How to Increase Battery Capacity
After spending 10+ years studying RVs prior to buying one I’m amazed at what I still don’t know! Turns out the cure for that is this amazing forum. The latest issue I’m lost about is a LOT more ...
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Here are my two cents' worth -- we do a LOT of boondocking. (Check out our trip reports in our blog -- link is in the signature.) I use two group 31 batteries, mounted on the tongue. Each is good for 110 amp/hours. One battery lasts us three or four days -- I never let it get under 12.1 volts. I then swap it out for the other battery.
If you hook them up in parallel (I don't), you would get more capacity because of this thing called the Peukert Effect. I keep them separate in case one of them dies suddenly. The chances of that are very low, but I am inherently risk averse.
I could use 6 volt batteries, but I don't, for the same reason -- I do not want them all hooked together.
We have a generator (Honda 2000) and almost never use it. I hate noise of any kind.
We have a 120 watt portable solar panel -- it's great, and it usually tops off our batteries each and every day. I use a portable since we park in the shade. I put the panel in the sun.
You did great to get two days out of a group 24 battery. You will have no trouble after you upgrade your system a little.
If you hook them up in parallel (I don't), you would get more capacity because of this thing called the Peukert Effect. I keep them separate in case one of them dies suddenly. The chances of that are very low, but I am inherently risk averse.
I could use 6 volt batteries, but I don't, for the same reason -- I do not want them all hooked together.
We have a generator (Honda 2000) and almost never use it. I hate noise of any kind.
We have a 120 watt portable solar panel -- it's great, and it usually tops off our batteries each and every day. I use a portable since we park in the shade. I put the panel in the sun.
You did great to get two days out of a group 24 battery. You will have no trouble after you upgrade your system a little.
