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1tulip View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Battery life off-grid
    Posted: 24 Feb 2015 at 4:48pm
I JUST got an rpod and it's my first TT.  This April I need to camp off-grid for approximately 5 days/4 nights.  I can expect warm days and cool to cold nights  (We're talking high-desert NV.)  I'll only be in the unit at night.  So, some LED light use, a shower, probably set the thermostat as low as I can tolerate (maybe 30-35 degrees more than outside night temperatures)... otherwise I'll be out and about.  Mainly I'm concerned that I will need to recharge my tablet and cell phone from time to time.  Can the batteries on my new 171 handle handle this or do I need to invest in solar panels and solar external batteries for my devices?
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2015 at 5:28pm
First question is what type/quantity batteries do have? You mention batteries plural so I assume you have two. The best solution is two 6 volt galf cart batteries in series. That will give you about 220+ Amp hours storage. If the dealer gave you the standard Gp 24 12 volt battery(ies?) you should replace them with the two golfers. Trojan T105s are the gold standard, but Interstate makes a heavy duty GC2 almost as good. Recharging cell phones and tablets are very low power; no problem recharging but the chargers should be unplugged when not in use. The biggest power user will be the furnace fan and that's a function of outside and inside temps.

Will you have the tow vehicle nearby? The easiest recharge in the field is a good heavy set of jumper cables from your TV battery. Don't skimp on these. All copper, no aluminum, and #2 or #4. I would think one charge of 2 hours midway in your trip should be adequate. If the TV is not available and you switch to the golf cart batteries you should still be OK, but just a bit closer.
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OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2015 at 6:27pm
If you don't have a car charger get one and charge them off the tow vehicle battery. The small batteries of a phone or pad will not drain the big battery in tow vehicle. If your concerned about it discharge the TV battery then start it and vehicle alternator will recharge TV battery. Ina pinch, you can also plug trailer into TV trailer hookup and charge pod battery ,but TV will have to idle for a couple of to get a full charge. That is if trailer connector properly setup to charge as you tow. I would take some good covers or sleeping bags , because the furnace in a battery hog and will drain battery in one night probably.
J. - 2011 rpod 171
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2015 at 6:28pm
I can't speak for R-pod battery life, per se, since we haven't dry camped in ours for more than one night so far.  But we dry camped exclusively for about 20 years with our former popups.  One group 27 battery usually was good for at least 3 or 4 nights of occasional furnace use and minimal lights (non-LEDs).  The R-pod has a few more "parasites" to draw on the battery than our popups did, but if you have two batteries, even if they are group 24s, I would expect they would be adequate for the four nights you describe, provided you are very frugal on running the furnace and making sure you don't accidentally have the fridge set for DC, etc.

Our Pod came with a group 24, to my dismay, but I'm planning to add a second group 24, and assume we'll be good for a night or two more dry camping than we were with the single group 27 on our previous popup.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 2015 at 7:26pm
Welcome and congrats.  If you will rarely be dry camping I 3rd the TV-as-generator option.  It takes a lot of dry camping to make a dual-battery setup make sense financially.  Due to the way lead-acid batteries charge plan on idling the TV for 30-60 minutes every other day to get the most bang for the gas you are burning.  
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2015 at 12:10pm
My TV is a tacoma and it has an electrical outlet in the bed that offers "400 W while idling".  Can I hook an extension cord to my truck's electrical outlet and connect that to the pod's outlet, as I would at home when charging the batteries?

We're going to experiment at Camp Driveway to see how low we need to set the thermostat.  This weekend we're expecting some seasonally cold nights, so it will be a good test run.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2015 at 1:15pm
Originally posted by 1tulip

My TV is a tacoma and it has an electrical outlet in the bed that offers "400 W while idling".  Can I hook an extension cord to my truck's electrical outlet and connect that to the pod's outlet, as I would at home when charging the batteries?

We're going to experiment at Camp Driveway to see how low we need to set the thermostat.  This weekend we're expecting some seasonally cold nights, so it will be a good test run.

You can probobly run a battery charger off of the inverter in the bed of your truck but I would not run the Pod.  400 watts is only 3 amps at 120 volts. It would be a lot more efficient to charge the Pod Battery direct off of the charging system in the TV. 
Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2015 at 1:30pm
I also have a couple questions on battery charging, since I will be dry camping in Yosemite this spring.  I have a Honda 1000 watt generator I plan on taking with me since it is allowed to operate one a few hours each day.  How much time does it take to recharge a depleted battery with the power cord plugged into the generator?
     The next question I have is maintaining the Pod battery with a solor panel.  My RP-179 came pre wired solar ready.  Has anyone maintained their pod battery with a solar panel, and what size would be recommended?
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2015 at 5:55pm
Originally posted by J&Jcf

If you don't have a car charger get one and charge them off the tow vehicle battery. The small batteries of a phone or pad will not drain the big battery in tow vehicle. If your concerned about it discharge the TV battery then start it and vehicle alternator will recharge TV battery. Ina pinch, you can also plug trailer into TV trailer hookup and charge pod battery ,but TV will have to idle for a couple of to get a full charge. That is if trailer connector properly setup to charge as you tow. I would take some good covers or sleeping bags , because the furnace in a battery hog and will drain battery in one night probably.

OK... I'm really ill-informed about these things.  (Ask me anything about ion flux across an excitable cell membrane and I can tell you... but once you're outside a living system, I'm clueless.)  So, I can "load" a battery charger from the electrical socket (inverter?) in the bed of my truck, then what?  Using alligator clips, connect it to my r-pod batteries to recharge them????  You have to draw a picture for me.  The notion of using my tacoma to recharge my r-pod batteries is very appealing, I just cannot visualize how it works. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2015 at 6:10pm
Wait... maybe I'm making this way too hard.  I can just hook up the 7 pin connection between the truck and trailer and let it idle while I cook dinner and putz around, yes?

If quarters are cramped and I can't finnagle my truck into close enough proximity (there will be a gaggle of motor homes, pop-ups, and trailers at the campground once everyone arrives) would another system be needed (as in a charger that I can charge off my truck and then connect to my batteries?)
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