The epic 2021 Texas cold front swept down to us in South Padre Island. With the power suddenly going out we thought, no problem, we will fire up the generator to keep warm. Well the generator wouldn’t start because the cold temperature had apparently killed our batteries. The realization came we were going to have to endure a cold night since it didn’t look like the power would be turned back on anytime soon.
The next morning we woke up to a VERY cold interior so we hopped in the car to get warm and to make a mad dash over to Harlingen Texas to purchase the last two Duracell 12 volt batteries for our coach’s chassis along with 2 Duracell 6 volt golf cart batteries to replace our house batteries.
With temperatures now in the upper 20’s outside and the winds blowing around 30 miles per hour South Texas no longer resembled the warm and cozy winter retreat we had envisioned. We hurried back to the RV park and I went outside to install the new batteries. I could only attempt a little work before my hands and face got numb so I would have to jump back into the car with Sharon to warm up by getting out of the wind.
While installing the batteries I did get a hefty spark when a negative cable inadvertently touched a positive terminal. Startling to say the least. After about thirty minutes the batteries were installed and I came back inside to see if we were had power now. As I checked out our inverter I noticed we were unable to invert DC power into AC, Crap…
It appeared the inverter was not charging or inverting. We now had batteries but no inverter to assist our power needs. At least the house batteries were new so we would be able to turn on a little propane heat before they discharged. Finding some good winter clothes and all the blankets we own, we managed to live through another night with no power.
We were getting a little trickle of solar power on the following cloudy days to provide us a little heat before the batteries would get so low I would turn it off. With not enough power to start the generator we had yet ANOTHER cold night. The next morning the inside of the RV was 41 degrees. We had now been without power for 48 hours.
Things couldn’t be worse… Could they? Well, you might be wondering why we simply didn’t start the RV motor and use it to charge the batteries. Well, guess what? Even with the new batteries the RV wouldn’t start. I would turn the key and got nothing… not a click, not a grunt…. not anything. It simply would not start.
As I said in our part one blog about this bitter cold event, it would be many days before the power would be restored. On a freezing cold day after 72 hours with no power I called Xantrex and troubleshot our inverter only to discover that the inverter was toast. We obviously would need a replacement. No problem as I assumed I would be able to overnight one and install it the next day.
In the meantime I found a Freightliner Mechanic who would come to our dead RV and try to figure out what was wrong with it. So here we are with no power, no water, a dead inverter and an RV that won’t start. Are we having fun yet?
NOTE: We are currently in South Padre Island in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas until March 8th…
Oh, no! So sorry to hear that things got worse before they got better. They did get better, didn't they?
ReplyDeleteIt too shall pass...
DeleteWow RVs just aren't built for that kind of weather. Stay safe, healthy and warm.
ReplyDeleteAnd neither are we ;)
DeleteNever thought of the batteries dying from the cold, just the pipes/tanks freezing. Glad you're safe and hopefully out of the cold.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely out of the cold now... thank goodness!
Deleteand I thought our 3 day bout with cold and snow and freezing rain in Amarillo, Tx. this fall was bad! So sorry to hear your troubles. Cold like that is never fun, especially in places that aren't prepared for it!
ReplyDeleteThe deregulated electric grid in Texas certainly didn't help.
DeleteI'm feeling much better unfortunately at your expense. My problems have gone on longer than yours but they certainly aren't as serious though I've probably spent more money than you will trying to get mine fixed. you are definitely making me glad that I didn't come to Texas this winter and because of your tail I'm not making plans to come next winter either. Hope your next post will show that everything got worked out in the best way possible. tell Sharon how lucky she is to have you to be able to do these things. just imagine if she were alone and needed to replace four batteries in the middle of brutal cold.
ReplyDelete"I've probably spent more money than you will trying to get mine fixed" just wait until the rest of the story...
DeleteBoy do I hate spell check. It's not because of your tail it's because of your tale
ReplyDeleteOOOOH, Sherry!! Just couldn't stop laughing.
DeleteLOL...
DeleteSo sorry to read about your cold weather adventures John. We spent a couple of weeks in sub-zero Galveston one year and it was not fun even though we never lost power. RV's are just not set up for this and it is always a struggle. I am happy that Texas is over the worst of it. Stay well!
ReplyDelete