First Time Boondocking Plan - Tech Question

[RLGetman]

I am trying to learn & prepare to Boondock for 12 days in Oct. I have a standard 5er setup (two 6 volt batteries) and a 2000w Honda generator. For convenience I purchased a battery level indicator at Camping World that plugs into the 12 volt receptacle in my coat closet and it reads 13.7v when I am connected to shore power. I have a multi-meter which reads exactly the same as the indicator.
My pre-boondock test plan is to disconnect from shore power, switch ref & water heater to LP, turn off all ghost circuits (clocks, TV, etc...) and just use lighting (I have LEDs) when needed. I want to see how long my batteries will last before needing a charge (I read that 12v is 50% and time to charge). I will then run the generator and see how long it takes to charge back up to 13.7v.
Is this a good plan? What am I missing?
Thanks

[KendallP]

With prices coming such a long way now, solar is definitely a good idea for anyone doing more than a few days at a time. Anything you can do to keep that generator off and some peace in my campground is A-OK with me.

12V panels can be had for about a buck a watt now and 24V panels as much as 2/3 that. Of course an MPPT controller is required for 24V panels. That'll add $2-400 more or so, but your efficiency will increase some. If 12V v. 24V panel prices were equal, I'd put my controller money toward more panels. But 24V panels have, pretty well taken over with the effects of economies of scale from the 48V, home-system market.

[TURNKEY]

Why is no one suggesting solar???
I've gone through the same questions recently and found solar is the best for light power draw boon docking.
I would refer all to HANDYBOB'S blog http://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

[full_mosey]

wa8yxm wrote:

...
Some folks like to brag about how fast some makes of AGM batteries charge.. yup, 5:45 instead of 6:00. 5 times the price and it saves you a few minutes is all.

I would like to see a link to prove that 5 x $ comment!

Sam's Club has wet 6V GCs for $110 and AGM 6V GCs for $180.

I get $70 or a 61% difference. Using your 5 x $, the AGM would cost $550!

I would be pleased to discuss the factual merits of both wets and AGMs. 🙂

HTH;
John

[KendallP]

wa8yxm wrote:
Assuming a good 3-stage charger (not a magnetek 63xx or Parallex 73xx or equal) it takes around six hours to fully charge. Some folks like to brag about how fast some makes of AGM batteries charge.. yup, 5:45 instead of 6:00. 5 times the price and it saves you a few minutes is all.

I am also not in the AGM camp. Nor is MEX. They have their merits, though.

I'm not quite sure what wa8, here is saying, but you should be able to go from 50-90 or 40-80 in 2-3 hours with that 9180 and Wizard. The last 10% takes exponentially more time. Not sure if you've studied up on that yet, but most of us don't fully recharge while boondocking. Mainly the full-timers.

But when you get back home, you definitely want to plug in and boost 'em right away before the sulfate gets any harder.

That said... for a 15 day, it wouldn't hurt to try and top them off mid-stay. This could take the 6 hours that wa8 is talking about here.

And THAT said... we do the best we can, but the batteries are there to serve at OUR pleasure. Not the other way around. Your 6s will survive the trip without a full topping... so long as you top 'em right when you get home, as mentioned.

[JiminDenver]

Last year we used the generator to keep our single grp 27 battery charged up as long as 10 days at a run. We needed furnace at night in 20 degree weather so most of the rest of our uses were small. We have a simple 55a 13.6v converter that we used with our generator for 2 hours a day. When it's cool we ran it in the morning while we cooked breakfast on a hot plate. When hot we ran it in the afternoon along with the AC.

Notice I said ran. A quick, simple, portable solar system pretty much took the generator out of the equation. The battery is fully charged at nightfall and the over night discharge is little so little charging is needed the next morning. Most of the day the battery is in float and the panel covers our loads.

So you have power figured out, how are you on water, waste tanks, propane? We can carry up to 60 gal of fresh and 54 gal of waste tanks. That's good for 2 weeks and that's all the food we carry.

[KendallP]

RLGetman wrote:
I also purchased and installed one of those battery fill kits that allow you to see the level and also not over fill the batteries. It works great.

Sweet. You shouldn't need to top them more than a few times a year, but it's still a good idea to check them monthly.

And since you'll be keeping an eye on the levels, when stored, keep your rig plugged in at all times with the battery switch closed. Your PD with Charge Wizard should take real good care of those batteries. There is little better for flooded batteries than a constant float charge. And the Wizard will give them a little stir every day, too. Won't do much in winter temps, but they should bubble a little in the summertime.

Our top, resident battery guru is MEXICOWANDERER. If you ever want some bedtime reading, check out his threads and posts. He just did one on battery equalization that's pretty stellar.

[RLGetman]

Thank You All

[wa8yxm]

Sounds like a plan to me. I would double check the state of charge voltage and possibly use a hydrometer to double check (Since I do not remember the voltage chart all that well).

And the batteries you have (Six Volt, likely golf car) don't mind 50% SOC (Not like Marine/Deep cycle where I'd recommend a much higher SOC as the minimum).

So your plan is good.

IF the batteries last you say 10 hours then as someone else suggested.

Charg 'em up some in the AM and again in the Evening,

Assuming a good 3-stage charger (not a magnetek 63xx or Parallex 73xx or equal) it takes around six hours to fully charge. Some folks like to brag about how fast some makes of AGM batteries charge.. yup, 5:45 instead of 6:00. 5 times the price and it saves you a few minutes is all.

[RLGetman]

I also purchased and installed one of those battery fill kits that allow you to see the level and also not over fill the batteries. It works great.

[RLGetman]

Also, I will avoid using appliances during the initial boost charge. Thanks!!

[RLGetman]

Thanks for the additional info. I have placed a bid on a Freas which closes in 3 days. I will start my boondocking pre-test later this weekend using the straight PD9180. When I receive my Charge Wizard, I will perform a few force boosts to desolate. When I receive my Freas, I will test the SG. Does this sound like a good plan? Thanks

[BFL13]

The PD 80amper boosted to 14.4 with the Charge Wizard will max out the Honda 2000 for a while until amps taper enough, say an hour into the two hour charge time. So don't expect to run any other appliances off the gen during that first hour of the recharge.

[KendallP]

RLGetman wrote:
Wow! This posting has been great! I did find out that I have an 80amp intelligent converter, PD9180. I do not have the Charge Wizard, but I just found a new one on eBay for $16 + shipping = $23.89. It will be here next week. Any other do's & don'ts on booddocking, battery monitoring & charging, etc... Thanks again everyone!

That is a sweet converter you have there! And with the Wizard you'll be ready to some serious damage (figuratively, that is. The PDs are also very forgiving.) That said, your cabling is likely going to be your limiting factor. No worries, though. You're still in better shape than most. But when you want to do some tinkering, a cable upgrade will generally shorten your genny time by a fair amount.

However now you have a new problem to consider. If your batteries have sat a low SOC (State Of Charge) for very long, you could have hardened sulfate on the plates, which will diminish their capacity. If that's the case, then removing it requires a new skill set.

Yes... boondocking is meant to be fun. But it's no fun when your furnace shuts down at 3 a.m. on a cold night either.

Your charge wizard will do an OK job of reverting sulfate back to solution. Just do a force boost or two on 'em.

Now...

do you own a glass float hydrometer? If not, while you're in the mood to drop coin on ebay, get a Freas. They're not that bad. I just saw a "Buy it Now" for like 15 bucks. The Freas are the best of their kind. Keep the upper portion of the float dry when testing so it doesn't stick to the sides.

When the batteries are full, the SG (Specific Gravity) should be at least 1.265 at 77F. If much lower, then you could have diminished capacity. Without correcting that, you would want to run the genny and that PD each night before bed... if you need the furnace.

[RLGetman]

Wow! This posting has been great! I did find out that I have an 80amp intelligent converter, PD9180. I do not have the Charge Wizard, but I just found a new one on eBay for $16 + shipping = $23.89. It will be here next week. Any other do's & don'ts on booddocking, battery monitoring & charging, etc... Thanks again everyone!

[time2roll]

PD9100 just needs a $25 Charge Wizard to make a good converter into a great converter. Knowing the amp rating is not that important.

http://www.bestconverter.com/Charge-Wizard-Flooded-AGM_p_15.html

Maybe you already have one? Then you are good to go.

Boondocking is a lot more fun when the battery system is operating as expected.

Battery switch should be on all the time except for storage to prevent discharge. If plugged in, the switch should be on.