I was just curious how long is my furnace designed to run on the (2)house batteries alone. (92 Breakaway)We arrived in the desert Friday and ran the furnace probably total 4-5 hr.s. minimal interior light useage. By Sat. night the house batteries were depleted. Without running the furnace we could use lights etc. for 4-5 days just on the house batteries. I don't like to really run the generator at night while camping with friends....maybe it's necessary while running the furnace? How about you guys and gals? I'm guessing that blower sucks them batteries quick....good guess?

Hi Larry on't know If I'm right or not when dry docking I run our gen.set some in the a.m.and in p.m. before dark to keep the batterys charges.One RV we had, the house part had 6 batterys,our Barth just has the two batterys for the house part.The blower motor on the Furnace require about 4 to 6 amps.Hope this helps; Jay;

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br2409

Hi Larry and Heidi,

Man do I wish I was/were out there on the desert with you. If it's 60 here tomorrow it will break a record for the highest high.

I can play a mean Misty on the electric guitar but that's where my electrical experience begins and ends. However, there is a great website you need to know about http://www.rvsolarelectric.com/custom.htm Rv Solar Electric has a worksheet and all of the info on how many amps/volts/watts it takes to do this or that.

When I go to sleep each night I dream of the Barthmobile with two big honkin' solar panels on the roof and a couple 6 volt batteries under the couch, (vented of course). Trust me folks this electricity thing is something we should all be experts on.

By the way, one thing I have learned is that even if you have a great deep cell battery charger like the one I spent $20 for at Sears. It takes like 2 whole days to fully charge one of these batteries. So you likely may have not been starting with a full load.



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Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

As an electron-challenged RV'er, I had trouble understanding the theories & buzzwords regarding Life With 12 Volts.....
This site helped:

http://bart.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm

Lee
'78/24'

"I will build a palace, fit for you and me....For green days in the forest and blue days by the sea..."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

When I lived on my sailboat for 10 yrs., I bought a book "Living with 12 volts" it was very helpful. Info on batteries, solar panels, and charging info, etc. Can be bought in marine stores. Don

"When I go to sleep each night I dream of the Barthmobile with two big honkin' solar panels on the roof and a couple 6 volt batteries under the couch, (vented of course)."
..........................................

Dave, have you considered using Optima batteries? They do not outgas as long as your voltage stays under 15. Can be put about anywhere. They make a 12 volt deep cycle version. Also Lifetime batteries.

I will second Lee's recommendation of the 12 volt site. Mark has a good technical understanding and a wealth of practical experience, as well as a remarkably clear way of presenting it.

Everyone should print it and keep a copy in the throne room. Reading just a little bit each trip will help. And read it at the breakfast table instead of the Wheaties box.

Yes Bill,

I have looked at the Obtima batteries. Pretty expensive. I was told that you can buy sealed battery boxes

and that the vent just needs to be like a 1/2 in. Dia. plastic tube. What are your thoughts on that Bill and others?

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Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

The Optima batteries are indeed a bit high, but they last longer. By avoiding the hassle of a box and venting might be worth it. I use one in my 4wd toad and have been very happy with it. I also use a similar spiral/orbital cell AGM as my chassis battery in Barth. That way, if I decide to add two more golf car batts, I can put the chassis battery in a storage bin to make extra room in the battery tray.

As for the venting, I would have two vents, one in and one out. The out should be at the very top of the battery box, and the line should not drop for the length of its travel to the outlet, as hydrogen is lighter than air and needs to flow upward. Absent that, a small 110 volt fan blowing in the in line whenever the charger was operating would be a good idea. Perhaps even better. Or a 12 volt fan that ran whenever the voltage got above 12.7 or so. A Zener controlling an SCR or something. Do not use the fan in the out line, as the corrosive fumes are not good, nor is an electrical device in a hydrogen atmosphere.

[This message has been edited by bill h (edited November 20, 2003).]