Forum Discussion

ybconway's avatar
ybconway
Explorer
Sep 26, 2020

House batteries

So this is our first excursion with our RV. We bought second hand from a rental group. The RV has been in a storage lot with a few small trips to the house and then a 3 hour drive to our non electrified campground. We have spent one night without worrying about electrical consumption. Had the outside light on, interior lights, the fan on the furnace. When we got here the meter was showing 12.5 Volts. This morning it is at 12.2.
Is this normal?
I didn't really want to run the generator just because of the noise but am I at the the downside limit?
The unit is going into storage for in a couple of weeks and we will probably do some shorter day trips till then. I will get some new house batteries ASAP if these are shot.
Thanks.
Doug C
Class C
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    Sep 26, 2020
    Yes, it is normal.

    The batteries need to be fully recharged. The sane way to do that is with shore power.

    3 hours of driving won't be enough to fully recharge the battery bank.

    Look into adding a modest solar system to recharge the battery bank in between trips.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Sep 26, 2020
    “I didn't really want to run the generator just because of the noise...”

    A solar system doesn’t make any noise, recharges depleted batteries and keeps them charged during storage. Daily full recharging when camping and keeping batteries charged when in storage are the keys to battery long life.
  • jdc1's avatar
    jdc1
    Explorer II
    Sep 26, 2020
    And maybe get a Mr. Buddy heater. A lot less electrical & propane use...and no electrical use.
  • corvettekent's avatar
    corvettekent
    Explorer
    Sep 26, 2020
    This would be normal with the use of the furnace. You need to think about conserving battery power when not plugged in. If you plan on using your RV without being plugged in you should think about adding 200 - 400 watts of solar panels.

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