Phantom loads are things that consume power even though they are off or not being used.
Rv battery drain test.
So you parked your rv for a while or put it in storage.
And remember as soon as the battery state of charge drops below 12 5 volts sulfation starts and if the battery stays in that condition for an extended period of time the battery will die.
Begin by making sure the shoreline cord is unplugged and that all 12 volt components are turned off.
Take the battery in for replacement or further testing.
Remember that there are many phantom loads these days.
My top 10 battery tips to extend the life of your rv batteries.
If you have a sealed battery and don t trust the battery indicator light on the panel you need to use a digital voltmeter to check the rv battery.
The leading cause of dead lead acid batteries is sulfation.
It was left in a state of discharge too long or.
Start by connecting a digital multimeter to the negative battery.
The easiest way to check for a battery drain is to use a clamp on dc ammeter.
This device clamps around one of the battery cables and reads directly in amps or milliamps depending on the size of the current drain.
With newer cars with more control modules usually you need to wait 30 minutes or so for the modules to turn off.
Connect the cables to your battery and then test your lights to check the new deep cycle.
It has a bad cell.
Check the voltage after that period and it should be 6 37 v for a 6 v battery or 12 73 v for a 12 v battery.
Before you do this know what voltage the battery is after all a 6 volt battery that reads 6 volts is fully charged whereas a 12 volt battery that reads at 6 volts is dangerously low.
If the measured voltage after charge is less than these values the battery has one of two problems.
You thought you had everything shut off but you come back to find the batteries are dead.
Luckily you can usually find the cause of a parasitic draw yourself.
In your rv it s possible for these parasitic loads to drain the battery when you don t use or charge the battery for long periods of time.
When a battery is in a low state of charge small crystals start forming on the plates sulfation and if it.
An rv deep cycle battery is a sturdy and efficient battery that recreational vehicle owners rely on to power most of their onboard electronics and appliances including water pumps coffee machines blenders microwave ovens and tv among others.
If your vehicle is drawing power from the battery and all of the lights and other electrical components are off you might have a parasitic battery drain or draw.
