Two days on battery only

I've always camped where there are electrical hookups. Next week, we'll be at Grand Canyon NP where there are no hookups. We'll be spending two nights.
We have the original 12 volt deep cycle battery that comes with our 2009 TM. If we don't run the refrigerator, what are the major drains on the battery that we should avoid. Interior lights? Toilet? Radio?

Thanks.

Richard

Richard: The furnace fan is probably the biggest power hog. Radios use little power and head use is so intermittant that I don't think it is significant. Lights are a draw (think of forcing lots of juice through that little wire until it glows) and we deal with that by using candles and a shaded lamp that runs on batteries. Two nights is very doable in a TM if you don't have the furnace running. - camp2canoe

[MudDog]

You should be able to run the fridge and water heater on propane.

Water pump and toilet and minimal light use should be relatively small draws on the battery.

The biggest draw would likely be the fan on the furnance. While the heat for the furnance is generated by a propane burner, the fan is powered electrically and will drain your battery if the furnace is running all the time.

I would bring some extra blankets and some knit caps to keep warm at night and set the thermostat to a lower temp so the heater isn't coming on too often.

Not sure how many amp hours your battery is rated for when fully charged. Knowing the number of amp hours can help estimate how long you can run different appliances.

Several on the forum that boondock frequently have installed battery monitors like the Xantrex LinkLite that give you a much better read on the battery draw and how much is left. We recently installed one and now know that we were probably being overly conservative on prior trips.

--jim

Thanks for the replies. I'm a worrier so I thought I'd ask. We're taking some down sleeping bags for the Canyon if it gets really cold. We have some camping lanterns that we'll use as well, one battery and one butane. Up until last year, we were tent campers, so using the TM as if it were just a big tent should get us through easily.

Richard

I have been successful with one battery. I leave the furnace on the lowest possible setting overnight, to prevent it from getting too cold. That is about 55 degrees. Just make sure that the bedding is adequate for that. We keep the stick house at about 58 during the winter, so 55 is not much colder than that.

I get the percolator ready the night before. First one up at a decent time starts the coffee and cranks up the furnace. When it is warm enough then we turn off the furnace, unless it is very cold outside.

We stay outside as much as possible in the evening, even if we do not have a campfire. I use a white gas style Coleman lantern on the table for light. That means that the TM interior lights won't be on unless someone goes in to get something. Plus a little while for bedtime.

I almost immediately got a second battery.

[Bill]

Like Pop Beavers, we got a Coleman lantern, though ours is the 2-mantle propane version. It has a spark lighter, the brightness is adjustable over a wide range - and it is cheap at Wal Mart! Hint: buy a dozen extra mantles at the same time. They break when you travel.

WalMart also has a cute little "mini-lantern", right beside the big boys. It runs on a couple AA-batteries and has several LEDs for lights. It is not really bright enough to read by, but when we need just enough illumination to move around inside the TM, this one is handy.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

While I agree the furnace is overall the biggest power hog in cold temps, the TM lights can actually be a significant power drain. Just 2 lights equals the draw of the furnace, and when you're not paying attention, they can be left on for long periods of time, whereas the furnace only comes on periodically.

But it all depends on the capacity of your battery. But with conservative use of the furnace (thermostat at 50 at night, and little use during the day) and lights (no more than 2 on at a time for 4 hours/day), I think you will be fine.

Dave

Somewhere around here, quite some time back, someone posted the electric draw of each individual light, fridge fan, furnace, etc.

I do not recall who posted it or when it was posted, but it was not recent.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

Somewhere around here, quite some time back, someone posted the electric draw of each individual light, fridge fan, furnace, etc.

You are probably referring to this thread:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=7876

Dave

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

You are probably referring to this thread:
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=7876

Dave

Dave, I am the guest speaker tomorrow (Saturday) at the West Coast TrailManor rally in Petaluma California.

It is an introduction to dry camping, disconnecting the umbilical cord.

Would you mind if I made copies to hand out to interested parties at the rally? Some are members of TMO, TrailBlazers, or both. Some are neither.

Not all of them would be able to find it on TMO as a guest.