Dead Battery on RV Trailer with Refrigerator After Long Drives
Question:
My rv trailer battery goes dead after a long drive when running rv refrigerator. All componentsbatteries, connectors, voltages etc check good. The vehicle is not supplying enough amperage to charge rv battery to run the 12vdc refrigerator. Toyota Corporate Techs do not know what amount of amperage the 7way plug is supposed to supply. Do you have a tester or wiring pigtail to allow reading of amps at the 7way plug? Thank you.
asked by: Robert
Expert Reply:
You can use the 7 Function Digital Multimeter # PT89ZR to test the power coming from your 7 way connector, but it should be noted that in most cases, the 12 volt circuit on a 7-Way can only provide a maintenance charge to a trailer battery. The wiring is not large enough and the alternators on most vehicles is not strong enough to push back the required amperage to charge up a regular sized 12 volt battery. It would seem to me that since your refrigerator is constantly running, the drain it is causing on your aux battery and it never returning to a full charge, might be why you're having this issue.
You may want to consider adding something like the CTEK Dual Battery Charger # CTEK40186 that will help utilize your service battery while on the move and can also be connected to solar panels to help maintain both batteries. Using a charger like this will help keep the auxiliary battery charged via the 7 way connection.
Products Referenced in This Question
Digital Multimeter with 42" Long Test Leads - LED Display
- Electrical Tools
- Testers
- Multimeter
- Yellow
- Performance Tool
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Adapter 4-Pole to 7-Pole and 4-Pole
- Trailer Wiring
- Wiring Adapters
- Multi-Function Adapter
- 4 Flat
- Plug and Lead
- 4 Flat
- 7 Round - Blade
- Hopkins
more information >
