Battery drain

[hbrady]

Another rookie boondocking question. DW and I are in the midsts of a 5 night boondocking trip at a state park in Northern Maine. We have a Champion 3100 Inverter / Gen and my wife is getting really tired of me running it. Here is the issue, night one, no issues, night 2 and 3 the battery drained dead by 4am. The only thing running at night is a 12v fan and the fan associated with fridge. I have fridge on propane and everything else is turned off. The camper's 12v battery is only about 14 months old. Yesterday I ran the generator for about 5 hours total (2 hours just before bed) thinking that would get us through the night but only got me 6 hours. Also, I run it in economy mode. Is this typical or could I have a battery issue. I'm guessing a fully drained battery takes 10 hours or more to charge fully with these crappy WFCO power distribution centers but wanted to see what others thinking before I invest in a better charger or dual battery setup. Thanks!

[mchero]

Progressive Dynamics is an EXCELLENT suggestion but I STRONGLY suggest you purchase the optional charge wizzard so you can really juice up you batteries.
Sam's Club 6v golf cart batteries are the best bang for the buck.

[Mel_B_]

Lwiddis wrote:
Mel, I too carry my Westinghouse 2000 (43 lbs.!)...but it hasn't been needed in the last 21 days of camping. Do run it 5 minutes every week.

Three cheers for solar!:B
Mel

[Lwiddis]

Mel, I too carry my Westinghouse 2000 (43 lbs.!)...but it hasn't been needed in the last 21 days of camping. Do run it 5 minutes every week.

[Mel_B_]

Lwiddis wrote:
"invest in a quiter generator, it'd be thousands cheaper."

$1,135 for a 600 solar watt kit isn't "thousands," Wing zealot. It's one thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars. I don't mind anti-solar people but be accurate on prices.

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-600-watt-24-volt-monocrystalline-solar-starter-kit-w-mppt-charge-controller/

X2 on the anti solar people, and yes there are draw backs to solar. And yes I carry a generator on every trip, even though I have a 400 watt Renogy eclipse Premiom kit $1150 4 6 volt golf cart Bat. $600 2000 watt inverter/charger (OPTIONAL) $600 Thousands "YES" a little over $2000 and I still carry a generator (I'M SURE YOU WILL SAY) but we jut returned home yesterday from a 10 day stay at the beach in Sonoma County Ca. Fog, clouds and sun but not the best solar charging conditions. Guess what 10 days my wife two 10 year old and one 5 year old grand kids and me, we only needed the generator one time for a frozen meal the kids wanted so we used the generator for about 20 minutes to run the microwave. We watched a lot of kid movies used the the microwave for popcorn (That's why I have a 2000 watt inverter/charger) but the meal for 15 or 20 was a bit long four our battery bank. Ok sorry for the RANT but I use to be one of the people that ran a generator most of the day trying to recharge DEEP CYCLE BATTERIES. But not anymore and it doesn't break the bank to go SOLAR and if installed correctly you will rarely need the generator.
Mel

[tenbear]

Here is how I solved the problem. I have only room for a single 12v battery in the battery compartment and I didn't want to have batteries in other locations.

First, I felt I had to know what the battery is doing so I installed a voltmeter and ammeter to monitor the 12v system.

The OEM converter was useless so I installed a PD 60 amp converter and put in bigger wire, #4, from the converter to the battery.

One battery is still a problem but at least I know the state of charge and can deal with it before it becomes a problem.

[ktmrfs]

Lwiddis wrote:
"invest in a quiter generator, it'd be thousands cheaper."

$1,135 for a 600 solar watt kit isn't "thousands," Wing zealot. It's one thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars. I don't mind anti-solar people but be accurate on prices.

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-600-watt-24-volt-monocrystalline-solar-starter-kit-w-mppt-charge-controller/

shop around, you can easily end up paying even less. for 480 watts of solar panels I paid $375 last year . add 200 at most for a good 30A pwm controller. Add another $100 for 8 ga wire and routing aids etc.

or for about $600 you can get 3 160W portable panels, and add the controller and some wire. works great in the forest.

I still have the honda 2000, but it might get an hour or so's use in a two week dry campout. We even run the microwave off an inverter.

[Lwiddis]

"invest in a quiter generator, it'd be thousands cheaper."

$1,135 for a 600 solar watt kit isn't "thousands," Wing zealot. It's one thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars. I don't mind anti-solar people but be accurate on prices.

https://www.renogy.com/renogy-600-watt-24-volt-monocrystalline-solar-starter-kit-w-mppt-charge-controller/

[jyrostng]

Enjoy your time in the woods, I hope you have it solved.

[wing_zealot]

hbrady wrote:
Thanks all (well, almost all). It's amazing how quickly you can learn from those who know. Frustrating when search doesn't answer question first but I'm glad there are some off you who remember what it's like to not know everything. Just took a 1.5 hour trip to get the best 15 amp deep cycle charger I could find and I have it running off inverter. I'll probably invest in better technology next year since this is our only 2017 dry trip. The $800 'quiet' inverter is pretty annoying to listen to but luckily my neighbors are a good distance away and we are in heavily forested area, only DW scowels at me.

If you're in a "heavily forested area" a solar system ain't going to do anything, unless you got a big bankroll. I'd invest in a quiter generator, it'd be thousands cheaper.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Might be yet another good time to point out...

There are no hints, no tips, no rules or suggestions that trump giving a system a workout in the driveway. Heater, hot water, lights, the whole ball o wax.

Two full days. Stop test on the third day.

On the second day plug in the converter ONLY as long as you would intend to run a generator to recharge the batteries. Then unplug it and resume the mock lifestyle.

Lights go dim? In your driveway is light-years easier to deal with than at a campsite.

[theoldwizard1]

You have gotten some excellent advice ! A better/bigger battery bank and a better charger (a Progressive Dynamics converter/charger is an excellent choice) are the a good start.

You really need to get a digital multi meter so you can take some accurate measurements. I would also install a shunt close to the battery so you can get some accurate current readings.

[ktmrfs]

Homeless by Choice wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:


...

Heck, I stuff 110A at the start into my bank of 4 GC batteries and 60A into the pair of GC on my small trailer. eventually tapes down, but does get them to 80 or 85 percent SOC pretty quickly.

What brand and model charger do you have?

LeRoy

progressive dynamics. I have a 55A drop in replacement for the WFCO and a 70ish Amp in the pass through in my big trailer, and a 60A PD deck mount in the smaller trailer. when I have enough power available when using the big trailer I turn both on to charge the batteries. Warning a honda 2000 will NOT run both if the batteries are well discharged. It's beyond the VA rating of the honda 2000 if both are turned on.

[Fubeca]

hbrady wrote:
Thanks all (well, almost all). It's amazing how quickly you can learn from those who know. Frustrating when search doesn't answer question first but I'm glad there are some off you who remember what it's like to not know everything. Just took a 1.5 hour trip to get the best 15 amp deep cycle charger I could find and I have it running off inverter. I'll probably invest in better technology next year since this is our only 2017 dry trip. The $800 'quiet' inverter is pretty annoying to listen to but luckily my neighbors are a good distance away and we are in heavily forested area, only DW scowels at me.

If your existing battery is already compromised, you still won't likely make it through the night. What battery (model and age) do you have? What is your energy usage like? And finally - what charger did you buy? Many modern "smart" chargers will only output the rated amps for a very short period of time.

[Homeless_by_Cho]

ktmrfs wrote:


...

Heck, I stuff 110A at the start into my bank of 4 GC batteries and 60A into the pair of GC on my small trailer. eventually tapes down, but does get them to 80 or 85 percent SOC pretty quickly.

What brand and model charger do you have?

LeRoy