Furnace and battery

John Hammond wrote:
Here are a few of the recommendations I've received regarding running out of power when dry camping and running the furnace on battery power: Please comment on what you think of these ideas:
1) Keep the overnight temperature set lower.
2) Charge the batteries during the day by running the truck engine while the truck is connected to the trailer.
3) Leave the truck connected to the trailer at night so the truck battery can supply extra power to run the furnace.
4) Get a larger solar panel.
5) Buy two more batteries and swap them during our trips.
6) Use sleeping bags to stay warm.
7) Clean the battery terminals (done).
8) Buy a generator to change the batteries during the day.

Anyone have any thoughts about these ideas?

John

comments:
1) what we do,sleep under a quilt. Furnace cycling wakes us up, but you will still need battery in the morning
2) given the way alternators work along with the long run to the trailer, you'd likely need to run the truck all day long
3) yup, and in the morning truck battery is dead, trailer battery dead, and your hosed
4) you'd need more solar and what do you do when it is not sunny
5) one battery set should get your through at least 1 day, then a generator and a GOOD converter (not the likely WFCO) and in 2hrs or so your at 85% SOC and good to go. WFCO would mean running the generator almost all day, seldom do they go into bulk charge mode.
8) even with lots of solar, there are times when sun doesn't shine and in the end you need a generator. Get a quite 2000W generator.

But first, there is something amis if you can't make it through the night. And you mention a alarm going off, what is the alarm? normally there is nothing in the trailer that will alarm at low voltage.

and with the alarm going off does the furnace still put out hot air?