it checked out okay, Specifically, their device reported 80%
health, 53% charge, 12.22 V, and 552 of 690 CCA capacity.
He indicated with the monitor readings I had and his test
results it was probably going to need replacing before too
long.
I asked him to check the cells, and one of them had markedly
lower specific gravity than the other five. He didn't have
any suggestions for addressing this finding.
Not much of a battery salesman, is he? :-)
I reconditioned, then fully recharged this battery (Interstate
SRM-24) with my Noco Genius 5 charger and put it back on the
trailer. The Dometic GoPower monitor (GP-BMK-25) reports 68%
of capacity. Does that monitor have to be reset when the
battery has been disconnected for a few days, or is this a
true reading and just more evidence the battery should be
replaced?
Far be it from me to tell you what to do...
....but if it were me, I would replace the battery.
Short of that, if the terminals match, swap it with your truck
battery and see what happens.. That will only cost you some
time and dirty hands.
...I am still of the belief that weak cell is most of your
problem. However, I am not an electrical expert. I haven’t even
ever spent a night in a Holliday Inn Express.
Good luck.
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