Additional batteries paid off!

[DonandBonnie]

In another post we mentioned that we installed two additional batteries in our Big Sky after experiencing a rapid drain while attempting to boondock with our single battery.

Last night was the big test. We parked at Wally World in Paris, KY. Pulled in about 5pm. Auto leveled the rig and ran out the slides. (At this point the single battery would have been drained to the point that the generator couldn't be started.) Started the generator and ran it for about a half hour to make sure the batteries were fully charged. We killed the generator because we didn't want to risk the propane tanks freezing due to rapid flow from both the generator and furnace running at the same time. Before bed we fired it up again, mainly to use 110 to recharge our computer batteries. It ran for about 15 minutes and we shut it down again. Within a few minutes after shutting down the wall monitor dropped on notch off fully charged. The outside temp dropped to 26 degrees overnight so I was a little concerned about battery drainage with the furnace cycling so much. Woke up at 3am for a nature call and checked the monitor. It had not dropped. At 7 this morning it was still on the first light below fully charged.

Mission accomplished! We can now sleep peacefully knowing that the batteries can carry the furnace overnight without fear of being to drained to start the generator in the morning.

[DQDick]

Glad it worked for you! In our lifestyle it's all about peace of mind.

[H. John Kohl]

Don,
The led lights on the panel only tell you battery voltage. That is a measurement but definitely not a true reading. It is like reading your fuel tank level without being able to know how many miles you have traveled.
To get a much better reading on your battery level especially with the extra batteries and your desire to do some boon docking I recommend the Bogart TM 2025 RV meter.
It uses both voltage and current measurements so the same as tank level and miles driven to give you a much better status on the battery.
The rule of thumb I use is to keep my batteries above 50% usage. This meter helps me do that.
Good luck and safe travels.

[twindman]

Another thought - since the level dropped one notch right away, I wonder if you have the gadget that turns the converter into a trickle charge near the peak charging voltage? Without that kind of converter you don't get a good full charge, I believe.
Others on here can probably clarify my rambling a bit.

[Alwims]

I agree with John, the Bogart TM 2025 RV meter is what we use and feel it should be standard equipment on these rigs. The light system is kind of like the oil, heat, or battery light on a car. They only come on when you are in trouble. They don't tell you anything about the state of the system. Batteries need to be brought to full charge and maintained at full charge for an amount of time to be "fully" charged.

It's sort of like filling a glass of water under a faucet running full blast. If you continue to fill at full blast the glass will never quite get full as the water will splash out, but if you slow the water down going into the glass, it will eventually get completely full. Those lights will tell you the batteries are full when they are not "completely" full. If they are charged like that a lot, without getting completely full, they will fail prematurely.

[Mudchief]

I also recommend the Bogart TM 2025. Like John stated it gives you a true reading of your usage.