A device of the type described above will cut off the battery if the voltage goes too low thus protecting the battery, at the cost of such things as radio memory, and if you use it on your starting battery engine and transmission computer memory if any such exists. (some of them "learn" some do not).
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
I don't understand why you need the lights, radio, and fan ALL night.
Turning these off will save a lot of the drain on the battery and then make sure you recharge the battery right away when you can, a battery stored in a discharged state shortens it's life.
Othertonka
2004 Southwind 32VS 8.1 Workhorse chassis
2002 CRV Toad
U. S. Gear Unified brake system
Retired Fire Captain, SFD
Sometimes the party lasts all night and sometimes I forget after too many margaritas. The battery storage is mounted under the van and receives it's charge from an isolator connected to the alternator. I live in a condo and don't have access to charge from an outlet at home. If I camp close and only drive for half an hour, I don't think the battery is getting a full charge right away. I will usually drive the van to work and around town the following week and hope it gets charged again. Just thinking a "true" deep cycle might be better for this abuse.
I park the van in an outdoor condo parking lot, far from outlets, so a solar kit might be the right way to go. As far as maitenance, I am partially disabled and cannot drop the mounting that stores the battery, so I prefer as little maitanence as possible. Just wondering if there are cheap solar units out there. I live in sunny San Diego and only use the van once or twice a month so I don't need a quick charge, just looking for the best system that will suit my needs and budget. Thanks for all the input guys!
As others have said, add a small solar system.
Also:
- Get a hand cranked blender (that blender is using a lot of power)
- Install LED lights (your lights are most likely >50% of your total load)
Doing the above (assuming you don't have the radio blaring at full volume), should reslove all you power problems. Only problem is then you will likely come up with other things to run
Thanks everyone. Think I will go with another sealed group 24 marine/deep cycle from Costco and add a small solar charger. Hopefully that will extend the life beyond 3 years.
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