Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-15-2014, 12:01 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
wnelsonfl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Mount Dora FL
Posts: 179
Two batteries or one?

We are setting out on a three month journey in May. I am sure some where along the line we will be parked without an electrical connection. Does anyone have an opinion on using an extra battery and if so what battery would be best? We have recently purchased a Flagstaff Micro lite 21FRBS.
wnelsonfl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 12:23 PM   #2
Junior Member
 
VikingFan4evr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 9
All dealers i have talked to have always said 2 batteries. Deep cycle are the best with the higher CCA number the better. It also depends on how much you use lights, AC, etc. because they can drain batteries substantially. If you are going boondocking a generator to charge batteries is nice to have. Good Luck on your trip.
__________________

2015 CC 38FL - Delivery in May 14?
2013 Ford F-350 SRW 6.7 Diesel
Camped 2014 - none yet
Retired? Not yet, but I am sick and tired - does that count?
VikingFan4evr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 12:47 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
GlacierGus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 454
wnelsonfl, I have basically the same TT as you do. Last summer I took it to Alaska for 3 months. I have two batteries. I like to have the extra battery capacity because I often boondock for 2 or 3 days at a time. Just cheap insurance that you will have electricity. Have a great trip!
__________________
2013 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S
2006 Dodge Durango Hemi 5.7
Equal-i-zer WDH
GlacierGus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 01:02 PM   #4
Phat Phrog Stunt Team
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: South West PA
Posts: 3,012
Quote:
Originally Posted by wnelsonfl View Post
We are setting out on a three month journey in May. I am sure some where along the line we will be parked without an electrical connection. Does anyone have an opinion on using an extra battery and if so what battery would be best? We have recently purchased a Flagstaff Micro lite 21FRBS.

Plenty of info on the forum. Just doe a search and you'll find alot of info. on the subject.
grayfox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 02:35 PM   #5
Site Team
 
bikendan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 35,080
if you rarely dry camp or boondock and will only be staying one night, then one battery is fine.

if you plan on dry camping or boondocking for more than a couple of nights, then you should go to a two batteries setup. and think about an inverter generator to recharge the batteries.

we almost always dry camp so we have two 12v deep cycle batteries and a Honda 2000w inverter generator.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
bikendan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 03:02 PM   #6
TeresaInCAL
 
TeresaInCAL's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: California foothills
Posts: 416
I think two is a must! Sooner or later, it's likely you're going to be boondocking, and need the 2nd battery.
__________________
Teresa
2013 f150 Ecoboost 4x4
2009 Gray Wolf, 22BH
TeresaInCAL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 03:58 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
raspivey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Brazoria County, Texas
Posts: 1,460
Quote:
Originally Posted by VikingFan4evr View Post
Deep cycle are the best with the higher CCA number the better. It also depends on how much you use lights, AC, etc. because they can drain batteries substantially.
If it has a CCA number on it stay away. Those are generally (with the exception of some hybrid batteries ) starting batteries and aren't really suitable for this application. You won't be using anything but lights / fans / furnace / fridge controls on 12V but some of that can draw a good amount of power. Just be careful with usage. If that's a new Micro Lite it should have LED lighting for the most part and that will help out. What's normally put on a trailer at the dealership is a marine type battery that's not quite as good as a true deep cycle but will do the job fine as long as you take care of them. I've had good luck so far ( 4 years on two trailers with the same two batteries ) just adding a group 24 marine battery from Wal Mart right after I bought my first one. About the same size and age...or close enough that it hasn't made a difference. I get a good three days if I watch it without dropping to less than around 60% charge. I only use it about three times a year on battery but I consider it worth it.
__________________
2015 Chevy Silverado LTZ - HD tow package
2017 Rockwood 2703WS Emerald Edition
raspivey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-15-2014, 05:59 PM   #8
Site Team
 
bikendan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 35,080
Quote:
Originally Posted by VikingFan4evr View Post
Deep cycle are the best with the higher CCA number the better.
this is incorrect. CCA stands for cold cranking amps, which are useless for a deep cycle battery and for a trailer. it's only useful for starting an engine.

you want at least Amp Hour Capacity or Reserve Capacity for a true deep cycle battery, which is the best for a trailer.

this should be required reading for anyone wanting to learn about batteries and RV's, should read this:

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

there's also a Part II.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
bikendan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-16-2014, 09:54 AM   #9
Site Team - Lou
 
Herk7769's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: South Eastern PA
Posts: 23,270
For "house batteries" like ours, amp hour rating is what to look for.

As stated CCA is the ability to deliver a lot of amps in a short period of time to start a cold engine. Usually minutes till dead.

RC is also measured in minutes of life but is more indicative of capacity. It will give you an idea of how long the battery will last if your alternator dies.

Only AH rating should be used when buying storage batteries.

RC can be converted to AH for comparison purposes be multiplying the RC in minutes by 0.4167
__________________
Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Herk7769 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
battery

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:20 AM.