12v fridge draining batteries

[doanshop]

Originally Posted by doanshop

You need to hear one running the inverter gens you can't hear them 10 feet away I'm speaking about my champion 3500 watt you can stand next to it and talk in anormal voice.

I need to correct this post you can hear it at 10 feet, but you can have a normal conservation at 10 feet at 100 feet you have to listen hard to hear it. Sorry for the confusion.

[Villagerjjm]

Originally Posted by RBLAISE

Hey there, new to this forum. Recently purchased a 2022 294km. Has the juice pack which came with a 50w panel on the roof, 2 -80Ah batteries and the charge controller pre wired.

I made it clear when purchasing that I only boondock as there is no power where it is set up. I was told the system is sized to keep up with the fridge. After our first weekend in the trailer both batteries were drained in a little over 24 hours. I checked the amp draw from the fridge and it would range from 6 to 9amps when running. The solar panel with full sun produces 3amps. How was this system ever designed to work if you can’t produce enough power to keep up with the fridge running or to compensate for a cloudy day?

Could there be something wrong with my setup or is this a poor design?

Any help is appreciated.

I have a 2018 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604WS with a dual voltage (12v DC/115vAC) refrigerator. On days that outside temperatures get up to 90 degrees and with a fully stocked refrigerator, I can get about 78 hours of power with a single 12 volt marine battery with occasional use of one or two LED lights. I can extend the hours by another 50% with a 25 watt solar panel. After that, I have to recharge using the alternator on the tow vehicle.

[SLSAlta]

HI, I'm new to this forum and jumping on this late. I recently depleted my battery since I thought the refrigerator was off. I followed the instructions on how to shut off etc. Held the button for 10 seconds and shut the door originally. Turns out it looked like it was rebooting the fridge. Needless to say, I drained my battery I'm sure well passed 50% (discovered it is actually a count of 15). Will a battery charger (dieHard battery charger) bring it back or am I SOL until I purchase a new battery next season? The Solar charges it but operating the slide etc. seems to deplete it quickly.

[NavyLCDR]

Originally Posted by SLSAlta

HI, I'm new to this forum and jumping on this late. I recently depleted my battery since I thought the refrigerator was off. I followed the instructions on how to shut off etc. Held the button for 10 seconds and shut the door originally. Turns out it looked like it was rebooting the fridge. Needless to say, I drained my battery I'm sure well passed 50% (discovered it is actually a count of 15). Will a battery charger (dieHard battery charger) bring it back or am I SOL until I purchase a new battery next season? The Solar charges it but operating the slide etc. seems to deplete it quickly.

I've had pretty good luck with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-O.../dp/B08119Y772

[ilmor]

Originally Posted by RBLAISE

Hey there, new to this forum. Recently purchased a 2022 294km. Has the juice pack which came with a 50w panel on the roof, 2 -80Ah batteries and the charge controller pre wired.

I made it clear when purchasing that I only boondock as there is no power where it is set up. I was told the system is sized to keep up with the fridge. After our first weekend in the trailer both batteries were drained in a little over 24 hours. I checked the amp draw from the fridge and it would range from 6 to 9amps when running. The solar panel with full sun produces 3amps. How was this system ever designed to work if you can’t produce enough power to keep up with the fridge running or to compensate for a cloudy day?

Could there be something wrong with my setup or is this a poor design?

Any help is appreciated.

Depending on how much sunlight your actually getting each day, A 200W solar / battery system will maintain a 12V fridge daily (if the fridge is the only thing using power). Less than that probably not. Based on actual experience.

[tomkatb]

Any battery charger will recharge your battery likely.

The question is time.

Most rv’s have a built in battery charger called a converter. Very expensive charger. They generally charge at a far higher rate than the typical portable charger. 30 amps vs 6.

So for most folks, just plug in the shore power.

Use a voltmeter see what is happening. Batteries not being charged are 0-12.6 volts. If yours reads over 9 likely there was minimal damage.

Plugging in the shore power the voltage at the battery terminals will be over 13. Your battery will be recharged likely in 12 hours. Retest your battery 2 hours after any charger is turned off.

A 25 watt solar panel on a good day will recharge your battery about 3 amps per day. Expect it to take forever to recharge your battery. It was designed to recharge a cell phone. Not an rv.

Your tv can recharge your battery at about 4-5 amps. Many days to recharge. If ever.

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

Any battery charger will recharge your battery likely.

The question is time.

Most rv’s have a built in battery charger called a converter. Very expensive charger. They generally charge at a far higher rate than the typical portable charger. 30 amps vs 6.

So for most folks, just plug in the shore power.

Use a voltmeter see what is happening. Batteries not being charged are 0-12.6 volts. If yours reads over 9 likely there was minimal damage.

Plugging in the shore power the voltage at the battery terminals will be over 13. Your battery will be recharged likely in 12 hours. Retest your battery 2 hours after any charger is turned off.

A 25 watt solar panel on a good day will recharge your battery about 3 amps per day. Expect it to take forever to recharge your battery. It was designed to recharge a cell phone. Not an rv.

Your tv can recharge your battery at about 4-5 amps. Many days to recharge. If ever.

I wouldn't say that anything over 9 volts is likely minimal damage. 9 volts is very low and likely to have caused some damage.

[Rhumblefish]

Interesting - so LiFePo 100% soc is 14.4 AND 13.6. New math, I guess.

[GravelRider]

Charging and rest. Most of the charts I've seen have both listed, though they usually have charging and rest underneath to avoid confusion. I'm not sure why they have the charging listed, to be honest.

[Rhumblefish]

Probably just to call it out as different from what most folks are used to with FLA…

Proof that a nice chart isn’t always indicative of good/clear/understandable data.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by GravelRider

Have you considered seeing an audiologist?

Seriously though, do you mean when idling or under load? Because under load (the only time I ever run it, because what's the point in having the generator on if it's not working), my Champion 3500 watt is nowhere near as quiet as you are advertising. Although it is quiet enough to be used in any campground, it's still a source of noise pollution.

And I can hear mine from 100+ feet away. It's certainly not noisy at that distance, but it can be heard from pretty far away (as can any invertor generator that size). If you can't hear yours from 10 feet away, your hearing is suspect, or you're a salesman working for champion... Because suggesting you can't hear a running genny at 10 feet is akin to the dealer telling the OP that his 50 watt solar setup can keep up with his fridge while boondocking.

The champions seem to be on the louder side . the last few weeks with out electric many generators were running IAN aftermath . my 2000W Champion was loud compared to me neighbors 3500w predator .The predator could not be heard 25' away or just barely

[tomkatb]

It is the math that got you.

In your situation you will likely need around 120 ah dc daily.

Your rv has two little car batteries capable of supplying 80 ah dc per day. Thus, as you drive along on a sunny day the tv and solar panel will provide likely less amps than the rv is consuming. Thus your batteries will be partially discharged at sundown. So, dependent on your electrical usage likely your batteries will be discharged before Dawn. No heater.

Without a battery monitor you will be sort of flying while blind.

Running most any generator once or twice a day would keep you going.

For now charge the batteries up at a campground and do some testing.

You have damaged your batteries some. They are the wrong choice in batteries anyway. Going to be changed soon.

Batteries are the weak link. Engineering 101. Batteries have not come a long way since 1890 and appear to being going nowhere slowly.

In your situation 800 watts of solar, a generator, a battery monitor, a 400 ah lithium battery, and a new converter are in the cards.

$3500 or more. Work on it a piece at a time.

Do not waste time. Most dealers do not care what you think.

[bikendan]

The OP has only posted the two posts here, which are nearly 2 months old. By now they have probably winterized the trailer and buttoned it up since they live in New Brunswick, Canada.

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