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Old 05-20-2012, 07:18 PM   #1
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Two 6 volt batteries

I have a 2012 rpod 182g with two six volt batteries and LED interior lights. On a full charge how long should I expect the batteries to run the basics such as the furnace and interior lights while dry camping?

On our first camping trip with the new trailer we lost battery power at 6 am. We went to bed around 10pm with fully charged batteries. The only thing running was the furnace fan. The temperature was set at 65 degrees and it got down to the low 40's overnight. I have been told that these batteries should run the basics for 3 days dry camping?

Any advice?

Thanks, Daron
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Old 05-20-2012, 07:37 PM   #2
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The short answer is that it depends.

Besides the useage, the calculation involves how many amp-hours are in your battery bank - What size 6-volts are they?

Also, can you clarify the term "fully charged"? When was the bank last charged and how did you measure the volts (trailer panel lights, multimeter, etc)?

Sorry for all the questions but more info is needed.
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Old 05-20-2012, 08:36 PM   #3
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I have two Interstate deep cycle batteries that show 75 amps and 232ah. They were showing 6.8 volts on the amp meter and the panel inside the trailer showed full charge. They were charged to full charge with our Honda generator right before going to sleep that night.

Thank you for your reply.
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Old 05-20-2012, 09:08 PM   #4
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The fan on the furnace is one of the biggest 12v draws on a TT.... Without that you should get at least three days with just lights (limited to necessary only) and water-pump use. Even on propane, the contol circuits for the fridge and the water heater will draw a bit of 12v.
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Old 05-20-2012, 10:03 PM   #5
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I remember now that we also had the refrigerator on battery power because it wouldn't run on gas for some reason. I tried to switch it to gas several times with a full tank and gas valve turned on but the light on the panel flashed showing there was some type of problem. I guess that will be my next issue to deal with. Thanks for your help.
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Old 05-21-2012, 06:42 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darons Rpod View Post
I remember now that we also had the refrigerator on battery power because it wouldn't run on gas for some reason.
Hi Darons,

That's your answer. The furnace is a hog, but a three-way fridge on DC mode will drain even the biggest batteries quickly. Many 12-volt fridges draw 8 or more amps. You didn't have much of a choice if LP wasn't working, but the DC mode should only be used while towing.
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Old 05-22-2012, 07:47 PM   #7
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I just completed our first trip out for the 2012 season.

I installed two brand new T-105's, and a TriMetric meter before the trip.

I changed all the inside lights to LED, and used the onboard water pump sparingly (maybe cycled a dozen times). Temps for the first couple of nights were in the low 40's, so heater cycled a few times.

I saw 15% battery useage each night.

I laid out a 30W solar module & tried to keep it in the sun each day and gained back about 5% per day. After 2 nights I used the Honda EU2000i and a Xantrex AC charger to finish the charging.

We pretty consistantly used 15% of battery capacity each night (about 33Ah).

Only two of us - your mileage may vary...
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