What is Eating Those Batteries?
I went to Quartzite yesterday to visit an old friend who is dry-camping on BLM land and has been having some electrical problems with his travel trailer, a 2001 KZ model. The problem is that even wit...
Forum Discussion
Somebody smart needs to do a good summary for us.
I dry camp for 2-3 months every winter. My batteries died one winter & I bought 4 U2200. Never happy. I use about 50 AH overnight (50/400 = 13%) and I wake up to 12.3 volts. I'm limping along three years later with the best 2 of the four plus a 12v car battery in parallel.
I have a TM2025, a 40 AMP PD with Charge Wizard, and a 40 AMP B&D. The PD & B&D play nicely together. When I am ready to go to bed I'm down to 5 amps and up to 14.4 volts.
Here's what I think, stated as my rules.
1. Don't buy batteries when dry camping.
2. Cycle the new batteries a few times (maybe 5) 100-50
3. Take & record SG readings.
4. Annually, record SG & equalize if needed.
while dry camping
Morning generator run ~1 hour or charge rate down to C/20
Nightly generator run ~ 3 hours, C/40, or bedtime
Yes solar would be nice to get the batteries up from C/20 towards 100% but I'm not sure it is worth the cost, pita.
comments? suggestions?
Joel
I dry camp for 2-3 months every winter. My batteries died one winter & I bought 4 U2200. Never happy. I use about 50 AH overnight (50/400 = 13%) and I wake up to 12.3 volts. I'm limping along three years later with the best 2 of the four plus a 12v car battery in parallel.
I have a TM2025, a 40 AMP PD with Charge Wizard, and a 40 AMP B&D. The PD & B&D play nicely together. When I am ready to go to bed I'm down to 5 amps and up to 14.4 volts.
Here's what I think, stated as my rules.
1. Don't buy batteries when dry camping.
2. Cycle the new batteries a few times (maybe 5) 100-50
3. Take & record SG readings.
4. Annually, record SG & equalize if needed.
while dry camping
Morning generator run ~1 hour or charge rate down to C/20
Nightly generator run ~ 3 hours, C/40, or bedtime
Yes solar would be nice to get the batteries up from C/20 towards 100% but I'm not sure it is worth the cost, pita.
comments? suggestions?
Joel
