John_Hammond
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Re: Furnace and battery
Here are a few of the recommendations I've received regarding running out of power when dry camping and running the furnace on battery power: Please comment on what you think of these ideas: 1) Keep the overnight temperature set lower. 2) Charge the batteries during the day by running the truck engine while the truck is connected to the trailer. 3) Leave the truck connected to the trailer at night so the truck battery can supply extra power to run the furnace. 4) Get a larger solar panel. 5) Buy two more batteries and swap them during our trips. 6) Use sleeping bags to stay warm. 7) Clean the battery terminals (done). 8) Buy a generator to change the batteries during the day. Anyone have any thoughts about these ideas? John631Views0likes0CommentsRe: Furnace and battery
Thanks to all of you have replied to my post regarding our running out of battery power in the middle of the night when the furnace runs. Here is some additional information about our situation: We’re using 2 year old Interstate 6 volt deep cycle Extreme batteries GC2-CHD-UTL 122 mins+@75 Amps 232 Ah. I have no idea what all that means. The charger is a DeWalt 30 Amp charger. They are charged and used in series. I’ve been storing the batteries fully charged and then topping them off just before a trip. I’ve been thinking they are fully charged because the charger has indicated “flo” which I have interpreted to mean “full”. We store the trailer some distance from where we live so I don’t have access to the solar panel now, but it measures about 6’ wide by 2 ½’ tall in two panels that fold in half for storage. The unit can be placed on the ground and moved to face the sun. There is a direct connection to the trailer that was factory installed. I have no idea what converter is in the trailer. It came as standard equipment installed by Rockwood. I just looked at the batteries a few minutes ago. The fluid level was almost to the top of the cells and required maybe a table spoon of distilled water to cover them. We’ve had this running out of power problem when camping at Bodega Bay on the coast north of San Francisco. Night time temperatures can drop to maybe 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit – not cold compared to other places, but cold enough that the furnace is important. We’re often out there for 4 nights of dry camping and need the furnace each night. Anyone have ideas that will help? Do you think there may be a problem with the trailer that needs fixing? Where might we start looking for a solution? Or should we just accept being awakened in the middle of a cold night to turn off the furnace and sleep cold? My understanding of electricity is very limited and dates back to high school and college physics 50 years ago most of which I have forgotten. Please express ideas in language I might understand. Thank you.390Views0likes0CommentsFurnace and battery
We have a 5 year old 30' Rockwood trailer that we often use dry camping at a local county park that can get cold at night. We have two 6 volt batteries and a solar charger. Before we leave home I have both batteries fully charged. While dry camping we use our solar charger and are careful about our use of electricity. We use lanterns for lights, don't use the trailer's stereo, but never-the-less in the middle of the night when I'd rather be sleeping the low batter alarm buzzer goes off just after the furnace begins to work. This can happen even on our first evening out. When I turn off the furnace the reading on our control panel indicates there is plenty of battery power left. What could possible be going on to cause this problem? Anybody out there have an idea?3.6KViews0likes45Comments
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