furnace/heater question

[mdprowash]

Hi all... I just learned today the my heater works without the use of A/C power. What I don't know is... how long can I expect my two 6v batteries to last while running heat at night, limited LED light use and running the water for dishes and showers?

[mike-s]

trail-explorer wrote:
THe only true way to know "how long your batteries will last" is to install an amp hour meter such as a Xantrex Link Lite or Link Pro

No, that's just an educated guess. The only way to tell is to actually go through the real world experience.

[mdprowash]

trail-explorer wrote:

pconroy328 wrote:
I'm pretty sure the correct answer is "it depends" 🙂 Depends on how long the furnace runs, how many Amp Hours your batteries have, how cold it is outside and a dozen other issues.

That sums it up pretty well.

There are so many variables involved, it's impossible to answer the question.

THe only true way to know "how long your batteries will last" is to install an amp hour meter such as a Xantrex Link Lite or Link Pro

Yes.. too many variables and conditions. I did pick up a generator today.. so I will monitor and use when necessary. Next step is to pick up a meter. I do have a Buddy heater and have used it in the past.. I haven't experienced any ill effects. Thanks again everyone!

[trail-explorer]

pconroy328 wrote:
I'm pretty sure the correct answer is "it depends" 🙂 Depends on how long the furnace runs, how many Amp Hours your batteries have, how cold it is outside and a dozen other issues.

That sums it up pretty well.

There are so many variables involved, it's impossible to answer the question.

THe only true way to know "how long your batteries will last" is to install an amp hour meter such as a Xantrex Link Lite or Link Pro

[Clockman]

I can answer this for you, I tested this on my trailer in real world conditions so I know! I camped at below zero temps as cold at -15 in mammoth two years ago, I have have 2 6 v interstate batteries, in my lance 1685 with 25,000 btu heater. I had it set at 60 degrees and the Heater was on and off cycling quite a bit through the night.. I had 12v tv on all night too, lasted through to the morning no problem, but they were low and needed a recharge...Hope that helps!

[azrving]

.

[ExxWhy]

mdprowash wrote:
Thanks again! I replaced the converter last year with a Progressive Dynamics 45A smart charger.. so it probably does a good job. The Genius on 6v mode does 7.25v - 3.5A

My next question.. If I bought a "blue or red" 2000 series generator.. I would need to use an adapter for the 30 amp cord to plug into one of these generators.. is that okay? If I brought my batteries down to close to 50 percent... how long would it take for one of these generators to charge them to near full capacity?

I have a similar setup in mine. 2 6 volt 208 AH batteries and a PD4045 converter. I also have a trimetrics battery monitor system, so I have a pretty good idea of what's going in and out. We were just in the Black Hills last month for a couple weeks without shore power.

Mine draws .6 amps with the fridge on gas and everything else off. The furnace draws 6 amps when running. We keep it cool inside, 58-60 at night with it around 30-40 outside. We will typically use around 15% of the battery power each day. I ran my Honda EU1000 for 1 1/2-2 hours each day to keep the batteries close to 90%.

The converter won't go into boost mode until the battery voltage gets below 12. In normal mode, it would start out charging at around 20 amps and slowly drop to around 8-10 amps by the time I shut down the generator. I called PD to verify that is normal, and they said it is. No way to force boost mode.

Yes, I use a 30 to 15 amp adapter to plug into the generator.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

No answer possible without knowing the size of the battery bank in amp-hours.

No one in their right mind attempts to charge past 90% while running a generator, unless they have no choice.

I would look at the Champion inverter generators rather than Honda or Yamaha.



"The chart above shows the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.

mdprowash wrote:
Thanks again! I replaced the converter last year with a Progressive Dynamics 45A smart charger.. so it probably does a good job. The Genius on 6v mode does 7.25v - 3.5A

My next question.. If I bought a "blue or red" 2000 series generator.. I would need to use an adapter for the 30 amp cord to plug into one of these generators.. is that okay? If I brought my batteries down to close to 50 percent... how long would it take for one of these generators to charge them to near full capacity?

[mdprowash]

Thanks again! I replaced the converter last year with a Progressive Dynamics 45A smart charger.. so it probably does a good job. The Genius on 6v mode does 7.25v - 3.5A

My next question.. If I bought a "blue or red" 2000 series generator.. I would need to use an adapter for the 30 amp cord to plug into one of these generators.. is that okay? If I brought my batteries down to close to 50 percent... how long would it take for one of these generators to charge them to near full capacity?

[pianotuna]

The genius may or may not do a better job than the OEM converter.

[azrving]

.

[mdprowash]

Great info.. thank you! I do not have a generator yet.. been agonizing and putting it off for awhile now. I did just pick up a Genius 3500 charger tho.. A couple of questions.. if/when I do pick up a generator.. do I just plug in my 30 amp cord to charge batteries.. or should I plug the Genius into a 120v outlet on Gen and charge that way?

[pianotuna]

Hi,

You need to think about the duty cycle. If I leave my taps open the water pump takes about 25 minutes to drain the tank. I normally get about one week per tank of fresh water--so 3 amp-hours per week. That is insignificant.

The fridge, on the other hand, may draw 0.5 amps when not actively cooling and 1 amp when the gas valve is open. Duty cycle is 2:3 so demand may be around 1.5 amps per hour. That works out to 36 amp-hours per day.

The furnace at 5.7 is the "king" of demand--but to find out what it draws you need to know the duty cycle. Of course, that depends on the ambient temperature--and how low you are willing to set the interior thermostat.

I can tell you that in mid October, I use 70,000 BTU's per twenty-four hours, and in November with an ambient of -25 C I use 408,000 btu's per twenty-four hours.

mdprowash wrote:
Thanks for the help! I just finished measuring.. to start I have a .59A parasitic draw. Is that extreme and where could it be coming from? One led light.. .69A. Water pump 3.5 and heat with blower running on low setting.. 5.7A <--- yikes!

[azrving]

.

[Chuck_and_Di]

mdprowash wrote:
Maybe the .59 was fridge..

More likely the propane detector. They'll kill a battery on their own in under a week.