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in2thefire
Newbie
Joined: 06 Oct 2020
Location: Alabama
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Posts: 9
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Topic: Furnace/Battery Question Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 1:43am |
Hi everyone,
I am new to RVing and just got a 2020 R-Pod 180. Have taken 4 trips so far and will go on first trip in a few days where I may need to use furnace at night. I have just the one battery that came with it and I have a Champion dual fuel 3500W generator to use to recharge the battery. Do I need to run the generator all night to keep the battery charged while the furnace is running or let battery handle it overnight and then crank up generator next morning to recharge battery?
Thanks!
________________________ 2020 R-Pod 180 2020 Subaru Ascent
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jato
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Feb 2012
Location: Kewadin, MI
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Posts: 3255
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 4:10am |
You should be good to go assuming your battery is in good condition and fully charged. Do NOT run your refrigerator on battery as that will toast it in a matter of hours. I have a pair of 12 volt Interstate group size 24 batteries that are over 9.5 years old. Last year as we podded in RMNP and Utah for a month and would go 6 - 7 days on our batteries as we boondocked in temps that were almost always 48 or less at night, this was in the month of September. That was without any assistance from solar or generator usage.
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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Tars Tarkas
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Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Location: Near Nashville
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Posts: 1447
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 8:16am |
You should be fine overnight without the generator, and depending on where you're camping, you won't be allowed to use the generator anyway. But, if you can use it, or if you are somewhere with electric hookups, you should consider a small electric heater. Much quieter than the onboard furnace. If you're at a campground with hookups you're already paying for the electricity, so why not use it instead of your propane?
As Jato said, don't even think about running the fridge on 12v power.
TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 9:11am |
Here are the numbers. The furnace current consumption when running is about 2 amps. The furnace doesn’t run continuously, let’s say it has a 50% duty cycle, pretty typical unless it’s really cold. That means the furnace will require about 12 amp hours a day. Your single battery if in good shape will have a capacity of about 100 amp hours, and you shouldn’t take it below about 50%, so that means it should be able to handle the furnace for about 4 days before needing to recharge, if the furnace was the only load you had. Of course, you’re probably also using the lights, water pump, water heater (yes the water heater does use a small amount of electricity in operation), and maybe running some electronics, so using more capacity than just the furnace fan.
I would recommend firing up the generator every late afternoon to bring the battery back up to full charge for overnight use. An hour of operation or so should be plenty unless you’re really consuming a lot of power. That’s a good time to use the microwave for dinner prep if you want. Turn off the water heater, water pump, and any lights you’re not actually using.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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in2thefire
Newbie
Joined: 06 Oct 2020
Location: Alabama
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Posts: 9
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 9:43am |
Thank you all so much. This information is extremely helpful. We will be off grid no campground in sight for 400 acres.😁
2020 R-Pod 180
2020 Subaru Ascent
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podwerkz
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Joined: 11 Mar 2019
Location: Texas
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Posts: 966
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 1:54pm |
If you plan to do a lot of boondocking in cold weather there are other more efficient solutions for heating, along with auxiliary batteries and solar panels.
RV furnaces are noisy, suck DC power and also drain your propane rapidly. But they are safe, simple to operate, and included when you write that big check.
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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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in2thefire
Newbie
Joined: 06 Oct 2020
Location: Alabama
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 3:20pm |
Yes, I’m pre-wired for solar and plan to look into that. The dealer had zero information for me when I asked about it SOOOOOOOO I have to find out if there is a specific solar panel manufacturer I should be looking at or if any generic think will do.
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in2thefire
Newbie
Joined: 06 Oct 2020
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 9
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 3:20pm |
Yes, I’m pre-wired for solar and plan to look into that. The dealer had zero information for me when I asked about it so I have to find out if there is a specific solar panel manufacturer I should be looking at or if any generic think will do.
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 5:20pm |
You don't have to use the brand of solar module that your rPod is supposedly prewired for. Any reputable brand will do. If you want to get started with solar the easiest is to get a portable kit including a charge controller and connect it directly to your battery via an inline fuse while you're camping. That way you can move it around to be in direct sun and get started without having to install something permanent on the roof. If you want to you can later install it on the roof and/or add a second module.
I designed and tested solar modules for many years for a living and I highly recommend you get a standard glass surface solar module with an aluminum frame, NOT a so-called "flexible" module with a plastic surface. The glass ones will last 30 plus years, the "flexible" ones a few years if you're lucky. Solar cells are crystalline silicon and are NOT flexible. 100 watts is a good starting point, get a charge controller that handle 20 amps and you can add another 100 watts later without needed to change controllers.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290
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Posted: 31 Oct 2020 at 7:38pm |
Originally posted by podwerkz
If you plan to do a lot of boondocking in cold weather there are other more efficient solutions for heating, along with auxiliary batteries and solar panels.
RV furnaces are noisy, suck DC power and also drain your propane rapidly. But they are safe, simple to operate, and included when you write that big check. |
I agree that the furnace uses battery power, but its not a lot, as I point out in my earlier post. They are also certainly noisy.
As for draining the propane rapidly, relative to what? I doubt that the furnace efficiency (roughly 75-80%) is any worse than an alternative catalytic heater would be once you provide adequate ventilation for it both for safety and to avoid condensation, and probably better on a cold or high humidity night. Someone would have to do some side by side testing to prove that one way or the other, maintaining the same inside temperature using both heating systems while monitoring CO and condensation. Otherwise it's just marketing chatter from the cat heater companies.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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