9/16/2023 0 Comments Agm rv batteries![]() ![]() After use it lowers and not equally for each battery. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.Īmp hr ratings on batteries are close to true when brand new. When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “ The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer ( The RV Doctor). Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. What’s A Watt? How To Calculate Your RV Power Needsĭave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license.Now that you know how long your batteries are likely to last, you can plan accordingly for your next dry camping adventure in RVing! Now, it is just a matter of adding up your amp hours for every 12-volt item in your RV (like we did for watt-hours in the last installment) and divide that number into the amp-hours available in your RV’s battery bank to determine approximately how long the battery will last. Therefore, when calculating the reserve amp-hours of your RV’s batteries, the usable power will be 50% of the rated capacity. However, in reality, if you discharge a lead-acid battery (what you likely have in your RV) more than 50% of the rated capacity you will greatly shorten the life span of the battery. Where it becomes important is when you are dry camping (no shore power) and the reserve power (amp-hours) in your RV batteries is all you have to supply your electrical needs.Ī typical deep-cycle RV battery will be rated around 80 amp-hours, which in theory would supply one amp for 80 hours. Now, if you are connected to 120-volt shore power, none of the above matters much, as your converter charger will replenish the RV batteries as loads (amps) are drawn. Water pump requirements – Photo from iRV2 ![]() 2 amps and operates 24 hours will consume 4.8 amp hours from your batteries. If the furnace runs a half-hour, it will consume 3.5 amp hours from your battery bank. The blower motor and related 12-volt components of your propane furnace draw 7 amps while running.If you burn it for 2 hours it will consume 3 amp hours of battery power, etc. If you leave the light on (burning) for one hour it will consume 1.5 amp hours of battery power. An incandescent 12-volt ceiling light bulb has a draw of 1.5 amps.Just as we added up the 120-volt shore power needs in watt-hours, we will add up the needs of 12-volt (battery-powered) appliances in amp-hours. Note that amp-hours are commonly abbreviated as “A.H.”, “Ah” or similar. This is definitely more convenient than watts as deep-cycle RV batteries (aka “House Battery”) are rated in amp-hours rather than watt-hours. Rarely are the electrical requirements of the 12-volt appliances (water pump, furnace motor, lights, etc) expressed in any form other than amps. While watts and watt-hours can also be applied to the 12-volt system in RVs, it seldom is. When they aren’t expressed as watts, we looked at how to multiply voltage times amperage to determine watts, then by including run times to determine watt-hours. In this post, we will look at how to determine the electrical demands of your 12-volt battery system by learning about amps and amp-hours.Īs we shared in the last couple of installments, the electrical needs of 120-volt appliances are typically expressed in “watts” on the back of the appliance. In our previous article, we looked at how to calculate your RV’s 120-volt shore power needs by calculating watts and watt-hours. Results will vary depending on temperature, battery condition, large loads, and loads over long periods of time. As with anything electrical, there are exceptions to every rule of thumb, but the basic information shared below is applicable in most RVing situations. Note: As in the last two installments, this information is designed to help newbie RVers better understand the electrical needs of their RV. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |