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Old 02-03-2015, 09:54 AM   #1
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Removing battery from TT and charging in TV

I am heading to Yellowstone this summer for 10 days of camping at a CG with no hookups. New HTT (Roo 23IKSS, coming in March) will come with one 12 vt battery (I may add a second 12vt or jump to 2x 6 vt?).

But in none of these scenarios can I see running even minimal (LED lighting, H2O pump, fridge, occasional furnace) for 10 days. Also need to close two slides eventually but I suppose I can do that when connected to TV.

Question: We will of course be doing a lot of driving around in YS. My TV has a power outlet in the bed. Does it make sense to remove the battery(s) for the trailer and place in rear of TV and charge via the power outlet? Maybe do this every few days? My outlet is a cigarette lighter thing protected by a 30 amp fuse. Not sure of the wire gauge at this time.

Also looking into solar, generator, etc but don't want to invest right away since we may not be dry camping too often.
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Old 02-03-2015, 10:06 AM   #2
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You might try checking with rental places ( both equipment and party rentals) to see if you can rent something like a Honda 2000 for the week. Running the fridge on battery is not practical as it will deplete the battery quickly.
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Old 02-03-2015, 10:19 AM   #3
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Charging a deep cycle battery through a cigarette lighter type plug would probably take a long time. Plus, if you pull the battery, your fridge won't run even on propane.


If you buy a second 12V, you could run on one while charging the other. Also, look into gas stations in/around Yellowstone. I think for a small fee there are some that will charge your battery. If you have two 12V batteries, this would be a good option.


When we bought our Roo, it came with one 12v battery, so for $95, we bought a second, matching battery at delivery. There are some advantages of 6 volt batteries, but the cheapest thing to do when buying a new tt is just add a second 12v.
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Old 02-03-2015, 11:30 AM   #4
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You might try checking with rental places ( both equipment and party rentals) to see if you can rent something like a Honda 2000 for the week. Running the fridge on battery is not practical as it will deplete the battery quickly.
Thanks Flybob,

When mentioning the refer I was thinking about the parasitic load I have read about. Apparently it uses a couple amps of 12Vt even while running on propane.

Renting (or better yet borrowing) a generator is a great idea. I will certainly investigate.
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Old 02-03-2015, 11:33 AM   #5
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Charging a deep cycle battery through a cigarette lighter type plug would probably take a long time. Plus, if you pull the battery, your fridge won't run even on propane.


If you buy a second 12V, you could run on one while charging the other. Also, look into gas stations in/around Yellowstone. I think for a small fee there are some that will charge your battery. If you have two 12V batteries, this would be a good option.


When we bought our Roo, it came with one 12v battery, so for $95, we bought a second, matching battery at delivery. There are some advantages of 6 volt batteries, but the cheapest thing to do when buying a new tt is just add a second 12v.
Thanks KMP44,

I will definitely buy a second battery. As you point out initially a second 12 vt is the way to go. Do you do much dry camping in your Roo? How long do you expect your batteries to hold out?
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Old 02-03-2015, 11:45 AM   #6
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Kanga, we spent a week in YNP, in our 23SS.
we are veteran dry campers and have a 2 battery setup, Honda 2000w, blue tote tank, 6gall. water jug and 400w inverter.
there's no way you can go 10 days without a generator and tote tank for gray water and someway to resupply water.
PM me if you have any questions.

Thinking you can recharge the battery using an outlet on your truck, iisn't going to work.
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Old 02-03-2015, 12:03 PM   #7
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You've been getting some good info. Adding a second 12v and renting/borrowing a genny is definitely in order. You might consider posting a "wanted" in the classifieds section here, or on craigslist. A lot of folks are holed up for the winter and might loan you a portable for the 10 days.

Even with a genset though, you'll want that second 12v'r to get you through the night without over discharge.
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Old 02-03-2015, 12:04 PM   #8
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Thanks KMP44,

I will definitely buy a second battery. As you point out initially a second 12 vt is the way to go. Do you do much dry camping in your Roo? How long do you expect your batteries to hold out?
With two twelve volt batteries, we have gone 4 days. It was hot, so the cooling fan on the fridge ran almost non-stop, plus the usual parasitic draws, and a few lights. Batteries weren't dead at that point, but drawing them too low can reduce their ability to hold a charge.

Added portable solar panels this year and after 5 days were still in good shape.
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Old 02-03-2015, 12:26 PM   #9
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Have you thought about a solar setup?
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Old 02-03-2015, 01:09 PM   #10
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Harbor freight has a 2cycle gen under $100 we use it from time to time if the power is out for a short time then go the the behemoth gen if it's going to be out for a longer time. We full time in a 40 ft 5er.
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Old 02-03-2015, 01:20 PM   #11
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Be careful choosing a generator if you go that route, You are headed to Federal park and they will not allow non approved generators.
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Old 02-03-2015, 01:39 PM   #12
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We will be spending eight days in cades cove this year. I take two batteries but have an 1800 watt inverter under back seat of truck. As we constantly drive around the loop I charge one battery in the back of the truck.
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Old 02-03-2015, 01:42 PM   #13
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You might also find the power outlet will not give you enoigh power for the battery charger or it will take a long long time to charge.
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Old 02-03-2015, 03:06 PM   #14
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You might try checking with rental places ( both equipment and party rentals) to see if you can rent something like a Honda 2000 for the week. Running the fridge on battery is not practical as it will deplete the battery quickly.
The fridge won't be much problem. 12v is only used to operate the circuit board. The cooling energy comes from propane. The heater is a large 12v consumer of the battery - the fan will kill a single 12v battery in as little as one very cold night. I think the idea of moving the battery to the TV for charging on day trips around the park is a pretty good one. This solution really means a second battery bc you will want the refrig to operate while you are away from the camper. Also, I wouldn't want to leave a light weight generator running all day unattended. Too tempting - think theft.
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Old 02-03-2015, 06:36 PM   #15
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Here's what I'd do:
1. Get a second 12V battery of similar size to your existing one...IF your existing one is not more than a year old and has been treated well. 6V batteries are great if you want 4 of them.....12V is better if you can only have 2...if one fails you still have power!

2. Rent or buy Honda or Yamaha type QUIET 2000 watt generator.

3. BUY a 30-40 amp charger you can plug into the generator to charge the batts. Trying to do it from the 12V plug will take FOREVER! You can keep and use this as a better way to charge your batts when you DO plug in your unit. The little 3 pc package here would be ideal. Amazon.com: IOTA Engineering (DLS30) 30 Amp Power Converter/Battery Charger: Automotive
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Old 02-03-2015, 08:42 PM   #16
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Xantrex is one of the premier battery chargers available. It is an education to delve into the manual. These two chargers each can charge 3 separate batteries each with their own characteristics. For a group 24 or 27 battery, the Truecharge 20 should be very satisfactory. Reading the manual will talk about the charging characteristics and give formulae for calculating charge time. Happy reading.


http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Dis...1_Rev-A%29.pdf
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Old 02-03-2015, 08:53 PM   #17
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With a (decent) generator I always recommend 1 hour of charge every other evening, just remember genset time ends at 8. With the nature of flooded lead-acid batteries you'll get more power per gallon of fuel going every other night since they accept a larger charge when the are more deeply discharged. As for the genset, don't get one of those cheap ones mentioned earlier. It will be so loud neighbors a half-loop away will hate you.

With no generator I always recommend the "poor man's generator" when you only need to do this a week or so a year (when it doesn't make sense to buy a genset). A good set of jumper cables, hooked battery to battery (TV to camper), running the TV for an hour every other evening.
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Old 02-03-2015, 09:30 PM   #18
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When we went to Yellowstone, we had two 12v batteries for our TT but only room for one on the TT battery rack so I bought an extra trailer wiring harness from e-trailer (7-Way Molded Trailer Wire Connector, 8' Long Hopkins Wiring H20046). I cut all but the two charge wires off short and taped them up to prevent them shorting out and then attached wire lugs to the two charge wires. I could then put whichever battery wasn't in use in the bed of the truck and hook it up using the extra trailer harness and charge it while we drove around sightseeing for the day...or even two. I used an extra plastic battery box, a battery box lock (B & D RV Battery Lock For RV travel trailers and popup campers.), and a small chain looped through one of my cargo loops to keep it from just sprouting legs and walking off.
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Old 02-03-2015, 09:53 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by techntrek View Post
With a (decent) generator I always recommend 1 hour of charge every other evening, just remember genset time ends at 8. With the nature of flooded lead-acid batteries you'll get more power per gallon of fuel going every other night since they accept a larger charge when the are more deeply discharged. As for the genset, don't get one of those cheap ones mentioned earlier. It will be so loud neighbors a half-loop away will hate you.

With no generator I always recommend the "poor man's generator" when you only need to do this a week or so a year (when it doesn't make sense to buy a genset). A good set of jumper cables, hooked battery to battery (TV to camper), running the TV for an hour every other evening.
Depending on the TV, the "Poor Man's Generator" could create hateful neighbors even further away than a cheap generator would (think 2002 Powerstroke)! I like this suggestion a lot though for an occasional dry camp.
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Old 02-03-2015, 10:13 PM   #20
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Or 97 Cummins, LOL
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