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  1. #31
    Left The Driveway
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    If you are going to typically dry camp/boondock, I would put 300-400W of solar on your roof, get a charge controller, and you’re done. Especially if you’re mostly out in the “sunny” west. (I have two 12v/100ah LiFePO4 batteries, 2 12v/200w panels, and Victron Charge Controller and Battery monitor.) We rarely have a campsite with hook-ups and are very comfortable we can be out for extended periods.
    Good Luck!

  2. #32
    Fireside Member mdwilliams44's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Heavysledz View Post
    Your truck charging is limited due to the wire gauge and amp rating of the 7-pin pigtail. If you slap on some solar, that will also augment the charging while enroute and let you take advantage of all of that free Arizona sunshine.
    So, here's a thought. Since you are indeed limited by gauge of wire to charge, the 7 pin is about useless. I am mounting a 40a booster module near the tailgate. Running 4GA wire from front battery to booster. 4GA booster cable will carry to the trailer, and connect to the lithium battery for charging.

    If your interested the DIY Solar Forum is a great place for these ideas. YMMV
    Mark and Amy Williams East Tennessee (Go VOLS), Retired and rollin'
    GD 303RLS (2020), Ford F250 King Ranch (2018), Brussel Sprout (fur baby co-pilot), Champion Inverter Hybrid Generator,

  3. #33
    Fireside Member mdwilliams44's Avatar
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    nope, charge from the battery not the alternator.
    Mark and Amy Williams East Tennessee (Go VOLS), Retired and rollin'
    GD 303RLS (2020), Ford F250 King Ranch (2018), Brussel Sprout (fur baby co-pilot), Champion Inverter Hybrid Generator,

  4. #34
    Seasoned Camper
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    If your truck has 400W AC outlet in the cab, it will support at least a 19A AC charger. Consider running an extension cord from AC outlet through truck back door and to charger. I did this once (using 19A charger) with batteries in the truck bed, while site seeing (no camper was attached) and it worked well.

  5. #35
    Fireside Member mdwilliams44's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TimtheToolMan View Post
    If your truck has 400W AC outlet in the cab, it will support at least a 19A AC charger. Consider running an extension cord from AC outlet through truck back door and to charger. I did this once (using 19A charger) with batteries in the truck bed, while site seeing (no camper was attached) and it worked well.
    Interesting thought. I think you could use that connection to run an extension cord to the trailer (I would cut the cord and mount the two ends of the cord on the truck and trailer) termination in the truck, and in the trailer at the charger. a charger could then be mounted in the front basement, and use an entry gland to get the wire though the wall. Might be a really easy way to provide a charging circuit while driving!
    Mark and Amy Williams East Tennessee (Go VOLS), Retired and rollin'
    GD 303RLS (2020), Ford F250 King Ranch (2018), Brussel Sprout (fur baby co-pilot), Champion Inverter Hybrid Generator,

  6. #36
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Extreme View Post
    So I finally got everything concerning my Lithium Battery, Inverter/Charger and Monitor for my 2021 Imagine 2500rl that I pick up from Lazydays in Tucson Arizona. Yup traveling 500 miles from LA to Tucson for a dozen reasons but mostly because the Southern California Grand Design Dealers out here are a total joke. I could write a book on how terrible they are but lets move on.....

    On a more happier note I pick up our 2021 Imagine 2500rl in mid April in which the dealership (Lazydays) is installing a 32" Fireplace, 2 sets of RV Locks, a 12V 206Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery, Xantrex inverter/charger controller, Xantrex Bluetooth monitor and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

    Just kidding about the last part. Why this equipment (you ask) its because they will only warranty the items they sell.
    And to be honest with you I just want to get this all done and start camping. I will retire from the Press Enterprise Newspaper on June 4th and will turn 71 this year and I just want to live a little with my lovely wife (Honey) and our 2 Golden Retrievers.

    But this would not be a posting from me if I didn't have a question (see that's what Newbies do).
    So let's say I'm dry camping for a couple of days and I run my Lithium 206Ah battery down to 60% full.
    If I take the rig on a 4 hour drive at 60 mph to our next camping spot how much do you think the battery would be charged up to?
    Keeping in mind it started the ride at only being 60% fully charged. Any way that's the question for the day!
    Thanks everyone for all the great help on the battery in the past posts.....

    I haven't done any research on this but would your alternator charge your lead acid truck battery and your lithium house battery at the same time, I was under the assumption the lithium required a higher voltage to charge, that's why you are required to replace the charger?

  7. #37
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by iproff1 View Post
    You will love the Xantrex system we had one on our boat with 2 golf cart batteries 225 amp hrs. Voltage is not what you need to be concerned with it's amp hours. Your shunt on the Xantex will measure amps out and amps in. The Xantex charger depending on your model could charge at 50 amp hrs but as the battery bank gets closer to fully charged the amp hrs drops a lot. Also a battery should not be charged at to high an amp hr rate or you will damage the battery. Your battery will tell you the max rate, the battery supplied with my camper is 12 amp hrs not very much at all. If your TV is only putting 10 amps to your RV after 4 hours you have only put 40 amp hrs back into the battery. The Xantex is one of the best battery management systems there is our golf cart batteries lasted 9 years because of that system.
    He is using Lithium batteries. Just about all of your post doesn't apply to them.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
    800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
    2020 Silverado High Country 3500 dually crewcab Duramax Allison

  8. #38
    Seasoned Camper
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    My two lithiums were at 70% yesterday and showed 100% after a 2 hour drive to the storage lot. We just put in the lithiums and inverter at new years and our first true boondocking trip is next weekend. I've only tested it a bit to get an idea of usage.

    I know the batteries dropped about 5% overnight with the inverter off just due to 12 v load and the furnace was off. The one time I left the inverter on overnight the drop was near 20% but the furnace was running quite a bit that night with temps near freezing.

    We used about 20% in the morning with us both getting ready and taking showers (so lights and fan on), microwave, coffee maker, toaster, and wife using the hair dryer.

    We will have our generator but I want to get an idea of overall power usage and use it as little as possible.
    Imagine 2020 2670MK,
    2021 RAM 2500

  9. #39
    Fireside Member Steve & Sheryl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Extreme View Post
    So I finally got everything concerning my Lithium Battery, Inverter/Charger and Monitor for my 2021 Imagine 2500rl that I pick up from Lazydays in Tucson Arizona. Yup traveling 500 miles from LA to Tucson for a dozen reasons but mostly because the Southern California Grand Design Dealers out here are a total joke. I could write a book on how terrible they are but lets move on.....

    On a more happier note I pick up our 2021 Imagine 2500rl in mid April in which the dealership (Lazydays) is installing a 32" Fireplace, 2 sets of RV Locks, a 12V 206Ah LiFePO4 Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery, Xantrex inverter/charger controller, Xantrex Bluetooth monitor and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

    Just kidding about the last part. Why this equipment (you ask) its because they will only warranty the items they sell.
    And to be honest with you I just want to get this all done and start camping. I will retire from the Press Enterprise Newspaper on June 4th and will turn 71 this year and I just want to live a little with my lovely wife (Honey) and our 2 Golden Retrievers.

    But this would not be a posting from me if I didn't have a question (see that's what Newbies do).
    So let's say I'm dry camping for a couple of days and I run my Lithium 206Ah battery down to 60% full.
    If I take the rig on a 4 hour drive at 60 mph to our next camping spot how much do you think the battery would be charged up to?
    Keeping in mind it started the ride at only being 60% fully charged. Any way that's the question for the day!
    Thanks everyone for all the great help on the battery in the past posts.....
    Just some data points for you. I have a similar size rig, 100Ah Battleborn and 95 w Furrion solar briefcase.

    parasitic loads (stuff that is always on, like the CO detector): 0.3 amp/hr
    parasitic loads plus fridge on propane: 0.7 to 1.0 amps/hr depending on weather
    above plus one vent fan: about 1.4 amps/hr
    add one forgotten light, and I pull almost 2 amps/hour.

    I plan on losing 2 amps per hour while on the road. (sometimes I run with the fridge live).
    I typically use about 30 amps hours a day while dry camping. If its a little cold at night I might use as many as 40. That said, during the big freeze, the heater was running almost constantly and I consumed 50Ah in less than 8 hours

    your 206Ah will last a couple days driving or dry camping.

    On the gazinta side, in perfect conditions a 100watt solar panel will give you roughly 7 amps per hour (100watts/14 volt = ~7amps). Reality is that you'll get 30 or 40Ah on a good day. You barely keep up. The 200 watt panel showed up yesterday. I'm wiring it in today.
    Steve & Sheryl
    Bucca and Nyx RIP-Tag and Gordon
    2019 Imagine 2250RK
    Ford F250

  10. #40
    Rolling Along RV Sailor's Avatar
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    Incorporate a Victron battery monitor into you set up. Simple to install. You can get exact numbers

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