Battery Dead?

[Sherritini]

Hello, I filled the Intersatate battery this morning with distilled water as I heard was the thing to do. It was working fine before I did this. Now, Battery appears to be dead, as all the lights and the propane alert stopped working. I lifted the battery out to make sure no cable was disconnected. All fine there. Can anyone tell me what I did wrong or need to do to get the battery working again? Thanks in advance. Sherri

[Dave Fish]

I suggest you use a voltage meter to check the power at the battery posts (with shore power disconnected). If you have around 12v, your problem is probably upstream, a bad connection or a blown fuse.

If you needed to add very much water to the battery, then the battery may be bad. There is a reason that the water was boiled away. Take it to an auto parts store that you trust and have them test it. They will probably want to keep it over night to get a complete charge before they do the test.

I don't think the problem was caused by simply adding water. I've done that many times with no issues.

1970 Trails West Campster
2008 Honda Ridgeline

[Civilguy]

Sherri,

Did you check the voltage at the battery terminals?

It may be that there is a main fuse which has popped, so you have no power within the trailer but the battery actually does have power. I suggest checking the voltage starting at the battery terminals and then working your way "out" from there to the fuse panel under the seat, etc.

A battery stores a lot of energy. It can't just dissipate suddenly without some indication (like an explosion!) However it could run down in a couple of hours under a heavy load like running the fridge on 12 volt DC. When you say it was working fine, how long prior was that? Minutes? Days?

I'm sure you'll get lots of replies here. Dead batteries and electrical issues always seem to attract a lot of posts and ideas. Good luck!

[Civilguy]

Sherri,

You might also add the year of your trailer (2012 apparently) to your profile under "RV brand" so that it displays whenever you post.

There are always some equipment changes made through the years, so having the year posted and visible will help people understand the (factory) equipment that is specific to your trailer.

Regards,
Mike

[Sherritini]

I am so grateful to this forum and the quick responses I always get. Turns out I filled the battery with too much water. I drained it and started up the battery off of my car battery. All appears well so far. I have a voltage meter and is is reading 12.68. I can't seem to find anywhere ...what is the appropriate water level in the battery? I could only see a bit in the bottom of each hole so that is why I decided to fill it. My 2012 Casita manual says don't overfill, but does not say what constitutes an overfill. Thanks again for the quick reassurance that I didn't mess up too bad. Sherri

[Glenn Baglo]

Look up Trojan Battery help. You'll find everything you need to know about batteries and how to maintain them. That's not just water in the battery. It's mixed with sulfuric acid.

[Civilguy]

Sherri,

There are six plastic filler tubes. The bottom of the tubes is perhaps roughly 1/4" or so above the top of the metal plates.

The maximum safe fluid level is just touching the bottom of the filler tubes.

The minimum level is to cover the metal plates.

Adding excessive water dilutes the electrolyte (acid solution).

12.68 volts sounds OK. Time will tell how this goes for you.

Check out the information Glenn noted.