We have a 2021 400 that's 2 1/2 years old.
This year we haven't done as much camping as we'd liked to. The first trip we took was for a week and always connected to shore power. The subsequent three trips we've taken have all been boon docking trips and I'm noticing the batteries don't hold up like they used to.
By that I mean that they seem to drain faster than usual. Voltage wise they look healthy and can charge to 100% but it seems like we burn through 25% of the capacity within a day. I've never that aware about how much power we used prior but I definitely don't remember draining them to that degree within a 24-hour period.
Because of that I've also wondered about the solar panels and if something could be wrong with them. I don't know that much about solar other than sunny days are best, the angle of the sun is important, etc. In my Victron app it shows that I'm getting the max wattage from the panels at times although it's VERY rare that I actually get that.
At any rate, what are some telltale signs that the batteries are aging? Ideally it's the batteries and this gives me the excuse to upgrade to lithium. Worst case scenario is that something is wrong with the solar panels but I don't think that's the case.
2021 400 BD
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
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Your trailer should have the setup with 2 6V golf cart batteries which have over 200Ah of capacity, how did you determine you're using 25% of that in a day ?
@Grumpy_G On average the trailer sees maybe 20 nights of use per year so far. So at this point we're maybe at 50-60 nights of use total. So it doesn't see a ton of use. We rarely are connected to shore power. We just had a week-long trip in July where we were always on shore power.
I was able to determine the use by using the Victron app for the shunt. In the "trends" section I looked at the % of charge.
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
2013 CS-S us@gi
2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
And would this same thing happen on an lithium battery nearing 50% capacity?
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
(edit to say that I mistakenly grabbed a lithium-ion chart, not LiFePO4, but the comparison is still valid)
2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
2013 CS-S us@gi
2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
That chart makes perfect sense. I remember our old tent trailer's lights would start to pulse when the water pump would come on as the battery voltage dropped...so I assume I'm seeing the same thing here.
Well, once I rule out the solar panels as the culprit then I guess I'll start saving some money to get lithium next spring. 200Ah would be perfect for our setup.
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
2013 CS-S us@gi
2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
@d_v Thank you for the offer but we're just about done for this season. I think I'll do some testing of these batteries over the winter and then make a decision. If they are indeed aging then I think the obvious choice is 200ah of lithium. That would give us almost double the usable amp hours and based on the voltage drop-off that lead acid gives, we wouldn't be dealing with flickering lights and possibly having the fridge shut down.
I was such a proponent of AGM batteries for "light duty" campers like us (mainly weekend warriors with the occasional week-long trip) but I'm starting to see the light when it comes to lithium. Having 224AH of AGM stock sounds like plenty but the 112AH of usable power AND the voltage drop off really can cause problems even on a weekend trip.
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
I think that before you give up on the batteries you should try pre-cooling the fridge from shore power well before you leave (12+ hours). Especially if the ambient temperature is 75degrees or higher, it takes a considerable amount of power to get the fridge down to 40deg. People really underestimate this. This would go a long way toward explaining why you're burning through "25% of the capacity within a day."
2013 CS-S us@gi
2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab
@Marceline I agree that I should pre-cool the fridge earlier. But I guess that's the issue...with nothing in my prep changing I'm seeing the battery discharge faster than normal. I have a BT temp monitor I use in the fridge and yes, that fridge can run all day if it's 90+ outside. But this last weekend was in the low 80s and down to the 40s at night. So theoretically it should be using less power but I'm seeing it discharge faster.
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
You are most likely using more power than you think you are, and it is most likely the fridge. The fridge is where most unaccounted for power usage lies as it is difficult to quantify. Anecdotal evidence notwithstanding.
With my 30 amp dc-dc car + 100 watt (7 amp) solar if using lithiums I'd be charging at 37 amps almost to full charge. With lead/acid, I'm lucky at 80% to get 7 amps and it goes down as I get closer to 100%. Yeah charges much higher at 50% but then slows. When adding 2 remote panels in full sun I still need a lot of time to recharge because the Victron does pull the max capacity. Deeper safe discharge and quicker charging are my primary reasons to change to lithium. They'll be moved inside making wiring easier and warmer when using. Thoughts? Am I not understanding this correctly?
Sm@ll World: 2021 320S Boondock, 6V Pb-acid
Shunt, Roof & Remote solar & 30A DC-DC Chargers
managed by VE Smart Network
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
Sm@ll World: 2021 320S Boondock, 6V Pb-acid
Shunt, Roof & Remote solar & 30A DC-DC Chargers
managed by VE Smart Network
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road