Coach Battery Drained from Heater?

Eamonn McG · Post by **Eamonn McG** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:32 pm

Does anyone know if the propaine heater runs off the coach battery? I took the B190 snowboarding this weekend and as you can imagine it was cold outside. My gf and I came back to the van got changed and put the heater on. To my surprise when we woke up the coach battery was almost completely drained. the lights would barely turn on. I did not have any lights running at all. The only thing I could think of was that the fan blowing the hot air into the cabin drained the battery but I didnt think that only the fan running all night (about 6 hours) would be enough to drain the battery dead. Is this normal or is it time for a new battery? I literally just bought the B190 last weekend. Last weekend I took it out snowboarding as well and turned the engine off but ran the radio (which is amplified and also powers a 250 watt sub.) There again the front battery died but I was able to get a jump...I'm not sure how much power the sound system draws but im assuming because it is ampliefied that its enough to drain the battery. Can anyone offer some advice as to whether I should replace both batteries or if this is normal? The previous owner said they were 2 years old but both basically brand new because he hasnt had the van out in about 2 years. Also, I was told the solar pannel on the roof would power the coach battery so it doesnt die, but it was night time, (not sure if that makes a difference) Thanks for the help.

craigmar · Post by **craigmar** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:16 pm

Hi Eamonn, my wife and I had a few problems as well when we first started vanning and the heater was one. I too, drained the battery but we were hooked up to power from a campground and I found out later that the fan on the heater works off the 12 volt system even though you are hooked up to outside power. We went for about two days though before the battery drained so I would have the batteries checked as well as the alternator to be sure you are getting a full charge. Others will probably be better versed then I am on the subject but my fix is that I now carry a charger unit with me and hook it up to the battery and run the gen set for a while to keep the charge up when we are boondocking or if using outside power hook the charger to that. We have never had a problem since with the heater. Also check the appliance section as there are some questions and answers about the heater there as well.
Good luck and welcome.

Post by **skater** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:20 pm

Okay, there are a couple things going on here:

1. The engine battery shouldn't be draining that quickly - have it checked and replace it if necessary. In particular, the 12 volt items in the coach should not be running off the engine battery, so you shouldn't be able to run down the engine battery by, say, running the furnace.

2. As you've noticed the furnace fan does draw power (quite a bit, actually) from the coach battery. You should be able to go overnight I think, but probably not much more than that. The way to determine this would be to add up the current of everything you want to use and how long, then compare it to the size of the battery. I'm not familiar with these calculations, but I think if you search around the web you'll find what you need to figure out if your battery is big enough. If it wasn't fully charged at the beginning of the night, you're probably going to be sunk.

In this case, the coach battery sounds like it's also run down or going bad. The stock converters in the vans will cook the coach battery if you don't watch it carefully. If it's not a sealed battery, check the fluid levels in it; if it's low, it's probably been overcharged and is dying.

3. The solar panel will only work when there's sunlight, and I'm certain it's not big enough to really power the battery even in daylight. It'll help it recharge, yes, but don't expect miracles.

Post by **skater** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 2:21 pm

craigmar wrote:Hi Eamonn, my wife and I had a few problems as well when we first started vanning and the heater was one. I too, drained the battery but we were hooked up to power from a campground and I found out later that the fan on the heater works off the 12 volt system even though you are hooked up to outside power.

Your converter should be keeping the battery charged and the furnace running...

Eamonn McG · Post by **Eamonn McG** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 10:02 am

Thanks for the help guys, its probably just the fact that the batterys are a few years old and have been sitting in a garage not really being used. The alternator works though because by the time i drove it home the meters said the coach was back to 100%. Guess these are the things I'll learn as I go along. Good thing theres this forum.

RCR · Post by **RCR** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 6:03 pm

Yes - as Skater said you need 12v power to run the furnace. If you're hooked up to shore power your converter will kick in I think.

Couple of weeks ago my batteries drained at around 3AM and it was a little chilly outside (30F) - I turned on the engine for about 10 min (quieter than the generator) and that was sufficient to keep the furnace running (set at 65F) to keep it very comfortable till I woke up around 730AM.

B190 Enthusiasts

B190 Enthusiasts