realistic power usage
Hi all. This weekend is the first trip with our new to us camper. Last was used primarily as a tent on wheels when we had no hydro. Didn't have onboard water and only ran the fridge on electricity. Th...
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You'll be just fine!! It sounds like you are already leaning toward careful battery usage, so that is a good thing.
We routinely go three days on a group 31 battery with no charging at all. When we can, we use our 120 watt solar panel, and that keeps us topped off. But even if we can't, our group 31 lasts at least three days.
We use the furnace sparingly -- just at shower time every evening. That device is the biggest energy hog.
We carry a generator with us, but years go by without using it. (We run it once a month at home, under load, to keep the carb clean, and then I drain the carb every time.)
You probably already know this, but check the battery when it is NOT under load, to make sure it is at or above 12.1 volts. A little multimeter will do the job. If you check it under load, it will give you a falsely low reading. Turn off all the lights, let it rest 15 min., and then check it.
Hang in there. Battery care can be confusing, but it gets a lot easier over time.
We routinely go three days on a group 31 battery with no charging at all. When we can, we use our 120 watt solar panel, and that keeps us topped off. But even if we can't, our group 31 lasts at least three days.
We use the furnace sparingly -- just at shower time every evening. That device is the biggest energy hog.
We carry a generator with us, but years go by without using it. (We run it once a month at home, under load, to keep the carb clean, and then I drain the carb every time.)
You probably already know this, but check the battery when it is NOT under load, to make sure it is at or above 12.1 volts. A little multimeter will do the job. If you check it under load, it will give you a falsely low reading. Turn off all the lights, let it rest 15 min., and then check it.
Hang in there. Battery care can be confusing, but it gets a lot easier over time.
