First Dry Camping Experience
I thought I posted this, but it hasn't shown up, so we'll try again. Sorry if it's a duplicate... We had our first dry camping experience. It was nice, but could have been a lot better and now I ha...
Forum Discussion
And note that a battery with 110 amp hours (like my group 31s) can really only deliver about 55 amp hours before dropping to 12.1 V. I am told that if you routinely go below that level, it can damage the battery.
That's why I use one battery for a few days and then switch over to my spare. Often, I don't even have to switch the batteries because the 120 W solar panel tops it off every day. But if it doesn't, that's okay – I've got the spare. So I keep fairly careful track of the voltage.
I should also add one more thing about checking the voltage – let the battery "rest" for a while before testing the voltage. There is some disagreement on how long it has to rest. I let it rest for about 20 min.
If you measure it while it's under load (or right afterwards), you'll get an artificially low reading. After it rests, the voltage reading rebounds to its true level.
By the way, could someone tell me WHY the battery gives a different reading after it rests? I know it is true, but I don't know enough about batteries to say how come this happens. Thanks in advance. (And no, I am not really hijacking the thread -- this is directly relevant to the OP's topic, right??)
That's why I use one battery for a few days and then switch over to my spare. Often, I don't even have to switch the batteries because the 120 W solar panel tops it off every day. But if it doesn't, that's okay – I've got the spare. So I keep fairly careful track of the voltage.
I should also add one more thing about checking the voltage – let the battery "rest" for a while before testing the voltage. There is some disagreement on how long it has to rest. I let it rest for about 20 min.
If you measure it while it's under load (or right afterwards), you'll get an artificially low reading. After it rests, the voltage reading rebounds to its true level.
By the way, could someone tell me WHY the battery gives a different reading after it rests? I know it is true, but I don't know enough about batteries to say how come this happens. Thanks in advance. (And no, I am not really hijacking the thread -- this is directly relevant to the OP's topic, right??)
