Do i need another battey?

[hdavinc]

Hello to all, this is my first post and as a new TT owner I might sound a little ignorant. OK ,maybe alot ignorant.
We just purchased a Flagstaff 29BHSS (upgraded from a fleetwood pop up) and i was wondering how long the battery power would last and what all it would power? We dont receive out TT for another 4-6 wks but we are planning a 7 day trip to the Adirondaks in July and our site does not have electricity so i was wondering should i throw in another baterry or 2 in, get a generator, or is it good the way it is.
Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by hdavinc

Hello to all, this is my first post and as a new TT owner I might sound a little ignorant. OK ,maybe alot ignorant.
We just purchased a Flagstaff 29BHSS (upgraded from a fleetwood pop up) and i was wondering how long the battery power would last and what all it would power? We dont receive out TT for another 4-6 wks but we are planning a 7 day trip to the Adirondaks in July and our site does not have electricity so i was wondering should i throw in another baterry or 2 in, get a generator, or is it good the way it is.
Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on the new rig.

Most RVs come with either 1 or 2 Group 24 or 27 12-volt batteries. It really depends on your power usage as to how long they will last. If you had 2 group 27 batteries and the temps are into the low 40s or high 30s at night and you are running the furnace then you can expect them to be dead within 2 days. The incandecent lighting in RVs is very power hungry too. You really need to learn the 12 volt system and try and decide on what your power needs really are (which is hard to do if you have never done it before). I highly suggest reading the 12 Volt Side of Life page as it is a good primer on all the 12 volt systems. You can learn a lot there.

Generally those of us that dry camp a lot without hookups make the change to 6volt deep cycle (golf cart) batteries as they are true deep cycle batteries and much better suited to RV use than the dual purpose starting/deep cycle batteries that are supplied with most RVs today.

[acadianbob]

Good advice from Jeeper. Also, it may be tough to make it 7 days on any battery setup so you might want to consider a generator. I HIGHLY recommend getting a Honda (like an EU2000i) or a Yamaha. They are very quiet and your neighbors will appreciate that.

[08flagvlite]

I do a lot of "dry" camping in the winter months here in Florida, as we are Civil War reenactors. You basically get a field to camp in with no amenities- but it's usually free. Your Flagstaff will do everything you can think of on 12v power, except run the AC, and the microwave. You have a gas/electric refrigerator, as well as a gas/electric water heater and the camper's heater is a gas burner with a 12v blower motor. All of your lighting, and even the Flat screen TV with surround sound, and the power tongue jack and power awning, and slide outs are all battery powered. You have a fresh water holding tank with a pump that works for pressure that is 12v, too. The converter changes AC power when it is hooked up to 12vDC throughout the camper, except for anything plugged in to outlets, of course. We put in an extra battery and box, because the one battery doesn't last too long with 4 people camping, showers,heater and TV and lights, you can see how it depleats it pretty quick. Also, your tow vehicle with the 7 pin connector plugged in and the engine running charges your battery, as well (had to do this at 3 AM on a 22 degrees night) as the heater is the biggest power hog of all. Many folks change over to 2 6v bats in series for 12v, but they are bigger and a little pricey. Good Luck, and happy camping! Randy

[bikendan]

you don't state who will with you. kids, more adults? it matters because of demand. the more people, the more battery power you'll use.

we dry camping nearly 100%. there are just two of us and we used to be popup owners. so we know how to conserve.
but i put two deep-cycle 12v batteries and bought a Honda 2000. we can go 6 days without having to re-charge the batteries. but i have a big slideout and a electric tongue jack.
if we had kids or more people in the trailer, we'd probably only get 4 days out of the batteries.

[hdavinc]

Thx to all for the info, i have two girls and my wife so at the very least there will be 4 of us. (and two dogs). I have been thinking about a generator and Honda and Yamaha have been the most common names to come up on forums so I think i will look into these as well. I used to run a 4 deep cycle batt setup with a 1750 watt inverter for my pop up and it would go 4 days before i had to recharge but my crew was never power concious so they used it like we had an electric site.

[slagsmn]

I bought my first travel trailer last year and didn't wait too long before buying a Honda EU2000i. It's easily my #1 most important investment.

We like to stay in the more "rustic" section of our state park campgrounds: no elec, but more importantly, lots more room between sites and much more secluded.

I only have the single stock group 24 12v battery that came with the trailer. My wife and 2 kids think they are at home so lights get left on, etc, etc. Thus the battery gets eaten up in a couple days easy (if not one day). If a cold night...it's on its deathbed by morning.

So I run the super-quiet Honda in the morning to use the toaster/microwave and re-charge the battery. I'll run it again late afternoon/early evening to top the battery off for the night just in case.

My buddy acadianbob (his post earlier in the string) made the switch recently to LED lights...I'm gonna do the same for those lights that get used a lot. Should dramatically cut down on battery drain. Once I do that I'll evaluate whether to add a 2nd 12v so I can switch over in an emergency or bit the bullet one day and run two 6v in series.

Congrats on the new TT...I'm sure you'll love it