Battery Power Recomendations

[Cheryle]

Just purchased a 28bh and foregoing solar and putting in an extra battery. Will having an extra battery be enough to keep the trailer going overnight while traveling and not hooked up to shore power? What is the best answer to keep the trailer powered for 2-3 days without shore power? Should I reconsider and have solar installed in addition to an extra battery? The whole solar thing is very confusing to me regarding benefits to keeping the battery charged???

[Country Campers]

I have oved your post out on its own to get better feedback, not sure about the title.

There are other options like a DC-DC charger, here is my install that is pretty basic, DC-DC Charge install Reflection 29RS - Grand Design Owners Forums (gdrvowners.com). Plenty of others have done this as well. This will help you charge batteries while towing, a huge plus. If it is cloudy or rainy you will still get a charge to the battery. Solar is good but not for everyone, depends on where you travel or stay and if you are going off grid a lot. I have also installed 2 solar panels, as well as 2 Lithium batteries. Do a little reading thru the Electrical and Solar channel and you will learn lots.

For us I chose 2 Lithium batteries to keep the fridge running and to do some dry camping, adding 2 more soon. 2 Lithium will get you a few days with out recharge as long as you do not run the furnace, they use a lot of battery power. The one issue with Lithium is the converter may need changed to a Lithium compatible one, your stock one may be good but you will have to check.

Brian

[ncitro]

Cheryle Brian is right on. It's best to think of all your 12v loads (most everything in your trailer except the air conditioner, microwave, or outlets) as always running off the batteries. Then you have a variety of things that recharge the batteries. These could be shore power, a generator, the factory charge wire from the truck, but you could also have solar, or a DC-DC charger. I personally think solar is great if you need power while camping (boondocking, in the sun), but if you're mainly looking for power to charge the batteries while driving (overnight stops at Walmart then charge up while driving) then the DC-DC is a great way to go.

If you're looking for extended camping days dry camping then you want to look at the amount of battery you have, and either have enough battery to last or plan to charge during your outing (generator, solar, or shore power).

The best solution is usually a combination of both battery and improved charging.

[aorrville]

IMO 2-3 days is a long time to just rely on batteries and likely not possible with lead acid batteries. But it all depends on the battery capacity, the age of the batteries, the power consumption of the RV, the temperature while camping. and many more factors.

We spent 4 days boondocking in Rocky Mountain National Park - we had one factory installed 160 watt solar panel and one 100AH lithium battery. It was sunny everyday - with a few showers in between sun on two of the days. It was warm but not hot and not too cold so we didn't have to run the furnace. I checked the battery capacity every morning and we consistently dropped to 20% capacity overnight in what I would consider almost perfect conditions.

We now have two 100AH lithium batteries. We also upgraded the solar to 350 watts to top up the batteries during the day. We should now be Ok to make it through a rainy/cloudy day (though probably not two in a row).

I also bought a Ford F150 PowerBoost with the 7.2kw generator so I could use that to charge up the batteries if we do get some cloudy days.

[Cheryle]

Thanks for the info - learning lots. I have an older truck - 2006 Dodge 2500 Turbo Diesel. Does having an older truck impact current technologies in charging? (Not considering changing out my truck - love the old beast and only has 104,000 miles but will make adjustments if necessary). Also, did a little reading on the DC-DC charger but still a little confused - is a Dc-Dc charger between the TV and RV maximizing the TV charge during travel? Sorry to be so dense, but not only learning new process - but an entire new vocabulary! 🤓

[Cheryle]

Brian, just read the “Dc-Dc Charge Install” thread - my eyes rolled back into my head….. but if I understand everything, I need a Dc-DC charger to get the maximum charge from lithium batteries. Then contributors starting talking about how they beefed up the TV alternators and wiring. It this necessary? I’m sure my truck is stock and my truck mechanic is in Lander, WY - I’m currently in Charleston, SC. On my way west and can stop by Lander to have Shane upgrade, but will my current TV configuration work with 2 li batteries and a DC-DC charger until I get to Lander? Don’t want to damage my truck. Trailer still at dealer getting configured - guess I’ll just take your diagram in and see their reaction. If it’s a blank look, I’ll probably get the work done somewhere else……….

[Cheryle]

“BLoflin Howard has it right, and your concerns are valid as well. Those of us that have used the 40 or 60 amp models have run large gauge wire back from the truck battery to the Renogy (I used 4AWG for my 40A), and have alternator capacity to spare (I think Howard and I are both running dual heavy duty alternators). Those that are using the factory wiring are using the 20A model, in a Ford the factory charge wire is 10AWG, and is fused large enough to handle the load. MidwestCamper was I believe the first to do the upgrade with his factory wiring on his GM, and he verified that the stock wiring and fuses were adequate for his calculations.”

Neil, it was these comments from the DC-DC Charge Install thread that drew my concern for the necessary upgrades to the TV?? With a 2006, I probably don’t have heavy wiring or a heavy duty alternator. Someone in that thread said something about putting a switch on the DC-Dc unit cutting the charge to half to not overhead the wiring. Should I do that until I have the wire/alternator upgraded?

[Country Campers]

I installed the 20 amp Renogy DC-DC charger to utilize the stock charge wiring from the tow vehicle. Check your charge fuse to se the rating, if it is a 30 amp fuse you can use the 2o amp charger. This charger can also be switched to only output 10 amps. If your RV does not consume more than 10 or 20 amps while traveling this charger will do just fine. We use about 7 amps while traveling so the 10 amp setting keeps the batteries full charged while traveling, we do not have an inverter which will consume more if it is being used. The stock charging from the tow vehicle will only output about 5 amps or so, the DC-DC charger boosts this to 10 or 20 amps depending on the setting. It does a great job at keeping the batteries full charged over the stock charge output.

Brian

[Cheryle]

Brian, thanks so much for your comments. Sometimes I feel so slow but I think I’m finally getting it. Neil was using a 40 amp which necessitated the heavier wiring from the TV but I’m sure a 20 amp would work just fine for me. Much appreciation!

[Country Campers]

Brian, thanks so much for your comments. Sometimes I feel so slow but I think I’m finally getting it. Neil was using a 40 amp which necessitated the heavier wiring from the TV but I’m sure a 20 amp would work just fine for me. Much appreciation!

I had a hard time grasping all of this info as well, and I am still learning so you are not alone here. Glad to help out.

Brian

[ncitro]

Brian is exactly right again. I went with the 40A so had to run new wires back from the truck battery. I also have a residential fridge and inverter, so needed the extra charging power. Like he says check your factory charging fuse, see what it's rated for and go from there.

Also it'll with with either lead acid or lithium, you program it for what type of battery you have. That said if you're looking to extend the amount of dry camping you can do I'd be looking hard at lithium.

Another thing I'd consider if you're looking to dry camp is a battery monitor with a shunt. I'm partial to the Victron (either the BMV or SmartShunt) but there are other options as well. Some of the newer trailers are shipping with a Furrion shunt, you'd have to check if your trailer has one. This acts like a fuel gauge for your batteries and instead of just telling you the voltage, can actually tell you what percent is left in your batteries at any time.

[Jlawles2]

Cheryle Check the fuse rating to the 7 way as mentioned. Most of the older trucks had better wiring than the new ones.

Before biting the bullet to go dual Li, look at your needs. Most of the time we have full hookups so solar and Li is not a great option for US. Our 1st TT was 23' and I could run all night (no fridge) on the furnace, but in the AM would fire up the generator (3500 watt) for hot water, and the microwave. After about 1-2 hrs running the batteries would be fully charged.

The previous 5er due to an axle failure I found would run about 3 days on a fully charged battery running just the propane fridge with it's fans. After that, 30 min a day with the 7 way in the truck plus high idle to maintain the battery seemed to work for keeping the fridge up and running. Granted temps were at least 100 during the day so the fridge fans ran non stop.

Again, look at your needs. Only you know what you will be using and running when "dry" camping. Members here are willing and can help with your particular needs.

Personally if the TV is a good one and you are happy with how it performs with minimal upkeep cost, keep it and run it. Adding a second alternator may be an option if needed or possibly a high output unit. You can always add a 3rd battery in the bed with an "interceptor" plug to the 7 way to help buffer the needs of the trailer should you choose to go Li and a DC-DC charger.

[RockingKCranch]

Didn't see it mentioned, though it might have been.... If you don't want to install solar on the roof, etc, there are some self-contained portable options that fold up out of the way that could "help" with recharging if you are camping stationary. LifePo4 batteries do charge faster than lead acid types, and allow for much greater discharge (usable power), so while still very expensive, they are coming down, and tech keeps improving, so give them a close look.