Jonnygsx wrote:
So what do you suggest I do then tuna? Spend the price of my trailer on solar and a massive battery bank?
Don't worry, Piano threw some next level info at you that (while completely true) doesn't mean you can't camp indefinitely with one 12V deep cell, your existing generator, and plenty of gas. The graphs demonstrate that while relatively easy to charge to 90%, it takes a lot more to "finish" it off to 100%. You can camp just fine starting from 90%, just be aware of it. Most of us start our trips at 100% by either plugging in for a few days before leaving or having solar working all day everyday while stored. 100W of solar could definitely do that in a storage setting, but it may fall behind if you are using the TT at the same time.
Your converter should definitely be upgraded to a 3-way smart charger converter, that would run ~$200. That will give you the best charging capability when on your generator, see the "boost" curve on the previous graph. Solar can also be used to obtain this same rapid charging capability, but you'd need much more than 100W. Others have posted options on good converters, I personally have never upgraded mine because I went the solar route.
There's no reason why you can't can't camp with just one 12V deep cell (or 2 6V in series). 2 x 6V will typically give you more Ah than a pair of 12V in parallel if you've got room for 2 batteries. If you never plan on running an inverter, then you don't "need" more than one 12V (or 2x6V) since you've got a generator to recharge when needed.
Keep in mind that the advice you are getting is based on our own needs; some of us are running TT's with minimal power needs and others have large coaches and need more power to run them the way they want. So that influences how much power we feel is necessary. The suggestion to do an energy audit is appropriate, but if you are a non-inverter/non AC power user while camping then you can assume you fall on the low end of power needs.
I suggest one of these for voltage monitoring.
INNOVA 3721 Battery and Charging System Monitor
It just plugs into a 12V outlet that every TT I've ever seen has somewhere inside. Keep in mind that while you are charging the batteries, it will reflect the voltage that the charger is putting out and not the true voltage of the batteries.
