Is 1ah load to small to hunt down?

[68camaro]

So with everything or so I thought shut off in Camper I was showing a 1.6 ah, or 23 watt load being used. By shutting off battery switch above drivers seat, the LP and Carbon monoxide detectors shut off and the drain drops to only negative 1 ah from battery.

I have not been able to locate why I am losing 1 ah, is this a normal parasitic draw or should I spent serious time and efforts hunting it down?

Also, anyone know where the solar controllers are located in our Chinooks? This is last piece of electrical puzzle I need to solve.

[Blewett]

I would chase it down. Power draw is power draw. It may be less than one amp depending on how sensitive your volt meter is. I had a small load and traced it to the stair light (we have the electric stairs and a light comes on when they are extended). It was wired in on the wrong side of the cut off relay.

I have a '97 side entry and my charge controller is in the large front compartment by the door.

[68camaro]

Thanks Bewitt, kinda driving me crazy. It's now down to .7, would the battery monitor and solar controller be responsible for this draw.....

[Blewett]

They can be a real pain to track down. What type of battery monitor do you have? Mine has a momentary on/off switch so it is not always on. My solar charger has a fuse that I can remove if necessary. I would start with those first.

When I trace parasitic draw I check the obvious places first such as monitors and such. Then if it is still there I start at the batteries and work my way into the system. Basically checking every connection. This way when you get to a junction in the wiring you can see which wire is drawing power and trace it up that way.

Although make sure your volt meter is working correctly. Some older ones especially analog are prone to go out of calibration. (I am sure you know this but just want to make sure).

[chin_k]

Most digital meter can measure down to 1 mA or smaller, so it certainly can be hunted. It is around 0.012 Watt, or 12mW.

The original solar charger is on the passenger side, to the left of the over head cabinets. It should says Specialty Concepts on it with LED lights on the left side.

If you don't figure out the draw, you may find out your lithium got run down too much that it lowers its longevity, or you may end up stranded if you are not careful, esp. during spring startup when you have not running the rig for a few months. The build-in BMS helps, but it is not bullet proof.

I don't think it is the case, but I assume your car radio is not connected to the lithium, right?

[68camaro]

They can be a real pain to track down. What type of battery monitor do you have? Mine has a momentary on/off switch so it is not always on. My solar charger has a fuse that I can remove if necessary. I would start with those first.

When I trace parasitic draw I check the obvious places first such as monitors and such. Then if it is still there I start at the batteries and work my way into the system. Basically checking every connection. This way when you get to a junction in the wiring you can see which wire is drawing power and trace it up that way.

Although make sure your volt meter is working correctly. Some older ones especially analog are prone to go out of calibration. (I am sure you know this but just want to make sure).

Actually when it comes to electrical, nothing is obvious to me..unless its an electrical cord laying on floor under socket.....lol.

I use the TriMetric TM-2030 with the matching SC- 2030 solar Charger (although I cannot find it) by Bogard Engineering. By the way getting their number is very difficult, but once you connect they are super great at technical help.

I do have a decent digital volt meter. When I install DC/DC converter and battery positve bus bar, I can start there checking all connections.

[68camaro]

Most digital meter can measure down to 1 mA or smaller, so it certainly can be hunted. It is around 0.012 Watt, or 12mW.

The original solar charger is on the passenger side, to the left of the over head cabinets. It should says Specialty Concepts on it with LED lights on the left side.

If you don't figure out the draw, you may find out your lithium got run down too much that it lowers its longevity, or you may end up stranded if you are not careful, esp. during spring startup when you have not running the rig for a few months. The build-in BMS helps, but it is not bullet proof.

I don't think it is the case, but I assume your car radio is not connected to the lithium, right?

Chin, I had original solar charger replaced and I think new one it is in area I can not easily see, so I need to go digging.

My new batteries have a self-discharge of less than 3% per month and BMS plus TriMetric battery monitor both have cutoff levels above this.

My car battery is not connect to 12v but coach kenwood is. But when I put Battery switch above drivers seat in store mode is shuts down electrical to Kenwood coach radio, carbon monoxide and LP detectors, this drops draw about .7ah. Still too much for me.

[chin_k]

how is your load measured? is it done via the TriMetric monitor? You may want to get/borrow a non-contact ammeter to help you troubleshoot.

You may want to do some investigation on the DC panel to make sure there is nothing that using electricity when you put the switch on STORE mode. Are you still using the LVD behind the sofa, or the switch is connected to something else with all the different updates that you have?

One great thing about 12 V DC trouble shooting is that it all flow down the wires, and nothing is invisible. Worst thing is that you may have to put in a physical disconnect at the monitor/controller to make sure nothing is drawing electricity. I have a Perko switch just for that.

[68camaro]

how is your load measured? is it done via the TriMetric monitor? You may want to get/borrow a non-contact ammeter to help you troubleshoot.

You may want to do some investigation on the DC panel to make sure there is nothing that using electricity when you put the switch on STORE mode. Are you still using the LVD behind the sofa, or the switch is connected to something else with all the different updates that you have?

One great thing about 12 V DC trouble shooting is that it all flow down the wires, and nothing is invisible. Worst thing is that you may have to put in a physical disconnect at the monitor/controller to make sure nothing is drawing electricity. I have a Perko switch just for that.

I do use the TriMetric monitor, actually I do have a non-contact ammeter, its been so long that I used it I forgot I had it. I'll poke around with that.

I am installing the DC/DC tomorrow and a new shunt to to hold all the positive leads so I only have the shunt lead to the positive battery terminal instead a stack of 6 or 7 on positive terminal.

When I put the coach in store mode I can't physically see anything but still drawing .7 amps so your idea of a switch here works but I do have a cutoff switch by battery that does same thing.

I'll do deep dive tomorrow and see if I find it.

[chin_k]

Keep us updated. When you disconnected everything, and the TriMetric still says 700 mA draw, you know it is something else.

You can then disconnect the terminal on the stack one by one and see which wire(s) is the one that pulling the current if it reads 0 A.