battery/batteries

[droid_ca]

just wondering how many people have more then one battery and if so how many you got......I just ordered a new tv today that runs ion 12 volts but thought wouldn't it be nice to have a battery just for it as well as one for the lights and all the other accessories to make my extended camping trips more enjoyable

[Shadow Catcher]

Batteries tend to be heavy, more than the solar panel to keep it chargeded

[48Rob]

I'm running two batteries, though they are 6 volt tied together to get 12.

I do take a small 12 Amp hour scooter battery with a cigar plug attached to it to run my fan on extended trips, so if I fall asleep I won't draw down the main batteries too much.

I have a 12 volt television, which gets its power from a transformer.
I chose it so when connected to shore power, it would run on 120, and when no power was available, from the battery bank.
I have both sources connected to a relay so the switching is automatic.
I also have the 12 volt battery supply to the TV. switched, as it will draw power in the standby mode.

Having a second battery is a wise choice if you're going to be out for a while.

Rob

[astrotrailer]

I have 2 6 volt 220 amp hour trojan batteries in series to provide 220 amp hours at 12 volts. I use a Sunsaver MTTP solar charger with 240 watts of solar to keep them charged. I run a lot of 12 volt stuff including laptops, astronomy mounts and imaging cameras, DC fridge and LED lighting.

The pair of batteries way a bunch but I don't worry about running out of power.

[8ball_99]

I just have the one since its on the tongue of the trailer. I didn't really want the weight of two batteries up there. I would only split up the batteries if your worried about the TV draining them over night or something. I mean how much power does it pull? If thats the case you could always put an isolator between the two and hook the TV to one and the lights, ect to the other. That way the charger would charge both but the TV wouldn't pull from both. Only way to figure out how many batteries or how much Amp hours you need is to figure your load. Kind of have to remember that batteries have a pretty limited life.. Standard Deepcycle might get you 3 years or so. Better AGM batteries might get you 5 years or so IF you take care of them. Point is if you only need one it will save you money in replacement cost and towing weight.. If you need 2 or 3 and you only buy one you will probably kill that one by discharging it to much to often..

Solar is also an option.. But if you need 60 amp hours from after noon to till morning that solar won't help a single 110 amp battery

[glenpinpat]

as posted you need to figure out amp draw before you decide how many batteries. I have a single marine deep cycle type 31 in ours and it will keep our 12v cooler running for 48 hours before needing a recharge. If I have shore power where we are staying I leave the battery at home as my td has an inverter.

[Synthesis]

I have a single Marine Deep Cycle type 31 in my teardrop located under the floor just forward of the axle. I have room for a second identical battery immediately next to it.
I also have a 60 amp converter with charger when on shore power.

I plan on adding the second battery to the system when funds permit, allowing me to boondock for several days at a time.

[droid_ca]

I usually like to camp for extended periods of time I went tent camping for a month an the only time I fired up the car was to recharge my cell phone and once to make a quick store run but that was a 2 mile trip so I don't like to usually like to run the car but battery power would be essential to catch up on news and what not as well as some entertainment would be nice I'm not to concerned with weight my truck is a 3/4 ton I would like to do some solar to keep everything happy but I still get really confused on it I'll also have a few lights and have been thinking about a mattress pad as well so there will be a few juice hogging items thats why the need for more batteries... hope that helps

[48Rob]

so I will leave this tread a lone enough said.

Mr. Cowboy,

If you actually would leave it alone, and learn to accept that different people have different ideas of what camping is/means, we would all be better off, as throwing your opinion out there and then saying you'll leave it alone is like slapping someone and saying, "I'm going to leave you alone now" and expect that they won't slap you back.

We respect your view of what camping is.
We don't try to put you down because that is what you believe.
People really can get along and be friends even if they believe different things, it only takes a little respect from each person.

Rob

[8ball_99]

If your thinking about camping for weeks at a time with out moving and want to run a TV, ect. You really have no option but either solar or a generator. Or both for that matter. You really need to pall park your usage.. Figure how much power you will need in a 24 hour period then go from there. Problem with solar is the cost per watt. It takes a lot of solar to run very much. But for extended boon docking camping trips like your talking about its probably worth having some solar. You might not be able to just use solar, but it will reduce generator use.

As for running your tow vehicle for charing your camper.. I'm sorry but thats not a great idea with any two vehicle.. Your much better adding a battery or bringing a long a generator for that. As far as his being a 3/4 ton that doesn't matter.. If his truck is a diesel then it uses 1/3-1/2 the gas at idle then say a 93 F150 does...

Different strokes for different folks.. We go camping to go off road 4x4 riding or kayaking.. We don't just camp to camp. We camp to be close to the trails we ride. I also just don't like hotels. You have to remember some people on here are from the cargo trailer conversion forum, Like droid_ca is. So we have larger trailers then the teardrop guys and most of us have different uses for them. Like toy haulers. Also in my case I have a wife and two kids that go with me.. With 4 people in a trailer just running basic stuff adds up to some power usage on a 4 day weekend..

[terryjones1]

I had planned on buying a Group 31 12 V AGM battery.

Instead, I found an "Exide XMC-31 MEGACYCLE AGM-200 Sealed Maintenance Free (AGM) Marine Battery" for $191.65 at Amazon.
Shipping was free.
This is a D4 size battery.
This price is around the same price as a Group 31 AGM battery.
I could not pass it up.

I am scheduled to receive the battery on 11 Aug 2011.

[StandUpGuy]

so I will leave this tread a lone enough said.

Mr. Cowboy,

If you actually would leave it alone, and learn to accept that different people have different ideas of what camping is/means, we would all be better off, as throwing your opinion out there and then saying you'll leave it alone is like slapping someone and saying, "I'm going to leave you alone now" and expect that they won't slap you back.

We respect your view of what camping is.
We don't try to put you down because that is what you believe.
People really can get along and be friends even if they believe different things, it only takes a little respect from each person.

Rob

Yes and the cool thing is all the people here have something in common. We all like to camp in one form or another and we like to build unique trailers. They are all different and frankly I am very glad they are. How dull it would be if we all were like robots doing exactly the same thing.

[48Rob]

Hi Terry,

Is the battery you found on Amazon a deep cycle battery, or are you using it for another purpose?
It looks like it accepts more charging cycles, and is a "rough duty" battery, but I can't find info on the Amp hour capacity?

Rob

[parnold]

Just for a point of interest, I just got back from a two night camping trip. I use my lights very little, but did charge my cell phone a couple times, and first night had the fantastic fan on and off all night. The second night I ran the fantastic fan the whole time.

I have a Doc Wattson meter installed, and my usage was exactly 7 amp hours. In theory I have about 50 usable amp hours in my 100 amp hour battery so at that rate of usage I could go 14 days. In all actuality if I had stayed another night, I would have had to charge both my tablet and my netbook. So much depends on how many gadgets you have, and how much you use your lights.

[8ball_99]

Just for a point of interest, I just got back from a two night camping trip. I use my lights very little, but did charge my cell phone a couple times, and first night had the fantastic fan on and off all night. The second night I ran the fantastic fan the whole time.

I have a Doc Wattson meter installed, and my usage was exactly 7 amp hours. In theory I have about 50 usable amp hours in my 100 amp hour battery so at that rate of usage I could go 14 days. In all actuality if I had stayed another night, I would have had to charge both my tablet and my netbook. So much depends on how many gadgets you have, and how much you use your lights.

That Wattson meter is pretty cool. What size wires does it have coming out of it? That would be very helpful for anyone considering solar. Set the trailer up in the drive way and run it through its typical camping paces and you have a pretty exact record of usage..

I'm surprised your usage was so low. I thought a fantastic fan pulled something like 1.5 amp on low. Just running it over night should have used 7 amps