Normal current draw from battery?

[billmoore]

How much current draw is normal when everything is turned off except for the LP detector (which can't be turned off)? I just checked my trailer at the battery and it is drawing a continuous 450 mA, which seems a bit high to me. No wonder it runs the battery dead in less than a week if I forget to plug it in when I park it in the back yard.

I noticed that it really sparks when I connect/disconnect the negative battery terminal, which is what got me to check with a meter...

[pinstriper]

Yeah, about a week-10 days is what ours gets when left alone without connecting, which is why I installed the disconnect. Just a simple blade switch.

I finally found a use for the solar panel the dealer threw in with my purchase. I don't think I'd ever rely on it for dry camping, but it makes a super battery maintainer so I don't have to drag out the main cord when I store her.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote timestamp="1472095799" author="@billmoore" source="/post/24132/thread"]How much current draw is normal when everything is turned off except for the LP detector (which can't be turned off)? I just checked my trailer at the battery and it is drawing a continuous 450 mA, which seems a bit high to me. No wonder it runs the battery dead in less than a week if I forget to plug it in when I park it in the back yard.

I noticed that it really sparks when I connect/disconnect the negative battery terminal, which is what got me to check with a meter...
[/quote]Do you have a radio? I found that the standby current for my  radio was stupid high (even when "off") so I added a switch to turn it off more (still keeps the memory/settings):

http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/306/radio-power-switch

[pinstriper]

You know, I've completely forgotten the existence of the radio. We never use it, and I took the faceplate of so as to sleep.

[billmoore]

[quote timestamp="1472147712" source="/post/24148/thread" author="@tinkeringtechie"]

How much current draw is normal when everything is turned off except for the LP detector (which can't be turned off)? I just checked my trailer at the battery and it is drawing a continuous 450 mA, which seems a bit high to me. No wonder it runs the battery dead in less than a week if I forget to plug it in when I park it in the back yard.

I noticed that it really sparks when I connect/disconnect the negative battery terminal, which is what got me to check with a meter...

Do you have a radio? I found that the standby current for my  radio was stupid high (even when "off") so I added a switch to turn it off more (still keeps the memory/settings):

http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/306/radio-power-switch[/quote]We do have a radio, but when it is turned off, there are no lights lit up on the panel. That could be the culprit though.

I've ordered a battery disconnect switch so I won't ruin another battery...

[charliem]

[font size="3"]Some numbers from my 21RBS:

With everything off including the fridge and the radio in the "off" position I read 0.13A.

With the fridge on, running on propane and it's exterior cooling fan running, I read 0.8A.

If you have a two door fridge there will be an additional 0.5A if you have not modified the frame heater circuit.
[/font]

[david]

Charlie:

Your "all off" number is similar to my 16TBS. Haven't measured the others, although I don't think I have a frame heater on my single door fridge. I am impressed with your two decimal accuracy. My Ancor clamp on meter drifts a few hundredths even after zeroing so I consider it a single decimal accuracy.

We camp 6-7 times every season and I always either disconnect the battery if we know we are going camping again in a few weeks or remove it and put it on a trickle charger if it is going to be longer. A permanently wired battery switch will make the former easier but won't make the latter any easier, so I do it the old fashioned way- with a wrench.

David

[charliem]

Charlie:

...... I am impressed with your two decimal accuracy. My Ancor clamp on meter drifts a few hundredths even after zeroing so I consider it a single decimal accuracy.

David

[font size="3"]I confess to some imaginative averaging. [/font]

[billmoore]

[font size="3"]Some numbers from my 21RBS:

With everything off including the fridge and the radio in the "off" position I read 0.13A.

With the fridge on, running on propane and it's exterior cooling fan running, I read 0.8A.

If you have a two door fridge there will be an additional 0.5A if you have not modified the frame heater circuit.
[/font]

I have the two door fridge, but it was turned off when I took the measurement. I was just using a multi-meter on the 10A setting, and got a reading of 0.45A. I'm not sure how accurate the meter is, it is a 20+ year old digital multi-meter I bought at Radio Shack. This is the first time I've ever used it to measure current. I've checked the voltage measurement against other higher quality meters (Fluke brand), and it seemed pretty accurate for voltage.

The sparking when connecting/disconnecting the battery was what got me checking in the first place...

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/24195/thread" timestamp="1472247220" author="@billmoore"]I have the two door fridge, but it was turned off when I took the measurement. I was just using a multi-meter on the 10A setting, and got a reading of 0.45A. I'm not sure how accurate the meter is, it is a 20+ year old digital multi-meter I bought at Radio Shack. This is the first time I've ever used it to measure current. I've checked the voltage measurement against other higher quality meters (Fluke brand), and it seemed pretty accurate for voltage.

The sparking when connecting/disconnecting the battery was what got me checking in the first place...
[/quote][font size="3"]The 0.45A sounds high and I will assume your meter is accurate, at least to a few percent. Wouldn't hurt to check against another, but you're high by a factor of three. With the fridge totally off and the radio "off" with the clock display dark, you should be down around  100-125MA. Check all lights including any lights in storage areas. Go out at night and walk around. Cell phone chargers draw some current even when the phone is not plugged in. Make sure the television booster is off and the WH propane side switch is off. The sparking is observable even with small currents, but it does indicate a drain that should be addressed.

If you are planning any dry camping you will want to deal with the fridge frame heater. It sucks a constant 0.5A 24/7 when it's on.
[/font]

[billmoore]

I did a little more checking, and found the switch for the TV antenna was on... I didn't even know it was boosted, or that it had a switch.

So I turned that off and checked again. Now I'm reading about 0.36A, which is better, but still not as low as I would have expected. Accuracy of the meter on the 10A setting could be a big factor though. I have no options between 10A and 200mA though...