Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 10-17-2019, 09:59 PM   #1
2 Rivet Member
 
2018 30' International
Port Angeles , Washington
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 97
Serenity 30 fter boondocking w/cold nights

On the 1 yr anniversary of our purchase of a new 2018 AS Signature Serenity, we finally stayed at a beautiful spot without hookups. The temps dropped into the low 30's at night so propane heaters drew down battery power so low as to not be able to have the electronic propane starter light, even though the fan would still start. Early in the morning we could start the new Honda 3000i, but couldn't run it all night.
Question is: who can recommend a good solution to keeping the battery up over night so the big furnace can work and toes don't freeze and cat can sleep outside the bed?
Thanks
JEC Olympic Peninsula
JECTJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2019, 10:12 PM   #2
Rivet Master

 
2007 22' International CCD
Corona , California
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,180
Serenity 30 fter boondocking w/cold nights

The mitigation is greater battery amp-hour capacity, solar power, and great care using any 12 volt power...

None of which is really cheap, but all can be done. Look around the forums for lots of discussion on the subject. Solutions range from standard hardware to exotic Lithium battery based system with solar panels covering every square inc hog available Airstream roof area plus additional panels on the tow vehicle and portable panels on the ground

I have 150 watts of solar and a pair of 6 volt GC-2 golf cart batteries in series replacing a single 12 volt battery. I also replaced all my OEM incandescent lights with LEDs, and take care to have very well-charged batteries before it gets cold and dark. I’m expanding with a few more panels on the roof once I can find room on the roof and time to mount it all.
__________________
Rich, KE4GNK/AE, Overkill Engineering Dept.
'The Silver HamShack' ('07 International 22FB CCD 75th Anniversary)
Multiple Yaesu Ham Radios inside and many antennae sprouting from roof, ProPride hitch, Prodigy P2 controller.
2012 shortbed CrewMax 4x4 Toyota Tacoma TV with more antennae on it.
rmkrum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2019, 10:21 PM   #3
Overkill Specialist
Commercial Member
 
GMFL's Avatar
 
2020 30’ Globetrotter
2014 23' International
Dadeville , Alabama
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 4,516
Images: 4
Blog Entries: 52
Setting your furnace temp to 50-55 degrees at night will help but if you are running the stock interstate group 27 batteries then the only real solution is to change over to twin 6 volt golf cart batteries or go lithium. Bottom line is you need more Useable amp hours.
If stock. Right now you have around 86 useable amp hours at best. Furnace pulling 10 amps per hour plus lights and incidentals after dark you’ve got Best case about 8 hours of stored energy. Add the cold weather Cooling your batteries and those useable amp hours drop off fast.
__________________
Instagram @Airstream_Nuts_And_Bolts
DoItYourselfRV Articles
Certified Victron Installer
GMFL is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2019, 11:04 PM   #4
2 Rivet Member
 
2018 30' International
Port Angeles , Washington
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 97
Thank you for the specific help! We plan on getting the 30footer out this fall/winter and need to know we can stay warm. Possibly head,South in January but didn't want to end up in some high end rv park so may boondock.
JECTJC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 09:40 AM   #5
Rivet Master
 
2012 23' FB International
Woodstock , Ontario
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,423
Snuggle up in bed!..worked for us in Walmart campground....and we also killed the size 24 battery over-nite using the furnace. Per Can-Am, battery is expected to run the furnace over-nite....but don't count on it if your battery isn't up to the task due to age or incomplete charge.
Like every one has stated....more battery capacity ids the only solution, and you still need to recharge the battery(ies) the next day. This won't happen using your TV. You need the generator or a solar panel (and sun) if you plan to boon-dock more than one night and still use the furnace.
JCW
JCWDCW is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 10:05 AM   #6
Married with Airstream
 
drbrick's Avatar

 
2004 25' International CCD
Vancouver Island , British Columbia
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 934
Images: 5
Both GMFL and RMKRUM hit the nail on the head (so to speak). What it boils down to is knowing the amount of power you have available compaired to the amount of power you intend to use. The furnace uses A LOT of power. We have found running it in the lower 45-50 range with blankets makes it OK for fall boondocking. We also run solar and 2-6v trojan T-105s, LED lights and monitor our power usage durning the longer fall nights.
__________________
La Dolce Vita Brick & Mona
We're Married With Airstream dot com
2004 International 25CCD Registered Name "Blue Streak"
2013 F-150HD FX4 SuperCrew Lariart (MaxTow) "Red Dragon"
drbrick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 10:10 AM   #7
Rivet Master
 
AirMiles's Avatar
 
2018 27' Globetrotter
Apollo Beach , Florida
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1,401
Same recommendation as above from me. Get a pair of Duracell EGC2 6V Golf Cart Batteries from Sam's Club. https://www.samsclub.com/p/duracell-...lp_product_1_3 or a set of Trojan T105 6V Golf Cart Batteries. Rewire your battery connections to Series. I use the Duracell's and they easily power my furnace all night along with my other power needs.

You can charge these Golf Cart Batteries with your stock converter, but an upgraded converter from bestconverter.com will charge them much faster and more fully. Or, as others have said, adding solar is an even better way to keep your batteries fully charged.

I have found that 400W of solar on the roof and a pair of Duracell EGC2 Batteries in the battery box turns an otherwise stock Airstream into a viable boondocking machine.
__________________
2021 Northern-Lite 10-2 & F350 DRW PSD, 600W Solar/Victron/600A BattleBorn
146 nights 31,000 miles (first 10 months!)
Sold: 2018 GT27Q, 74 nights 12,777 miles
Sold: 2017 FC25FB, 316 nights 40,150 miles
Sold: 2013 Casita SD17 89 nights 16,200 miles
AirMiles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 10:23 AM   #8
Something Shiny
 
2017 27' International
Mosinee , Wisconsin
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 70
Cold weather heat solution

We just came back from a trip with weather into the 20's. I ran the furnace when generator use was practical, but made use of our Little Buddy catalytic heater, which uses no electricity most of the time - plenty of heat and safe for use inside the trailer. We really like using this heater because it is quiet. It runs on propane 1# bottles and easily makes it through the night. There are quite a few catalytic heaters on the market to choose from.
__________________
Mark & Gina
2017 International 27FB
700W Solar roof mount + 160W Zamp portable = 860A
ProPride hitch, 1400#
2018 Ford F250 Platinum 6.7L Diesel
Pongo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 01:06 PM   #9
Half a Rivet Short
 
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle , Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
Hi

A lot depends on the batteries you have and what shape they are in.

The stock flooded cell batteries that come with a "non-solar" trailer should be around 170 AH capacity.

If you *do* have a solar package, then you should have AGM batteries that give you about 200 AH of capacity. (so about 15% more)

Going to Trojan T-105's will get you to about 220AH capacity ( so 10% more than AGM's).

None of those changes *by themselves* will take you from "stone cold dead overdoing" to "all is well and we can cook breakfast the next morning". There just isn't enough difference in capacity.

What will make a difference is being sure the batteries are fully charged right before quiet hours start. Also being very careful of what loads you do or don't run ( = don't run the inverter ....). Indeed with careful management (and maybe a bit of a cold trailer) you can get through the night on the stock batteries.

Indeed you are not the only one to note that the stock setup is challenged as far as running this and that plus the furnace overnight. Even with careful management and the T-105's, you aren't going to do two nights in a row. You will need a generator / solar / whatever to supplement the batteries.

If multiple cold nights on battery alone are a requirement then you either will need 4 lead acid batteries or something like lithiums. Both of those approaches involve a bit of cash and a bit of work.

For the totally crazy, you could trade in the trailer for a newer Classic. The Alde pulls *way* less current than the good old furnace

Bob
uncle_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 07:10 PM   #10
Rivet Master
 
kidjedi's Avatar
 
1972 25' Tradewind
1976 31' Excella 500
1974 31' Excella 500
1975 24' Argosy 24
Denver , Colorado
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,106
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pongo View Post
We just came back from a trip with weather into the 20's. I ran the furnace when generator use was practical, but made use of our Little Buddy catalytic heater, which uses no electricity most of the time - plenty of heat and safe for use inside the trailer. We really like using this heater because it is quiet. It runs on propane 1# bottles and easily makes it through the night. There are quite a few catalytic heaters on the market to choose from.
Plus one on this, though I actually installed a hose and quick connect, so I can use the big main tanks instead of going through lots of little ones (on multi-week cold weather adventures).
__________________
25' 1972 Airstream Trade Wind Land Yacht (heavily customized)
2006 Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel)
BeahmStream.com
kidjedi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2019, 07:35 PM   #11
Site Team
 
wulfraat's Avatar

 
2017 30' International
Broomfield , Colorado
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,555
Images: 1
Serenity 30 fter boondocking w/cold nights

After 8 years with 2 lead acid AGM batts I gave up conserving usage and checking voltage every other hour and went to a big lithium bank.

It’s been a while since I worried about overnight furnace draws while boondocking [emoji4]

Have not looked back...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f539...um-182406.html
wulfraat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2019, 06:31 AM   #12
Half a Rivet Short
 
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle , Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
Quote:
Originally Posted by wulfraat View Post
After 8 years with 2 lead acid AGM batts I gave up conserving usage and checking voltage every other hour and went to a big lithium bank.

It’s been a while since I worried about overnight furnace draws while boondocking [emoji4]

Have not looked back...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f539...um-182406.html
Hi

Last night with the heater pads turned on under the water tanks, the furnace running nice and warm, and about 4A of other stuff running, we ran through about 100AH of battery. We started the night about 100AH down from "full". Still have another 200AH just sitting there .....

Indeed big battery banks are a nice thing .....

Bob
uncle_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2019, 06:44 AM   #13
Trailer Sold, Waving
 
Acheron2010's Avatar
 
2019 26' Flying Cloud
Stettler , Alberta
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 1,032
The full-time "AStreaminLife" folks on YouTube solved it with a propane catalytic heater.
__________________
2015 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2019 Airstream Flying Cloud 26RBQ
WBCCI #6679
Acheron2010 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2019, 07:09 AM   #14
Rivet Master
 
billrector's Avatar
 
2017 27' Flying Cloud
Fort Worth , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 773
You have some great suggestions so far. I feel for you not only because I was there, but I still haven’t really eliminated the concern. I have learned to manage it though.

1). Increase your battery amp hours. Easy to go to 220 Ah, but not so easy to add more. Adding additional batteries will help but takes up already limited space. This is your limiting item!

2). Add a Victron battery monitor so you know exactly where each amp is going. You can’t rely on the stock voltage meter. Managing your energy usage is mandatory unless you want to spend a lot on batteries.

3). As Bob mentioned, make sure your batteries are fully charged at the end of the day. You can do this boondocking with solar or a generator.

4). Invest in a good down blanket. We are good with temps inside the trailer to 40 degrees or so. We turn on the furnace when we get up and turn on the generator when we can if we need to.
billrector is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2019, 06:57 PM   #15
Rivet Master
 
2018 30' Classic
Jacksonville , Florida
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 724
"Early in the morning we could start the new Honda 3000i, but couldn't run it all night."


Was this due to quiet hours or some other reason? I like the small heater, used them a lot in the pop up days along with good sleeping bags. They work great unless you are in the mountains, ie 10,000+/-. But these days we would run the generator to quiet hours, often 10 or 11 pm. That limits the battery only time. Also turn down the tstat to lower the run time.

Or as we do in the hurricane recovery time run the generator all night. Done it many times.

My favorite way to warm up the trailer is to bake cookies in the oven. Works every time. But I understand the reluctance to do this after midnight.
Overstreet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2019, 07:21 PM   #16
Rivet Master
 
SSquared's Avatar
 
2013 25' FB Flying Cloud
Longmont , Colorado
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 1,105
Another thought....maybe your batteries are weak. I know your trailer is rather new, so your batteries should be good. But if the batteries were left run-down for weeks at a time (as sometimes happen on a dealer's lot), that can cause permanent damage.

Are you batteries Lifelines? Lifeline publishes a technical manual that gives a procedure for determining the actual capacity of the batteries. But it takes a few hours.
SSquared is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-22-2019, 08:43 AM   #17
Rivet Master
 
billrector's Avatar
 
2017 27' Flying Cloud
Fort Worth , Texas
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 773
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSquared View Post
Another thought....maybe your batteries are weak. I know your trailer is rather new, so your batteries should be good. But if the batteries were left run-down for weeks at a time (as sometimes happen on a dealer's lot), that can cause permanent damage.

Are you batteries Lifelines? Lifeline publishes a technical manual that gives a procedure for determining the actual capacity of the batteries. But it takes a few hours.


“New” batteries from an Airstream dealer are notoriously bad. When I bought my trailer, my batteries were junk and I had several conversations with JC regarding my experience. Batteries sit in the trailers on the lot for months with parasitic load on them. They are deeply discharged and then only recharged when someone purchases the AS.

I asked JC why they don’t have the dealers install the batteries and it is because dealers do not want it this way. My guess is that most batteries in new airstreams have been damaged before purchase.

Interstate, to their credit, replaced my batteries for free. Since then, I have upgraded to Fullriver 6V batteries.
billrector is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-23-2019, 07:47 AM   #18
Half a Rivet Short
 
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle , Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
Quote:
Originally Posted by billrector View Post
“New” batteries from an Airstream dealer are notoriously bad. When I bought my trailer, my batteries were junk and I had several conversations with JC regarding my experience. Batteries sit in the trailers on the lot for months with parasitic load on them. They are deeply discharged and then only recharged when someone purchases the AS.

I asked JC why they don’t have the dealers install the batteries and it is because dealers do not want it this way. My guess is that most batteries in new airstreams have been damaged before purchase.

Interstate, to their credit, replaced my batteries for free. Since then, I have upgraded to Fullriver 6V batteries.
Hi

Most trailers are delivered by towing them to the dealer. Doing that without batteries on the trailer would be illegal. ( = no breakaway function ).

Indeed dealers are very much a mixed bunch.

Having "visited" trailers in at least one dealer's storage lot, they did indeed have the batteries fully disconnected in storage. They also had a guy there who occasionally (who knows how often) went around with a charger. It was hanging off of one trailer when I was there.

Indeed there are other dealers who likely can't find the battery box, let alone figure out how to disconnect the batteries. I (unfortunately) have visited a few of them as well.

Might be something to ask about if you are looking to purchase a trailer at this or that dealer ....

Bob
uncle_bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
First freezing cold nights, how to prep MLM Sprinter and B-van Forum 58 01-02-2018 06:08 PM
Heat for one or two cold nights... gomotomoto Our Community 13 09-28-2014 09:40 AM
Cold nights ahead but I'd rather not winterize. Best option? blickcd Winterizing, Storage, Carports & Covers 20 10-07-2012 05:17 PM
Hot Grog for cold nights Lily&Me Stella's Kitchen 2 12-18-2011 11:27 AM
Cold winter nights - hot PJs adonh Our Community 3 02-08-2010 07:15 PM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:32 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.