One Vs Two Batteries ?

[Ejs4029]

Dealer is including one 12V deep cycle battery with my Rockwood 2703 order...My question is do I need two ? Or is one enough ? I don't really dry camp at all so that is not an issue.

[mud yapster]

If you don't boondock and you always hook up to shore power than your are ok. Your TV will charge your battery while you are driving also. We boondock a lot so we have a lot of battery on a lot of solar.

[Mountndream]

if you don't dry camp, you only need one

[bikendan]

If not going to dry camp or boondock, then you only need one.

[f5moab]

I agree with ONE

[itat]

I agree with one if you don't camp without an electrical hookup, but see if you can get them to make it a Group 27 rather than a Group 24. We never camp without an electrical hookup either but one night the power went out at the campground and the Group 27 battery drained surprisingly fast. Of course the hybrid had incandescent bulbs that use a lot more power than the LEDs in new trailers today. The Group 27 will give you a little extra amp-hours when you need it.

[tyke8319]

I have 2 Trojan 6 V batteries. Wish I'd down that years ago. That setup will run anything.
At some point in time you will dry camp...

[ablindmule]

If always on power you only need one. But, if you ever dry camp you will need two, and you will need to monitor use so you aren't draining the batteries more than 50% of capacity. Make sure you fully recharge batteries after use, and keep them topped off. Don't count on the charge from the tow vehicle, plug em in and fully charge. Draining bats low means low life span and money replacing. Batteries can last for years with proper care.

[itat]

Originally Posted by tyke8319

I have 2 Trojan 6 V batteries. Wish I'd down that years ago. That setup will run anything.
At some point in time you will dry camp...

If DW says we aren't camping without an electrical hookup, then we aren't camping without an electrical hookup!

I even asked the DW about getting a big enough generator to run the AC and anything else we want, but at a cost of over CDN$2600 for us, its just not a justifiable option for such rare usage. We rarely ever have a power outage of more than a few minutes at home so we don't even need it there.

No doubt Trojan batteries are top of the line but they're complete overkill for folks like us.

[Blackhat6mike]

IMHO, sooner or later, planned or not, you WILL need that second battery....and a disconnect switch.
How many, many times have we heard about someone's batts going dead from parasitics or overnight furnace use, TV signal amp left on or having to stay at a rest stop with mechanical problems. None were planned, but they happened [me too]. There is no substitute for available amp hrs. Again, just my humble opinion. Plan for the worst, pray for the best. Cheap insurance. You can buy 110 amp hr deep cycle bats from Autozone for $115. Or in other words, you can get two for the price of one Trojan. Will they last as long? NO.

[Ford Idaho]

I was told the AC SHALL WORK no matter where we park.
Bought a gen big enough to get er' running, I have used it once.....

[coolzzy]

IMHO, you're not really camping if you have full hookups, but that's a discussion for another day. I bought two 220 amp hour 6v batteries for 109 each at a local batteries plus store. They are duracell or energizer brand, can't recall which at the moment. They fit in my group 24 boxes but are slightly taller. A single group 27 battery is huge but not huge on amp hours. I've never had 6v batteries before but have seen them in action for years on my in-laws trailer. I'll be using them for the first time for a 3 night mountain camping trip for Memorial day, hoping not to need the generator but bringing it along just in case (love my little honda eu2000i).

[f5moab]

Just remember with two 6 volts batteries, if one goes out, you are out of luck. With two 12-volt batts, one goes out, you can still have limited power. Reason why I will never convert to 6 volt batts.

And I have camped easily for three days and nights with dual series 27 batts, and still had plenty left over. And the past two times camping, the little Honda Gen has failed to work. First time, carb needed a rebuild; this last time, the stupid AC circuit breaker failed. NOT impressed. But I guess the carb thing is normal and so is the failed breaker. If I had needed it, I would have bypassed it.

[pmsherman]

We don't dry camp very often but frequently spend an overnight at a rest area while travelling. The two 12V deep cycle house batteries don't have quite enough capacity to run the furnace overnight when outside temperatures get near freezing. (Below freezing temps call for an RV park with hookups to provide electric heat for the plumbing compartment or running the generator all night - a solution with its own issues - see below.)

I need to carry a third (portable) deep cycle battery to run my astronomy gear so I set up a power line that lets me connect the portable battery in parallel with the house batteries. This gives me enough extra power to make it through a cold night and lets me recharge the third battery while driving the next day.

I haven't tried running the generator overnight since FR fixed a problem I ran into. When the generator was running and there was no wind or the wind was blowing from the wrong direction, around an hour after starting it, the CO detector went into an alarm state. Forest River relocated the generator exhaust and so far, I haven't run into that problem again.

Phil

[coolzzy]

My trailer came with two "dual function" deep cycle batteries rated at a measly 60 amp hours each. The cost to replace them with two group 27 12v was nearly the same as the two 6v batteries. Add that to the fact that I could not physically fit two group 27s on the tongue without building a new rack and would have needed new boxes besides, and it sealed the deal for me on the 6v. I don't leave the batteries on the trailer when we're not camping, they stay in my heated garage on a quality battery tender. 6v require a little more care but are true deep cycle with thick plates for longevity.

I'm surprised you can't run the furnace overnight with two group 27s without draining it, I would suspect there is something wrong with one or both of them as that is not asking that terribly much. As for the generator, never a hiccup out of mine, it's 5 years old, always starts on the first or second pull, only sees filtered gas (using a Mr. Funnel) treated with fuel stabilizer, and yearly oil changes regardless of hours run. If you start them every month and run for 10 minutes, in addition to treating the gas, you will never have carb issues with a Honda.

[f5moab]

I'm surprised too! I have two 27 true deep cycle (Deka DC 27) and have NO problems running a furnace for three nights at 20 degrees. When the generator worked I never went longer than 3 days (although I think in the beginning I might have gone four but not sure).

As for the Honda, the carburetor problem was due to the owner's manual that clearly states the if not run for less than 6 months, you do not need to drain the carb bowl; you only need to run the fuel out and use a stabilizer in the fuel. Well, that is BS I have discovered and the Honda repair guy in Pocatello Powersports agrees. If sitting longer than ONE month, drain the fuel bowl, if using standard ethanol fuel. (Only takes two minutes longer.)

So after a few years of just running it dry for a three month period, the carb jet was totally clogged. Simple to rebuild and kit was only about 15 bucks. And now I only run non-ethanol and use Sea Foam for a stabilizer. It actually runs better now than when first purchased!!!

However, after getting it running, and before the last camping trip, I never thought to check the output to the AC plugs. Circuit breaker will not set and per the Honda repair center, a known problem! It can be bypassed if needed by a set of heavy gauge jumper wires; probably not recommended, but if really needed, I would do it.

Just not impressed. But I also have a lawn mower with a Honda engine and it is the biggest POS I have had and considering selling it and moving on to something else. So, I'm a bit down on Honda at the moment.

As for 6 volt batteries; I understand they are probably the best, but still, if one fails (and all batteries will eventually fail), you not be able to run anything on 6 volts. And I'm wondering, would the breakaway switch or the brakes work on 6 volts? Not sure; just asking!

[Mountndream]

Originally Posted by Blackhat6mike

IMHO, sooner or later, planned or not, you WILL need that second battery....and a disconnect switch.
How many, many times have we heard about someone's batts going dead from parasitics or overnight furnace use, TV signal amp left on or having to stay at a rest stop with mechanical problems. None were planned, but they happened [me too]. There is no substitute for available amp hrs. Again, just my humble opinion. Plan for the worst, pray for the best. Cheap insurance. You can buy 110 amp hr deep cycle bats from Autozone for $115. Or in other words, you can get two for the price of one Trojan. Will they last as long? NO.

I don't know where you are looking for your batteries, but I just bought my Trojan batteries for 131.50 each. I went with them because for an additional $20 per battery i got twice the amp hours.

[f5moab]

I'm surprised too! I have two 27 true deep cycle (Deka DC 27) and have NO problems running a furnace for three nights at 20 degrees. When the generator worked I never went longer than 3 days (although I think in the beginning I might have gone four but not sure).

As for the Honda, the carburetor problem was due to the owner's manual that clearly states the if not run for less than 6 months, you do not need to drain the carb bowl; you only need to run the fuel out and use a stabilizer in the fuel. Well, that is BS I have discovered and the Honda repair guy in Pocatello Powersports agrees. If sitting longer than ONE month, drain the fuel bowl, if using standard ethanol fuel. (Only takes two minutes longer.)

So after a few years of just running it dry for a three month period, the carb jet was totally clogged. Simple to rebuild and kit was only about 15 bucks. And now I only run non-ethanol and use Sea Foam for a stabilizer. It actually runs better now than when first purchased!!!

However, after getting it running, and before the last camping trip, I never thought to check the output to the AC plugs. Circuit breaker will not set and per the Honda repair center, a known problem! It can be bypassed if needed by a set of heavy gauge jumper wires; probably not recommended, but if really needed, I would do it.

Just not impressed. But I also have a lawn mower with a Honda engine and it is the biggest POS I have had and considering selling it and moving on to something else. So, I'm a bit down on Honda at the moment.

As for 6 volt batteries; I understand they are probably the best, but still, if one fails (and all batteries will eventually fail), you not be able to run anything on 6 volts. And I'm wondering, would the breakaway switch or the brakes work on 6 volts? Not sure; just asking!

[coolzzy]

As long as the batteries are connected correctly, the trailer sees it as one big 12v battery, I would assume the break away switch would be no different since it's not wired directly to a single battery. My Tracer has a built in battery cut off switch, but the break away and slide controller are not affected by it. The brake switch for obvious reasons, the slide out because it's a schwintek and it can actually function on its own while going down the road if it's brain detects the slide moving out (it will engage and pull it in). For these two reasons (and possible theft at my storage facility) that I keep the batteries in my garage.

Just out of curiosity and off topic, how does your half ton tow your bunk house, I'm assuming it's a 28ft unit? I'm taking a trip to the mountains for the first time in my new trailer and will have to climb up and over horshoe bend Hill. Ever made that drive pulling your tt? I've done it several times pulling tent trailers and it wasn't too terrible. My new trailer has a gvwr of 6,085lbs and I'll be at that weight loaded for camping with water. A little concerned about the drive up despite being 1900 pounds under my max tow weight.

[f5moab]

As long as both batteries are connected in series, yes, it is a 12 volt circuit. But I'm wondering if one 6-volt batt fails on a trip, you now have 6 volts and will a breakaway circuit operate? Just curious; but have to assume NO.

My 228 is a (total) 20 foot popup with a 12 foot box, but a lot out front. So, can't help with the pull over Horseshoe bend.