Batteries

[towdriver]

So I'm fairly new to actually camping in a TT and just got a new one. The battery it came with is junk but I have 6 group 31 AGM batteries that are brand new
On them it says 190rc and from what I understand from my reading on batteries. With these I should get 190 minutes use drawing 25amps. Is this right and will these batteries work till I can buy some 6volt ones?

[towdriver]

I believe they are hybrid batteries but not sure as it doesn't say on them. I do plan on more solar panels as I can afford them.

[scrubjaysnest]

If the AGM's are deep cycle they will be fine; should say deep cycle and give the AH rating. RC is a reserve rating that applies to cranking and hybrid batteries only. It has no meaning on a true deep cycle. You will need 80 to 100 watts of solar per 100AH of deep cycle battery as a starting point. A little basic solar math.
100AH battery * 14.5 volts charging * 1/0.77 panel + charge controller derating *0.05 minimum rate of charge = 94 watts of solar.
Again this is a starting point.

[towdriver]

I have a Coleman 25W Crystaline Solar Panel with charge controller. I also have a rack I built my self to keep the batteries in our snowmobiles charged all summer which I may take as well. It has two 2w, a 4w and a 7w panels all tied to another charge controller. I have thought of putting panels on the roof but not sure about it. I'm working on a limited budget and mainly buying on sale or off eBay. I bought an old camper about 5 years ago but it had a water leak they never told me about and didn't last long. It was a good learning experience and since I have done a lot of looking online for if I ever bought another one. In the fall the sister in law talked her dad into buying her a bigger TT and as such he said he would give us the same amount to buy one too. I spent months looking on Kijiji and at dealers and found one we liked with bunk beds that our 2 house wanted. Drove 5 hours to check it out and liked what we saw. I spent more time then the dealer had to spare looking it over but I wasn't going to end up with a junk pile again. Talked him down $1000 and out the door we went with a 06 FunFinder Finder X240 and a job offer if I ever wanted to move TT for them.
Hopefully I did this right and there will be the best picture I have of the TT and TV below. Have to get a better picture once I get it out of storage this week.

[pianotuna]

Welcome to the forums.

Those will be excellent.

[DaYooper]

I use 2 Group 31 AGM's and have been happy with their performance while dry camping. We are real conservative with power usage and think 3 nights would be an easy task but that would be without the furnace running.

What are you planning on for your solar power set up? I have two 160 watt panels and a good Rogue MPPT charge controller and even when I tried running things down a bit with lights and the TV left on one night, while we sat outside by the fire, I didn't drop the battery level much past 85%. I didn't take the time to download the power information, but know I was full by noon the next day. Having the remote meter from the Rogue to keep tabs on power info is a nice item to have.

That site only provided about 2 to 3 hours of direct sunlight after 2 PM. This year I will be hitting more shaded sites and will have to keep an eye on things a bit closer. I had my Honda EU2000 and never considered running it, but it's nice to have just in case heavy tree cover or poor weather. The power drop from just a few clouds is very noticeable on the meter.

[towdriver]

I can put 2 on the TT tongue but wasn't sure if 2 would be enough. My TV is a Dodge 3500 DRW with flatbed so I could also haul the batteries on it. I have ordered all LED lights for inside and out but they won't arrive in time for our first trip. I do have solar panels with charge controller and saving for quite generator. Do you think 2 will be enough to last 3 nights running heat and lights in evening. Not sure how much solar I will get during the day to recharge but will be taking a charger and 1000w Honda encase.

[Sandia_Man]

Sure, new group 31 AGM batteries will work fine, are you planning on using all six of them or just a couple? We use 2 six volt golfcart batteries and keep them charged using solar and/or genny when camping off the power grid. They do a good job especially since we performed a full LED conversion to our rig's interior lights and most exterior lights. Was thinking of adding more batteries but after the conversion we have the power to feed our HDTVs, Blu-ray and game players, sound bar and HD satellite throughout the day as needed.