Charging the camper battery while driving?
I've been wondering? I have a long trip planned soon & wonder after changing to a better battery in my Lance 900 camper if the factory wire that charges the battery as I drive is really all I nee...
Forum Discussion
I find it necessary to keep vents cracked all the time in my TC to prevent moisture buildup.....especially over night or if you get stuck in the camper because of bad weather.
On a recent camping trip with my brother and his wife, I noticed his windows were steaming up inside (We had about 1 1/2 days rain. and it was cold.) He was trying to limit how much his furnace ran by keeping the vents closed.
My camper wasn't steaming up because I kept my vents cracked and was using the furnace a little more.
Each person expels about a pint of water from breathing in an 8 hour period, and with 100% humidity outside, the only way to keep it dry inside was to crack the vents and run the furnace some.
I didn't realize that running a catalytic heater would make it that much worse by releasing over a gallon of extra water in 24 hours.
My other concern with the catalytic heater is the reduction in oxygen level. A study I read a while back showed that a catalytic heater in a 10x10 enclosed area would reduce the oxygen level from around the normal 18-20% down to about 8%. Cracking the vents should also help mitigate this issue. I don't know what the oxygen levels would be with the vents cracked.........but I need all the oxygen I can get while sleeping since I already have to use a CPAP to keep my blood oxygen levels from getting dangerously low.
Everyone will have to decide what works for their situation, but for me, I will be figuring out how to keep the furnace running instead of running a catalytic heater at night.
On a recent camping trip with my brother and his wife, I noticed his windows were steaming up inside (We had about 1 1/2 days rain. and it was cold.) He was trying to limit how much his furnace ran by keeping the vents closed.
My camper wasn't steaming up because I kept my vents cracked and was using the furnace a little more.
Each person expels about a pint of water from breathing in an 8 hour period, and with 100% humidity outside, the only way to keep it dry inside was to crack the vents and run the furnace some.
I didn't realize that running a catalytic heater would make it that much worse by releasing over a gallon of extra water in 24 hours.
My other concern with the catalytic heater is the reduction in oxygen level. A study I read a while back showed that a catalytic heater in a 10x10 enclosed area would reduce the oxygen level from around the normal 18-20% down to about 8%. Cracking the vents should also help mitigate this issue. I don't know what the oxygen levels would be with the vents cracked.........but I need all the oxygen I can get while sleeping since I already have to use a CPAP to keep my blood oxygen levels from getting dangerously low.
Everyone will have to decide what works for their situation, but for me, I will be figuring out how to keep the furnace running instead of running a catalytic heater at night.
