Dry camping with furnace on
I was dry camping this weekend and had to put the furnace on for the first time. I was worried that I would kill the battery if I ran the furnace overnight. I was right :(. The house battery was ...
Forum Discussion
ragdogs..well now..you have opened a can of worms, haven't you. Not bad for a newbie. Once you ask a question that has to do with batteries, generator output, solar...prepare to be here a long long time reading.
I do want to comment on something you said..."battery charged quickly with motor"..naw..it didn't. Batteries charge from the bottom up BUT..when really down like yours? will grab what is called a surface charge...a floating charge that sits just on top of the plates and gives a false reading on your panel. It was already noted by a poster, that a flat/dead battery needs to be charged for an extended time. If you have a battery charger at home? 12 hrs..if you don't have one..it would be like a 14 hr drive..no kidding. So..for one thing..go to CDN Tire and get a battery charger. Not a jumper..a charger. They are a good thing to have on board anyway but for sure, at home. If you have it on board and you have same problem..you find a plug-in. I have two..on board and home.
If you don't understand all of the texts about amps and volts and testers and that stuff...you are not alone. Most of us don't but we don't like to admit it.
Find someone you think you can understand and send them a note asking for help. I can recommend someone if you like.
You will want to find a good RV shop, if you don't already have one..one that has folks that talk to you, not at you. That can tell you what you need to
know about power and your RV. Here..let me start...an RV has..HAS..to have power. It gets it in one of three ways. A generator, solar or plugged in. Batteries are the recipient of juice and then the giver...but they need to get it from somewhere. Yes? Batteries need to be replenished/fed....all of the time.
Gary Haupt
BC, Canada
I do want to comment on something you said..."battery charged quickly with motor"..naw..it didn't. Batteries charge from the bottom up BUT..when really down like yours? will grab what is called a surface charge...a floating charge that sits just on top of the plates and gives a false reading on your panel. It was already noted by a poster, that a flat/dead battery needs to be charged for an extended time. If you have a battery charger at home? 12 hrs..if you don't have one..it would be like a 14 hr drive..no kidding. So..for one thing..go to CDN Tire and get a battery charger. Not a jumper..a charger. They are a good thing to have on board anyway but for sure, at home. If you have it on board and you have same problem..you find a plug-in. I have two..on board and home.
If you don't understand all of the texts about amps and volts and testers and that stuff...you are not alone. Most of us don't but we don't like to admit it.
Find someone you think you can understand and send them a note asking for help. I can recommend someone if you like.
You will want to find a good RV shop, if you don't already have one..one that has folks that talk to you, not at you. That can tell you what you need to
know about power and your RV. Here..let me start...an RV has..HAS..to have power. It gets it in one of three ways. A generator, solar or plugged in. Batteries are the recipient of juice and then the giver...but they need to get it from somewhere. Yes? Batteries need to be replenished/fed....all of the time.
Gary Haupt
BC, Canada
