Camplite Battery Charging

[whoofit]

So, you can see the complexity in properly charging a battery. When you add more than one battery to create a bank you now have to factor in the possibility of equalization that makes it all the more complicated. Equalization is not something regularly discussed in the RV world. In solar it is harped upon and people are taken to task for not doing it religiously. It is not needed as often in the RV world as the battery banks are less complex with fewer members but it will still need to be done every now and then, out of circuit, by a separate charging device.

Makes a lot of RVers go straight to genny.

That resting period David mentioned above is what I referred to as "skin effect". A good battery monitor eliminates this. As much as I enjoy testing and tinkering, as you can see by the others' posts above, it takes knowledge, time, tools and dedication with look up tables and general battery smarts bordering on a EE degree to replace a well designed smart battery monitor. At least until you know the trailer by heart and providing your battery bank is not aged significantly., and you have accounted for temperature variation...and on and on...

IF you are going to approach the boundaries of your battery bank's capacity, and want to trust all will be well, with no worries, and still be able to relax and enjoy the trip, then a good quality battery monitor is money well spent. I often compare it to a fuel gauge on the TV... nice to have, right?

[david]

I am a big fan of battery monitors. They do have to be set up right to work well with the amp hour capacity plugged in correctly. I had one on the first of four boats and one prior RV. But today I don't need it. Why?

I have a very simple one battery system. I can check the state of charge quite accurately with a specific gravity meter since I think I have a true deep cycle battery with removable water caps. For the first half dozen nights camping (not consecutive necessarily) after I got the trailer, I watched the SOC after a day, then two days and finally three. I learned that I was above 50% (the point at which you start harming a flooded cell battery) until well into the third day. I also learned that 4-5 hours of driving would take a 25% discharged battery back to near full charge.

So, with those two facts in mind, I have pretty much forgotten about it. I never camp more than two days at one place and if I at least drive a couple of hours to the second place I put enough charge back in to be above 50% at the end of the third day. Then I drive home and take the battery out and put it on a trickle charger until next time.

If you don't camp like me, and also don't camp where plug in power is available, a battery monitor might be useful. But I suspect that the great majority of LL campers don't camp for three straight days with no plug in power. If they do, then the addition of a pair of golf cart batteries (about triple the AH capacity of my single battery) will extend the no worries period to about a week of consecutive camping in one spot.

David

[whoofit]

Yes, that's just it. If you are not going to be bucking the limits of the battery then all is well. In Leslie's example she is looking for five days with who knows how much demand. It's hard enough to profile without measuring and with the advice she received regarding fully discharging AGMs this could easily spell disaster. A pair of AGMs cost a significant amount and well written warranties might just make that an out of pocket learning experience.

I went from one Group24 to one Group30 AGM then moved to two GC2's in my short ownership of less than one year. The Group24 was a bum battery straight from the dealer. The Group30 went to my son in law for his NFL tailgating addiction. The 2xGC2's are the type of power we need for the long winter nights. I am quite embarrassed to admit to our winter usage. Anything less than 2xGC2's are just inadequate in the winter but in the summer they will be overkill. Closely monitoring is much easier with the BM as our demand varies greatly.

[billmoore]

[quote source="/post/17213/thread" timestamp="1450366888" author="@whoofit"]Makes a lot of RVers go straight to genny.

That resting period David mentioned above is what I referred to as "skin effect". A good battery monitor eliminates this. As much as I enjoy testing and tinkering, as you can see by the others' posts above, it takes knowledge, time, tools and dedication with look up tables and general battery smarts bordering on a EE degree to replace a well designed smart battery monitor.
[/quote]LOL... I have an EE degree, and still went straight to genny!

[billmoore]

We rarely camp where there is power, so for us it was a no-brainer to just go with a generator. We've found that running the generator 30 minutes in the morning (which lets us use the espresso maker and microwave) and another 30 minutes around supper time keeps the batteries topped off without being too annoying to the neighbors (if there are any). We've gone 5 days like this with no problem.

Our generator is this one:

http://www.costco.com/Champion-2%2c800W-Running--3%2c100W-Peak-Digital-Inverter-Gas-Generator-%28CARB-50-State-compliant%29.product.100139466.html

$700 at Costco, and it is reasonably quiet at 58 Dba - you will hear it, but it isn't obnoxious like an open frame generator...

[whoofit]

[quote timestamp="1450372877" author="@billmoore" source="/post/17217/thread"]

Makes a lot of RVers go straight to genny.

That resting period David mentioned above is what I referred to as "skin effect". A good battery monitor eliminates this. As much as I enjoy testing and tinkering, as you can see by the others' posts above, it takes knowledge, time, tools and dedication with look up tables and general battery smarts bordering on a EE degree to replace a well designed smart battery monitor.

LOL... I have an EE degree, and still went straight to genny!
[/quote]We started bringing along the genny when we got the new TV and could swing the extra weight. Have not used it camping yet but figured why not? It just sits there at home looking all useless if we don't.

We have the Eu2000i with the tri fuel conversion. A lot of expense for an item we never really use. Expect to use it more next year with more substantial trips to more remote places like you do..

[david]

Billmore:

You have already gone the generator route, so this is for those who are thinking about it. This is an alternative:

Most summertime campers, use about 15-20 amp hours each day of camping. The single Group 24 or 27 battery typically delivered with a LL is rated at 60-75 amp hours and weighs 40-50 lbs. This battery will last for 2-3 days and stay above the recommended floor of 50% discharging. If you never camp for more than two days consecutively, you don't need anything else.

If you replace the single battery with a pair of golf cart batteries rated at 220 AH then your capacity triples and you can go 5 to 7 days and stay above 50%.

Frankly I would rather invest $300 in a battery box, some aluminum cross supports, two GC batteries and some wiring and never have to think about it again, much less run an annoying generator.

The generator costs more, uses gasoline which you have to store and carry, weighs about as much as the additional batteries that replace it, ..... What isn't to like. Well, I don't have a good answer for the expresso maker ;-).

David

[leslie]

My eyes are glazing over. I can see the advantage of an SOC. My husband is an EE. I am going to have him read this thread, and the other threads about batteries and let him decide. Anything else he needs to consider?

This summer we are going to take baby steps with boondocking, so we figure out how to make water and batteries last.

[billmoore]

Good points David! For us the need to carry gasoline is a non-issue since we have a toy hauler and need gas for the toys anyway.

One other plus to the generator - you can run the AC.

We have only had to do this once, in a hot spell last summer where temps were topping 100F. When we got the trailer, I thought we'd never use it living here in the PNW where summer temps rarely exceed 80, but last summer saw many 90+ days and a few 100+...

[whoofit]

There really is no substitute for the genny if you intend to use the trailer at it's fullest without being grid tied is there? Every experience differs. We came from a tent/tarp/hammock to a seasonal seashore site with an old TT, to the CL for more mobility. We do fall asleep to movies, stream video and music, run a 4G booster and run the AC sometimes too.

If not, we could do near as well in a tent. It's nice to be able to indulge a bit when we feel like it. So far it has happened mostly on grid.

[daplumbr]

Here are a great set of articles on deep cycle batteries.

http://www.solar-electric.com/deep-cycle-battery-information-faq.html/

[easwen]

Anyone convert their trailer to Photo voltaic power?

[daplumbr]

Several folks have installed or use solar panels to help charge batteries off-line. Run a search using the term solar and many threads will pop up. Of course I'm sure you know you can't run an RV air conditioner on solar so you can't convert entirely to photovoltaic if you need air conditioning! 

[drake]

We went with this setup which we found from recommendations on here.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HR8YNK6/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1466310525&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=renogy+solar+panel+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51reDjTwDRL&ref=plSrch

Haven't used it camping yet, but tested it in the yard and it's pretty awesome.  

[spot1]

One guy on the Oliver forum with factory installed solar panels and 2000W inverter figured out how to run his 13.5K ac with on-board batteries for a few hours while at rest areas.


http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/ac-running-on-batteries/