Thread: Battery life
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Old 03-07-2020, 08:26 AM   #3
JRTJH
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
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Steve,

Your question brings up two "questions for you to consider".

First, why is your battery use so much more than the "typical dry camper"?
Answers may range from "your trailer has incandescent lights" to "your thermostat is set to 80F (rather than 68F) causing the furnace fan (which is the biggest battery drain) to run longer… So, an "energy audit" to determine just what you're using and what you can change to conserve battery power....

Second question, Are your batteries functioning at "full capacity"? If they have been "drained to almost zero" several times, they may only be capable of recharge to 80% or 85% of "new battery capacity". They will still pass a "quick load test" but probably wouldn't pass a "thorough/every cell specific gravity test". So, have your batteries been "fully checked for problems"?

I'd go one step further with Chris's suggestions of solar/new converter-charger and suggest that if your battery bank is 2 GC-2's and you find them inadequate, you might consider adding 2 more GC-2's (if you have the additional cargo capacity and storage space for more batteries. Keep in mind that it will take roughly "twice as long" to recharge 4 batteries as it does to recharge 2 batteries, so plan generator time accordingly (or increase converter-charger capacity to meet the increased demand)…

I'd start with an "honest energy audit" to see just what you're doing different than most of us, if your battery system (same as most other GC-2 users) is only lasting "overnight".... Most get 2-3 days or even more from that same battery system.
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