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04-29-2013, 05:35 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10
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Dry Camping Battery Life
I took the new TT out for the first time this past weekend. Apex Select 214. A little over a three hour trip which should have been keeping a charge on the battery. Well I got to the campground and set up. Turnd on the water pump and filled the hot water tank and used some lights. By 10 o'clock the lights were going dim and eventually quit for the weekend. The furnace wasn't used, the frig was not on, nor the AC or microwave. How much time should I get on a charged battery which is new while dry camping ? In my old 1999 Aero Lite 21 RDB I could get 4 or 5 days off a charged battery.
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04-29-2013, 05:48 PM
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#2
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Remember you have a lot more parasitic draws on newer campers then older ones.
To mention a few.
Co detector
Radio
Normally these draws will run a battery dead in a week so if your camper wasnted plugged in days before you left they were already draining the battery.
The size of battery may be a big determining factor as well.
Normally dealers will install the smallest cheapest battery possible with low amp hours.
Most likely a group 24.
You may want to upgrade to dual 12 volt or better dual 6volts batteries as well as bigger amp hour batteries.
Turbs
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04-29-2013, 06:04 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,137
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Before a trip, charge the bat(s) for a day or two with a quality 3 stage charger.
The appliances have brains and clocks too.
I installed 2 batteries.
I installed a battery desulfator, a battery cutoff switch and LED's are ordered.
I am going to install an on/off switch for the radio/DVD blah blah player.
The water heater should be off unless it will be needed.
Consider using a portable solar panel to get some of the charge back if you are going to be out for more than a couple days.
__________________
FOR SALE 2014 BOSS 6.2L F350
2012 Surveyor SV264
NW Oregon
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04-29-2013, 07:34 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,607
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was the battery fully charged before you left? because most tow vehicles only provide a trickle charge and 3 hours isn't enough if the battery was low.
Turbo's right, newer trailers have way more parasitic power drains. if you don't keep the trailer plugged in at home or install a battery disconnect switch, your battery will be dead in just a few days.
we dry camp all the time and have two 12v deep cycle batteries, with a disconnect switch and a Honda 2000w generator.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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04-30-2013, 05:02 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10
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I do plan on getting a second battery for the trailer along with my Honda 2000 watt generator. That little generator kinda saved the weekend. Turbs why are two six volt batteriss better than two 12 volt batteries. You would have to hook them up to get 12 volts to run you trailers electric.
Bruce
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04-30-2013, 05:04 PM
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#6
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B. Miller
I do plan on getting a second battery for the trailer along with my Honda 2000 watt generator. That little generator kinda saved the weekend. Turbs why are two six volt batteriss better than two 12 volt batteries. You would have to hook them up to get 12 volts to run you trailers electric.
Bruce
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http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you..._make_12_volts
The easy answer.
Short video.
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04-30-2013, 05:11 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Jefferson County, MO
Posts: 5,449
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Are you sure you started your trip with a fully charged battery? It should have lasted a lot longer.
__________________
Bob and Joyce
2013 CC Silverback 29RL
2010 Ford F250 XL Crew Cab 6.4 liter diesel
ATU Local 788
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05-04-2013, 01:01 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 10
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The battery was charged but at the moment I am guessing not fully. I got it from the dealer when I picked up the trailer figuring it was fully charged. I took it off the trailer after towing to and parking it in the storage lot. I just put it back on the trailer believing that the three plus hour tow to the army corp campground would fully charge the battery. that two six volt battery setup just might be the way to go.
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05-04-2013, 01:16 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Upstate (Albany Area) NY
Posts: 832
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You need to check yours, but some vehicles and some TT's aren't evn wired to provide or receive a trickle charge from the tow vehicle.... You may have been putting nothing into the battery during the three hour drive.
__________________
Fire Instructor
2022 Coachmen Leprechaun 319MB
2022 Ford Ranger toad
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05-04-2013, 01:33 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,607
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yep, assuming that the battery is full, when you picked it up from the dealer and assuming that your tow vehicle will recharge it in 3 hours, is not a good thing.
if it didn't have a battery disconnect switch or the dealer didn't keep it plugged in, the battery could have been below 50% charged.
and, at best, most tow vehicles only trickle charge a battery while driving. so 3 hours may only have made a dent if the battery was that low.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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05-04-2013, 02:17 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Big brown desert
Posts: 3,003
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Make sure that you have 12v out from your trailer connector. I have "popped" the fuse a few times unknowlingly and have had a similar experience. I always check when hooking up with one of those connector tester thingyes.
__________________
2014 Stealth Evo 2850- "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7- "Clifford"
2013 Honda Accord Coupe V6 w/Track Pack- "Julia"
Just glad to get away
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05-04-2013, 08:01 PM
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#12
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Denver, CO
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 2,102
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oakman
Are you sure you started your trip with a fully charged battery? It should have lasted a lot longer.
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X2
__________________
2017 Fuse 23T
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05-05-2013, 06:28 AM
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#13
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Site Team - Lou
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,268
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Quote:
Originally Posted by B. Miller
The battery was charged but at the moment I am guessing not fully. I got it from the dealer when I picked up the trailer figuring it was fully charged. I took it off the trailer after towing to and parking it in the storage lot. I just put it back on the trailer believing that the three plus hour tow to the army corp campground would fully charge the battery. that two six volt battery setup just might be the way to go.
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It may have sat days without being plugged in.
A fully charged OEM battery (typically around 70 AH) will last about 7 days without a battery cut off switch. As stated before, an alternator will maintain your trailer battery (provided the truck's 12 volt accessory line has a fuse in it) but take forever to charge it.
Read the attachment as to why alternators make poor storage battery chargers; but work great to charge your starting battery.
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
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