how long does your battery last?
Well I hope everyone had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend camping! I have a couple questions after camping this weekend in Mammoth with no hookups. Our 18ft TT only has one battery and I had it chargi...
Forum Discussion
Good info above.
If camping without hookups, 2 batteries are better. I changed most of my lights to LED and the power draw difference is huge. Some parasitic draws for me are the stereo and TV antenna booster. (I gotta remember to turn off the booster)
Letting the battery voltage drop below 12.00Vdc(50% charge state) will shorten the life of the battery.
Here is a 12v battery voltage State of Charge chart:
12.6+ = 100%
12.5 = 90%
12.42 = 80%
12.32 = 70%
12.20 = 60%
12.06 = 50%
11.9 = 40%
11.75 = 30%
11.58 = 20%
11.31 = 10%
10.5 = 0%
If your battery dropped to 9V, you pretty much killed it. :(
I used to cook batteries with my first RV. The converter/charger didn't have any smarts to it and the water levels would get too low. :S Now I check the levels weekly while in use. Be sure to use distilled water to refill the levels. Minerals in tap/well water will shorten the life as well.
Check out this 12vdc Voltage Meter to keep an eye on your battery state of charge.
If camping without hookups, 2 batteries are better. I changed most of my lights to LED and the power draw difference is huge. Some parasitic draws for me are the stereo and TV antenna booster. (I gotta remember to turn off the booster)
Letting the battery voltage drop below 12.00Vdc(50% charge state) will shorten the life of the battery.
Here is a 12v battery voltage State of Charge chart:
12.6+ = 100%
12.5 = 90%
12.42 = 80%
12.32 = 70%
12.20 = 60%
12.06 = 50%
11.9 = 40%
11.75 = 30%
11.58 = 20%
11.31 = 10%
10.5 = 0%
If your battery dropped to 9V, you pretty much killed it. :(
I used to cook batteries with my first RV. The converter/charger didn't have any smarts to it and the water levels would get too low. :S Now I check the levels weekly while in use. Be sure to use distilled water to refill the levels. Minerals in tap/well water will shorten the life as well.
Check out this 12vdc Voltage Meter to keep an eye on your battery state of charge.
