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Old 06-03-2016, 08:30 AM   #281
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Well... Everything seems to work fine. How low is to low for batteries to drop?


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Old 06-03-2016, 09:43 AM   #282
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Ok so I have mine up and running! 4 six volt batteries and 220 watts of solar panels. The panels have no problem getting the batteries up to over 14 volts on a sunny day.

Now I have a question...how long should I expect to be able to use a small tv, my Satelite reciever and the trailer stereo. Right now the batteries drop fairly quickly in the evening to about 12.5 volts and remain all night.

Is this right or should I expect better?


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Sounds like you're doing just fine to me. As for how long, pick up an inductive amp meter at an auto parts store, then measure the amp draw by checking at one of the battery cables. For easy math, let's say you're pulling 10 amps and you have 200ah. You only want to pull your batteries down 50% or to 12.0V so you actually have 100ah to play with thus you can last 10 hours.

This is over simplified, but is the rule I play with. I have 460ah of capacity, in one night being really liberal with my usage, lights, 40" tv for a couple of movies, cpap on an inverter plus charging my phone and iPad, in the morning I'm down to 12.3V or 70%. One thing I love about 6V batteries, I think they soak up energy quicker than 12V batteries, I can run my generator for a couple of hours max and the converter will start floating.
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Old 06-03-2016, 09:51 AM   #283
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Fully charged batteries after resting for a while will drop to about 12.7V which is good. See attached chart.

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Originally Posted by Burgeogull View Post
Ok so I have mine up and running! 4 six volt batteries and 220 watts of solar panels. The panels have no problem getting the batteries up to over 14 volts on a sunny day.

Now I have a question...how long should I expect to be able to use a small tv, my Satelite reciever and the trailer stereo. Right now the batteries drop fairly quickly in the evening to about 12.5 volts and remain all night.

Is this right or should I expect better?


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Old 06-03-2016, 09:56 AM   #284
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Thanks for the replies guys, I think I'm doing just fine then!!


My batteries are 232 mah or however that goes.
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Old 06-03-2016, 03:16 PM   #285
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Thanks for the replies guys, I think I'm doing just fine then!!


My batteries are 232 mah or however that goes.
If you have 4 6V golf cart batteries at 232AH (not milliamphours) you should have about 464AH which is pretty good. I have 2 230AH 6V which, wired for 12V, gives me 230AH. I have let my batteries run down to 11.9V safely. Problem is the CO detector alarms when the battery is that low. I have a disconnect switch for the alarm in case that happens. It seems to alarm around 12.1V. A 200W solar panel in good sunlight will charge at around 11-12A so if you do the math you are replacing 11A every hour. If your TV draws 5A (my 32inch draws about 3-4A) and you leave on for 2 hours it has used up 10AH of capacity. One hour of solar charge will replace that. That's the simple math. There are efficiencies to deal with but simple math will get you a good estimate of usage.
If you are so inclined to do the math here is the power equation:
P=I*V
P=watts
I=amps
V=voltage
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Old 06-03-2016, 03:21 PM   #286
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Also, here is some good information on 12V in your RV. The TV's are dated though, I don't think they were using the more efficient LEDs we see today.
The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)
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Old 06-03-2016, 11:17 PM   #287
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If the batteries are being properly charged you should not have any issues with power draw. We have 2 Trojan 6v golf cart batteries and when freshly charged we can go 4 days using the trailer as if we are on land power. My wife uses a CPAP at night, we use the TV, stereo, lights (all LED), a WeBoost cellular amplifier and even a blender and other small appliances. You should have no problem using 4 6v batteries as long as they are being properly charged. Keep in mind that your batteries will show 13.6v and more when being charged. It doesn't tell you the condition of the batteries, however. Your voltage may settle on 12.5v and stay there during usage. If so that's no problem at all, it's perfectly normal in our experience.
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