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Old 06-06-2021, 11:44 AM   #1
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2021 23' Flying Cloud
oakville , Ontario
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Battery life for 5 days

A newbie question. New Flying Cloud 23FB with 4 x 100 amp AGM batteries and 380 amp solar. Our current plans include 5 nights in Carolina Beach S of Wilmington mid March. No electricity at site. We expect to use furnace for warmth during evenings and on a lower setting at nights but little else apart from LED's.

With that set up would the batteries last for 5 nights?

It looks as if the site is partially shaded.

Any thoughts and experience much appreciated.
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Old 06-06-2021, 11:55 AM   #2
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For reference, I have gone 5 days with similar power usage on the stock interstate batteries, 180W of solar, and partial shade/cloud cover. One day was really cloudy so I ran the generator some in the evening to get me up to a good SOC to last the night.

With your setup and adequate sun I imagine you could last indefinitely.

Do you have a battery monitor installed? I really like having the Victron BMV-712 give me precise information about my batteries while camping off-grid.
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Old 06-06-2021, 12:11 PM   #3
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I would recommend a generator as insurance/backup. We always have our generator with us, even though rarely use anymore.
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Old 06-06-2021, 12:22 PM   #4
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I'm siding with points from Outdoor Idaho and Gypsydad.

I just installed a BMV-712 still learning about it but it shows a real interesting data, AH out and in. We just ran 6 days with gen and topped off only as needed with gen based on AH used and % battery state of charge. The other thing it allowed was showing 100% so turn gen off, no need to run it longer.

I don't know what your amperage consumption is on your heating system but knowing what that is and trying to do some used vs recovered AH figures might shed some light on your idea. Example my gas/hot air furnace with nothing else is right at 9A when running. that fan is a bit hungry.

Gary
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Old 06-06-2021, 12:25 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by OutdoorIdaho View Post
For reference, I have gone 5 days with similar power usage on the stock interstate batteries, 180W of solar, and partial shade/cloud cover. One day was really cloudy so I ran the generator some in the evening to get me up to a good SOC to last the night.

With your setup and adequate sun I imagine you could last indefinitely.
I have a similar data point, but I have 300W of solar panel on my roof, charging the 2 stock wet cell interstate batteries. My electrical usage was minimal, it was cold weather (40's at night) so I needed the furnace but kept the interior temperature in the low 60's to minimize furnace runtime. The key is how much sun you get in a given day, and there is no way to know that in advance, so I agree with others, you want a backup plan, and a portable generator is probably the next best thing. One of my days was very overcast, so minimal solar charging, and I did not have my generator with me. I had to improvise, and I used jumper cables and my tow vehicle to supplement the charging of my Airstream batteries, but that arrangement requires you to run the the tow vehicle for several hrs, not ideal for sure. If you get good sun each day, you should be self-sufficient but I would have a secondary plan in place in case you don't get enough sun.
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Old 06-06-2021, 12:28 PM   #6
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You'd last 5 days even if you didn't have solar. I've done it with only 2 batteries. With your set up you could go on for ever.
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Old 06-06-2021, 01:21 PM   #7
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Hi

Your furnace is the gotcha here. Without running the furnace, you could go on for quite a while. You will pull around 25AH a day for the fridge "just sitting there". Your solar should make that up fine.

How cold will it be in mid March? There's no way to *know* for sure. You could be near freezing at night. It's a good bet you will at least be in the low 40's during the day. It probably will be warmer, it could be colder ...

Your furnace may well pull >= 5A when running. You would need to measure the one in your trailer to get an accurate number. If it ran 24 hours a day / full bore, you burn 120 AH each day. Will you get to half that number? Maybe. Might you be below 1/3? Maybe. No real way to *know*.

60 AH into the furnace plus 24 into the fridge is 84 AH a day. The low side is 64 AH a day. 400AH of AGM's gives you 200AH usable capacity.

Solar is great right up to when it's not. Get a dark cloudy rainy day and output goes away. In March you could easily get a couple days in a row like that. At the "max" guess, you have less than three days of battery. Remember it's only a guess, your furnace might pull 10A, who knows .....

This also *assumes* the batteries are in good shape and that it's 70 degrees out. Hmmm.... maybe it's not 70 degrees. If it's cold out, and the batteries are outside, you could easily loose 1/3 of your capacity (maybe more). They also could be 10 or 20% below rated capacity, just sitting there.

Have a backup plan

Bob
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Old 06-06-2021, 03:02 PM   #8
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Thanks! Backup plan put in place (nearby KoA). Better to be warm than sorry...
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Old 06-06-2021, 03:32 PM   #9
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Good move.
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Old 06-06-2021, 04:13 PM   #10
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I see recommendations here for the Victron BMV-712 which I am considering along with several others. I found this one https://balmar.net/sg200-battery-monitor-ad/ Which is priced comparative to the Victron and includes up to 3 battery banks but the main thing that got my interest is the State of Health indicator which can help let you know when you are getting near battery replacement time, which could be very handy in preventing a problem on a trip.
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Old 06-07-2021, 07:57 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by ITSNO60 View Post
I see recommendations here for the Victron BMV-712 which I am considering along with several others. I found this one https://balmar.net/sg200-battery-monitor-ad/ Which is priced comparative to the Victron and includes up to 3 battery banks but the main thing that got my interest is the State of Health indicator which can help let you know when you are getting near battery replacement time, which could be very handy in preventing a problem on a trip.
Hi

If you are running lithium batteries, I don't think the "state of health" stuff will help much.( = it's designed for lead acid's)

Bob
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Old 06-07-2021, 08:03 AM   #12
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Hi

If you are running lithium batteries, I don't think the "state of health" stuff will help much.( = it's designed for lead acid's)

Bob
Bob,

I didn't see where anyone on this thread was using Lithium batteries, just Flooded Lead Acid and AGM which are also Lead Acid, unless I missed something?
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Old 06-07-2021, 08:25 AM   #13
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We survived just fine on a five day trip to Custer State Park last fall with 180W of solar on the roof and AGM batteries. We had a partially shaded campsite. I will admit that my battery SOC was lower than I’d like by day number five, but it turned out okay. We were judicious with our power consumption and rarely ran the furnace. I didn’t own a generator at that point, but I would have brought it along if I did. I’m boondocking up in the mountains for three days this weekend, and the generator will be in the truck.
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Old 06-07-2021, 10:05 AM   #14
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Before we upgraded to lithium we managed for 14 day with two trojan 6v = 105ah and 400w solar in partial shade - we did this for 2 years ave. 4-5, 14 day trips each up north in British Columbia. Mind you it was hard on the batteries. We did not use the furnace, have LED lights - the charge controller was the old PWM. So I would expect 5 day in your rig to be a piece of cake. The furnace usage however is your Achilles heel. I would also suggest you carry a small generator - this is always wise if you are boondocking.
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Old 06-07-2021, 11:12 AM   #15
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One thing I learned this past winter was that the furnace set at 55 or 60 degrees churns out an incredible amount of heat in a very short time i.e. like in 5 minutes. If I were you, I'd turn it on for a "shot" of heat in the mornings; again at night before you go to bed; and sleep under wool blankets or in a sleeping bag without any heat on during the night. Repeat.
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Old 06-08-2021, 08:29 AM   #16
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Bob,

I didn't see where anyone on this thread was using Lithium batteries, just Flooded Lead Acid and AGM which are also Lead Acid, unless I missed something?
Hi

AS started offering factory installed lithium on various models in the middle of the 2021 model year.

Bob
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Old 06-08-2021, 09:26 AM   #17
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If you have the new 12 compressor type fridge, it'll be a close call. If you have the standard absorption fridge, you can make 5 days easy.
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Old 06-13-2021, 10:43 AM   #18
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Similar setup and 5 days was OK. I would advise a small Yamaha or Honda generator for the backup (in place of moving part way thru your trip to a KOA). We also carry a small portable heater to run sometimes (quieter than the furnace). I suspect you will be fine.
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Old 06-13-2021, 04:13 PM   #19
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I survive on 300 watts of solar and 4 batteries and never plug in. Year round it runs on solar. Furnace or not. I'm rarely below 90 percent. Maybe after 4 days solid rain it will be 80. All that on a PWM controller. Unless you have something seriously wrong with your setup you'll have no issues.
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Old 07-15-2021, 12:15 AM   #20
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You'd last 5 days even if you didn't have solar. I've done it with only 2 batteries. With your set up you could go on for ever.
In this 5-day, battery only scenario, are you running your refrig on propane or battery?
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