Battery life
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5431
Printed Date: 03 May 2024 at 9:16pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Battery life
Posted By: Juniper49
Subject: Battery life
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2014 at 9:25pm
| I am a new RPOD owner and wondered about the battery life. We took a one week trip and then parked it at our home for 3 weeks. Now, the battery is dead??? Is there something that drains the battery without being used? Do others disconnect their battery between trips? |
Replies:
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2014 at 9:51pm
Well, the propane detector is hard-wired into the system and can't be turned off. It'll drain your battery in about 2-3 weeks. Although, I'd argue it was in definitely in use and carrying out its function.
Some simply disconnect one of the battery leads. Some (like me) have installed a battery cutoff switch on or around the battery box. Some plug-in their r-pod while its sitting idle at home and allow the converter to maintain a charge. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: Juniper49
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2014 at 9:28am
| Thanks so much. Its do nice to be part of a community of RPOD owners willing to help each other. It beats being turned away from the local RPOD dealer... |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2014 at 12:17pm
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If you do disconnect the battery from the pod, make sure at least every 30 days you reconnect the battery and plug in the pod overnight (then disconnect the pod and the battery). Even with no load at all, batteries self-discharge, and if you don't keep a lead-acid battery charged up it will sulphate which will eventually ruin it. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: Fishflies
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 10:11am
| So if I have two batteries in parallel ,how long should it last if I had only my fridge on. Curious because returned from trip and had power at camp. Notice when parked in drive way it was at 3/4 power and with in eight hours panel light was empty on panel for power. We've only had this 178 six months and power converter has been replaced and motor for pop out and microwave replaced due to an electrician wire my house wrong out side. Has been wire right and noting else is blowing up. LoL but everything else has been replaced. Now is there some thing else that is making it loose power so fast in eight hour ? |
Posted By: Hayduke
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 10:18am
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Your fridge is a big power draw on 12v and can drain your batteries in that short amount of time. You should only run your fridge on battery power to maintain temp after it's already cold and only if your batteries are being actively charged (ie: by your TV while driving)
------------- 2012 177 HRE 2017 Tacoma Double Cab |
Posted By: Fishflies
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 10:20am
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Posted By: Fishflies
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 10:21am
| Sorry forgot to mention I only had the frigid on to keep the food good until cleaned out. |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 11:16am
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The Pod fridges draw 10+ amps from the 12V source, so in 8 hours it will completely discharge to the point of damage a typical 24 series battery and essentially discharge two 24 series paralleled batteries. If you're going to leave the fridge running for more than an hour or so without shore power, switch to gas. One other point about the little four light monitor panel. The four lights do not mean percentage of charge. The top light indicates the battery is being charged. The second light indicates the battery is full but not being charged, not that it is only 75% charged. The other two lights mean who knows what, but the lowest light probably means recharge is required. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 12:49pm
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curious charlie; if the top light means battery is being charged; then why for the first 3+ days of my dry camping trip did the light stay at the top and i was not charging the battery or hooked up to anything? i guess i thought it was kind of what you debunked...% of charge. hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: Fishflies
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 2:00pm
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Thanks I'm going to try it today and see how long my battery will stay charged. Switching to gas just to see. Had problem with loose connection before. Thanks. Also was wondering if you have a link for winterization ,I'm in utah so it will be freezing soon,if so I would appreciate it. Thanks
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 2:18pm
Well, it depends. The lights are set to certain voltage levels, but these vary with time, temperature, mfg. tolerances, etc. And, if you look closely at the display, you'll see the battery scale is different than the water tank scale, at least mine was. Nominally I've found the top light to be around 13.2 or higher. The converter will maintain at 13.2, absorption charge at 13.6, and bulk charge at 14.4. If you disconnect a fully charged battery from the charger it will start at 13+ volts and gradually drift down to 12.6-12.7. Again, depending on temperature and battery condition. It's really an imprecise art unless you measure the SG of the battery. My main point was the absence of the top light does not always mean you've lost 25% of the charge. It's a bit unnerving to think the battery went from 100% to 75% just by disconnecting the charger. Again, it's really imprecise. You'll get a much better, but not yet perfect, indication by using a digital voltmeter under minimal load conditions. Camp on! ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 2:38pm
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thanks for the clarification charlie. yes my scale is different for tank levels and battery. i'm a freak when it comes to checking my battery level, doing it all the time. one thing i noticed (and this might be what your referencing), is when i would fire up the furnace it would drop to 3 lights, but when the furnace (I guess i should say heater!) turned off, it went back to 4 lights. hope that made sense! hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 2:48pm
According to the http://dutchmen.com/image/data/documents/parts/Monitor%20Panel%20&%20Tank%20wiring%20information.pdf - KIB Micro Monitor manual :
If you take a look at that manual, you can see that KIB has reduced those voltage milestones over time. For the 1998 model, Charge was 14.5v, which would definitely only light when charging. Of course, measuring a battery by resting voltage only provides a rough estimate of remaining capacity anyway. But, its good enough for most of us. ------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 3:01pm
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Hogone: Yes, that makes sense. The heaer load on the battery will drop the voltage temporarily. Outbound: Thanks for the research. Looks like they changed their settings because folks were complaining. The Charge=12.7 is probably OK, but the rest of them???? 11.9 is better than 50% down under low load; at 11.2 you've probably damaged the battery, and at 6V you forgot to bring the battery along  ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 8:20pm
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I wouldn't trust the monitor to show my anything. Only an at-rest voltage reading with a voltmeter, which is just about impossible since you'll always have some load going. Fishflies, see the link in my signature. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 9:36pm
So, Doug, are you going to put a SeeLevel monitor in the new (old) Salem? if you connect it electrically close to the battery it even provides a decent voltmeter function. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 6:48am
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i have let my batterys get down to one light (L) a couple of times; i guess thats not good!! hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 11:22am
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Charlie, I'm definitely considering my options. I never got around to adding a good monitoring option on my pod but should have. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 3:46pm
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Speaking of energy usage, here's a question to ponder when cold weather dry camping... Is it more efficient to run furnace w/12 volt and propane, or run generator (yammy 2400iSHC) w/electric heater? Consider lot's of 12 volt capacity (dual Duracell 230 egc2). Yammy and electric heater is definitely quieter. fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 5:19pm
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Efficiency is better with the furnace. You are going straight from propane to heat with little lost heat as exhaust. The generator is going from gas to heat to kinetic energy to electric to heat, with losses at each stage. That said, I avoid the noise of the furnace when possible and when I've been able to run the genset all night I have (not often). ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 5:25pm
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Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking. If we do start doing a lot of cool/cold weather camping, I might look at getting a http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CFRF7I - Mr. Heater Little Buddy and fill my own bottles or get the slight larger http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F232000-Indoor-Safe-Portable/dp/B002G51BZU - Portable Buddy and use my one gallon propane tank. fred
------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 7:50pm
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Also check out the Olympian Wave. It can be attached to the main LPG system. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 7:04am
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i have been looking at alternative heat sources for winter camping, boondocking specifically. would these mr buddy heaters be a good choice for safety (cm)? most likely with a window cracked i guess. looking for all suggestions like tech suggested. hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 10:05am
When I was tent camping I ran a propane catalytic heater on low all night with no problems, but that was a tent. The platinum catalytic heater was not vented, but had no flame so I felt somewhat confident in the leaky tent. But the Pod is very well sealed (except if built Monday or Friday  ) so I'd be very cautious. The problem with CO and O2 depletion is there's no warning if your asleep. I'm not totally up on the Mr. Heater technology, but I'd be very wary. Maybe when you're fully awake and the window/vent is open, but not when you're sleeping. Better to put up with some noise from the built in furnace. If that really bugs you you can think about a hydronic heater recirculating the water from the WH and using small computer fans for air circulation. That would be efficient, quiet, and easy on the battery. Maybe someone will work on that for us  .
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: HuronSailor
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 10:26am
This is a picture of the back of one of Mr. Heater's portable units, the "Hunting Buddy" model that takes one pound tanks, or can be connected to a larger tank with optional hose. Got this off the Mr. Heater web site today. I've used catalytic heaters inside a drafty tent in the past, but I did a lot of things in the past I'd never do now (ahem.) I have three of these Mr. Heaters: a single unit for a one pound bottle, a Hunting Buddy, and a larger unit that clamps to a 30# propane tank. I use them in my unheated garage or shop, or on a drafty construction site, in a deer blind or ice shanty, but I'd personally would be pretty nervous using one inside my rpod even with a window cracked. P.S. To my rpod friends from Kentucky, an ice shanty is a shelter Michiganders use when going out on a frozen lake, where we then proceed to drill a large hole in the ice and then sit over it and go fishing. Winters in MI can get pretty long sometimes.
------------- .: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :. |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 10:36am
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there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of boondocking heating options that are safe. hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 11:26am
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The Waves are used by full-timer boondockers all the time. Crack a window and the vent and you are fine. And make sure the CO detector has a new battery. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Outbound
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 12:33pm
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I bought a little buddy heater when we had a popup. It essentially had an open, 3/8" high flame across the surface of a 4"x4" ceramic element, protected by a very open metal grill. I never felt particularly safe with it in the confines of the trailer and sold it within a month. I replaced it with a Coleman catalytic heater, which had no exposed flame at all, was far better protected and I felt much safer with. A properly working catalytic won't produce any CO, although it does still consume oxygen and produce CO2. So, although it won't poison you, it still can suffocate you and its always important to crack a window. The Olympian Wave catalytic that techntrek mentioned is the cream of the crop and definitely the one to buy. One caution about any supplementary propane heater: they will produce quite a lot of water vapour. Its like bringing along four St Bernards panting away in the trailer; pretty soon, water is dripping down the windows and droplets are forming up on the walls behind the mattress. Personally, when I've got hookups, I use a small electric ceramic heater. When I'm off-grid, I use the furnace and recharge the batteries with the genny during the day; a pair of earplugs at night help me sleep.
------------- Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150 |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 1:13pm
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i have a small electric heater that works great. im actually considering the honda 2000 for exactly what outbound mentioned, as well as other options it would give me. has anyone actually installed an olympian wave in the pod? hogone ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |