Rapid Battery Drain - Sometimes

DT6

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2018
Messages
444
Location
Salem
I posted regarding my SOK 100Ah lithium batteries running down rapidly about a year or so ago, and then not being able to find anything obvious decided to take it to an RV repair shop. They ran a check and re-wired how I had the batteries hooked up and they added a direct wire to the Victron. It worked superbly last winter during our trip to/from Arizona where all of our overnights were without shore power.

That is except the last stop on the way home at the casino in Yerka, CA. It was somewhat high in elevation and it was really cold, probably down to about 20 to 25F that night in the casino parking lot. That night at the casino the batteries just drained down to nothing and after a few hours I could not even run the furnace.

We arrived home and the trailer has been parked since, but the few times I've checked, they showed 100-percent charge on the victron display. Then I took the trailer to Silver Falls State Park here in Oregon this past Thursday for a day and the unexpected power drain started again. I was only running a MaxxFan at about 50-percent speed, the fridge (standard, non-compressor), two lights, and that was it.

I was surprised at how fast it drained the power. We arrived at 4pm and it was drained to about 20 percent by 10pm. I've attached three screen captures from the Victron app. At this point, I suspect the batteries have some type of intermittent fault, so will be looking into replacing them.

However, if anyone has an obvious idea of what might be at fault, please advise. Just to note, when I had this problem back in March I was only trying to run the furnace and fridge and a few lights (no Maxxfan).
 

Attachments

  • SOK1.jpg
    SOK1.jpg
    72.3 KB · Views: 36
  • SOK3 .jpg
    SOK3 .jpg
    78.5 KB · Views: 38
  • SOK2.jpg
    SOK2.jpg
    71.2 KB · Views: 32
If you are running the fridge on DC it will drain the batteries quickly.
Try switching the fridge to propane, if it's not already.
 
I'm always amazed at how bad I am at posting sometimes. Even though I read through this I forgot key information, so thanks for pointing that out.

I run the fridge on propane, except when hooked up to shore power.
I have 200Ah of SOK Lithium batteries (2 x 100Ah), and all connections are tight and the two batteries are wired properly in parallel (red of one battery to the main and the black from the other to the main). This was the reason I thought the issue was corrected as my original parallel connection used the black and red from the first battery to the main, and the second battery attached parallel to the first. The tech at the RV shop told me the way I had it initially connected was technically correct, but it can lead to uneven battery discharge.

I'm terrible with a multimeter (a mental block I'll probably have to see a therapist for) and really cannot interpret much of the Victron graphs other than I cannot tell if they provide a specific answer about the batteries.
 
From the current flow graph it appears there is a huge current draw in a very short period of time...similar to the current flow from turning on an air conditioner, water heater, etc. But then SOC bounces back. Very strange indeed!

No recollection what this big draw might be from?
 
It is strange indeed! I only had the MaxxFan on and a few lights which are all LED. The fridge was also on, but running on propane. It's a 2022 21C and I have not made any mods to the electrical since picking it up. We had a 19 before that and never had electrical issues, but were using the standard 225Ah lead acid configuration in that one. This was a "Karl-era" trailer, so I would not be surprised if they wired something wrong.
 
Last edited:
Anyone's guess of course, and given you stated you checked all battery and related connections and they are all tight, but I don't think its anything related to wiring.

I assume the data graphs are from a Victron MPPT controller: Which model? Also, per many of us using lithium batteries on our Escapes, I highly recommend adding a Victron Smart Shunt so you can see real time in/outflow of current as well as SOC.

It might be time to have the batteries load tested...
 
Last edited:
Something else that will flatten batteries quickly is if the pin for the break away brakes is not completely seated.
 
One more 'throw mud on the wall...': Have you contacted SOK about the symptoms you're experiencing? Anything is possible, but might be load balancing issue between the two batteries/individual cells and/or issue with one or both BMS units on the SOK batteries.
 
I assume the data graphs are from a Victron MPPT controller: Which model? Also, per many of us using lithium batteries on our Escapes, I highly recommend adding a Victron Smart Shunt so you can see real time in/outflow of current as well as SOC.

It might be time to have the batteries load tested...

I have the Victron "BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor" and the Victron MPPT 100/20 SmartSolar charge controller.

I also have 2x180W solar panels on the roof.

I'll also check the pin for the emergency brakeaway brakes as well. Haven't checked that yet, but will this afternoon.
 
Last edited:
I have the Victron "BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor" and the Victron MPPT 100/20 SmartSolar charge controller.

I also have 2x180W solar panels on the roof.

I'll also check the pin for the emergency brakeaway brakes as well. Haven't checked that yet, but will this afternoon.

Unrelated to your current issue: The 100/20 controller is rated to 290 watts in a nominal 12v system. Its OK to utilize it, but it will cut back whatever the panels are delivering, to 290w max, to the battery/batteries. But, rarely if ever, do solar panels output their rated power...so more than likely you're not giving up much if any.
 
This was a "Karl-era" trailer, so I would not be surprised if they wired something wrong.

Aw, come on. No need to bash Karl. My friends new 17B came with full lithium and the switch set to FLA. Nothing and nobody is perfect. :rolleyes:

Ron
 
Aw, come on. No need to bash Karl. My friends new 17B came with full lithium and the switch set to FLA. Nothing and nobody is perfect.

We bought a 19 brand new in 2018 from Reece and Tammy and it had only a minor problem or two on delivery. I had no opinion regarding the new Escape management either way until we picked up our 21C which had major issues that I kept discovering for months. Escape had to grudgingly pay for in excess of $2,000 over several repairs due to poor installation/manufacturing (and I'm now working on the latest defect which is a fiberglass crack that fortunately the new management is being very supportive of fixing).

I know a lot of our fellow Escape owners had a good relationship with Karl and enjoyed having a beer with him at the Escape Rally. I've also noticed that a lot of the members who have those positive memories bought their trailer during the Reese and Tammy years.

I just ask you all to respect the negative experience a lot of us had with him in trying to ensure the trailer made under his management was built correctly in the first place. I think if we looked at the hard data on repairs, I truly think we would see a sharp up-tick in post-delivery repairs of new trailers during his tenure and a trending down of same now that he is no longer there.

It was also a problem in getting he and his crew (Dustin in particular) into paying for repairs. Eventually they did, but not without trying to make me their repair technician first, or trying to set unreasonable repair time limits that I always had to counter and get increased, which took a lot of my time going back and forth between the repair shop and Escape.

There were some good things he did during his tenure including expanding the options and accessories for buyers to select from, and we certainly benefited from the increased options when we bought the 21 vs. the 19. They also expanded the number of videos with everything from tours of the trailers, to detailed "how to" repairs.

Fortunately the new management came on board just before our warranty ran out and they have been super about everything.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
(and I'm now working on the latest defect which is a fiberglass crack that fortunately the new management is being very supportive of fixing).

Nothing new about that. It's not for no reason that trailers have "stripper poles."

I've also noticed that a lot of the members who have those positive memories bought their trailer during the Reese and Tammy years.

Some of those same folks know that there were some truly horrifying events during that time frame. It's just that folks weren't as prone to splashing their complaints all over the forum. There were some bad situations that never made the forum and were quietly dealt with.

I truly think we would see a sharp up-tick in post-delivery repairs of new trailers during his tenure and a trending down of same now that he is no longer there.

(Dustin in particular) into paying for repairs.

Well, Dustin doesn't work there anymore. :rolleyes:

I stand by my comment that there'll always be items that need dealing with on manufactured goods. There's been a huge increase in the number of trailers being produced but I'd be really surprised, if on a percentage basis, there was an uptick under Karl's management.

Ron
 
Assuming the battery monitor is reporting correctly, my next step involves a multimeter and current clamp (sorry).

I'd wait until that huge draw is happening, and then current clamp each lead out of the distribution panel to figure out which circuit is the active load. Then work down that circuit to check each device downstream to see which load is active.

My guess, there's something acting as a load without displaying clearly it's on. eg, the fridge is pulling DC even though its set on gas (not saying that's it, just as an example). Unusual but possible with a failure in the control board.

If you want to avoid the multimeter/current clamp you can do the same thing by pulling the DC fuses one at a time until the load disappears. This is more of a pain, and I'd normally not recommend breaking a circuit under load this way, but it is an option.

The advantage of the current clamp is you can non-destructively move through the wiring to figure out where the electrons are leaking out of the pipes.

The confusing part of the graphs is the load - even with that large draw (18+ amps) the battery shouldn't flatten completely. 200 Ahr should sustain that load for a while.

Don't know if that's any help, but that's where I'd start.
 
I posted regarding my SOK 100Ah lithium batteries running down rapidly about a year or so ago, and then not being able to find anything obvious decided to take it to an RV repair shop. They ran a check and re-wired how I had the batteries hooked up and they added a direct wire to the Victron. It worked superbly last winter during our trip to/from Arizona where all of our overnights were without shore power.

That is except the last stop on the way home at the casino in Yerka, CA. It was somewhat high in elevation and it was really cold, probably down to about 20 to 25F that night in the casino parking lot. That night at the casino the batteries just drained down to nothing and after a few hours I could not even run the furnace.

We arrived home and the trailer has been parked since, but the few times I've checked, they showed 100-percent charge on the victron display. Then I took the trailer to Silver Falls State Park here in Oregon this past Thursday for a day and the unexpected power drain started again. I was only running a MaxxFan at about 50-percent speed, the fridge (standard, non-compressor), two lights, and that was it.

I was surprised at how fast it drained the power. We arrived at 4pm and it was drained to about 20 percent by 10pm. I've attached three screen captures from the Victron app. At this point, I suspect the batteries have some type of intermittent fault, so will be looking into replacing them.

However, if anyone has an obvious idea of what might be at fault, please advise. Just to note, when I had this problem back in March I was only trying to run the furnace and fridge and a few lights (no Maxxfan).

That first graph shows a ~ 20 amp load starting a few hours before midnight and ending at just about midnight. 20 amps at 12V is about 240 watts.
 
I'd wait until that huge draw is happening, and then current clamp each lead out of the distribution panel to figure out which circuit is the active load.
...
If you want to avoid the multimeter/current clamp you can do the same thing by pulling the DC fuses one at a time until the load disappears.

A more passive (read - Watch the meteor showers instead of staying in the trailer.) approach: Get a small handful of 5 Amp fuses and substitute them for the normal fuses in the DC side. Come back the next day and see which one has blown. Then resume your detective work.
 
That's a super suggestion - using fuses under the load indicated.

Other alternative is to pull a fuse and wait, see if the draw happens, then repeat until you detect it. It will take longer.
 

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom