Battery strength indicators

[HappyKayakers]

Can anyone tell me how accurate the standard battery gauge is? Should I treat them the same as the holding tank gauges? I'm dry camping without a generator, possibly for 10 days. Just running refer on propane and the water pump sometimes. Very little use of lights. I just have the stock 12v battery that came with the RV.

 

[westxsrt10]

One battery will last you about one night depending on the size of the battery and power usage. Two batteries last us one night but we use the TV and microwave at random.

 

[Riverman]

Our battery meter is MUCH more reliable than the holding tank gauges.
I don't think you will make anywhere near 10 days with one 12V battery tho.
We only got 3 days with extremely limited use of lights etc.
I doubt you will make it past 2 days if your furnace runs at all.
The multiple 6V batteries are definately the way to fly with no generator.

 

[newbie]

I have four large batteries and installed a voltage meter to monitor battery life, like this:

I have found this the best way to monitor my battery level. It was cheap and easy to install

John

 

[HappyKayakers]

Our battery meter is MUCH more reliable than the holding tank gauges.
I don't think you will make anywhere near 10 days with one 12V battery tho.
We only got 3 days with extremely limited use of lights etc.
I doubt you will make it past 2 days if your furnace runs at all.
The multiple 6V batteries are definately the way to fly with no generator.

Thanks for the comment about the meter. My first time through dry camp, I did 4 days but forgot to check the meter before moving to full hookups. I don't run the furnace at all. I've spent way too much time tent camping and backpacking. I use candles and headlamps when it gets dark and hit the sack early. Would it help if I hooked up the truck umbilical every other day or so?

 

[hoefler]

Only if you have the truck running. But it will take longer than you think to restore the charge on the battery.

 

[watchthebox]

Like others have said, I don't believe you'll get anywhere near 10 days dry camping with stock 12V battery and no generator. I barely made it overnight with intermittent furnace use. And you don't want to fully drain the battery (use more than 50% of it's capacity), or it supposedly will decrease it's longevity.

If you want an even more accurate measure of battery charge, you can install a shunt and battery monitor, like this http://www.amazon.com/Linklite-Batt...IR08/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1297279990&sr=8-6 or this http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...43&familyName=Victron+BMV+600+Battery+Monitor .

 

[TeJay]

Hi to all,
As had been said having two 6-V batteries connected in series is the best way to go. You'll get twice the amperage output of a 12 V battery. There is no real easy way of determining the charge capacity of your batteries unless you use a specialized current loading device which is not easy to transport and is expensive. However with a digital volt meter battery voltage can give a good indication. A fully charged battery will have 12.6 volts +/-. Make a chart and this will help. 12.6V = 100%, 12.5V = 90%, 12.42V = 80%, 12.32V = 70%, 12.20V = 60%, 12.06V = 50%, 11.9V = 40%, 11.75V = 30%. As was reported having a digital voltage gauge hooked up will update you in regards to the batteries charge condition. As you can see by the battery voltage readings a non digital meter will not accurately display these small differences in voltages.
I hope this helps.
TeJay

 

[Bob Vaughn]

I have a 12volt voltage meter that plugs into a cigarette lighter type receptacle which I have had in all my other campers but my 3250ts does not have one so I do not know how I will check the actual volts of my battery...

 

[SJH]

I have a 12volt voltage meter that plugs into a cigarette lighter type receptacle which I have had in all my other campers but my 3250ts does not have one so I do not know how I will check the actual volts of my battery...

How about a regular volt meter? Nice to have in the tool box for many issues!

 

[wyleyrabbit]

My solar panel regulator came with a handy volt meter that always tells me the voltage of our batteries. I've checked its accuracy with my real volt meter, and it's bang on. Plus the solar panels will help keep my batteries charged.

 

[HappyKayakers]

Yeehaw! Out of dry camp and on a partial hookup site. Only had to dry camp for 8 days. Battery meter went from Good to Fair a couple of times. I hooked up the truck and ran the engine about 2 hrs total during that 8 days. It's a good thing the bathhouse and laundry were so close. Used the laundry to recharge the laptop.