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Old 10-04-2017, 09:50 AM   #1
jaybird
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Boondock Battery Life

I have a 2014 Mountaineer and I'm going to be doing a little boondocking in the near future but have no clue how long my batteries will last any thoughts, and will the batteries charge if I hook cable up to truck. I do not have a generator.
 
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Old 10-04-2017, 10:13 AM   #2
mjammersc
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We will need some more info to answer the question such as how many and what size battery/batteries you have, what you plan on running off battery, etc. If its the standard single battery from the dealer, probably last overnight if you are careful.


As far as charging off of the truck, assuming the wiring is setup to do that, it will be about the same as a trickle charger and you'll need the truck running. If you are going to be doing this more than once or twice or for any length of time (more than an overnight), you'd be better off investing in a generator.
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Old 10-04-2017, 11:26 AM   #3
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It's just a one weekend getaway. My 38' has two factory batteries and I definitely plan on running very little battery equipment and as much on propane as possible (heater, refir, stove, etc)
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Old 10-04-2017, 11:43 AM   #4
rohrmann
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The factory doesn't install batteries in these rigs. You probably have a couple of group 24 batteries, which, if they are in good condition, will definitely last the night, as long as you keep your lighting and other things at a minimum.
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Old 10-04-2017, 11:53 AM   #5
Carl n Susan
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Two group 24's should last the weekend assuming minimal 12V usage. Lights are a big consumer of 12V, but the killer is the 12V fan in the furnace. If you plan to run the furnace you will run out of battery the first night.
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Old 10-04-2017, 03:37 PM   #6
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They don't use much, but the control circuits on the appliances tend to be 12v also so even if you run the fridg etc on propane it still uses a minor amount of 12v.
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Old 10-04-2017, 04:29 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carl n susan View Post
Two group 24's should last the weekend assuming minimal 12V usage. Lights are a big consumer of 12V, but the killer is the 12V fan in the furnace. If you plan to run the furnace you will run out of battery the first night.
Also you need to make sure you are starting with fully charged battery's to start with, If not then all of the above won't be correct. So make sure they are 100% charged
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Old 10-04-2017, 05:13 PM   #8
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Definitely agree with Carl and Susan on the furnace blower motor. That alone will suck a battery down in one night if it runs a lot.
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Old 10-04-2017, 05:31 PM   #9
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It's hard to answer your question. I can make a battery last several days. Use one lite at a time use VERY little water or you can run it down the first night.
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Old 10-04-2017, 06:03 PM   #10
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Thx all..here's the scoop. We bought a piece of property on a golf course in Quincy, Wa. (The Village @ Coluckum Retirement Comm) and we want to head over next weekend to sign papers, and break open a bottle of champagne to celebrate but our lot hasn't got power yet until we move it in the spring. Thus the reason for boondocking from Kent, Wa. to Quincy next weekend
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Old 10-04-2017, 07:57 PM   #11
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My last rig had dual 27 12v deep cycle batteries. I had all LED lights but a couple hours of TV off an inverter and running the heater blower at night would bring the battery charge down to 60-70% level in one day. If you run the batteries way down (not good for your batteries), hooking up to the truck will give you plenty of power to get the slides in and hooked up. Assuming your truck has a heavy duty charging system it will bring your batteries up fairly well after a short 3-4 hour drive. You can stay fairly warm at night with an extra blanket.
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Old 10-04-2017, 11:49 PM   #12
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Ditto on the furnace blower usage. I looked it up once, and I think it uses 9 amp when running. So when it gets cold the furnace runs 60-70% of the time which means 6 amphours per hour times 10 hours uses 60 amphours.
Oh, I may be wrong about the 9 amp. Maybe that was AFTER multiplying by 70% which would make it 90 amphours a night.
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Old 10-05-2017, 06:03 AM   #13
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OK, first off, if those batteries were brand new decent deep cycle 12v ones, you'd probably be all right for a one night stay if not using the furnace. Three - four years old and in so-so shape - I'd be concerned about being able to get the slides in the next day if you used any incandescent lights and no furnace the night before. If you use only a few LED lights and no furnace, you'd probably be fine when wanting to leave.

Those incandescent light bulbs use a tremendous amount of current for what they do. Eight of them probably pull as much as the furnace fan. Your hot water heater on propane uses some 12v current to provide a spark to ignite the propane, but then a really small amount afterwards (mostly for the switch light). Your water pump runs on 12v and uses some, but I've never figured out how much - certainly less than the furnace.

If you've not tried 'dry running' this while at home where you can plug in afterwards, I'd recommend picking up a backup 12v deep cycle battery (Walmart or Costco?), fully charging it and bringing it along with jumper cables. This way you can be certain you'll be able to pull the slides back in and leave. Maybe there's an outlet close enough for a 100' heavy duty extension cord? Finally, Harbor Freight has some inexpensive inverter generators . . .
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Old 10-05-2017, 01:29 PM   #14
Mel B.
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I think it's time for a generater!
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Old 11-26-2017, 04:38 PM   #15
Mel B.
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Or Solar and something like this. This didn't break the bank, but it sure made boon-docking a whole lot easier and quieter (Low Genny use unless cloudy) Monthly maintenance on my 4 6v GC batteries and they should last for years to come. I also have vented battery box covers not pictured.
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