battery drain calculator; radio memory saved

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battery drain calculator; radio memory saved

Postby working on it » Sat Aug 31, 2013 11:23 pm

I recently had a problem with my AGM Optima Yellowtop battery being drained by an inverter that was connected full-time to it. After resuscitating the "dead" battery, delegating the inverter to "connect when needed" status, and putting a master cut-off switch between battery and fusebox, I had no power drain at all. The battery has stayed at 12.8+vdc for over a month now. However, I neglected to hook-up the constant 12vdc feed to the Pioneer stereo that keeps pre-sets and the clock in memory. I ran a new wire to the terminal strip prior to the master switch, unfused, and got the memory reset. Tested it after 6 hours with switch off...memory intact. I used my multimeter to check the amperage draw incurred by constant feed for the memory; it was drawing between .01 and .02amps (fluctuating). Say an .015amp average. That = .18watt. Not much. I wanted to see how long it could run on my 55ah AGM, not wanting to have a dead battery situation again, so I used this calculator http://ep.yimg.com/ty/cdn/sports-imports/BatterydrainCalc.html and came up with this figure 1527.77 hours (or 63 days, 15.77 hours). I think I'll have a little wiggle room on watching the battery life, if that's all the drain I have to worry about.
2013 HHRv "squareback/squaredrop", rugged, 4x8 TTT, 2225 lbs
  • *3500 lb Dexter EZ-Lube braked axle, 3000 lb.springs, active-progressive bumpstop suspension
  • *27 x 8.5-14LT AT tires (x 3) *Weight Distribution system for single-beam tongue
  • *100% LED's & GFCI outlets, 3x fans, AM/FM/CD/Aux. *A/C & heat, Optima AGM, inverter & charger(s)
  • *extended-run, on-board, 2500w generator *Coleman dual-fuel stove & lantern, Ikea grill, vintage skillet
  • *zinc/stainless front & side racks *98"L x 6" diameter rod & reel carrier tube on roof
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