This will be our first time boondocking (well, not really, but without electricity).
How long can we expect the battery to last if we just use lights at night (we'll use our little buddy for heat if we need it), and how much propane does a fridge use?
I know these are total general questions without knowing the size of our battery....
20 lb. bottle of LP will likely power your fridge for a couple of weeks with nothing else using it. There are dozens of different sizes, types and strengths of batteries but a typical group 24 with about 120 Amp hour rating will probably run your lights, if used carefully, for about a week but it does take some 12 volt power to operate your fridge in LP mode also. Other items like LP detectors, CO detectors can also be a draw on your batteries as would the water pump. the trick to boondocking is to use power wisely and never burn two lights when one will do etc.
Keep in mind that a 'marine,RV' deep cycle battery is a combination starting and deep cycle battery. Best to avoid deeply discharging your battery if that's the style you have, or it will not last very long before it needs replacing.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
skipnchar wrote: it does take some 12 volt power to operate your fridge in LP mode also.
Good luck / Skip
Not all RV fridges require 12Vdc to operate in LP mode. The small, simple ones common to pop-ups have a constant flame when in LP mode. No battery power required since the flame is always on with no automatic controls. It's strictly manual in LP mode. Temperature is manually controlled by adjusting the LP knob to low, medium, and high. This changes how much gas is allowed to flow into the fridge burner.
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2005 Fleetwod Allegance with axle flip
Honeywell 2000i Generator
Me, DW, DS, DD, Dog & Camping Kitty
The furnace blower motor is your biggest draw on the battery. If you don't use the furnace and don't leave lights burning when not in use, you should be able to go for 2 - 3 days without a problem on a single battery. Add a furnace running all night and you'll get one day out of the battery.
1996 Suburban 4x4. 350, 4.10 3/4 ton
2005 Jayco Jay Flight 27BH
1986 Coleman Columbia Popup.
I bought my first PUP, had it one week, then went to Yellowstone for 7 days of dry camping.
Knowing precious little at the time, I was able to make it the week with a decent charge left on the battery with only about 1 hour connected to my tow vehicle when we moved from one campground to another - which did NOT really do anything to charge the battery, I've since concluded with additional knowledge.
We used the lights, water pump as little as possible, and some furnace during the overnights. The battery was a Walmart-special, "deep cycle" (with a CCA rating... ") ).
It can be done, and it all comes down to a few things: what capacity of battery do you have to start with, and how much/how long you use things X number of days.
Get yourself a cheap digital multimeter like this and check the battery daily during this camping trip, so you get a feel for how much you're using.
Use the 12 volt side of life to acquaint yourself with battery usage and life.
PRINT THAT COLOR CHART OUT that shows how much life is left in your battery based on the DC voltage reading on the digital multimeter.
When you hit 50% (12.06v, but I round down to an even 12v), it's time to stop using it.
When we dry camp and in conserve mode, I determined I use about 25ah per day. With 2 6-volt T105's totalling 220a, I can camp for about 4 or 5 days while dropping the batteries to about 50%. 10% battery use per day.
When we first started dry camping, I was watching the batteries all the time. And after switching many of our interior lights to LED, we just conserve and don't worry about the batteries at all.
Propane isn't usually the issue as to the length of time one can dry camp. The refrigerator will go a long time on the propane. How long depends on temp and how much you open it, but think in the order of weeks. We have the standard two bottle set-up, and I prefer to not use the auto change over switch so I know when the first bottle is empty (I just leave the second bottles valve closed and wait till the fridge propane light starts blinking...poor man's propane monitor)
Electricity is likely to the major limiting factor. Lights use a lot of power….depending on the bulb, around 1.2 amps each. And often there are two bulbs in each fixture. So think around 2.5 amps for every light fixture you have on per hour. I would think a minimum of two fixtures for 5 hours or 12.5 Amp Hrs per day (and I would be surprised if you can keep it this low). When I had incandescent lights, I figured about 20 to 30 Amp Hrs per day in the winter when it's dark for long periods of time. If dry camping is something you see yourself doing more of, consider getting LED bulbs to replace your existing incandescent bulbs. Easy swap to make...just make sure to get "warm white" bulbs. If you don't want to switch to LED's, then just bring a couple head lamps for evening reading.
Don't forget that that your CO2 and propane detectors, refrigerator and water pump use power too. If you listen to the radio, that uses power too (even off, it uses power to run the clock). Also, power jack, electric awning, etc. While each item doesn’t use a lot, most of it runs 24/7 so it adds up. Consider another 20 to 30 Amp Hrs per day for all this "stuff".
So depending on your battery size, you can do the math to determine how long your battery will last. Keep in mind that most folks don't like to discharge their battery more than 50%.
Water is likely to be your next issue. However, with careful use, you should be able to keep it at a couple gallons per person per day. (1 gallon if you don't use the toilet or wash dishes, and 3 gallons if you want to take a navy shower each day) Of course you have to store the waste water (black and gray) too.
So it's hard to answer exactly how long you can go on minimal use, but anywhere from a couple days to a week.....if your battery is in good shape to begin with and you truly are a minimal user (think survival, not comfort, camping).
Best way to determine this is to just go out and do it
Propane isn't usually the issue as to the length of time one can dry camp. The refrigerator will go a long time on the propane. How long depends on temp and how much you open it, but think in the order of weeks. We have the standard two bottle set-up, and I prefer to not use the auto change over switch so I know when the first bottle is empty (I just leave the second bottles valve closed and wait till the fridge propane light starts blinking...poor man's propane monitor)
Electricity is likely to the major limiting factor. Lights use a lot of power….depending on the bulb, around 1.2 amps each. And often there are two bulbs in each fixture. So think around 2.5 amps for every light fixture you have on per hour. I would think a minimum of two fixtures for 5 hours or 12.5 Amp Hrs per day (and I would be surprised if you can keep it this low). When I had incandescent lights, I figured about 20 to 30 Amp Hrs per day in the winter when it's dark for long periods of time. If dry camping is something you see yourself doing more of, consider getting LED bulbs to replace your existing incandescent bulbs. Easy swap to make...just make sure to get "warm white" bulbs. If you don't want to switch to LED's, then just bring a couple head lamps for evening reading.
Don't forget that that your CO2 and propane detectors, refrigerator and water pump use power too. If you listen to the radio, that uses power too (even off, it uses power to run the clock). Also, power jack, electric awning, etc. While each item doesn’t use a lot, most of it runs 24/7 so it adds up. Consider another 20 to 30 Amp Hrs per day for all this "stuff".
So depending on your battery size, you can do the math to determine how long your battery will last. Keep in mind that most folks don't like to discharge their battery more than 50%.
Water is likely to be your next issue. However, with careful use, you should be able to keep it at a couple gallons per person per day. (1 gallon if you don't use the toilet or wash dishes, and 3 gallons if you want to take a navy shower each day) Of course you have to store the waste water (black and gray) too.
So it's hard to answer exactly how long you can go on minimal use, but anywhere from a couple days to a week.....if your battery is in good shape to begin with and you truly are a minimal user (think survival, not comfort, camping).
Best way to determine this is to just go out and do it
Have fun,
Steve
X2. When I PU camped I could routinely get the beat part of a week out of a group 27 battery, more if I was really conservative. No furnace, of course, water pump only when needed, and one light unless I temporarily needed more. Propane for frig was a non-issue.
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