battery life

When my refrigerator is running on propane, I wanted to find out what the quiescent current (parasitic battery drain) is for the circuit board that controls the fridge and that measured 98mA. I have not been able to measure the fans with my meters yet because by the time I hear them and hook up the meters the fans shut off. The manufactures specification on the fan is 320 mA (.32 amps). There is a valve for turning on and off the propane and I haven’t measured that yet, but in looking at other low pressure DC solenoid propane valves it’s probably between 500mA-750mA. It does not run all the time so I will have to get my meters in place the next time I turn on the refrigerator and confirm all my measurements.

Originally posted by CharlieM These numbers seem very high. See JandL's posts above. That said, I concur with the two GC2 recommendation. The common dealer supplied Gp24 battery is ~80AH vs 220AH for the two golfers. A no brainer for me.

Regarding the refrigerator's use of electricity, it does draw about 1-1.5 amps (12-18 watts) of current to run the circuit board even when you're cooling it with propane.  With a regular marine battery (88 amp hours or so), this and the smoke and propane detectors (about another 1 amp) will draw your battery down to 50%, which you don't want to go below unless you really need to, in less than one full day.  That's why so many people who boondock with them either invest in a solar panel(s) or a generator to recharge the battery.

Welcome to the group!

North,

One more thing since you have not picked up the 179. If you ever want to upgrade to twin GC2 batteries, now is the time. Batteries are usually a dealer supplied and installed item. You should be able to negotiate a credit for his standard battery towards an upgrade. No point in paying for a smaller battery if you don't want it.