Camping without electricity and water hook ups

greggill

This weekend I am going to camp using only the battery. Can you make it for a couple of days without electricity running only on the battery? I'll run the fridge on propane, the water pump, lights, and maybe the alde on propane (supposed to be cold).

Dalehelman

Only one way to find out. You can always recharge your battery by plugging in the 7way and using your tow vehicle. Run the engine at 1500 to 2000 rpm.

Nomad

Could be tight but should be ok. The water pump is a battery suck. The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. The back lights are pretty efficient. The Alde is also pretty efficient on propane as is the fridge. Don't use the ceiling fan, that's as bad as the pump.

Tabaz

Try to eliminate as much parasitic draw as possible.  Unplug the power cord from the television, pull the fuse from the back of the Jensen entertainment center (see Fuses for Newbies for location).  Make sure Alde is turned off when not needed (a blank screen on the digital control panel does not mean the unit is off).  Get one of those cigarette plug battery monitors to watch your batter condition.

JandJ92010

Should be able to handle a weekend. We like to dry camp, for 4 or 5 days at a time using a 2-way portable fridge, lights, and the water pump. No Alde. Two 12 volt  batteries in parallel and a 120 watt solar panel. Always lots of power.

greggill

I used a multi-meter to measure the parasitic current draw and it was 230mA which didn't seem to bad. The fridge cooling fan drew another 200mA. A couple of lights were about another 500mA. Just curious... where did you locate the second battery?

ColoradoJon

You can make it two or three days if you are very careful with your power usage.

On the dealer installed 12v battery I was able to get 2 1/2 days and that was being miserly with the power.  It wasn't a quality battery, though.  Ran the fridge for 1 1/2 days on propane but turned it off at night.  The Alde system was turned on the entire time and it ran quite a bit at night, but this was in the summer when the night time temps were around 52F so it didn't kick on until 11:00pm or midnight.  90F during the day.  We barely used lights and the water pump.  Battery was at 12.3v when we left on the third day (morning).

I ended up replacing the single 12v with two 6v golf cart batteries and have had zero problems since.  Just finished a 4 day trip and only discharged to 80%, and we used considerably more power.  Much colder so the Alde would run from 8:30pm at night to 9:00am, left the fridge on the entire time, used plenty of lights and water, took showers, etc.

Norbert1223

Will the 2 golf cart batteries fit in the same spot as the 1 battery?  

Verna

Norbert1223 said:

Will the 2 golf cart batteries fit in the same spot as the 1 battery?  

This is not the best of photos, my apologies.  I had a welder move the ring for the propane tank into the middle of the diamond plate tub (not the original plastic tub), and then I was able to fit a 6-volt golf cart battery in battery boxes on either side of the propane tank. The welder did remove some of the bottom back lower cross piece of the tub so the batteries are able to be lifted out of the boxes and so the battery lids can be removed to check the fluid level. 

I'm also able to have the wheel chocks, remote thermometer (for outside temps), and a couple of short outside 110V extension cords in the tub. I also installed a battery cut-off switch in the center of the upper cross piece of the rear of the tub.  

A search of "golf cart" will yield other photos of how other owners have mounted their golf cart batteries. 

ColoradoJon

I have the Outback front storage box and was able to fit two GC2 batteries in without modification.  My propane tank sits snug against the passenger side of the tub and the batteries sit on the driver side, right where the original 12v battery was.  If you have the smaller, plastic tub then you will need to do some additional work to install larger batteries.

Nomad

In the plastic tub you can get "a" bigger battery in there with a mod to the battery box frame but not 2 golf cart batteries. Jenn mounted two golf cart batteries on the frame in front of the tube I believe.
With solar for recharging, I've not found a need for more battery capacity though.

ColoradoJon

Yeah, I looked into solar options before deciding on the two GC2 batteries.  In my case I just didn't want to carry extra stuff .  If I had to do major modifications to fit the two golf cart batteries I probably would have gone solar instead.

Nomad

Solar's my lifeblood - Best investment I made :-)

Tabaz

Totally agree with PXLated. I am so pleased with the performance of my 200W Zamp. And I'm the guy who boondocks with a microwave.

ericnliz

Totally agree with PXL, and OutbackAZ! Wouldn't leave home without our solar panels. The Renogy 100w suitcase model fits perfect in the bathroom on the ledge by the toilet while towing. Once we get to our destination, MAYBE a 5 minute set-up. We still have the 12 volt battery that our T@B came stock with from the dealer, and have never had a problem with running out of battery power. One thing to keep in mind, is you DO have the seven pin cord for the TV to use if your battery gets too low as a back-up. We have only used shore power once and between having to drag out the electrical cord, and fresh water hose, quite frankly, I'd rather boondock!

Justjudy

We bought our Zamp solar panel and our T@B together. It happened that the Zamp representative was visiting the RV dealership the day we picked up the T@B and he recommended the 80-watt set up. It has been just right for us so far...we have boondocked for 3 days with no problem. We use the restrooms at the campground during the day to cut down on the water pump usage. After reading all the solar comments on this forum I worried that we were "under-solared", but so far, so good.

Sharon_is_SAM

Ericnliz - What is your battery capacity?  How many days in a row have you boondocked?  How low has the 12 volt battery been discharged to before recharging with solar and how long did it take to recharge at that depth?  Just wondering about the limits of a 100 watt solar setup.  The Renogy suitcase is sweet!

Sharon

Michigan_Mike

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

Photomom

Michigan_Mike said:

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

I have the 2 light version of this in my T@B fridge and it is quite bright. Uses its own batteries so no draw on the T@B battery. 
http://m.homedepot.com/p/GE-18-in-Battery-Operated-LED-Utility-Light-27510/205972249

ericnliz

Sam, First question, [if I remember correctly] 80 amp hours. Second question: 8 days boondocking  with no electrical hook-up, or dump. good well water was available for fresh water, [only had to fill once] vault type toilets were available also, so only had to deal with gray water. I try not to let the battery get below 11.7 or 11.8 , I plug in solar when I get up in the morning, and unplug @ dusk. Had two overcast days when I had to kinda chase the sun a little, but had no issues with keeping the battery charged. Friends came with us and he only had a 40 watt panel, and struggled with his charging a lot. He finally hooked up to the TV with his 7 pin connector on day 3 just to assist the poor performance of such a small capacity panel. I don't think I would even TRY anything smaller than a 100 watt panel to be honest. That being said, I love the capabilities of solar, and wouldn't go without when boondocking!

RollingLagrima

Michigan_Mike said:

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

I just use the tap "puck lights" powered by AA batteries tucked under there and around the cabin when camping without power. 'Certainly not a hightech solution, but it is a cheap one, especially if you use rechargeable AA batteries that can be reved up again between trips. The super bright LEDness can be toned down by coating or spraying the outside plastic housing.

rfuss928

Michigan_Mike said:

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

I am not familiar with the specific over the counter light used in the new T@Bs.  Maybe this is an appropriate substitute. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-RV-18-Under-Cabinet-Tracklight-Fixture-w-Touch-Dimmer-Switch-260LUM-9090115-/222065056257?hash=item33b41bda01:g:gqAAAMXQgwNSKf9S

I have been using one of these in my interior - overhead by the fan -  for a couple of years.  The light is very bright when needed and dims down to night light level with just a touch.  There is also a 12 inch version available from the same seller.

greggill

Just a follow up. We did make it all weekend with battery power. I did scrounge an old solar panel from work to supplement power but it was only a 64 watt panel and not hooked up for part of the day Saturday. Started with battery at 12.6 and finished at 12.3. Ran the referigerator the entire time (on propane), used the alde on the second day and night for hot water and heat (on propane), also lights and water pump. I think we could have not been quite so miserly with lights and still been ok.

Ratkity

Michigan_Mike said:

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

Somehow, my light over the stove is wired into the same circuit as the TV (television monitor, not tow vehicle). I get lines when I turn it on and I even have an RF eliminator (I think Jenn recommended it). My aux AC fan puts lines in the TV too. Nothing else does. Replacing the "over the stove" light would be nice. That would take care of one source of interference. Not sure if there's a simple way to add more filters than the one I have now - something like a magnet on the power plug or something.

Verna

rfuss928 said:

Michigan_Mike said:

PXLated said:

The light over the counter is the worst of the interior lights. 

I've been wondering about the over-the-sink counter top light and whether or not anyone has found a suitable replacement for it as yet?  If a decent LED replacement with adequate light could be found we'd really have something that could conserve energy.  

I am not familiar with the specific over the counter light used in the new T@Bs.  Maybe this is an appropriate substitute. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-RV-18-Under-Cabinet-Tracklight-Fixture-w-Touch-Dimmer-Switch-260LUM-9090115-/222065056257?hash=item33b41bda01:g:gqAAAMXQgwNSKf9S

I have been using one of these in my interior - overhead by the fan -  for a couple of years.  The light is very bright when needed and dims down to night light level with just a touch.  There is also a 12 inch version available from the same seller.

Thanks, Bob. I' ve only found battery operated and this is perfect with 12V and dimmable settings. Since I camp so much without electricity, I rarely use the over-the-counter light because you can just see the battery voltage drop. I've been known to use a small rechargeable lantern when washing dishes or cooking, rather than turn on the energy hog light. 

Nomad

I use the little LED pucks like Mike - Have them in the under sink cabinets as well as on the ends of the side shelves. Have worked well.

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks Ericnliz.  I am thinking of assembling a solar setup that I can add to, so may start with the 100 suitcase.

Sharon_is_SAM

I assume the energy-sucking lights above the counter are not LED.  Are the new Tabs with ALL LEDs now - even the overcounter strip lighting?

Verna

SAM said:

I assume the energy-sucking lights above the counter are not LED.  Are the new Tabs with ALL LEDs now - even the overcounter strip lighting?

@SAM, I can't quite tell if it is fluorescent or LED, but whatever it is , it is not energy efficient. I may try one of those EBay lights that I referenced above.  Rather than complicate my life with more battery operated lights, I'm liking the idea of just exchanging one 12V light for another, and letting my two golf cart batteries take care of powering it. 

And yes, all other lights are energy efficient LED's.

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks Verna.  PhotoMom- you have a 2017 model, is your above counter light LED?  We are ordering 2 of those strip lights under the back of the CSS galley cabinets and we want to make sure they are LED.

Dalehelman

We have a 2015 Sofitel the over the sink light is definitely LED.