New 5th wheel battery question

[Dr_psy]

Just got our first 5th wheel. 2022 311BHS. Comes with a solar panel and a wet 100Ah battery. Fridge is 12v. We are planning on doing about a month long trip but are not planning to dry camp, so far all of our stops have 50 amp service. Is there any reason to add an additional battery now? Converter will not work with lithium so a swap will mean more money. Not sure if it is worth the outlay given how much we have been spending just to get going. Thanks in advance.

[Hoopy Frood]

If it were me, and I wasn't doing any overnighting without shore power, I would watch how the battery charge is maintained. A lot would depend on the number of hours you're relying on the battery to run the fridge, i.e. while traveling and not connected to shore power. Personally I think you'll be fine. You didn't say how large the solar panel is, that is, whether it is an actual panel, or just a solar battery trickle charger.

[Dr_psy]

It is the standard one that came from the factory. 370w panel with a 50 amp charger. We’re not planning on driving more then ~6 hours at a time so maybe 8 hours without power.

[Hoopy Frood]

Shoot, you should be in good shape.

[Dr_psy]

Thanks. So much to learn.

[Soundsailor]

It is the standard one that came from the factory. 370w panel with a 50 amp charger. We’re not planning on driving more then ~6 hours at a time so maybe 8 hours without power.

The good news is that is a pretty robust solar setup that should supply plenty of power when the sun is out. And you'll probably be fine for a six-hour trip assuming you start with a fully charged battery. The not-so-good news, a wet battery won't give you much margin for error. Keep a close eye on it, a battery upgrade may be in your future.

[Jomani]

Where I ran into issues with the stock lead acid battery was unhooking and leveling. Be sure to either connect to shore power or leave the truck connected before setting up/taking down. I found that if I didn’t, the battery level would get to dangerously low levels. Mine only has the 165w panel which has trouble keeping up with the refrigerator.

I love the fact that, with lithium, I can unhook, park the truck, then completely set up before plugging into shore power - especially when we arrive to our destination in the dark. Yes, lithium is expensive. Since your solar controller is lithium capable, you don’t necessarily need to upgrade the converter right away. I started with the battery (200 ah) then did a full on electrical upgrade a few months later - after I saw how much I liked the extra battery power.