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Old 06-02-2009, 12:28 PM   #1
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Battery life while dry camping

I just bought a 16 foot 2004 Bambi International which came with a solar panel and an extra battery (for a total of two batteries). I had it fully charged and on my first night of dry camping within minutes of having a few lights turned on the battery gage started showing the charge as POOR. How many hours of battery should I expect dry camping using lights conservatively (one or two at a time)?
Thanks for the info!
Paolo
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Old 06-02-2009, 12:45 PM   #2
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Batteries are rated in several ways. The one we hear of most
are ColdCrankingAmps in relation to autos. The other is AmpHours,
it is the capacity of a battery to carry an electrical load in amps
over a period of time in hours. The term is called "Deep Cycle". The
term refers to a greater amount of AmpHours. There is no way to answer
your question without knowing all the ratings and current conditions
of your batteries. If your batteries are not getting the job done, then
find and purchase the biggest "deep-cycle" battery your wallet can
handle. Commercail Marine batteries have some very high "Amp-Hour" ratings.
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Old 06-02-2009, 12:52 PM   #3
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I don't know how your system works, but on my '68 even with a fully charged battery bank if to many things are turned on at once it will show a low charge on the control panel. If my memory is right, AS is putting high intensity lights in the newer units. These lights put a significant draw on the batteries. I wonder if you turn the lights off if the batteries would not show charged? In other words, I think it is possible to get a false reading off of the gauge.

To answer one of your questions (more or less) with two batteries and running the stereo and one or two lights at night, I expect to go at least three days before needing to recharge. Add more electric draw and you shorten the time.
Something else you might think about, if you are going to be doing a lot of camping off the grid, would be to replace the high intensity lights with more energy efficient ones.
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Old 06-02-2009, 01:21 PM   #4
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Have you had the batteries checked or have you done it yourself? It's very possible the batteries are old and one or more cells are bad. You can buy a cheap battery checker at any auto store to check the specific gravity in each cell. The water in the cells may be low and won't hold a charge because of that. Use distilled water only. Or it might be what Rodney said—the solar controller and the Arstream monitor each will show numbers that make me crazy because they measure the load (I think) and it makes it appear the batteries are run down. What do the 2 battery readouts say when everything electric is turned off?

I think it more likely you haven't enough water in the batteries or they are shot because it shouldn't go to "poor" in minutes, but you have a different solar controller than I do (mine reads volts also) so I can be sure. The Airstream monitors can be very inaccurate and mislead you also.

You can use a voltmeter at the battery terminals and see what the voltage is there with and without a load so compare with the readings you get inside.

Gene
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Old 06-02-2009, 01:34 PM   #5
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A fellow can also get real battery acid at the auto store.
Adding "water" is ok...adding the real stuff is better...a
word of caution...it should be handled with care.
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Old 06-02-2009, 04:25 PM   #6
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If your batteries are as old as the trailer, I'd replace them. With road vibration and the temperature extremes beating them up, you're lucky to have a standard battery last much more than 4 years.
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Old 06-02-2009, 05:10 PM   #7
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The usual built-in meters for batteries will not tell you anything until the batteries have been at rest with no significant charging or discharging for at least a half hour. Rodney has the right idea here - loads on the battery cause it to have a lower voltage than its true state of charge would normally have as indicated on those meters. Purists insist on 12 hours of battery rest but a half hour is usually good enough for most needs. Note that this applies to both voltage and specific gravity measurements.

Also note that state of charge is different from capacity and there is no really good way to accurately determine capacity remaining in a battery. SmartGauge Electronics - battery metering has one of the better methods. That is like watching how the lights dim when a load (furnace, water pump) comes on. Lotsa' dim means not so much battery capacity left. The electron counters that measure energy in to compare to energy out are popular but they make a number of assumptions and the accuracy suffers because many things can influence battery capacity from cycle to cycle.

All of this is why the best bet is experience. Find out how long your batteries will last in the way you use them and use that as your best guide.

Don't make your life more complicated than you want it to be and don't fuss with batteries unless you enjoy that hobby. A friend found out he could replace his Airstream batteries at $55 ea at Costco and decided it really wasn't worth hassling marginal or questionable batteries. See Basic battery guidelines for some ideas.
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Old 06-02-2009, 05:16 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethowens View Post
A fellow can also get real battery acid at the auto store.
Adding "water" is ok...adding the real stuff is better...a
word of caution...it should be handled with care.
NO NO NO
the acid never evaporates, only the water evaporates. acid is only added to dry shipped batteries or if some spills out.
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Old 06-02-2009, 06:04 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennethowens View Post
A fellow can also get real battery acid at the auto store.
Adding "water" is ok...adding the real stuff is better...a
word of caution...it should be handled with care.
Despite fond 60s memories don't add more acid. It will increase sulfation and kill the battery quicker.

If the batteries are original 2004 they are living on borrowed time anyway.
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Old 06-02-2009, 06:11 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yakman View Post
If your batteries are as old as the trailer, I'd replace them. With road vibration and the temperature extremes beating them up, you're lucky to have a standard battery last much more than 4 years.
That long? I had kind of figured 2-3, but mine get daily use I wonder if that matters?
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Old 06-02-2009, 06:25 PM   #11
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I frequently camp three nights and three days with no problem. I'll use lights reasonably, the water pump, sometimes some heat in the morning, the radio and vent fans.
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Old 06-02-2009, 07:46 PM   #12
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yep,, five day Montana wbcci trip,, boon docking,,, new battery,, used the water pump, water heater and furnace a few mornings,,, no lights or stereo,, same trailer as yours ,, did fine,, happy trails,,, donna
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Old 06-02-2009, 07:48 PM   #13
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Paolo,, welcome,, glad to see you here and you are also in Montana,, pm me if you have any questions,, donna
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Old 06-03-2009, 12:23 PM   #14
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Thanks you all for the great answers! Yes, I think a big part of the problem was a false reading when using the lights. The reading went down only after I turned on the lights and didn't know it was normal. I do however think that a big issue with the new airstreams is the fancy lighting (which I really like). Donna seems to have made it for five days without using the lights but then that's a bummer. I like my lights :-) Any idea what kind of lower draw lights I could buy that would replace the existing ones?
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Old 06-03-2009, 12:53 PM   #15
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LED's are the way to go to save batteries and have more mellow lighting. Mellow, but fine to see with. They are expensive, but we like the light a lot better. The recessed lights were too bright. Check out this thread—it goes back quite a ways, but the answers are revealed later on:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f447...hts-17392.html

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Old 06-03-2009, 01:46 PM   #16
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The lighting fixtures in our 2005 have two 12-volt lamps in each and can be switched so that only one comes on, or both. My wife reads alot, so in her two favorite reading spots and in the bathroom, I replaced the bulb that comes on first with a lower rated lamp. That way she can use the dimmer bulb and save the battery when she is just reading. Also, the dimmer bulb in the bathroom keeps you from getting blinded when you get up at night.

This probably doesn't save a whole lot of battery capacity, but every little bit helps; and it's a lot cheaper than converting to LEDs, buying bigger or more batteries, or adding solar panels. Plus, my wife reads A LOT at night, so this cuts the current in half, compared to what she used to use.
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Old 06-03-2009, 09:06 PM   #17
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Gene, that's a great link on the LED lights. I will try to change a few to LED and also make the changes Phoenix recommended. I rarely go to campgrounds and having a more energy efficient unit is key. Thanks for all the info you all!
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