Going without a battery?

kuhnsmith · 11-11-2011, 10:35 PM

Just got my new tent trailer and wonder what I need to consider if I don't want to carry a battery since it weighs quite a bit and don't see me using it much while camping because I plan to always be in a site with shore power?

My understanding is that while plugged into shore power the battery is charging if it's installed. If it's not, then the ends of the battery cables will need to be covered so they don't short out. However, will not having a battery installed damage the trailer in any way? What happens if I connect the battery cable ends together to complete the circuit? A guy at an RV shop I go to said that if I don't have a battery on the unit that something could be damaged in the trailer. I don't know if that's actually true.

Thanks!

Gary

**bikendan** · 11-11-2011, 10:45 PM

since you don't mention the model popup you have, i can only say that it's the law to have a battery installed, if the trailer has electric brakes.
so, not knowing the model, i don't know if yours has electric brakes.
also, need to know what brand and model converter yours has. some can work without a battery and some can't.
also, somethings may not work without the battery installed.

kuhnsmith · 11-11-2011, 10:55 PM

Wow, thanks for the fast response. I have a '98 Rockwood Freedom 1620 without electric brakes. I don't know if the battery is required to operate anything. I do that that shore power operates the interior and porch lights ok. Haven't tried the furnace or fridge yet because I've just recently bought the trailer. I assume the furnace and fridge work off of shore power or propane but not the battery. So, the only thing I can think of that the battery would operate would be the lights. I don't know what type of inverter it has.

**Herk7769** · 11-11-2011, 11:32 PM

Oh, and tying the ends of the battery cables together will cause quite a light show when you plug the unit into shore power.

Dead short across the converter.

Not recommended on so many levels...

LadyWindrider · 11-12-2011, 12:58 AM

You could probably go without a battery, but when the guy next door blows the breaker at 2:00 am, running electric heaters, you will wake p cold. If you had the battery, you would be warm. Also, if you are so close on weight that a 40 pound battery makes a difference, are you even safe towing? Are you sure the trailer doesn't have electric brakes?

kuhnsmith · 11-12-2011, 01:15 AM

The trailer is pretty light-about 1100 lbs. I'm just thinking about various ways to go that would cut a little weight and maybe help gas mileage a bit. Besides, if I can cut weight then that leaves more room for fun things like bikes 8>). A battery came with the trailer that I can use if I need to. Good point about the heater, though. If shore power goes out then I suppose there's nothing to run the heater fan with. Something to consider...

**bikendan** · 11-12-2011, 01:41 AM

you have a converter, not an inverter. it converts the 110v shore power to 12v, since the lights and other stuff run off of 12v power. that's why a battery is important. if the shore power is lost, everything will run off the battery.
most popups with fridges, instead of an icebox, have 3-way fridges that run off of shore power, propane and 12v. but the electronics run off of 12v. so does the furnace's electronics.
the only thing i know of, in the simpler popups, that actually runs off of 110v shore power, are the outlets.

kuhnsmith · 11-12-2011, 01:54 AM

Looks like I'm going to have to use the battery because that's how the trailer was designed to operate.

Triguy · 11-12-2011, 07:05 AM

Good choice. You mentioned "... battery cables will need to be covered so they don't short out". If you mean should the battery be covered, then the answer is yes. The battery should be on a tray in a box.

electrician549 · 11-12-2011, 09:52 AM

I had a little Coachmen 165 pop-up for 15 years, no electric brakes. Once the original battery died I never did replace it. We used the camper as a glorified tent and kept flashlights inside. Only once did we have electric and lost it during a thunderstorm, our only concern was we had a 12 volt Coleman cooler so I just plugged it into the vehicle until the power came back on a couple hours later. If we camped in the winter we had a little electric heater to keep the camper warm but luckily we never lost power when winter camping.

kuhnsmith · 11-12-2011, 11:14 AM

Triguy-what I meant by "covering the battery cable ends" was that if I decided to go the "no battery" route and plugged into shore power, then those cables would be live (yes?) and I wouldn't want them to short out on the frame or whatever. However, an RV guy told me that using shore power without a battery would be bad for the converter. Is that true?

Electrician549-interesting. So you went without a battery for years. Are you saying you used shore power just once during that time, or most of that time? If so, did you have a problems with your trailer due to using shore power without a battery?

Gary

electrician549 · 11-12-2011, 11:51 AM

I used shore power off and on over the years and never had a problem with my inverter. Sometimes we would dry camp three or four times a year with out using shore power and no battery. Occasionally we would go camping were shore power was available maybe once every two years sometimes three. The last trip we took in the Coachmen in October 2010 was with shore power. I taped off the negative and positive leads separately and kept them in the battery box for protection. Once we knew we were going to have shore power I would inspect the wiring to make sure it was in suitable condition. We only used the propane furnace in the first couple years after that I was nervous about using it with out checking for leaks in the propane sytem so we started using a ceramic space heater.

kuhnsmith · 11-12-2011, 11:57 AM

Thanks, this is very helpful!

Triguy · 11-12-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuhnsmith

Triguy-what I meant by "covering the battery cable ends" was that if I decided to go the "no battery" route and plugged into shore power, then those cables would be live (yes?) and I wouldn't want them to short out on the frame or whatever. However, an RV guy told me that using shore power without a battery would be bad for the converter. Is that true?

I get it now. You might want to look at this thread on the topic of using a battery or not when on shore power.

kuhnsmith · 11-12-2011, 04:12 PM

Thanks for the thread. I checked it out and it seems to mostly be concerned with electric slides and batteries vs shore power. However, it looks like it may be possible to go without a battery in my case. I think I'll call Forest River just to make sure.

Gary

jeeplj8 · 11-18-2011, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuhnsmith

Triguy-what I meant by "covering the battery cable ends" was that if I decided to go the "no battery" route and plugged into shore power, then those cables would be live (yes?) and I wouldn't want them to short out on the frame or whatever. However, an RV guy told me that using shore power without a battery would be bad for the converter. Is that true?

Electrician549-interesting. So you went without a battery for years. Are you saying you used shore power just once during that time, or most of that time? If so, did you have a problems with your trailer due to using shore power without a battery?

Gary

It can be extremely hard on the converter. We set-up and somehow blew the fuse on the battery, but did not know it. All of sudden we started having electronic issues. anytime anything kicked on we blew breakers all over. The system needs the battery to distribute load, the converter is just not strong enough to run everything.

If you are worried about weight, you might look at these:
XS Power
can cut up to 1/2 the weight.

kuhnsmith · 11-18-2011, 06:24 PM

That's interesting, and I'll check out the link you sent.

Now I'm a bit confused because I called the tech. guy at Forest River and he told me a battery ISN'T necessary in my case. He said that on my '98 Freedom 1620 that shore power doesn't re-charge the pup battery, only the connection to my tow vehicle does (though in my case I don't have it set up to do that). He said I should just make sure to tape up the battery leads in the event I ever wire my tow vehicle to charge the battery.

**Herk7769** · 11-18-2011, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuhnsmith

That's interesting, and I'll check out the link you sent.

Now I'm a bit confused because I called the tech. guy at Forest River and he told me a battery ISN'T necessary in my case. He said that on my '98 Freedom 1620 that shore power doesn't re-charge the pup battery, only the connection to my tow vehicle does (though in my case I don't have it set up to do that). He said I should just make sure to tape up the battery leads in the event I ever wire my tow vehicle to charge the battery.

I can see why you are confused. The "guy" at FR's advice does seem to fly in the face of other guidance available on numerous web sites including the power center manufacturer. As I have said many times in the past, "Caveat Lector" or "Let the reader beware" You get all the advice you can, then make your own call as to what is the correct course of action.

PrairieBoy · 11-19-2011, 12:22 AM

You could plug the trailer into the shore power and measure the voltage between the battery terminals with a voltage meter. This should determine if the FR guy is correct or not.

flyrotor · 11-19-2011, 12:57 AM

Removing the battery to shave 40# from your truck is not going to make much of a difference in fuel mileage, the battery is electrical insurance as stated above.

That's like saying you would run with a half full tank of gas/fuel and shave off a lot more weight than that, but similarily your inconveniences of having to stop twice as often outweighs the benefits of the lighter weight.

Keep your battery, you just never know when you will need it.

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