nuke1105
San Pedro
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Joined: 10/04/2009
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Hello,
Well after doing a lot of reading I figured I would ask PUP pros there opinion on a topic that seems to be very controversial. Batteries!! I am looking to replace the single battery that came with my pup for a battery or batteries! I think I would feel more comfortable with two batteries on the tounge of my trailer instead on just one battery because I do a lot of dry camping (no hook ups). I was reading a little on batteries and came to find out that there are deep cycle batteries that come in 24, 27 and 31. But I also read that marine / RV batteries are differnt then deep cycle batteries. So my questions are
1. Should I go with two instead of one (since I do a lot of dry camping)
2. Should I buy the 31 instead of the 24 (more is better right?)?
3. I only plan on using the batteries to power my 2 dome lights, water pump and my furnace. How many days use should I expect to get from 1 battery and 2 batteries?
4. The furnace is very important for me to have on during the night. Does this consume a lot of battery life? ( I have a 3 year old that gets cold very easily).
5. What are your personal opinons and ideas about the whole battery thing for pup's.
Thanks for taking the time to read this long post!!
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trop-a-cal
Palm Coast Fl
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Joined: 09/24/2007
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They are rated by hours of continuous use, and get more expensive the higher rating. You can also set them up with a solar charger.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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Forget 24s. Get 27, 29 or a pair of 6v golf batteries. The furnace fan does use a bit of 12v power. And so do standard incandescent lights.
With two batteries you should get two to four nights depending on usage. On my PUP I would bring extra blankets and set the thermostat down at 55 to 60 range. Or off and run 30 minutes in the morning as I get up.
Consider some LED lights to save a lot on power for lighting.
LED thread
Another issue might be how to recharge while camped.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
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bldrbuck
Boulder, Colorado
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Joined: 02/11/2001
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The 12volt Side of Life
Trojan Battery Company - Charging
These should help.
93 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel, DRW, Crew Cab. PullRite Hitch. 90 Nomad 28' 5er, 375 Watts Solar, 2800 Watt Yamaha Generator, 1750 Watt Inverter, 4 Trogan T105 Batteries, Spare tire and wheel and folding ladder. Me, wife and 2 spoiled Maltise furkids.
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rglennie
Deep in the Trees
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Joined: 11/18/2008
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Most people swear by a pair of golf cart batteries, as they seem to be the most rugged deep cycle ones out there. The advantage of two 6 volt batteries is if one cell goes bad, you only have to replace one of the two batteries. Marine "deep cycle" batteries are only "partially" deep cycle, if that makes any sense. They don't handle deep discharging as well as true deep cycle batteries.
A solar panel for extended dry camping is a very good idea - get as big a panel as you can afford; at least 30 watts, ideally 60~100 or more, plus a charge controller. Look for deals - there's a place in Florida selling panels on eBay for $2.50 per watt, best price around.
1972 Cadillac Eldorado convertible
2006 Honda Ridgeline
2008 Fleetwood Tacoma
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nuke1105
San Pedro
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Joined: 10/04/2009
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smkettner wrote:Forget 24s. Get 27, 29 or a pair of 6v golf batteries. The furnace fan does use a bit of 12v power. And so do standard incandescent lights.
With two batteries you should get two to four nights depending on usage. On my PUP I would bring extra blankets and set the thermostat down at 55 to 60 range. Or off and run 30 minutes in the morning as I get up.
Consider some LED lights to save a lot on power for lighting.
LED thread
Another issue might be how to recharge while camped.
I was thinking about the EU serious 2000 watt generators for the desert camping and maybe a solar panel for more quiet camping (dont want to bother the neighbors). But thats will probably be another thread about how big of a solar panel i will need. I was also told that i could hook the trailer up to my truck for about 30 minutes while (leave my truck running of course) and that will charge my batties half way or so?
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Hi nuke1105,
Get the maximum number of amp-hours that will physically fit into the space provided by your RV maker.
question #1 get two (or more if they will fit) capacity is more than doubled when two batteries are used.
question #2 Get the biggest batteries that will fit.
question #3 run time depends on the amps each item uses. It is difficult to answer with even a guess when we don't know the number of hours of use per day.
Question #4 about 6 amps per hour of constant run time. Run time will be determined by out side temperature--so it is a "moving target".
question #5 Why would a pup be any different than any other RV?
nuke1105 wrote:Hello,
Well after doing a lot of reading I figured I would ask PUP pros there opinion on a topic that seems to be very controversial. Batteries!! I am looking to replace the single battery that came with my pup for a battery or batteries! I think I would feel more comfortable with two batteries on the tounge of my trailer instead on just one battery because I do a lot of dry camping (no hook ups). I was reading a little on batteries and came to find out that there are deep cycle batteries that come in 24, 27 and 31. But I also read that marine / RV batteries are differnt then deep cycle batteries. So my questions are
1. Should I go with two instead of one (since I do a lot of dry camping)
2. Should I buy the 31 instead of the 24 (more is better right?)?
3. I only plan on using the batteries to power my 2 dome lights, water pump and my furnace. How many days use should I expect to get from 1 battery and 2 batteries?
4. The furnace is very important for me to have on during the night. Does this consume a lot of battery life? ( I have a 3 year old that gets cold very easily).
5. What are your personal opinons and ideas about the whole battery thing for pup's.
Thanks for taking the time to read this long post!!
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts solar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries 2500 watt inverter.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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If your converter is 45 amps or less a Honda/Yamaha 1000 would be plenty for charging battries. You would need 2000 to run a microwave. Depending on the converter it will take 2 to 48 hours to recharge from plugging into the generator. Multistage is far faster. Post the converter make and model to know what to expect. Some prefer a portable automatic charger (black & decker) and get 40 amps if you want to go this route. I always recommend upgrading the built in converter if needed.
Charging from the vehicle will work in a pinch but it still takes time. Use heavy jump cables direct battery to battery for best results.
Solar will cost some money as you really need to be in the 100 to 300 watt range with possibly a better MPPT controller.
Pace yourself as it all can add up quick. More camping and more planning and you will better know what you need for your power needs.
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Cape Cod Mountain Man
Eastham,MA
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Joined: 01/16/2004
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No expert except for experience. I put two deep cycle batteries on my PUP as, like you, we do dry camping. The furnace fan does use power but it does not seem excessive. Lights are a real draw and we use them VERY carefully. Therefore we primarily light with a propane lantern.
Use a matched pair or one battery will draw down the other.
We got over a week of dry camping on our setup without recharging. Driving several hours seemed to charge them both up again. I thiknk you can safely expect 3 or 4 days without a recharge.
We are highly motivated NOT to use a generator so it was nice to see this setup work for us. Hope you fair as well.
Destinations on purpose: Canada: Alberta, BC, Nove Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick. USA: ME,NH,MA,VT,NY,MT,WY,MN,MI,WI,GA,VA,FL
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2000 Fleetwood Niagra
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mbopp
Henrietta, NY, USA
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Joined: 06/20/2004
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When we had the PU I could get 4 days out of the G24 battery but that was without the furnace. If I ran the furnace constantly it would drain the battery in one or 2 nights. So we would run the furnace in the evening while getting ready for bed and again in the mourning for breakfast. We used warm sleeping bags & blankets for sleeping. For inside lights we used either a battery or propane lantern, well vented of course.
Many people who dry camp use two 6-volt golf cart batteries but I think you'd have a tough time fitting them on a PU tongue. We do some dry camping (I like it, DW doesn't.) When my G24 battery died I replaced it with a G27, it was only a few extra $$ over a G24 plus a new battery box.
I have a Honda 2000i generator I bought when we had the PU. I opted for the 2000 over the 1000 because it'll run more things and the cost difference wasn't that much. I've even used it to power the house during power outages. Now that we have the HTT it'll run the microwave or AC (albiet on low.) Looking ahead, if you want a single generator that'll run AC look at the Yamaha 2400. DB has one for his 5er and it runs his AC easily. Depending on what converter that's in your PU you may want to use a separate 3-stage charger.
I thought about solar panels. I figured 50 watts would be the absolute bare bones minimum I'd need, preferably 100 watts minimum. I opted for the generator as being more versatile. YMMV.
"A bad day of camping is better than a good day at work."
'04 GMC Envoy & '05 Travel Star 21SSO
17' Wenonah Kevlar & 16' Dagger Royalex canoes
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