I love a deep dive into one maintenance subject! Do slides and roofs next please! I like that you know about all the different manufacturers and have so much knowledge.
One small item to note. In many rigs, the factory supplied battery disconnect does NOT remove all parasitic draws. Items such as the propane leak detector are left on even when the factory battery disconnect is used, probably for safety reasons. To truly disconnect your batteries, you either need to disconnect the negative cable that leads to the frame, or install a battery disconnect that you can purchase that will truly isolate your battery(ies) from the rig. The disconnect can be as simple as a blade type, or a switch type.
I’m dealing with that now. My battery still drains even though I turn that switch off. It’s maddening. I use it to isolate the negative ground on my battery.
Excellent advice. For about $40 I purchased a charger maintainer from Harbor Freight that will charge a low battery and then switch into maintenance mode once the battery is topped off. I pull the battery and connect it to this device not only during the off season but whenever the rv is not being used. I purchased a similar (but more expensive) device for my center console boat, one specifically designed to be mounted on board and which has dual outputs so that it can charge/maintain both batteries on the vessel. It has a plug mounted on side wall of the center console so all I have to do is connect a drop cord when I park the boat in the yard after using it. Knock on wood, I've had zero battery problems on either the boat or the RV since implementing this regimen.
Thanks Josh! Your videos over the years have been a big part of helping us not only choose a travel trailer, but also learn a lot about what to do / not to do, to be able to enjoy our travels without any worry. Once again, I learned something new today from watching one of your videos.
Great video. I use the Noco Genius trickle charger in the off season. It works great. I pull the battery and store it on my work bench in my garage with the Noco hooked up.
Thank you for telling everyone about this. I learned the hard way about the “vampire drain” about 10 years ago. Found a UA-cam video that told me why and installed a battery disconnect. Thank you again for teaching others this lesson.
Maintaining the battery is where I think solar comes into its own. Assuming your battery cutoff switch is wired such that the solar always stays connected dead batteries tend to become a thing of the past. For cold climates with snowy winters removing the battery and putting on a trickle charger works well. Another thing that is good to install is a battery shunt monitor. It will give you the accurate state state of your batteries unlike the cheap stuff in the OEM panel.
Actually, I took your advice when I watched your first video on this topic. I ways pull my battery after every trip and trickle charge it. The battery is going strong now. Thanks for the advice, josh.
Very nice educational video! I usually hit the disconnect switch on our Class C when we put it back into storage but if we aren't going to use it for a long time I'll pull it out, take it home and put it on the trickle charger. The biggest problem I have is when we go camping again and I forget to click the disconnect switch back on and then can't figure out why nothing is working until I have that "duh" moment and realize I haven't turned the battery back on. I do like the idea of using a solar panel to keep the battery charged up.
Also be aware that when to drop your RV for service and it sits. It can be drained down almost completely sitting at the RV shop. I had it happen to me with a very expensive AGM battery. I stopped at the dealer and found the voltage very low. Switched batteries and took it home and charged it. Good video Josh. Boycott products in video ads.
I just bought earlier this year the battery tender you listed after trying to let the trailer do the work the last couple years and the constant freezes setting me up for failure. One suggestion, also get the ring connectors accessory that get screwed onto the posts to go with the tender. When it is going to be potentially in a garage for several months, better to have a connector with positive secure engagement rather than an beefed up alligator clip.
Hard wired propane, CO and smoke detectors are also a constant draw on your batteries. I have been using several $9.99 battery maintainers from Harbor Freight with no issues. When the battery is charging they flash, when fully charged it shows a solid green👍
If you get the trickle charger, get one with a desulfator option, it get help bring back damaged batteries. Will Prose just did a video of a $230 LiFePO4 100 amp/hr with low temp protection that he really liked. At that price point LA just makes no sense.
Josh, once again I want to thank you and Bish’s. I hope other dealers will take note, because as much as I love my local dealer (your local Bish’s didn’t carry Jayco, and shipping from MI was too expensive. Back to my point, they don’t have a technician to help us over the phone, and sadly, Jayco customer support was no help either. Too much to explain, but bottom line, Bish fix is a brilliant idea. Can you reach out to the manufacturers, for me Jayco, and ask them to set up a phone support so when we are on vacation and need help, we get someone that knows exactly what we need to fix our problems. Please ask them to pull a man/woman off the assembly line that is really talented that wants to move up. Put those people on a support line to help us get back to camping. Basically, get them to replicate what Bish Fix is doing, so many thanks Josh.
Josh, I feel like you and Bish’s are the Lone Rangers out there in rv land. The nightmares on Liz amazing channel, just breaks my heart. Manufacturers and non bush dealers better wake up. If we hit a bad recession and everyone is tired of the don’t care attitude that prevails, these companies will suck wind, and I hate that. Especially, when a little common sense like Bish Fix, would bring a favorable light back to the rv industry
Great informative video. I disconnect the Camper wires from the battery and place the battery on a tender during storage. I was once told I should not plug the camper in to maintain the battery for long-term storage because it was bad for the battery but was never told why. Is that true? Thanks again Josh!
Noco 2 amp battery charger & maintainer works perfect. In times past I used a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter and plugged into garage receptacle. Kept battery charged.
Also worth checking that your solar charge controller is wired properly. Bought a 2022 26DJSE with the Waaree solar controler factory installed which was miswired straight from the factory. They had wired the solar panel directly to the battery, which on sunny days would massively overcharge the battery, boiling it dry and damaging it. Don't just assume things are installed properly from the factory.
Thanks for the advice on battery storage. My fifth wheel gets parked in the winter. Not sure what to do with the lithium batteries but you answered my question. Thanks.
My rig didn't come from the factory with a battery disconnect. I found out the hard way that my radio/DVD player is wired hot to the 12V system, and has no low power standby. I also found out the hard way that the light on my tongue jack got accidentally turned on, and because I put a 5 gallon bucket over the jack to protect from UV/elements, that it too was wired directly to the battery and drained my batteries. This effectively nuked the batteries to the point where even when my tender said they were charged, I never got much life out of them. After dealing with constant issues, like the furnace/fridge not igniting (always middle of night) and just general problems for a full season, I switched to lithium this year. Had to replace the converter as well, so this wasn't a cheap proposition, but I am having zero battery issues, zero electrical issues, and I'm not constantly afraid of ruing the battery if charge level drops below 50%. I also just found out the battery in my generator has gone bad after just getting fully drained one time. I'm replacing that with a lithium as well. I'll never go back to LA batteries.
i recently installed a new agm battery and a battery monitor. i was very surprised at how much parasitic loss there is in my 26 ft trailer. i measured 300 mA. what really surprised me was that over half of that "loss" was from the am/fm/cd player, you know, those goofy cheap automotive type radios. Mine draws 200 mA when turned off and 600 mA when on! these cheap radios sound like crap and of course the speakers are a joke. But they are also a huge power waste even when turned off. they typically have two power leads. In a car/truck, one lead is directly to the battery for memory/clock functions, the other power lead is through the ignition switch. in trailers the two power leads are both connected to 12V from the battery. in our trailer, i installed a switch to turn off all power to the radio, we rarely use it except when severe weather is expected anyway. After installing the power switch to the radio, my parasitic loss is 100mA.
of the remaining 100 mA, 70 mA is used by my propane detector. i'm using my recently installed renogy battery monitor and shunt to measure the current draws. to check the propane detector, i pulled it's inline fuse out
There is something about not letting your batteries get too depleted (while out camping, for example) in the first place to maintain the battery health - totally aside from long-term storage maintenance discussed in this video. Perhaps mentioning that (the steps for maintaining the battery while out camping for 3-5 nights would be helpful for people.
Two questions: 1. If I have a lead acid battery and don't know and not ever checking or putting water in it for 6 years, what would happen? Would it be a total loss? 2. Battery power vampires, the stereo that came with my RV stays on constantly, they never gave a remote and there's no power button on it. The face is about 6in. by 6in. I think LCD, it has constantly glowed florescent green for 6yrs. I had to put a t-shirt over it just to block it out. It's sealed into the wall cabinet under the tv, I'm not sure how to go about getting it out and disconnect without damaging it.
Lithium is the best option. I've had one in my RV since day one and there's no way I'd go with a lead acid battery. When I've had my RV out front for a night or two getting ready for a trip, I've had the battery get low if there's not much sun to charge it. I've had success keeping the battery charged by bringing out a portable battery, the type you might take camping for power, and use an adapter to hook it to the RV main power inlet.
Anxious to see you review of the new 2025 Jay Feather Air 15BH. Love the idea of the kitchen layout, no slide & the possibility of getting the bunk folded up & turning it into a couples camper. Is it possible?
We own a Newmar Ventana purchased at Bish's last year. It does have a battery disconnect but there is still a small draw over time. But given it is a diesel I usually go to storage every 6 weeks or so and drive it for 30 or 40 minutes as well as run the generator to bring everything up to temp and top off the batteries. We live in Idaho so winters can get pretty cold plus with 8 house batteries, removing them is really not an option.
I always pull my trailer battery when putting my trailer into storage. I take the battery home and hook up a battery tender on it till the next time I need to use that battery. No different than a motorcycle. Also dont leave the battery on the concrete, the concrete will discharge the battery over time.
Love your instructional videos, Josh. I heard somewhere that you should not store a battery directly on concrete because it drains it. Is that true? If so, there what's the best surface on which to store it?
I always hard that too but I have since learned it’s kind of a myth Regardless I still like to set the battery on a board to avoid direct contact. Maybe it doesn’t matter. But just in case..
On my Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel there are some systems that stay on even with the OEM battery disconnect switched. Very poor design. These systems will drain the battery in a few weeks. I use a second battery disconnect on the battery feed cable to "kill" the power to the entire fifth wheel. I also use a 3amp battery tender to maintain the Group 27 AGM battery. This setup keeps the battery happy and it will last a very long time.
Josh XS Power Batteries has a system where they have superbank ultracapictors that hold up to 12,000 watts 54.6 watt hours 30,000 Amps operating voltage 12 to 16.2 volts that can extend battery life and run time and have lots of run time that if hooked to solar you could run the camper purely on solar
Here's a no cost solution, every time after I parked my trailer I would disconnect the battery ground. This took about 20 seconds and totally eliminated any drain. In the winter I pulled the battery out, took it home and set in on a shelf in my basement/utility room away from anything. Battery would still have a significant charge in the spring.
Using the factory installed “disconnect” doesn’t mean that the battery is actually disconnected from everything. Many manufacturers wire things like radio memory wires and flammable gas detectors straight to the battery intentionally bypassing the disconnect switch. Many manufacturers also wire the leveling system straight to the batteries as well. In most cases these items can be rewired to actually be disconnected or a separate disconnect switch can be added near the battery that will actually disconnect the batteries from the rest of the camper.
If you have a solor panle does it change the battery. If a camper doesn’t have a soloar plan can you add a mine one one the tone? Will that really help. Thank you for the great help full tips!!!!
Thanks for the great info, it helps a lot. On a completely unrelated side note, do you have any tips for storing the microwave plate during transit? I always put it in my sink along with my coffee maker and whatever else.
We cut a pool noodle that stays upright on top of the microwave plate and wedges to top of microwave. We had friends borrow the idea and neither of us has broken a microwave turntable plate. Actually saw this idea on you tube a few years ago.
We have our RV plugged into a Roku outdoor wifi smart plug. And have it do a 6 hr charge twice a week. This is on 15 amp 120V outdoor outlet. We do habe a 30 amo hookup but I don't have a wifi smart swtich in that.
We had electrical issues also this week with our travel, trailer, batteries, dying, and we couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t keeping charged even with solar and called to get an appointment to take it in and my husband before while he was hooking it up, noticed that the breakaway cablehad been pulled out accidentally of course, cause he didn’t notice it, and it was actually drying power from our batteries and drain them both out
yeah that's how they work. When pulled it draws power from the batteries to fire the brakes for an emergency stop. Glad you spotted it BEFORE trying to tow it
Could you please do a talk on where to find common items that need replaced on RV’s? We are new to RV’s. We’ve had three camping trips. Lost the grill of one outdoor speaker on the interstate, lost the cover for the stove exhaust, had two tire blow outs in almost 100 degree heat and picked up a nail in a sidewall leaving the storage site. Is there a walk around check list of things to look at before every camping trip? We would like a back up camera ( bought used & it does not have one - this should be standard safety equipment) security system ( no clue what is available) family dogs are campers too - recommendations on monitoring inside a/c temp when away from the camper, and advice for best practices for winterizing. I also noticed the outside shower is right beside the electrical plug ( is it safe to ever use it? )Seems scary to mix water/electricity. The bathroom sky light creates a huge amount of heat in the bathroom. Is it safe to put a windshield aluminum sunblock barrier in that cavity? They are very hot when removed from my vehicle windshield. It seems it would damage the skylight with sun beating down on the sky light from outside & heat being reflected back up into the cavity - bad for seals/or the plastic materials? I have no clue - just guessing. Thank you for educating us and for being real !!
I have a Norco for trickle charging two batteries. I have always believed they need to be tended separately and not in parallel. Is that true? And i appreciate you! 😊
I have a 17jg wolf pup with the solar package and I'm wanting to add another battery. They just don't seem to last over night considering the fridge runs on solely battery. Power drops too low for the furnace.
Bought a battery disconnect off Amazon and kept arcing and sparking at me, haven’t found a good video on install. Just bought a solar charger to help out as well.
My camper has to stay in a storage lot, I remove the battery after every trip and put it on a battery tender. Is it a hassle, Yes, but I have not had to get a new battery in 6 Years.
I really wish my solar panel was functional. No idea what happened. First season was fine and absolutely took care of the battery for me. The second season we lost a battery. Yes, the battery did come in for the winter. The replacement battery died in a week flat. I've since kept a close eye on that battery panel. I am pretty sure the solar panel is just not functioning at all. This is my 2021 (covid build era) Apex Nano 194BHS.
I was told that if the battery disconnect was turned to 'off', the solar panel would not charge the battery. I'll try turning it off and watch the charge % and see what happens. Thanks for the info.
It all depends on how it is wired If done PROPERLY, then the solar feeds directly to the batteries to keep them topped off while the RV's disconnect is flipped for storage I've seen rvs wired improperly - especially from builders new to solar stuff A really properly done RV has two disconnects - one for the house and one for the solar
I have a 2019 forest river vibe rk26 the battery is dead. I would like to charge it from the house outlet. Do I need to have the battery turned off while charging?
My question is if i disconnect me batteries will the solar keep pumping electricity into the charge controller? Will that not damage the controller? There is no shut off on the panel. I have a GD with solar.
Yes. The panel CAN try to fire up the charge controller and that can wear it out. it's why a lot of RVs now have a 2nd disconnect that specifically blocks the panel from touching the charge controller
Why is Lance the only travel trailer that has inside storage for the batteries? Where do 5th wheels store their batteries? Where are batteries stored on motorhomes? Inside!!! I feel this is one of the shortcomings of the major manufacturers, right behind cheap counter tops and substandard plumbing.
So when I used my RC every year still always replacing batteries. Then something great happened alarm I don’t remember if it was co or fire was beeping 2 to 3 nights in even pluged in generator running little batteries replaced really annoying put a solar panel on roof great deal did not fix problem went to another dealer said that panel was great but charge controller was bad and new it was a 5 dollar part upgraded the controller. No more beeping it’s great but gets better so it’s been 3 years since we’ve have taken trailer out of storage still winter Ized since 3 years ago thought for shore batteries bad from sitting no full charge reduced charge no water added get a solar panel and a good solar controller.
Why not build in a solar panel that will keep it topped off and install a better battery. I can’t believe the tv industry haven’t thought about that. It would increase sales.
We can but the transport driver does need to be compensated for their time. Essentially it needs to be for a purchase and not just to look. And depending on distance the shipping cost may not be simply absorbed
@@JoshtheRVNerd of course! There’s one we have our eye on but the nearest bish that has it in their inventory is 14hr away…contemplating options: drive to pick up or pay transport fee. Thanks Josh!
From a new RV owner, I appreciate your channels very informative.
Thanks
My pleasure! Glad it helps. I have a whole "learn about stuff" playlist with various tidbits you may enjoy
Taking your time to educate without benefit. That's right there is honesty at its best. Thank you
Seems like when we put good in the universe we get good back. Crazy how that works
@@JoshtheRVNerd you're absolutely right. More important knowledge, ha ha ha
I bought a small charger from Harbor freight for when I winterize the rv. I learned that from you 4 years ago. Thank you Josh.
Good idea
Once again, Josh the Nerd shows off his professionalism. Josh explains how to have a successful vacation. Thanks again for another great video.
Our pleasure!
I love a deep dive into one maintenance subject! Do slides and roofs next please! I like that you know about all the different manufacturers and have so much knowledge.
A battery Haylett RV sold me back in 2014 is still working perfect, RV stored inside and on a battery maintainer.
Perfect testament to the message from this video!
One small item to note. In many rigs, the factory supplied battery disconnect does NOT remove all parasitic draws. Items such as the propane leak detector are left on even when the factory battery disconnect is used, probably for safety reasons. To truly disconnect your batteries, you either need to disconnect the negative cable that leads to the frame, or install a battery disconnect that you can purchase that will truly isolate your battery(ies) from the rig. The disconnect can be as simple as a blade type, or a switch type.
yeah there's usually a few small things that bypass them
Things like the "Giggy box" on keystones DO had kill that stuff though
I’m dealing with that now. My battery still drains even though I turn that switch off. It’s maddening. I use it to isolate the negative ground on my battery.
Excellent advice. For about $40 I purchased a charger maintainer from Harbor Freight that will charge a low battery and then switch into maintenance mode once the battery is topped off. I pull the battery and connect it to this device not only during the off season but whenever the rv is not being used. I purchased a similar (but more expensive) device for my center console boat, one specifically designed to be mounted on board and which has dual outputs so that it can charge/maintain both batteries on the vessel. It has a plug mounted on side wall of the center console so all I have to do is connect a drop cord when I park the boat in the yard after using it. Knock on wood, I've had zero battery problems on either the boat or the RV since implementing this regimen.
Well done! That $40 will save you so much over the years
Thanks Josh! Your videos over the years have been a big part of helping us not only choose a travel trailer, but also learn a lot about what to do / not to do, to be able to enjoy our travels without any worry. Once again, I learned something new today from watching one of your videos.
Happy to lend a hand! :)
Great video. I use the Noco Genius trickle charger in the off season. It works great. I pull the battery and store it on my work bench in my garage with the Noco hooked up.
Good idea
Thank you for telling everyone about this. I learned the hard way about the “vampire drain” about 10 years ago. Found a UA-cam video that told me why and installed a battery disconnect. Thank you again for teaching others this lesson.
My pleasure!
Maintaining the battery is where I think solar comes into its own. Assuming your battery cutoff switch is wired such that the solar always stays connected dead batteries tend to become a thing of the past. For cold climates with snowy winters removing the battery and putting on a trickle charger works well.
Another thing that is good to install is a battery shunt monitor. It will give you the accurate state state of your batteries unlike the cheap stuff in the OEM panel.
That monitor is a good idea
Actually, I took your advice when I watched your first video on this topic. I ways pull my battery after every trip and trickle charge it. The battery is going strong now. Thanks for the advice, josh.
Nice work!
As always, great info. Thanks again Josh. Keep the videos coming.
You bet
Great explanation, Josh! Thank you.
My pleasure! :)
And this is why I subscribed - Thanks Josh
My pleasure!
Very nice educational video! I usually hit the disconnect switch on our Class C when we put it back into storage but if we aren't going to use it for a long time I'll pull it out, take it home and put it on the trickle charger. The biggest problem I have is when we go camping again and I forget to click the disconnect switch back on and then can't figure out why nothing is working until I have that "duh" moment and realize I haven't turned the battery back on. I do like the idea of using a solar panel to keep the battery charged up.
Also be aware that when to drop your RV for service and it sits. It can be drained down almost completely sitting at the RV shop. I had it happen to me with a very expensive AGM battery. I stopped at the dealer and found the voltage very low. Switched batteries and took it home and charged it. Good video Josh. Boycott products in video ads.
Yeah dead battery for service campers is super annoying and common
I just bought earlier this year the battery tender you listed after trying to let the trailer do the work the last couple years and the constant freezes setting me up for failure. One suggestion, also get the ring connectors accessory that get screwed onto the posts to go with the tender. When it is going to be potentially in a garage for several months, better to have a connector with positive secure engagement rather than an beefed up alligator clip.
Solid idea. TY
Thank You, Josh. I have followed you for a number of years. I like your coverage .
Hard wired propane, CO and smoke detectors are also a constant draw on your batteries. I have been using several $9.99 battery maintainers from Harbor Freight with no issues. When the battery is charging they flash, when fully charged it shows a solid green👍
yeah it actually doesn't take much
If you get the trickle charger, get one with a desulfator option, it get help bring back damaged batteries. Will Prose just did a video of a $230 LiFePO4 100 amp/hr with low temp protection that he really liked. At that price point LA just makes no sense.
You are the man! Thanks for another great video
You bet!
Josh, once again I want to thank you and Bish’s. I hope other dealers will take note, because as much as I love my local dealer (your local Bish’s didn’t carry Jayco, and shipping from MI was too expensive. Back to my point, they don’t have a technician to help us over the phone, and sadly, Jayco customer support was no help either. Too much to explain, but bottom line, Bish fix is a brilliant idea. Can you reach out to the manufacturers, for me Jayco, and ask them to set up a phone support so when we are on vacation and need help, we get someone that knows exactly what we need to fix our problems. Please ask them to pull a man/woman off the assembly line that is really talented that wants to move up. Put those people on a support line to help us get back to camping. Basically, get them to replicate what Bish Fix is doing, so many thanks Josh.
We noticed that wasn’t happening. Which is part of the reason we created the platform
How is it going, probably struggling but please don’t give up
Josh, I feel like you and Bish’s are the Lone Rangers out there in rv land. The nightmares on Liz amazing channel, just breaks my heart. Manufacturers and non bush dealers better wake up. If we hit a bad recession and everyone is tired of the don’t care attitude that prevails, these companies will suck wind, and I hate that. Especially, when a little common sense like Bish Fix, would bring a favorable light back to the rv industry
Love the maintenance and topic education videos as well as the good, the bad and the ugly truths about a camper.
Love this channel!!! Thanks for the tip!!!
You bet!
I have to say Josh, everytime I watch one of your video's I learn something new. Thank you. Again. 😊✌
Happy to hear that!
Great informative video. I disconnect the Camper wires from the battery and place the battery on a tender during storage. I was once told I should not plug the camper in to maintain the battery for long-term storage because it was bad for the battery but was never told why. Is that true? Thanks again Josh!
Noco 2 amp battery charger & maintainer works perfect. In times past I used a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter and plugged into garage receptacle. Kept battery charged.
👍🏻
Also worth checking that your solar charge controller is wired properly. Bought a 2022 26DJSE with the Waaree solar controler factory installed which was miswired straight from the factory. They had wired the solar panel directly to the battery, which on sunny days would massively overcharge the battery, boiling it dry and damaging it. Don't just assume things are installed properly from the factory.
That’s a great point actually
One thing I would mention when talking about batteries is to check water level on wet cell batteries.
Good idea
Our deep cycle lead acid batteries need to have the water level checked and topped off periodically to keep them in tip-top shape.
Yep yep. Good practice
Thanks for the advice on battery storage. My fifth wheel gets parked in the winter. Not sure what to do with the lithium batteries but you answered my question. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks josh
No problem
We always throw the main breaker at the fuse box as well.
My rig didn't come from the factory with a battery disconnect. I found out the hard way that my radio/DVD player is wired hot to the 12V system, and has no low power standby. I also found out the hard way that the light on my tongue jack got accidentally turned on, and because I put a 5 gallon bucket over the jack to protect from UV/elements, that it too was wired directly to the battery and drained my batteries. This effectively nuked the batteries to the point where even when my tender said they were charged, I never got much life out of them. After dealing with constant issues, like the furnace/fridge not igniting (always middle of night) and just general problems for a full season, I switched to lithium this year. Had to replace the converter as well, so this wasn't a cheap proposition, but I am having zero battery issues, zero electrical issues, and I'm not constantly afraid of ruing the battery if charge level drops below 50%.
I also just found out the battery in my generator has gone bad after just getting fully drained one time. I'm replacing that with a lithium as well. I'll never go back to LA batteries.
Bishfix... what a great idea
We've expanded so much on it since launching. We have a huge nearly nationwide coverage map for local physical on site service now too!
@JoshtheRVNerd Did I miss a video on this? Ahem ... So Bish's approved regional/ local service? I'll need to check. 👍
Great video Josh. Do more of these do it yourself mechanical type videos.
Thanks! Will do! Just hard for me to get the time for them
i recently installed a new agm battery and a battery monitor. i was very surprised at how much parasitic loss there is in my 26 ft trailer. i measured 300 mA. what really surprised me was that over half of that "loss" was from the am/fm/cd player, you know, those goofy cheap automotive type radios. Mine draws 200 mA when turned off and 600 mA when on! these cheap radios sound like crap and of course the speakers are a joke. But they are also a huge power waste even when turned off. they typically have two power leads. In a car/truck, one lead is directly to the battery for memory/clock functions, the other power lead is through the ignition switch. in trailers the two power leads are both connected to 12V from the battery. in our trailer, i installed a switch to turn off all power to the radio, we rarely use it except when severe weather is expected anyway. After installing the power switch to the radio, my parasitic loss is 100mA.
of the remaining 100 mA, 70 mA is used by my propane detector. i'm using my recently installed renogy battery monitor and shunt to measure the current draws. to check the propane detector, i pulled it's inline fuse out
There is something about not letting your batteries get too depleted (while out camping, for example) in the first place to maintain the battery health - totally aside from long-term storage maintenance discussed in this video. Perhaps mentioning that (the steps for maintaining the battery while out camping for 3-5 nights would be helpful for people.
Yeah keeping them tended is key
Great video. Bish Fix is awesome. 🎉
Ty. We are pretty proud of it
Two questions:
1. If I have a lead acid battery and don't know and not ever checking or putting water in it for 6 years, what would happen? Would it be a total loss?
2. Battery power vampires, the stereo that came with my RV stays on constantly, they never gave a remote and there's no power button on it. The face is about 6in. by 6in. I think LCD, it has constantly glowed florescent green for 6yrs. I had to put a t-shirt over it just to block it out. It's sealed into the wall cabinet under the tv, I'm not sure how to go about getting it out and disconnect without damaging it.
1.) Hard to say. Probably not good by that point
This is why Josh is in charge of the #nerdherd
Cat is in charge now
Great info thanks uncle Josh #NerdHerd
Any time!
Thank you for the valuable information.
Our pleasure!
Thanks for another great video with useful information.
My pleasure!
Lithium is the best option. I've had one in my RV since day one and there's no way I'd go with a lead acid battery. When I've had my RV out front for a night or two getting ready for a trip, I've had the battery get low if there's not much sun to charge it. I've had success keeping the battery charged by bringing out a portable battery, the type you might take camping for power, and use an adapter to hook it to the RV main power inlet.
They’re spendy but really are worth it
Thank ya Nerd
My pleasure!
Anxious to see you review of the new 2025 Jay Feather Air 15BH. Love the idea of the kitchen layout, no slide & the possibility of getting the bunk folded up & turning it into a couples camper. Is it possible?
I’m literally on my way to the airport to see the new feathers in law Vegas debuted for dealers
We own a Newmar Ventana purchased at Bish's last year. It does have a battery disconnect but there is still a small draw over time. But given it is a diesel I usually go to storage every 6 weeks or so and drive it for 30 or 40 minutes as well as run the generator to bring everything up to temp and top off the batteries. We live in Idaho so winters can get pretty cold plus with 8 house batteries, removing them is really not an option.
That quick little drives monthly are SO good for the engine too
I always pull my trailer battery when putting my trailer into storage. I take the battery home and hook up a battery tender on it till the next time I need to use that battery. No different than a motorcycle. Also dont leave the battery on the concrete, the concrete will discharge the battery over time.
That’s the ticket!
Love your instructional videos, Josh. I heard somewhere that you should not store a battery directly on concrete because it drains it. Is that true? If so, there what's the best surface on which to store it?
I always hard that too but I have since learned it’s kind of a myth
Regardless I still like to set the battery on a board to avoid direct contact.
Maybe it doesn’t matter. But just in case..
Awesome tips!
Glad you think so!
On my Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel there are some systems that stay on even with the OEM battery disconnect switched. Very poor design. These systems will drain the battery in a few weeks. I use a second battery disconnect on the battery feed cable to "kill" the power to the entire fifth wheel. I also use a 3amp battery tender to maintain the Group 27 AGM battery. This setup keeps the battery happy and it will last a very long time.
SOMETIMES stuff like that is done for safety purposes but sometimes there are also just oversights involved
Disconnect the negative terminal when not hooked up. Done.
Josh XS Power Batteries has a system where they have superbank ultracapictors that hold up to 12,000 watts 54.6 watt hours 30,000 Amps operating voltage 12 to 16.2 volts that can extend battery life and run time and have lots of run time that if hooked to solar you could run the camper purely on solar
Yep You Can Get Schooling The E Z Way Or The Hard Way . Not Kidding.
Here's a no cost solution, every time after I parked my trailer I would disconnect the battery ground. This took about 20 seconds and totally eliminated any drain. In the winter I pulled the battery out, took it home and set in on a shelf in my basement/utility room away from anything.
Battery would still have a significant charge in the spring.
Battery still has a slow rate of passive decay btw
@@JoshtheRVNerd Humm, so explain how it still had a full charge after sitting for 5 months, in my basement, over the winter?
Two 6vs in parallel is the way to go
That would need to be wired in series btw. The values add in series. If two 6v’s were in parallel the result would only be 6v to power the rv
@@JoshtheRVNerdyes that’s what I meant thanks for the correction! Glad I set it up the right way on the trailer lol
Always great content sir 👍
Using the factory installed “disconnect” doesn’t mean that the battery is actually disconnected from everything. Many manufacturers wire things like radio memory wires and flammable gas detectors straight to the battery intentionally bypassing the disconnect switch. Many manufacturers also wire the leveling system straight to the batteries as well. In most cases these items can be rewired to actually be disconnected or a separate disconnect switch can be added near the battery that will actually disconnect the batteries from the rest of the camper.
Yeah I’ve seen that
There are exceptions
Keystones giggybox system for instance is a true 100% disconnect
I take the battery out everytime we store the trailer for the winter. Our new trailer has a built in solar panel.
👍🏻
I install a battery cutoff switch on all my trailers. Our new trailer has a built in cutoff switch.
If you have a solor panle does it change the battery. If a camper doesn’t have a soloar plan can you add a mine one one the tone? Will that really help. Thank you for the great help full tips!!!!
Solar charges the battery yes. That's stuff that can be added one way or another on existing RVs lacking solar
Thanks for the great info, it helps a lot. On a completely unrelated side note, do you have any tips for storing the microwave plate during transit? I always put it in my sink along with my coffee maker and whatever else.
We cut a pool noodle that stays upright on top of the microwave plate and wedges to top of microwave. We had friends borrow the idea and neither of us has broken a microwave turntable plate. Actually saw this idea on you tube a few years ago.
One of many pool Nicole hacks
Measure how long you need one. Cut to size. Cheap and easy
We have our RV plugged into a Roku outdoor wifi smart plug. And have it do a 6 hr charge twice a week. This is on 15 amp 120V outdoor outlet. We do habe a 30 amo hookup but I don't have a wifi smart swtich in that.
Oh that’s cool
We had electrical issues also this week with our travel, trailer, batteries, dying, and we couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t keeping charged even with solar and called to get an appointment to take it in and my husband before while he was hooking it up, noticed that the breakaway cablehad been pulled out accidentally of course, cause he didn’t notice it, and it was actually drying power from our batteries and drain them both out
yeah that's how they work. When pulled it draws power from the batteries to fire the brakes for an emergency stop. Glad you spotted it BEFORE trying to tow it
@@JoshtheRVNerd us too. 😊 and Hello from Terrace BC 🇨🇦. Have been watching your videos for a few years now😊
@@JoshtheRVNerd us too. 😊 and Hello from Terrace BC 🇨🇦. Have been watching your videos for a few years now😊
Could you please do a talk on where to find common items that need replaced on RV’s? We are new to RV’s. We’ve had three camping trips. Lost the grill of one outdoor speaker on the interstate, lost the cover for the stove exhaust, had two tire blow outs in almost 100 degree heat and picked up a nail in a sidewall leaving the storage site. Is there a walk around check list of things to look at before every camping trip? We would like a back up camera ( bought used & it does not have one - this should be standard safety equipment) security system ( no clue what is available) family dogs are campers too - recommendations on monitoring inside a/c temp when away from the camper, and advice for best practices for winterizing. I also noticed the outside shower is right beside the electrical plug ( is it safe to ever use it? )Seems scary to mix water/electricity. The bathroom sky light creates a huge amount of heat in the bathroom. Is it safe to put a windshield aluminum sunblock barrier in that cavity? They are very hot when removed from my vehicle windshield. It seems it would damage the skylight with sun beating down on the sky light from outside & heat being reflected back up into the cavity - bad for seals/or the plastic materials? I have no clue - just guessing. Thank you for educating us and for being real !!
Making some notes for potential vids. Ty
I have a Norco for trickle charging two batteries. I have always believed they need to be tended separately and not in parallel. Is that true? And i appreciate you! 😊
Haven’t heard that myself but I won’t claim to know it all
I have a 17jg wolf pup with the solar package and I'm wanting to add another battery. They just don't seem to last over night considering the fridge runs on solely battery. Power drops too low for the furnace.
Bought a battery disconnect off Amazon and kept arcing and sparking at me, haven’t found a good video on install. Just bought a solar charger to help out as well.
My camper has to stay in a storage lot, I remove the battery after every trip and put it on a battery tender. Is it a hassle, Yes, but I have not had to get a new battery in 6 Years.
Saved yourself hundreds of dollars for that little hassle
I really wish my solar panel was functional. No idea what happened. First season was fine and absolutely took care of the battery for me.
The second season we lost a battery. Yes, the battery did come in for the winter. The replacement battery died in a week flat. I've since kept a close eye on that battery panel. I am pretty sure the solar panel is just not functioning at all.
This is my 2021 (covid build era) Apex Nano 194BHS.
Sounds like a fuse or charge controller issue
I was told that if the battery disconnect was turned to 'off', the solar panel would not charge the battery. I'll try turning it off and watch the charge % and see what happens. Thanks for the info.
It all depends on how it is wired
If done PROPERLY, then the solar feeds directly to the batteries to keep them topped off while the RV's disconnect is flipped for storage
I've seen rvs wired improperly - especially from builders new to solar stuff
A really properly done RV has two disconnects - one for the house and one for the solar
@@JoshtheRVNerd That makes sense. I have a 2022 2205S. Guessing it was done correctly, but again, should be easy to discern.
Can a person connect a battery tender to two batteries connected in parallel or would a person have to buy two tenders?
No one can work if applies properly
Basically you’ll attach where the rvs main wires are located
🎉#NerdHerd
👍👍👍👍👍
I have a 2019 forest river vibe rk26 the battery is dead. I would like to charge it from the house outlet. Do I need to have the battery turned off while charging?
On otherwise the juice can’t get to it
My question is if i disconnect me batteries will the solar keep pumping electricity into the charge controller? Will that not damage the controller? There is no shut off on the panel. I have a GD with solar.
Yes. The panel CAN try to fire up the charge controller and that can wear it out. it's why a lot of RVs now have a 2nd disconnect that specifically blocks the panel from touching the charge controller
Why is Lance the only travel trailer that has inside storage for the batteries? Where do 5th wheels store their batteries? Where are batteries stored on motorhomes? Inside!!! I feel this is one of the shortcomings of the major manufacturers, right behind cheap counter tops and substandard plumbing.
So when I used my RC every year still always replacing batteries. Then something great happened alarm I don’t remember if it was co or fire was beeping 2 to 3 nights in even pluged in generator running little batteries replaced really annoying put a solar panel on roof great deal did not fix problem went to another dealer said that panel was great but charge controller was bad and new it was a 5 dollar part upgraded the controller. No more beeping it’s great but gets better so it’s been 3 years since we’ve have taken trailer out of storage still winter Ized since 3 years ago thought for shore batteries bad from sitting no full charge reduced charge no water added get a solar panel and a good solar controller.
Why not build in a solar panel that will keep it topped off and install a better battery. I can’t believe the tv industry haven’t thought about that. It would increase sales.
That was discussed in the video
soooooooo….apparently weed eaters can pull the break away cable out if you are not careful. lol.
Hahaha
I had my Rv plugged in to house power and somehow it overcharged. Smelled like rotten egg . I just disconnect the battery now.
#RVNerdHerd 🎉 😊 🎉
appreciate you buddy
Battery tender or disconnect at battery.
👍🏻
@@JoshtheRVNerd does Bish transfer trailers between their dealerships?
We can but the transport driver does need to be compensated for their time. Essentially it needs to be for a purchase and not just to look. And depending on distance the shipping cost may not be simply absorbed
@@JoshtheRVNerd of course! There’s one we have our eye on but the nearest bish that has it in their inventory is 14hr away…contemplating options: drive to pick up or pay transport fee. Thanks Josh!
Solar will solve all these issues
Depends on where the rv is stored - snow coverage in winter is a challenge for instance
But generally
Yes
So, does leaving it plugged into shore power overcharge the battery? 2023 jayco 195
In theory it shouldn't. Your converter should manage that
Thank you
If I'm plugged into shore power, should I leave the battery disconnect on?
Yeah that’s fine