Generator questions

wickedstang03 wrote:
Dakota98 what should a charged battery read with a volt meter? Sorry im new to all this but I do have a volt meter!

If you can, save & print this handy little chart for reference.

And read the article smkettner posted above.

After resting disconnected 48 hours a fully charged battery will be about 12.65 volts.

The 12 Volt Side of Life

Dakota98 what should a charged battery read with a volt meter? Sorry im new to all this but I do have a volt meter!

wickedstang03 wrote:
Ya the reason I ask is for fall hunting season... ive already replaced all bulbs to LEDs and will run fridge on propane, and using the furnace to take the chill off... average night time temps would be in the 30s sometimes colder... anyone have an idea on how long the batteries might last with average furnace usage?

Btw trailer is 2000 prowler 20fter

If the converter in your TT is original, it's almost useless for charging, as mine is. Consider replacing it or using the method I described above. Your battery bank at 100% SOC is about 220 amps total, meaning you have about 100 amps of usable power, if you don't go below the magical mark of 50% SOC. The frig still uses 12 volt for the control panel, even on propane. The furnace consumption is entirely dependent upon how often it cycles & run times. The LED's will help but that's only part of the overall picture. My guess is after the first 24 hours of camping, you will need to run the genny with a portable charger for 3-4 hours daily just to get back to 90% SOC.

Take a multimeter with you on the trip & check voltage at the batteries a couple of times daily & you'll get a better idea of things.

This is what I use in place of the hand held meter.

Seriously, running a generator only one hour a day will keep most systems quite happy, and if it is cold and you run the furnace set to keep the chill off, it might take two hours, but that is really extreme for a 20 foot rig. Again I say, monitor your battery voltage, and just keep your batteries happily in the midrange easily with your converter and generator.

900w is good for about 35 amps into the battery. What is the converter rated?
Or get a 35 amp portable charger.

Hi,

Consider a solar system.

How many hours of run time for the furnace? How many amps does it draw?

Ya the reason I ask is for fall hunting season... ive already replaced all bulbs to LEDs and will run fridge on propane, and using the furnace to take the chill off... average night time temps would be in the 30s sometimes colder... anyone have an idea on how long the batteries might last with average furnace usage?

Btw trailer is 2000 prowler 20fter

Yes, it most surely would. However, in your worst possible battery condition, and having a 55 amp converter (times 14 volts), then adding the electric to run the fridge on electric, plus if the hot water tank runs on electric too, and a light or two, it's going to struggle.

Charge just for an hour, twice a day, and everything will be fine in my opinion. Let it run down, then charge at full power... shut some other loads off for awhile.

Best thing to do is monitor your battery voltage and learn how it falls in a time period, and how it comes back from charging. That avoids unnecessary generator usage and keeps your batteries healthy.

My converter in my 2000 TT is an old style, so I use a portable smart charger from my 1200 watt Champion, directly to the batteries. I was told by a tech that it would be best if the charging voltage came near 14.4 to have the batteries disconnected from the coach while charging. I always carry a single 12 volt "refurb" battery, just in case one of my 6-volts craps out. I connect it to the coach & have power during the process of the others getting charged.