Quote:
Originally Posted by rich2468
If your destination has electric hookups available, discharging your TrailManor's battery significantly during the tow won't matter (as they will recharge from the converter when on shore power).
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Be a little careful here. Discharging a lead-acid battery below 50% capacity will significantly damage it. New TMs are often equipped with a Group 24 or Group 27 dual purpose (aka Deep Cycle/Marine) battery installed by the dealer. These batteries have a capacity of about 70 amp-hours, so about 35 amp-hours is actually usable. On DC, the refrigerator uses 11-12 amps (about 150 watts), so the usable life of the battery is about 3 hours, ignoring any other power consumers that may be on. So if you leave the refrig turned on while you drive, you must stop after 3 hours, open the TM, and turn it off.
As noted, if you have a significant solar capacity operating while you drive, that will extend your time. Larger batteries will contribute to extended run time. Lithium batteries are better. But none of these is part of the basic TM configuration.
Surprisingly, the +12VDC line from most tow vehicles will actually contribute very little to the situation.
For that reason, my advise is to cool the refrig completely before you begin to drive, then turn it off. It acts as a well-insulated cooler, so you can go for considerably more than 3 hours before significant warming occurs.
Bill