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Old 06-16-2015, 05:08 PM   #1
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Dry camping battery question

Forgive me if this has been answered in another string, but I didn't find exactly what I was looking for when I searched.

Anyway... We camped for 2 days in Grand Canyon NP and the battery did not last anytime before it was down to "1 led" on the indicator. I had to connect the camper to the truck several times over the course of the two days to put some life back into the battery. We were careful with lights and using the water pump. The only thing I know I did wrong was to open the slide after disconnecting from the truck, which had to be a big drain.

I thought the battery might be bad (it is about 2.5 years old), so I took it to an auto parts place and they tested it. Tested out to be fine. We have another 2 days of dry camping coming up at Mesa Verde in 3 days, and I don't want to go through what we went through at GC.

I have removed the fuse from the radio to eliminate that drain, and turned off the boost at the TV (don't know if it is on when only on battery or not) and the TV itself is unplugged. My options as I see them are (1) Buy another battery so I will have 2 (about $110 at the local auto parts place). (2) Use the existing battery and hope for the best.

Any recommendations? We are still on the road, currently in Moab, Utah, so not a lot of choices otherwise. I thought surely the battery would last 2 days with careful use of water pump and lights.
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Old 06-16-2015, 06:05 PM   #2
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I think I would add a battery or carry a second battery already charged.
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Old 06-16-2015, 06:48 PM   #3
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Did you happen to use the heater? That will drain the battery quickly.
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Old 06-16-2015, 07:24 PM   #4
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No heater or anything that would really drain the battery other than the slide out as mentioned. Hate to buy a second battery but it would probably be worth it to not have the hassle we had at Grand Canyon. Really just want to keep the fridge going and use the water pump every once in a while.
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Old 06-16-2015, 07:25 PM   #5
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I got 4 1/2 days out of a 3 year old battery . but only after the fridge started blinking and the propane sniffer beeped. (2 signs that you are getting low. ) If you have a battery charger with you or can find one , find a place,like a campground bathroom , that you can fully charge your battery. A battery will take quite a long time to charge from the truck alternator,if properly at all.
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Old 06-16-2015, 07:34 PM   #6
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It's a tough call to tell you to purchase a second battery now. With the first one being 2 1/2 years old, if it was me I would want to replace them both at the same time. But--you will have to limp by some how if you go it on just the one for this trip.

With that being said, I can go for a long time if we camp in warm weather and don't need the furnace. I have all LED lights, and two 6V T105 Trojans.
If you do decide you are going to be doing enough dry camping to warrant the purchase, I would recommend them. They are expensive, but what isn't now days.
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Old 06-16-2015, 07:45 PM   #7
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If you do decide you are going to be doing enough dry camping to warrant the purchase, I would recommend them.
Yeah, that's the kicker. We don't normally dry camp, but staying in the national parks we have to. I can't see doing that again in the foreseeable future. On the other hand, I would be willing to pay the $118 or so just to avoid the stress of having to try to keep the battery going for the fridge. We only have the one battery now.
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Old 06-16-2015, 07:47 PM   #8
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I have a solar charger ("SunForce") that I got from Cabella's and use it on my bass boat to keep my trolling motor battery charged up. It works similar to a trickle charger... and they are cheap enough that you could use two. Just a thought.
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Old 06-16-2015, 08:56 PM   #9
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Lots of options, but choices are limited when you're on the road, and have 3 days. Get an "ok" battery from WalMart. $118 is in the middle of the range. Consider some sort of charging arrangement. I'm thinking about a 7-pin RV plug, carrying 12VDC + and - to the battery, carried in the back of your truck while driving around. Other than that, the charger plugged into the bathroom might work, if it doesn't walk away. When needed, just swap them. Fastest, easiest, and possibly the cheapest fix while in the desert.
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Old 06-16-2015, 09:47 PM   #10
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In addition to our trailer battery, I also added to Walmart deep cell marine batteries. I also added a battery switch that allows me to switch between the singe trailer battery, the marine batteries or run all three together. We can usually get 4-5 days of dry camping out charge provided you turn off the TV antenna booster other electronic componets. I have also switched over all my lights to LED's. Since we dry camp in the Sequoias and Kings Canyon parks and there are no electrical hooks up. I always carry my 4800 watt generator and fire it up and run it for a couple of hours in the morning to recharge the battery bank on the 4th and 5th day of camping.
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Old 06-16-2015, 10:00 PM   #11
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Thanks for all the input guys. I think what I am going to do is try it with the one battery for now. I have the CD player "off" (pulled the fuse) and turned off the TV booster. TV is unplugged. I have a battery powered lantern for light. Plan to use the water pump sparingly and make sure the power is still connected to the truck when I put out the slide. If it looks like I am running out of power the afternoon of the second day I'll just go into the nearby town and buy another battery. Hope I don't have to do that.
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Old 06-17-2015, 11:08 AM   #12
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Did I hear you say the FRIDGE was running from the battery? I know it needs 12v to operate the electronics but make sure the fridge main cooling is running on propane. Just throwing that out there because on 12v the fridge will kill almost any battery in less than a day!
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Old 06-17-2015, 04:09 PM   #13
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Thanks Ronstar. My fridge is 110 or Propane. It was running on propane, just the control circuit was using the battery.
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Old 06-19-2015, 06:02 PM   #14
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I have added a second battery on all of my travel trailers and fifth wheels - that would get me through a weekend of camping - with the use of the furnace. Batteries are fully charged before I leave for the trip.

With all of the "DC" stuff - one will not be enough for me. I even used an inverter to power the TV and DVD player on our last fifth wheel.
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Old 06-24-2015, 02:32 PM   #15
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Update

Well, we got into Mesa Verde with the battery fully charged and the only drain on the battery that I knew of was the fridge control circuit and the LP sniffer. We never turned on a light or used the water pump. After the first night the battery was still showing fully charged so I figured we would make it through the next night. However, coming back to camp after viewing the ruins, the batter showed almost completely discharged! I had to connect to the truck and give it a little "boost" to make it through the second night.

Camper next to me had installed 2 golf cart batteries, a complete monitoring system and a nice solar panel. The control panel had led displays that showed the per-cent of battery charge, current draw, voltage and other information selectable from a switch. Very nice system, but probably more than I would need for the amount of "dry camping" I plan to do. I will likely buy another battery and a solar charging panel, but that will be about it. For now, we are in a state park in Oklahoma with water and electricity and the A/C going full blast.
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Old 06-24-2015, 03:10 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by dlwilliams48 View Post
For now, we are in a state park in Oklahoma with water and electricity and the A/C going full blast.
..... and being a good Sailor, I just know that there is a "cold-one" within reach! ... Happy Trails
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Old 06-24-2015, 03:25 PM   #17
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and being a good Sailor, I just know that there is a "cold-one" within reach! ... Happy Trails
But of course...
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Old 06-24-2015, 03:51 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by dlwilliams48 View Post
...After the first night the battery was still showing fully charged so I figured we would make it through the next night. However, coming back to camp after viewing the ruins, the batter showed almost completely discharged! .....
This is strange, and should warrant some troubleshooting. If the battery was fully charged when you left in the morning, but was almost dead when you came back, I'm guessing late in the day, then that is not normal!
If you only ran the LP sniffer and the fridge control circuit, then you should have been still almost fully charged. Those two devices together use about the energy of a transistor radio. So you either have some unknown draw on the circuit, or the battery itself cannot hold a charge. Or, running on "trickle" from the converter for so long, the battery has no "deep cycle" available, it's all just surface charge.
Since you are in the market for a second battery, buy one, and use it to replace the first. Try doing the same thing. If it runs down, you have a circuit drawing power. If it holds up, then take your old battery back for a core return on the one you just bought. Then you're back to one, but new and good, battery. Then you can buy a second battery when you are ready, perhaps when you buy that solar charger! Good luck!
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Old 06-24-2015, 05:34 PM   #19
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Or, running on "trickle" from the converter for so long, the battery has no "deep cycle" available, it's all just surface charge.
That may well be the case. I have been keeping the rig on "shore power" when at home. I did have the battery tested, but I don't think the test is able to tell if the battery has a deep cycle available.
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Old 06-26-2015, 10:10 PM   #20
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How many AH is your battery?

I installed a battery monitor as its great to see how much draw various electronics, lights, etc. draw. If you haven't moved to LED lights, it's a great way to lower the drain for when you are in the trailer.
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