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Old 10-12-2021, 01:07 PM   #1
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General Question - Batteries

Hey all..what kind of run time on minimal Amp draw are you getting from your (4) D Lifeline AGM house bank before you have to run the genset while boondocking?

This is a general question for my own learning...

Are there any good tips to improve/lessen Amp draw to extend time between genset runs? Particularly in a non solar equipped coach...

Lastly...We have a portable solar panel that plugged into our previous TT setup through the 7 way plug...

Does anyone knowing the energy flow is bidirectional on that (so I can adapt my solar plug to to the coach trailer output), or is it just easier to connect to whatever batteries I want to maintain with that portable solar?

All responses welcome!

Ch
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Old 10-12-2021, 01:52 PM   #2
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There is no way of knowing what " minimal amp draw " is.

Any answer is a wild guess.
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Old 10-12-2021, 02:07 PM   #3
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I get somewhere between 2 hours and 48 hours, depending on conditions.
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Old 10-12-2021, 02:16 PM   #4
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A couple of tips that can save any RV some energy consumption.
1. Replace incandescent lights with led lights.
2. Eliminate “round-tripping”, which occurs when you plug an appliance that runs on 12v into a converter that then plugs into a 120v outlet. You’re paying for the energy twice when you do that (inverting dc to ac, then converting ac back to dc) Install some 12v outlets and buy 12v adapters for your appliances that offer them, like cpap, some electronics, etc.
3. Make sure your inverter does not have a high idle load. If it does, you can install a disconnect switch for it when it’s not needed.
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Old 10-12-2021, 02:23 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by a250gpguy View Post
Hey all..what kind of run time on minimal Amp draw are you getting from your (4) D Lifeline AGM house bank before you have to run the genset while boondocking?

Ch

Sorry, but we REALLY need to know if you have ONE 4D Lifeline AGM battery or if you have FOUR-- some other size Lifeline battery!!!


Yes, very familiar with Lifeline 4D batteries-- have two on our sailboat.



And, as already posted, need to know your amp draw AND if your batteries are either new/close to full capacity or older.
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Old 10-12-2021, 02:26 PM   #6
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Get a battery monitor to measure the actual power (amp hours) used. Victron BMV-712 is a popular model. You can see the instantaneous power use, and see what in your rig uses how much power.

I don’t know what your battery capacity is.
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Old 10-12-2021, 03:12 PM   #7
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Sorry...some clarification, however I was mainly asking a general question to as help with my own power schemes and such.

We have 4 4D house batteries and 2 4D chassis batteries. All Lifeline AGM....brand new..less than 1 month old.

This is a new coach to us and have boondocked a few nights without problems.

We left for a daytime 7 hours with only refer and maxx fan on and came back to low batteries. We left the Inverter off and we only have as far as we know 120v appliances, minus the Amana refer. ALL our lights are LED.

We could do that easily with our TT (2) 12 volt car batteries for more than a day without having to use the portable generator...

I understand the CC Magna is much more complex than what we had before.

I am seeking some guidance also on utilising our portable solar to help with battery maintenance while boondocking...we had been able to hook that to our 7 way plug on the TT, but of course the coach has the female side of that plug...so maybe a rewire? Is in order if the electrics travel bidirectionally.

Hope this helps

Ch
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Old 10-12-2021, 03:35 PM   #8
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Chris,


If your house battery bank (4- 4 D Lifeline AGM batteries) were fully charged when you left, I agree, there is something WRONG.


Suspect something else was drawing them down OR there are partially discharged when you left.
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Old 10-12-2021, 05:36 PM   #9
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Chris,


If your house battery bank (4- 4 D Lifeline AGM batteries) were fully charged when you left, I agree, there is something WRONG.


Suspect something else was drawing them down OR there are partially discharged when you left.
Ha....I wouldnt be surprised but since we can plug in and/or run genset and I have a catastrophe going on with the PTO/hydraulic fan I'll place that on the back burner...

This thread was more for about other folks' experiences and what I should expect to get out of the battery bank..but seems I've kicked a beehive of could be 2 hours to as much as 48 hours

That's a big gap there

Lols
Ch
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Old 10-13-2021, 06:17 PM   #10
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Not apples to pickles...but I replaced our 4 4d batteries (one had died)with 4 Lipo4 batteries.

Went from 1080 Ah to 1200 Ah.

We can run everything we want at night (no AC) including a residential fridge and we will be at 50/60% in the morning.

Not sure what we would be at with the old AGM's as I never boon docked with them.

The Magnum controller should give you a good idea about power draw when on batteries only.
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Old 10-13-2021, 07:30 PM   #11
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We turn off our house disconnect at night. It helps quite a bit. We also have 4 8d and 2 8d start batts. House disconnect does not shut of inverter for residential fridge.
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Old 10-14-2021, 10:20 AM   #12
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We turn off our house disconnect at night. It helps quite a bit. We also have 4 8d and 2 8d start batts. House disconnect does not shut of inverter for residential fridge.
Thanks all for the replies and keep them coming..Always good for me to learn.

@pogoil are you turning off house by the Salesman switch or the shut off in the bay?

Ch
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Old 10-19-2021, 04:15 PM   #13
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OK To my experience ( limited to my coach that is no too different than yours) CC did not have as a priority energy consumption. That having been said your inverter must have been on to power the fridge. As for the house shut off, Mine does not shut off the inverters just some 12v stuff. So no power savings there. All I think you can do is make sure inverter/charger settings are correctly set for the battery type and capacity, Battery connections are clean and tight, and look to minimize consumption. Regarding the solar panels I would take the leap and put some panels on the roof with a solar charge controller. You should have electrical prints as how they should be hooked up. I added 700W of panels to mine. if you need to research how to use your portable I guess you can look at the prints for that. My coach has a control board for the connections. As memory serves me and I could be incorrect it is intended to isolate the toad's electrical system from the coach. Just my thoughts.
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Old 10-19-2021, 09:14 PM   #14
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You said you came back to low batteries. What do you consider "low batteries"?
You might need to adjust your low battery cut off voltage to a lower number
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