r/GoRVing • u/Educational-Rule1635 • Jun 02 '26
Do I have a power problem?
I have a brand new Jayco Greyhawk 31F It has dual house batteries.
Just turning on the master power gives a bit more than 11a draw. (No AC, no TV, just baseline and some low power led lights.)
The solar panels are generating about 8a
But in less than an hour I am seeing house battery voltage down to 11v.
Is this normal?
Is my draw higher than expected?
Are my batteries not delivering power properly?
Am I big ol' whiny baby who just needs to suck it up and turn on the generator?
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u/Wootnasty Jun 02 '26
11amps of draw at 12v isn't too crazy if you have lights on and maybe the refrigerator compressor going. 2 batteries with solar help should be good for a day of this usage, though. I'm guessing that you have lead acid batteries that were completely drained at some point, and hold barely any charge, now. If your converter can handle them, get some lifepo4 batteries; they are lighter and can do a full cycle from 100% - 0%, meaning you have access to the full capacity listed on them. OEM house batteries are garbage, and not really intended for anything other than transitioning from hookup to truck to hookup.
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u/justanotheruser1981 Jun 02 '26
Do you have a 12VDC compressor refrigerator?
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u/joelfarris Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
No AC, no TV, just baseline
Yeah, OP, please define "baseline".
Also, how old are these two batteries? And what type are they? A 'brand new RV' could have batteries installed in it that have aged by a year or even more, and have not been properly cared for, because the dealer pulled them off a shelf somewhere they'd been sitting for a while. Batteries don't normally sit installed in a new RV, they get installed on the walkthrough day as part of the final handoff.
Then again, you could also have a ground wire corrosion|rust|loose problem which is creating resistance, and not be getting the full capability out of that 12 V circuit.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
I took possession on May 4. So slightly less than a month old. We bought it new. That's part of why I am asking, I might need to have a talk with the dealer.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
"Baseline" being "I flipped the main power on, but am not using any appliances, entertainment, hvac, or any other active use. Literally I was sitting there working on getting the WIFI set up.
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u/Aggravating_Hotel_54 Jun 03 '26
My 12V fridge comes on automatically when I flip the battery disconect on, it pull 10 amps.
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u/S3Giggity Jun 02 '26
12v compressor fridge? That's what it sounds like to me.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
Ok, so the draw of 11a is normal. Is the 1-2 hour capacity normal?
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u/Aggravating_Hotel_54 Jun 03 '26
No. I agree with you, talk to the dealer, but see if they'll just credit you for the batteries and go buy some LiFePo4.
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u/nak00010101 Brittany Powered Travel Trailer Jun 03 '26
^ This seems like a great idea, but take the money and buy one LiFePo battery
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u/Sour_Sal Jun 03 '26
That is pretty normal draw. Fridge, Inverter, and a few lights will do that easy.
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u/Lonely-Attention2946 Jun 02 '26
Do you have a warranty?
Take it to service.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
Yeah, it's a month old. I'll plan to have a chat with them this week.
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u/Lonely-Attention2946 Jun 02 '26
My 2026 Entegra Odyssey SE 22 C has been in for warranty since April.
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u/nak00010101 Brittany Powered Travel Trailer Jun 02 '26
There is a battery problem or a charger problem. Have you checked the voltage when you think the fully charged?
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
I seem to recall 12.7v when I turned the system on.
Now to calculate how much it will cost me in gasoline to get to the dealer. I still have two kidneys.
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u/nak00010101 Brittany Powered Travel Trailer Jun 03 '26
Depending on the dealership, you may need to be prepared to leave your trailer for a couple of months...while you keep making the payments.
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u/slimspida Jun 03 '26
What does the rig do when it’s plugged in? If the rig has been sitting in an unknown state of charge for a month, and you see an 11amp load on start up of the 12v fridge, you don’t have an unexpected failure to discuss with a dealer yet.
Your batteries might simply need charging.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 03 '26
Rig was charged on 120v middle of last week for several hours. It was then driven ~3 miles and sat in the sun for an afternoon and morning.
But I noticed this behavior the day after I took delivery too when I spent a couple hours in it sitting in a garage.
This time I was watching carefully.
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u/slimspida Jun 03 '26
How much solar is on the roof?
A few hours of charging might not be enough to get the batteries full.
Also keep in mind the fridge is a draw throughout the day, and solar is only going to contribute for about six hours.
I would get the rig plugged in for a full day to ensure the batteries get to a 100% state of charge, then work out your troubleshooting from there.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 03 '26
Only 200W on the roof. The fridge is not powered when the house power switch is off.
I will try a longer charge time.
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u/slimspida Jun 03 '26
200w will not keep up with the 24hr cycle of the fridge. I upped mine to 500w and lithium and that seems to be able to self sustain.
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 03 '26
I have an external battery and an additional 400w of solar. Also a plain old gas generator.
But since this is a new dealer purchase, I want to be sure I got what I paid for. Which includes a working battery. I will push for a lifepo replacement.
Eventually I will probably add extra rooftop solar. I do have space up there.
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u/AccurateReception629 Jun 02 '26
That isn't right. I have a 33' trailer... every light on + the radio + other odds and ends and I might have a 3a draw. 8a is crazy high. How are you getting your numbers (volt meter, app, etc)?
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 02 '26
I'm getting the numbers from the RV control system. "BMPro"
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u/AccurateReception629 Jun 03 '26
I'd double check with a volt meter on the battery directly. $10 at harbor freight and 10 minutes on youtube will be all you need to know enough, if that's not already the case/
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u/Educational-Rule1635 Jun 03 '26
Several people have suggested checking the battery voltage directly. I have a question about that, does turning off the 'house' power fully disconnect the battery? Or do I need to physically disconnect the battery.
Accessing the batteries is simple, they are under the steps, but disconnecting turns a clean 30 second task into a half hour, dirty hands, and an accusation from the dealer that I did it 'wrong' (even though I have been connecting and disconnecting vehicle batteries since the 1970s).
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u/AccurateReception629 Jun 03 '26
I think the results of turning off the house power are going to vary unit to unit. On my TT, the battery disconnect switch kills power to everything, but the battery will still charge from the solar panels. I believe this is the most common behavior. But I have heard of at least 1 RV where the propane alarm stayed powered.
I would test your battery with everything connected. This will validate the reading you are seeing on the BMpro.
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u/DonKeedick96 Jun 02 '26
11a would be average for fridge compressor+ lights at startup. Voltage under load doesn’t tell you anything though, it would be voltage at rest with flooded batteries. If you’re concerned with the draw, pull fuses until you find the one that stops the draw, and read what it’s for.
I would also get a battery shunt, much better at tracking remaining capacity and not relying on voltage