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Topic ClosedDry Camping duration
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this_is_nascar View Drop Down
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Joined: 24 Jan 2010
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Posts: 466 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Dry Camping duration
    Posted: 27 Nov 2012 at 6:46am
Here's an excellent article about this topic.
 
 
"Ray & Connie"

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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2012 at 11:36am
I'm a regular member of a solar forum, where members live off-grid all the time.  The consensus is to go to 50% depth-of-discharge (DOD) most of the time, with an occasional dip to 70%.  Never go beyond 70%.  See the voltage chart on this FAQ (about 2/3 of the way down with all the colors) :  http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm
 
70% DOD = 30% state-of-charge (SOC), as shown on that table.  Below that you risk damaging the battery.  Going all the way to "total discharge" will kill the battery after 2-3 times.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 457 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2012 at 8:06am
I've heard that about a standard lead-acid "car" battery, but is the same thing true for a deep cycle
battery?  Someone told me our deep cycle battery is not harmed by total discharge.
 
Think I'll Google a battery site.  I'll let you know what I find.
 
(From a web site "Deep Cycle Batteries FAQ"):
 
Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% time after time, and have much thicker plates. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are SOLID Lead plates - not sponge. This gives less surface area, thus less "instant" power like starting batteries need. Although these an be cycled down to 20% charge, the best lifespan vs cost method is to keep the average cycle at about 50% discharge.
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Posts: 466 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Nov 2012 at 7:58am
If your discharging the battery enough that your tripping the alarms, etc, you won't get more that a couple seasons off that battery.  Not sure if you knew that or not.  This is not like a cell phone battery.  Running it to empty a bunch of times will kill that battery, for good, in no time at all.
"Ray & Connie"

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Posts: 335 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 10:47am
For us it's always the battery that dies first bc we like to keep the fan on low to help with the condensation.  Now we have a battery powered fan that we run if we're not using the showers and need that extra power from the bathroom fan.  We get maybe 1 full night's use of the battery if we run the bathroom fan before the battery gets low enough to trip the annoying propane alarm.

We also find that we are limited more by the capacity of the grey tanks more than that of the fresh water tank.  Not doing dishes in the pod helps tremendously.



 
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Posts: 5 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Nov 2012 at 10:37am

Interesting Dry Camp with water? We use our P-Pod to camp on open fields all the time for 2-3 day weekends. Last weekend we ran the battery down and lost heat. That night it went down below freezing waking us both up. I hooked up the Chrysler and ran it for a hour to bring to battery up. Should have brought our LP generator along. Also I think I should have connected it up at home the day before to fully charge the battery and get the fridge ready for beer. Over the winter I’d like to add a second battery to help us through the cold nights.
Paul & Lois w/Whippets
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Posts: 913 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Aug 2012 at 9:47am
Again Camping World has the highest price.  I found it on Amazon with shipping it is still about $3. less expensive.  Safe Travels.
Camper Bob and Camper Sue
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Posts: 866 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2012 at 10:45pm
good posts guys, I would like to find one of those water thief's as sometimes I run into the water spicket without threads, and why do they put them on the wrong side of the road, hello, on modern campers the water goes in on the left (drivers side) not the right.
Dane and Donna Smith
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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2012 at 10:54am

I've added info from this thread to the "instruction manual", good input from everyone.

One thing I'll add about water & dry camping.  You can buy or make something called a "water thief" which will allow you to fill up your water tank with your hose from a spigot that doesn't have any threads.  You will sometimes find this in state parks.  The "thief" is a soft rubber extention which will screw on to the end of your hose and slip over the spigot.  NOT intended for a permanent connection, but for stopping and filling up and then heading out or back to your site.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Joined: 26 Sep 2011
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Posts: 913 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2012 at 9:25am
We are taking our 2013 171 to its first drycamping experience.  We will fill the fresh water tank at the campground.  Just the two of us who must have a shower every day.  Also we are taking a new Honda 2000i generator as well as an additonal wheeled 25 gal. gray water tank.  We will be camping at 6,200' and will test the generators ability to run our 13,500 btu A/C with an  installed Supco starting capacitor.  We will be camping for a total of 3.5 days.  We have dual lp tanks installed, and my understanding is the area cools down from about 75 during the day to high 30's to low 40's at night.  Will be using the internal furnace to take the chill off in the morning.  Should be an interesting test of all systems.  Safe Travels.
Camper Bob and Camper Sue
Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund)
2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod)
2016 Lance 1685
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