Possible to run heat at night without killing your batteries

check your ground wire from Batteries to the chassis!

OhhWell wrote:
If it's not, there is either a new onboard genset, solar panels or a standalone genset.

Generators don't charge batteries, battery chargers do (either converters or inverter/charger combo units). Adding auto-start or getting another generator will just leave him with the same problem and that's his batteries are either not getting charged at all or not getting charged to full often enough. It's really simple to figure out whether or not the batteries are getting charged and doesn't require 7 pages of gen auto-start discussion to get this done either.

MrWizard wrote:
the OP did say desert
he did NOT say he was by himself, with no other campers around

even by himself, he may not be happy with his genset auto starting at 4am or earlier, auto start won't wait until the battery is dead

our genset is under OUR bed, we don't know where his is located
this is a battery amp hours/capacity and recharge ISSUE

you have to have enough, and you have to recharge them to 'near full'
with a proper monitoring system
the built in 'indicator' lights are not enough

even the OEM mfg setup should last at least ONE night of furnace heat

the batteries are bad, or the OP likes it extremely warm

everybody has their OWN comfort zone

NEW batteries and more of them, is a start, but he going to need to do Proper Near full recharging 'everyday'

when i used to week end camp and vacation camp
most of the day was spent outside, then a few hours around the campfire, and maybe read some before bed

now i full time, and i'm here on this forum
plus movies etc..
i use tens times the power, i used to use, and none of it has anything to do with staying warm

unless i'm camping with electric hookup

Power Management is #1 on the do list
its a 24/7 situation

So, new batteries and...... Genset autostart? (and a proper charge controller if his is not multi-stage) They don't go off at 4am because you can program quiet times in. It will run before quiet time as well to top off the batteries. I really don't see a cheaper and better way around it. I don't know why you are so opposed to the autostart as that addresses the charging portion of the problem.

The OPs original post however about turning the engine over to charge the batteries makes me wonder about the state or existence of an onboard genset. If it's not, there is either a new onboard genset, solar panels or a standalone genset.

the OP did say desert
he did NOT say he was by himself, with no other campers around

even by himself, he may not be happy with his genset auto starting at 4am or earlier, auto start won't wait until the battery is dead

our genset is under OUR bed, we don't know where his is located
this is a battery amp hours/capacity and recharge ISSUE

you have to have enough, and you have to recharge them to 'near full'
with a proper monitoring system
the built in 'indicator' lights are not enough

even the OEM mfg setup should last at least ONE night of furnace heat

the batteries are bad, or the OP likes it extremely warm

everybody has their OWN comfort zone

NEW batteries and more of them, is a start, but he going to need to do Proper Near full recharging 'everyday'

when i used to week end camp and vacation camp
most of the day was spent outside, then a few hours around the campfire, and maybe read some before bed

now i full time, and i'm here on this forum
plus movies etc..
i use tens times the power, i used to use, and none of it has anything to do with staying warm

unless i'm camping with electric hookup

Power Management is #1 on the do list
its a 24/7 situation

Hi jhilley,

This is misinformation. All combustion heaters may produce CO, under the right conditions (such as depleted O2) and most do. Any time there is any orange to a flame there is incomplete combustion and that will have a CO component.

jhilley wrote:
We have a Big Buddy heater, but don't use it at night. It doesn't make CO,

OhhWell wrote:

It didn't sound to me like the OP was in a campground.

You are exactly right. My mistake. The OP DID say camping in the desert.

gasguzler wrote:
small generator


This will run all night on a tank of gas and is cheap, quiet. I have one because it is cheaper to run than a 5500 Onan unless I need more power.

Run, don't walk from that thing. That was originally a Yamaha ET800 clone made in the 1970s. It is not designed for anything that is sensitive and if one looks at YouTube videos of the voltage spikes it puts out (no regulation circuits), it should not go near one's RV.

Not to mention it is also loud, fiddly (you have to break it in just right, and that is after you pulled the spark plug and modified the choke to close all the way), and smoky.

I tell people to spend a couple more C-notes and get a Champion generator with voltage regulation. That way, going cheap on the generator won't cost big bucks down the road with other electrical items failing due to surges and spikes.

In any case, the OP has a few solutions for the issue:

1: Expand the battery bank as mentioned above.
2: Add a solar rig.
3: If the OP has a single stage converter, toss it now and get a better one (the five-stage "charge wizard" types are not that expensive and will help batteries, especially with pendant activated desulfating modes.)
4: If expense isn't an issue, consider an EFOY fuel cell that uses methanol cartridges. These are not going to keep your A/C running, but they will run fairly silently and help balance out the charge that the furnace takes up.
5: Use a generator controller either from Magnum Energy or Onan. Those can be set to fire up the generator for a few hours when the batteries end up low. One can also set quiet hours as well.

Of course, there are Mr. Buddy heaters. I have a Big Buddy, but I loaned it to some tent campers (since their tent is so drafty, the oxygen use isn't an issue, and even then, I tossed them a CO detector.) A Buddy heater has to be vented for oxygen and to help get rid of water vapor, has to be placed on a non-flammable surface, and have the propane tank placed outside unless one doesn't mind changing those little bottles every 3-4 hours.

No matter how many batteries you add, if you don't have an efficient way to charge them quickly, your problem will persist. The converter/charger in your motor home is probably a single stage and would take many hours to recharge batteries, especially if under sized. About 400 watts of solar power and a new converter and 4 new GC2 batteries should get you going in the right direction. The auto generator start is a nice option. We have a Big Buddy heater, but don't use it at night. It doesn't make CO, but does deplete O2. You can buy 100 watt solar panels now for $130ea. A charge controller will be another $160. Wire will probably add another $200. So for about $900 and DIY install you would have a good solar charging system.

mena661 wrote:

down home wrote:

If it is that cold, he wouldn't be the only one with the generator running. I think he is boon docking or he would be connected to power and there would be no problem.

I don't know of any campground that allows running the generator at 4am. Like MrWiz said, those are quiet hours. Maybe if you were down in Glamis but that's not a CG.

It didn't sound to me like the OP was in a campground.

down home wrote:

If it is that cold, he wouldn't be the only one with the generator running. I think he is boon docking or he would be connected to power and there would be no problem.

I don't know of any campground that allows running the generator at 4am. Like MrWiz said, those are quiet hours. Maybe if you were down in Glamis but that's not a CG.