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michaeln View Drop Down
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Joined: 08 Dec 2018
Location: Avery, CA
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Posts: 40 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Battery Advice
    Posted: 17 Jan 2019 at 7:10pm
I too am a CPAP user and switched to dual 6v 235ah batteries so I don't have to worry about the CPAP running the batteries down.  I use the heated humidifier and heated hose too, so the whole thing does use a lot of power.

I almost always boondock as I don't like to be surrounded by people, and never use the trailer for more than 2-3 days in a row, so I have more than enough battery power with this setup.
---
Avery, CA
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jan 2019 at 2:17pm
rPod owners, though, are not ordinary RV owners as in the 98% group.  We are an incredibly adventurous group of folks who don't follow the herd.  We challenge the status quo and find solutions through our collective creativity, sharing our knowledge with one another despite the tremendous variation in our beliefs, life styles, points of view, and backgrounds.  

So we go off the grid far, far more often than the average RV owner struggling to park his/her 90' self contained class A  motorhome in a parking lot RV park.  We crave discovery, adventure, and the joys of being a little different from the average RV'er.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
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Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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DellPater View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Jan 2019
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Posts: 1 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Jan 2019 at 12:05pm
I think 1% of owners who actually NEED a lot of off grid 12v, switch to a deep cycle solution. Some of the circuitry has PCB into it and that uses 12V Most, likely somewhere near 98% of RV owners need the 12v battery ONLY to fire the brakes in case of a breakaway. In case of PCB's use you should carefully select the battery, because PCB assembly should be able to tolerate the current sent by the battery without any heating issue. They never camp without hookups, or for longer then the standard battery will allow them to be without charging.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 1:24pm
The proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove...
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 1:01pm
Originally posted by offgrid

Thanks David,
I hadn't even checked for permissions as I had no idea how to do it anyway. Still don't but I'll give it a try. 


Member permissions are something that moderators/admins allow/disallow. The power we wield is quite intoxicating!

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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 12:57pm
Thanks David,

I hadn't even checked for permissions as I had no idea how to do it anyway. Still don't but I'll give it a try. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 12:50pm
Originally posted by offgrid

I do think a poll on this topic might be interesting. How many folks use their trailers without hookups and for how long?
[DIV  




I checked your member permissions and enabled you to be able to create polls. I was surprised as, I thought everyone could....something to check on.

Just click on the most appropriate topic and it will open a page. There is a button to create a new discussion topic. Right next to it is a button to create a new poll. Click it and create your poll - it is easy/kind of a fill in the blanks sort of thing.

FYI - The poll function is not terribly sophisticated. Respondents may choose only one of the options stated in the poll. Keep this in mind when crafting your poll.
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furpod View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Location: Central KY
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 11:02am
I agree, though the "right now" price is high, I believe that over time, they are still cheaper per usable aH then FLA batteries. 
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 9:29am
Li batteries aren't so bad right now considering that you can take them to 80-85% depth of discharge and they will last the life of the trailer. So you probably don't need to replace your PbA batteries with the same nominal capacity of Li. 100AH might be sufficient. I've seen 12V 100AH LiFePO4 packs with BMS as low as about $650-700. Weight about 25lbs. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Jan 2013
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Posts: 1446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Jan 2019 at 8:47am
Sans poll, I'll say we camp off grid not exactly by preference, but certainly without hesitation.  Some of the primo camping spots in the US, in my opinion, don't have hookups.  It takes some planning and equimpent, as OffGrid suggested.  We'll take a solar panel and/or a generator, maybe a sewage tote, and a way to haul water and refill the fresh water tank.  That's really not as onerous as it may sound.  With those preparations, we can stay out indefinitely without hookups.

A general advantage to camping without hookups is that the campsites are usually (much) more dispersed.  I've done it, but I really do not like campgrounds where you have to have someone watch you extend the slide so that you don't hit the camper next to you.  Also, at National Parks anyway, with a Geezer Card, you can stay for about $10 to $14 a night.

I'm limited by how much time I can take off from work, but we have camped without hookups for up to 14 days.

I recently had to stay close to a city for a personal project I was working on and as a matter of locational convenience (new term) I stayed at a campground with full hookups.  Even in winter it was crowded, and it was right at $50 a night.  I'll admit, sewer hookups are nice and I took advantage of the cable and wifi, and I can understand how many people think those things are requirements.  It depends on what matters to you though.

Oh, yeah.  We have dual propane and a single 12v battery.

TT
2010 176
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