battery life |
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danorte
Newbie Joined: 31 May 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Topic: battery life Posted: 31 May 2016 at 6:04pm |
Good afternoon R podders. I am the new owner of a 179. Will pick it up thur. We are coming out of a 17 Spirit Deluxe Casita. We dry camp mostly and have never had a battery problem. I have noticed that the 179 seems to have more use of electrons than we are used to. However does this unit use more when not hooked up. I read somewhere that the Fridge uses 12 v power when on the propane. I know of the furnace and that is not an issue but using a battery in 3 days seems to me quite a bit high usage. We could go a week in the Casita. Just trying to plan whether to go to the twin battery system or not.? Thanks for the great site. North
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6326 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 7:02pm |
Things that use 12V power include both the refrigerator (to operate the panel and fans) and the CO/LP detector. We opted to go with dual 6V batteries (connected in series) as I use a CPAP machine and did not want to run out of power in the middle of the night. We did some dry camping, but nothing longer than overnight. That was while running the refrigerator on propane and using the furnace. During the time we were camping, the temperature dropped into the 20s, so the furnace ran quite a bit. The only time we pulled the battery down was the first night out when I had the refrigerator on 12V power. I did not realize it would take so much power. I learned quickly that the refrigerator is best run on propane or 110V.
I really don't know how many days I could go on our setup while dry camping. I'll have to test and see. |
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 7:07pm |
Full disclosure: I do not have a 179, but I can start the discussion. The RPODs are not any more or less demanding than any other camper of its size. The 4 cu ft fridge does require some 12V power for its control electronics, but this is minimal. It DOES NOT have the frame heater you may be thinking of that is only on the larger two door fridges. The propane/CO detector also draws battery current constantly and will run down the battery if left unplugged for 2-3 weeks. This is common and required on all new campers. The water pump, lights, and furnace will draw as they are used, but nothing you shouldn't be familiar with from your Casita. That said I strongly recommend installing two 6V GC2 golf cart batteries if you are planning dry camping.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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podrunner
Senior Member Joined: 30 May 2013 Location: Draper, UT Online Status: Offline Posts: 106 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 7:08pm |
Welcome to the site...I will give you my .02 since you asked. I have a single group 27 battery and it serves me fine. I just returned from a 3 night dry camping trip and my battery showed 12.48 volts after being used for the 3 days. I have LED lights, did not use the heater much, limited use of the fan, pumped through 35 gallons of water and watched the DVD player for about 2 hours. ( I have the older audiovox 9" that I run through an inverter). The refrigerator does require some 12V power for electronics, but I suspect it is minimal. I think you are fine with one battery, although many on here seem to think dual 6V golf cart batteries are the only way to go. My battery is new this year, toward the end of last year my old battery was failing and I did connect directly with jumper cables to my tow vehicle to add a bit of charge on one longer camp out. This is a great way to add a few amps without having to buy a second battery. Start with one battery, and you can always add a second battery if you run short on amps on longer camping trips. Happy Trails...
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2010 R Pod 151
2017 4runner 2006 Honda Metropolitan |
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JandL
Senior Member Joined: 29 Mar 2014 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 364 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 7:51pm |
I also have a single group 31 battery that serves me well and solar to help out as long as the sun is out. On my 2012 the Propane detector draws .07 amps, my CO2 detector is a separate unit that runs on it's own 9 volt battery. When I am running my refrigerator on propane the control part of it draws .10 amp, and when the 2 DC cooling fans kick in they draw .32 amps each. They only come on once in a while. You can check out my post "TYPICAL BATTERY RUN TIMES" to get a general idea how long things will run
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7955&title=typical-battery-run-times |
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JandL
2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 8:00pm |
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. |
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3257 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 8:05pm |
I will add another .01 cents worth here. I have 2 12v marine batteries, we dry camp quite a bit in the shoulder seasons (April-May) (September-October) as work allows. That being said, we normally will get 3-4 days out of each battery before switching to the other. The main usage is the furnace, when it gets in the 40's or less at night, the furnace runs quite a bit. Have never seen how long one will last in the summer months, I would assume much longer since I wouldn't be running the furnace. Our batteries are going on year number 6 of faithful service.
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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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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4517 |
Posted: 31 May 2016 at 9:46pm |
Welcome to the group!
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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danorte
Newbie Joined: 31 May 2016 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3 |
Posted: 01 Jun 2016 at 9:20am |
Thank you all for the rapid reply. I did not realize the vast difference in just a few years on the trailer electronics. Will look into the dual battery. We have not had a furnace in quite a while but remember our old Solaris that would suck the battery and LP dry in one night. We have used a buddy heater that kept us cozy. I did not know of the detectors using power but on the list one of you listed all the amps utilized. So.... Thank you. Will see you on the road. From the Carson National forest. Good day. North
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WillThrill
Senior Member Joined: 04 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 298 |
Posted: 02 Jun 2016 at 2:45pm |
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.
I would strongly urge you to get two golf cart batteries rather than a single marine or deep cycle battery. Two regular golf cart batteries will have nearly double the capacity of a marine battery, and they can withstand more punishment as well.
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"Not all those who wander are lost." Tolkien
2014 Hood River 177 2005 GMC Envoy XL |
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