Furnace without generator

[OpenRoader66]

Hi, I am looking for suggestions on how to run my furnace all night without my generator. My batteries are two Interstate 12V RV batteries and they can't run heater fan through the night. Burning gas all night and the noise is from generator is getting old. Any ideas?

[Bumpyroad]

buy a third battery, might make it through the night. I wouldn't trash a year old battery unless it tests out as a goner.
bumpy

[AH64ID]

My only concern with a cat heater is the tanks, they need the furnace to keep warm on my camper. The cat would be good above freezing, but then again I didn't have battery issues above freezing.

OpenRoader66 wrote:
I live in northern Canada and last night it went down to 10 degrees celsius. I also have a 4 old and I don't want her to be cold. Last summer I tried running the furnace last summer on battery power last summer and the furnace blower quit because of drained batteries.

Get her a decent 40°F sleeping bag, and keep the camper a little cooler.

Our kids this year are 3,5, and 7 and they have all been camping since months old in temps below freezing and been fine at colder temps with a little more clothing.

If your batteries have been drained so far the furnace died there is a good change you have damaged the batteries, and that could be part of the problem too.

I would invest in some better batteries, and do better with your charging while camping. If they drop to 12.2 without a load they need a charge for 4-5 hours, maybe more depending on battery bank size and charger capabilities.

10° C isn't all that cold for camping, you should be able to last a night at those temps.. unless you have bad batteries and/or are trying to keep the camper well above 21°C.

[OpenRoader66]

I live in northern Canada and last night it went down to 10 degrees celsius. I also have a 4 old and I don't want her to be cold. Last summer I tried running the furnace on battery power and the furnace blower quit because of drained batteries.

[jaycocreek]

Catalytic heater has no battery drain.... Would never be without one..

I wish they gave the option for the old vented heaters of the past that used no battery power. Furnaces with fans have know place in long term boondocking.

I use an Olympic wave 8, just works better than big buddy.

[AH64ID]

Having a bunk model, which is 4 seasons too, I can easily see how the OP could have issues. His is longer than mine, and it just plain takes a lot of amps to keep that many sq ft warm, lighting aside as I would often run the generator until the kids where in bed and lighting wasn't required.

[Huntindog]

OpenRoader66 wrote:
Hi, I am looking for suggestions on how to run my furnace all night without my generator. My batteries are two Interstate 12V RV batteries and they can't run heater fan through the night. Burning gas all night and the noise is from generator is getting old. Any ideas?

What kind of temps are you expecting?
I ask, because it is June now. Heat in most places won't be needed, and in others, just a little may be nice to take a little chill off... If your present batteries are any good at all..
They should work fine in the summer.

Now if you are asking about winter camping.. That is whole different deal.

[hmknightnc]

Dual 12volt RV/Marine batteries should easily make it through one night unless you are using a lot of non-LED lights and are near freezing temps outside.

You probably need to equalize and then fully charge to the batteries. Your stock converter might not be up to the job of doing the recharge if it doesn't take your batteries to 14.4volts for a couple hours during that recharge. You should recharging for at least 3 hours at that 14.4 value everyday. If your converter only gets to 13.6 then you would need to run the generator for much longer, like 10 hours to get to 90% charged.

[midnightsadie]

you ever check the water in those batteries? they should be capable of doing the job ,but cat heater is the way to go.

[AH64ID]

OpenRoader66 wrote:
6V would work in a 12V system? The generator would still charge them when plugged in?

Yes, you hook them up in series to make 12V. It's very popular on campers that boondock, the additional power is very impressive.

If you have the room, the $$, and the need Lifeline makes some 300AH and 400AH 6V's, standard 6V's are ± 225AH.

I have run single G24 12V's, 2 G24 12V's, 2 Lifeline 225AH 6V's, and now 2 Lifeline 300AH 6V's.

I was running 2 G24's in my TT this spring an on a 25-30° night I would barely make it to morning with before dropping below 12.2 static. Now with the Lifelines I can go two nights below freezing and still be around 12.3V.

[OpenRoader66]

6V would work in a 12V system? The generator would still charge them when plugged in?

[Still_Searchin_]

Golden has the answer. FA furnaces use a LOT of amps to run all nite. We have the Wave 6 (mid-size) Olympic catalytic heater and it keeps our 250sf 28ft. trailer w/slide warm into the teens. No problem running it all nite, and usually on low to medium setting. Just keep two windows slightly cracked for fresh air that the catalytic needs. Have heard that the Olympic has been around longer than most all of them, and is one of the safest flame free heaters around. One should have a good quality CO moniter in all cases, and especially when running a catalytic heater.

[AH64ID]

You need better batteries, a pair of 6V would give you approx 30-40% more power before being drained.

How hot do you keep your camper at night?

We found our kids actually sleep better in their sleeping bags with the camper at 55°, than the 62° we keep the house at during winter nights. It also made our batteries a lot happier by morning.

[OpenRoader66]

Thanks for the quick replies. It's a 36' Heritage Glen bunkhouse travel trailer. I keep the batteries on a battery tender trickle charger in the off season. The trailer is only one year old.

[pugslyyy]

What's the condition of the batteries? I run my propane heater through the night on a regular basis (along with the fridge, water heater, etc)

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

What condition are your batteries in? Are they topped off with water every month or so? What kind of charger do you have? What year and length is the RV?

Yes all of that matters in figuring out the problem.

My suggestion for now might be a Olympic 6000 Btu Catalytic heater. It will warm my 30' Bounder with dual pane windows without any 12 volt power used. I only need to run the furnace a little bit - like 10 minutes per hour, when it is below 25F outside.

So the answer is not run your furnace at all!

Also consider installing some solar panels. If you add a pair of 120 - 150 watt panels to the roof, then the battery will stay charged the whole time you keep it in storage, and you should start the evening with a full battery.

My suggestion if the battery is not holding a charge is to replace it with a pair of golf cart batteries. They are slightly heavier, have more lead and water in them, and hold about 220 amp hours per pair. This should be plenty to run the furnace all night long, unless you have a large load such as a CPAP machine.

SunElec.com is a great place to find $1 per watt solar panels.

CampingWorld.com is a great place to look for the Olympic Catalytic heater. Mine has the optional leg kit, quick disconnect, and dust cover. Dust that settles into the pad can shorten the catalyst life, so best to cover it and store in the closet when not in use.

Good luck,

Fred.