battery draining
 

We are first time Hi Lo owners, bought a 2009 27T in July. We are having an intermittent battery drain when not in use. We can leave it alone a few weeks and it's all fine. Or try to lift it a few days later and it's dead.

We have checked the battery, it tests OK. We did learn to make sure the master switch is in the center position. My Dad died the day we bought it so even though the person who sold it to us was very thorough, spending a good 2 + hours with us explaining everything we both feel like we have forgotten much of what we were told.

We both feel like it has some thing to do with the water heater. Or maybe not? Is there a switch or some thing that we need to check?

Any help is greatly appreciated !

Hi, Jed - I had the same problem when I bought our HiLo new, from a dealer in 2007. I finally found that the Radio/CD/TV/DVD player was always getting "keep alive" power, even though it was turned off and everything else in the trailer was also off.

My solution was to put a small. ON/OFF toggle switch in the power wire to to the unit. This completely disconnects it from the battery when I flip the switch off. As far as I know, the only thing this disables is the memory in the unit for radio and/or TV stations, which I don't need anyway.

That unit pulled very little power with the "vampire" draw, about 50 mA as I recall, but over time, it added up and would kill the battery. You may have something similar in your trailer. I think it was added at the dealership, because it is not shown on the list of optional equipment for HiLos for that year.

- Jack

Jed, I had the same problem as Jack, and my 1999 Classic still has the original equipment stereo. I just pull one end of the fuse for the stereo out to where it's disconnected, and get no current draw. I saw Jack's suggestion of the toggle switch one time before and intended to do the same thing, but just have not got around too it. I think you could put the toggle either visible on the outside of the cabinet or concealed inside. Either way, make a note in the owner's manual.
Roger

Thanks for your post, Roger. My player is installed in a sort of "closed off" center compartment in what would normally be a 2-compartment overhead cabinet. I think I opened it from the side, on the inside of the right compartment. From there, it was easy to identify the power wire and I spliced the switch into it there. Then, I simply made a small opening in the bottom of that center compartment so that the switch portion is exposed on the bottom of the cabinet. All wiring and the switch stay in the center and when I closed the side back up, it looked professional.

- Jack

Thanks Jack! I wondered about that power button always being on!! We will check that right away.

One thing some forget to look at is the breakaway. If the pin is pulled, it keeps the brakes energized. Don't ask me how I know.... :)

^^^^ Great catch, Ruben! I should have remembered that!

- Jack