Quote:
Originally Posted by PopBeavers
So for those of us that only tow for 3 to 4 hours, as long as we don't leave the fridge on 12 volts during a dinner stop, it won't really matter.
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I'm not sure I would say that. In my case, and in the case of at least a few others that have posted here, there is a 2-3 amp draw on the TM battery while towing with the fridge on DC using the TV OEM wiring. So on a 3-4 hr drive, you lose 6-12 Ah. If you have 2 Trojan T-105s with a useable capacity of ~140Ah (total capacity of 225 Ah), that is less than 10% of your power. Not a huge deal, but still significant. And all that assumes you don't stop for fuel, food, potty stop, or anything else. It also assumes you turn the fridge on only immediately before turning the TV on, and then turn it off immediately after disconnecting from the TV. Most people don't do that.
But if you only have the battery that came with the TM, or something similar, you only have 80-100 Ah total capacity, or ~40-50 Ah of useable power. In this case, you've lost 20-30% of your power, which is quite significant.
What I am saying in that in either case, I'm not sure measuring voltage is going to be a reliable way of determining the state of discharge. I don't think you'd be able to tell anything using a voltmeter in the first instance, and in the second instance, if you can tell anything, you're only going to tell if you are losing power. You won't be able to tell how much.
Dave