Battery Life

[notsosan]

Seems like a lot but furnace fans can drain batteries pretty fast. The only dry camping we have done was a week in June with long days and we didn't use our furnace, so we had no problems using twin 6V golf carts. I did run the generator for a couple of hours each day. Need that electric toaster in the morning. I haven't looked to see this converter's charger output. Maybe a separate higher output charger would help when using the generator. Hope to spend a few nights in the desert at Quartzite this January. That will be a better test.

[TucsonJim]

We did some dry camping on our current trip and never had to use the generator. We have two 6V AGM batteries. We converted all the lighting to solar, and we installed 200 watts of solar power to keep the batteries topped off during the day. We ran 4-5 lights at night for several hours, and ran the furnace for about 1/2 hour each morning.

If it was me, I'd sure be checking those two batteries you have to see if they are weak. You might also pick up an amp meter that you can clamp around your battery cable to see if you have a large draw you don't know about.

[notsosan]

Jim, where did they run the wiring from your solar panels to the controller?

[ACDW-Ottawa]

We just completed our maiden voyage with our new 303RLS. It just so happened that where we were in the mountains we had to dry camp. ...

There really wasn't anything more we could think of to reduce our power usage. Did not use any outdoor lights, kept lights inside to a single unit, limited furnace usage, never used the stereo, did not use any of the 3 fantastic fans we had installed and even used the campground toilet as often as possible to reduce water pump usage. I have never had to do so much to try and get through a single day with 2 deep cycle batteries. Power drain seems just crazy and having to run the generator for 3.5 hours each day just to get through the day seems abnormal. ...

Does anyone else think this is abnormal and that something must be wrong with something drawing far too much power?

Actually, quite normal. Had same problem as you with a deep cycle large 12V AGM battery (I could dry camp 2-3 days with last trailer because of small 200W solar system with 4x6V golf batteries - planning to put bigger one on Solitude).

From my experience, RV's don't use batteries the way golf carts do so we get unrealistic expectations. For the most part, Golf carts don't care about the output voltage of the battery and just run slower until they die so they can use most of the power available in the battery. RV's only use "top portion" portion of the battery from approx 13.8V to maybe 11.2V (depends on 12V device). Also there are many devices that draw power (called phantom loads), 12V propane alarm (important), trailer brakes (important), Fridge fans, fridge climate control & internal heating element, Furnace fans, propane gas igniters, antenna amplifiers, some 12V TV's, water pump, ceiling ventilation fans such as maxx-air (if on), Fridge built in ice maker, timers draw power, clocks, water pump will sometimes run if pressure drops due to temp change or small leak (hope not) and the lights (not all are LED). Don't forget slide outs use lots of power even though short time.

If you are using an inverter (draws some power just to operate itself), any 120VAC devices controlled will draw additional power, Alarm detectors, TV's Radios, and the power converter (must turn circuit breaker off - high draw).

Some Hints:
- Keep jug of water (or antifreeze if winter) next to toilet to throw in to flush it and you won't use electricity.
- The connection from your truck to your trailer is not sufficient to charge your battery or run 12V appliances.
- Use only the LED lights (Ive changed all mine to LEDs)
- Always check and fill battery cells with distilled water - affects performance.
- We carry "Mr. Heater # F232000" propane heater (safe for indoors) to minimize battery draw or in case battery or furnace dies
- Disconnect all devices or hit CB and turn off anything with "eco mode" or disconnect it.
- Converter in trailer not usually sufficient to charge battery especially if drained too low or you added batteries in which case you need a better charger.

[WhittleBurner]

As Gary said above we installed 2 6V (industrial type) batteries that give us about 450 AHs. We did a drive way test and sliding out the dining side slide (the other 2 were out before we unplugged)
Turning a couple lights (led) on for about 5 hrs a day and running the fantastic fan for a few hours daily. Fridge on, water pump on and used but not enough to give us a true simulation.
The batteries went from 12.6 (we think, forgot to write it down) to 11.8 in a full 7 days of sitting in the driveway. I'm hoping in real use we get about 4 or 5 days. Gary is a little more optimistic than me.

[TucsonJim]

I did the install myself. In placed the controller on the panel above the batteries. Then I ran connectors out through the landing gear hole after removing a small amount of foam. From there, I have two 50 foot cables that I plug into the panels and the controller connectors. I have the two panels connected with hinges so I simply unfold them and place them in a sunny area. This way, if there is shade on the roof, I can still move the panels to a sunny area. I'd be happy to share a schematic diagram and part number listing if anyone would be interested.

Jim, where did they run the wiring from your solar panels to the controller?

[notsosan]

OK thanks, I thought maybe you had installed a roof system and was wondering about getting the wiring into the trailer from the panel