Why would the main starter battery drain

[TXfreeze]

I’m considering purchasing a 1997 Winnebago Adventurer, the starter battery needs to be jumped, seems to be being drained but the source is unknown, the house battery seems ok, the control panel seems to be powered. There are 4 solar panels 1 original and 4 added. No shore power accessible. Any thoughts, could it be the inverter or something like that?

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

How old is the battery? If more than five years old, it could simply be failing. Local auto parts stores can usually do a load test on batteries. That's far better than just measuring a resting voltage.

Then, are you sure the solar and charger are functioning properly? If the battery isn't getting an adequate charge, it might act like it was being drained.

Once you know that the battery is good and the solar + charger is working properly, then look for bad/corroded connections (including the battery cables), and any components like dash radios that might be connected to the chassis battery.

TJ

 

[TXfreeze]

How old is the battery? If more than five years old, it could simply be failing. Local auto parts stores can usually do a load test on batteries. That's far better than just measuring a resting voltage.

Then, are you sure the solar and charger are functioning properly? If the battery isn't getting an adequate charge, it might act like it was being drained.

Once you know that the battery is good and the solar + charger is working properly, then look for bad/corroded connections (including the battery cables), and any components like dash radios that might be connected to the chassis battery.

TJ

The owner says the battery is about 3 years old, I’ll try to check some of the things you mentioned. Thanks

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

The owner says the battery is about 3 years old, I’ll try to check some of the things you mentioned. Thanks

Even a three-year-old battery could be at the failure point, especially if it has not been properly maintained. If it has not been kept charged, it could easily be failing.

TJ

 

[JRS]

Could bring it in and have a load test conducted on it.

 

[TXfreeze]

It needed charging up, seems to be fine now. Thanks