One battery or two?

[Eph 2.10]

Looking to be running off battery only for 4 nights. No a/c. Only have single battery at the moment. Should I be getting a second?

[Roy Felton]

It is always good to keep the second one. By any cause, if the first one gets damaged then you will be in need of the other one.

[Jaydubya81]

If the temps are low, one battery won't last four nights, especially if it's a marine battery. With moderate use and not using the heater a whole lot you might get two nights

[Herk7769]

Far better to buy a quiet small generator (1000 - 2000 watt) and a dedicated battery charger to recharge the battery every day. About the same weight and price as a second battery, it will serve you much better.

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If you are camping close to others, consider a more expensive generator like the Honda 2000 Companion model. Extremely quiet and already wired to parallel with a non-Companion model to power everything including your air conditioner if needed.

Buy this one first:

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Then parallel with this:

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[MontyPP]

Get the battery (Same type that you have currently) but put a solar charger/system on it. That way you don't have to mess with a generator. Lots of links here in the Forum and on YouTube for the install and info.

[Pooneil]

A second battery provides some flexibility. Particularly when it can be swapped out on the camper.

It can be solar charged where the sun actually is shining, when that is not at the camper.
It can be taken to a service station for charging if you are out sightseeing for the day.
It can be charged while driving the TV, with the right setup.
It can be charged with a generator away from the camper.

[swbouton]

Originally Posted by Jaydubya81

If the temps are low, one battery won't last four nights, especially if it's a marine battery. With moderate use and not using the heater a whole lot you might get two nights

I thought marine batteries were the way to go. Please tell me what would be better? Thanks..

[Herk7769]

Replacing the charge on a moderately discharged deep discharge battery (about right when the furnace is used for a few hours at night) requires a fairly large solar system. A day of bad weather will make your stay terminate early.

I don't recommend a solar solution for infrequent boondocking due to initial cost and unreliability in all weather conditions.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by swbouton

I thought marine batteries were the way to go. Please tell me what would be better? Thanks..

Marine batteries are "Dual Purpose" batteries and fall between starting batteries and true storage batteries. They are designed to provide starting current to start marine engines, and yet still have some storage capability to provide radios and stuff when at a mooring.

Since you will not be starting an engine, a TRUE deep cycle battery will last far longer and have better longevity.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Marine batteries are "Dual Purpose" batteries and fall between starting batteries and true storage batteries. They are designed to provide starting current to start marine engines, and yet still have some storage capability to provide radios and stuff when at a mooring.

Since you will not be starting an engine, a TRUE deep cycle battery will last far longer and have better longevity.

I think there has always been some confusion in the RV world on the terminology "marine battery." Mainly because the battery industry has targeted boaters with their brands of heavy duty built batteries (think vibration resistant) for starting and heavy duty discharge (think thicker/additional plates) for trolling motors.
For even more coverage they came up with the dual (or hybrid) starting/deep cycle battery. But the deep cycle batteries work well for what we try to accomplish in the RV world too.

So, a 'Marine Battery' can be a dual purpose battery (starting & deep cycle) but it can also be (singularly) either starting battery or a true deep cycle.

For RV purposes you always want a true deep cycle. (not dual purpose)

[bigdaveoh]

Two batteries always a good idea, especially if you have an electric A-frame jack... running the jack up and down a few times will use up power..... learned this the hard way... second battery for me soon... and the Honda generator or equivelent also a great idea !! Our Honda 2000 is always onboard. Have fun in your RV !!

[Eph 2.10]

Some details I failed to give previously ...
late spring in N MI, so some gas furnace running. Have Yamaha 2000 watt gen, but this particular location is "no gen's." Solar is somewhat undependable in MI as far as I'm concerned. Will probably pick up second batt.

[jeffnick]

The consensus here is that a single battery won't make it two days. I can't verify this because I'll run the generator for 3 minutes to make coffee.

The simplest solution is to get another battery that will fit in the place of the one you have and swap them out when the first one dies.

If this is going to be a regular thing, I can offer options in wiring to make that second battery more convenient.

[Jaydubya81]

Like everyone has said, dual purpose or marine and even hybrids they are all the same. It has starting power , and can be discharge more frequently than a starter battery. In a nutshell worthless for longevity in a RV. I use one 12 volt deep cycle, and two 6 volt batteries in series. I also have a master switch that lets me run on the one 12 volt, or my two 6 volts , separately or together, which I never do, because they are of different dates and and size. With this set up I've so far camped four nights with heater set at 62 degrees and been fine. Hope this helps, if I can remember I'll take some pics of my little set up

[1A Camper]

With the out side temp below 40 and inside only set for 55 degree at night and off during the day, We get 2 days on a group 27 battery in our A frame. With 70 watt solar cells we can run forever if we have sun. We have 2 group 27 and use one at a time. We have a generator but have never use it. Our dealer supplies a group 27 battery at no charge, as they say the group 24 battery is to small but that is the size battery case that Forest river supply with the trailer.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by 1A Camper

With the out side temp below 40 and inside only set for 55 degree at night and off during the day, We get 2 days on a group 27 battery in our A frame. With 70 watt solar cells we can run forever if we have sun. We have 2 group 27 and use one at a time. We have a generator but have never use it. Our dealer supplies a group 27 battery at no charge, as they say the group 24 battery is to small but that is the size battery case that Forest river supply with the trailer.

I am impressed! 70 watts of solar in full sun is not much more than a trickle charger for your battery bank, so you are running almost completely off your battery bank and you are very frugal with your power usage to get 4 days on 2 batteries.

[1A Camper]

It a A-Frame. There are 2 Led light, No bathroom, very little water pump usage,we don't use the radio. The heater is about all that uses power. So it easy for 70 watts to keep battery up.

[handbuilder]

I've had 5 seasons with my single large group deep cycle Interstate battery. I've been 3 days dry camping with no problem and 4 days dry camping with a 30 watt monocrystalline solar panel.

It's all in what you need the battery for. I'm not a power hog, so I am not concerned with power usage. I run the trailer fans to pull out the heat and use the furnace in the evening to take off the chill if it dips below 30.

Being an A-Frame, the systems are simple and not much to overthink...in Season 1, I did carry along a generator. I ran it a couple times. Season 2, I evaluated what I did and didn't use and made note of how I camped, traveled and uses the trailer. Season 3 I applied many things that seasoned A-Framers used and I also came up with my own to-dos. Since then, I've got it down to comfortable usage, travel and routine...

It might help to see how you do in your first season or at least your first three trips to determine what sort of power usage you'll be using. You will then be able to make a decision based on your personal camper needs.

[D-Man]

Get the second battery, you'll kick yourself later if you don't! Trust me.

[yayus]

Good topic for us A Framers. All valid points above. I like handbuilder's approach of learning what works for your needs. We are dry campers, most of the time, partial to National Forests and state parks. LEDs have been installed, and we freely use the 12v-powered amenities in our A122. Our battery setup is a single Interstate marine-type, group 27. Used to patch in a spare battery, if needed, after 4-5 days in the woods, but we found that adding a 60 watt solar panel was the ticket for keeping the main battery charged daily. We liked it so much, we upgraded to a 120 solar watt system! Never had a problem running out of juice when camping for a few weeks off the grid. May upgrade to a type 31 battery at some point, and buy a fresh spare, just in case, but the current configuration has been a winner for us. Experiment and have fun with your cool trailer! Enjoy a happy camping season, everyone!