Deep cycle/RV batteries?

[ls99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover Buy two new fuses. Until you figure out why it blew, you may need the second one. Better yet, buy an inline circuit breaker and replace the fuse with it.

What he said.

Blown fuses happen for a reason. With the circuit breaker you can keep re-setting after trial and error fixes, or until the magic blue smoke announces the location of the failed part. Then it is a $imple R&R of the failed gizmo.

[brewer12345]

OK, plugged in a new fuse and we have power from the battery. I suspect it is very low, though. I bought a multimeter and tried to check the battery. I got a reading that indicated 10% or less charge. I also tried reading DC volts and the meter read 140 (no idea what this might mean). I think the meter is a lot more advanced than I am.

I have been told that a heavily discharged battery can draw more than 30A when foirst connected to current, so that might have been the source of the fuse blowing. If the fuse blows again I will hook it up to another battery and give it a partial charge before hooking up the AC again.

I bought a 6 pack of 30A fuses, so I can mess up a few times.

[ls99]

140? There should be decimal point after 14. That would be about right from the charger, assuming batteries dead, which I'm reasonably sure are. If battery is sulfated it will only draw a few amperes initially, then current will rise a good bit.

[brewer12345]

Well, after a few hours of having the goods connected, the battery is taking a charge and has not blown the fuse again. The light shine brightly, the water pump fires up no problem, etc. So its not dead, although has likely suffered at my ignorant hands. Learned some valuable lessons on battery care, which I will adhere to in the future.

I can't quite figure out the meter. I will let DW (the technically oriented one in the household) figure it out.

Now we get to see if the fuse mysteriously pops again...

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa Looks like a fun trailer. Be careful -- if you like camping but start to feel a little cramped, resistance is futile. You'll end up like me.

We have had the camper for a year and it still doesn't seem too small. EVeryone and all their stuff fit, the camper fits in my driveway, I can tow it with the minivan, and we spend the bulk of our camping time outside anyway. When we are camped for more than a day, we frequently break out the collapsible screen house (refuge from the bugs), which gives us a bit of extra space. We'll see if this changes as the kids grow, but for now it fits us pretty well. Anything much bigger would be tough to squeeze in the driveway, and anything heavier would either have to be motorized or require a heavier duty tow vehicle, so those are pretty big hurdles.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Anything much bigger would be tough to squeeze in the driveway, and anything heavier would either have to be motorized or require a heavier duty tow vehicle, so those are pretty big hurdles.

I don't think so...

Glad you're enjoying it - sounds just right for your needs.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa I don't think so... Glad you're enjoying it - sounds just right for your needs.

The trailmanors look real nice and have a great reputation, but they have two drawbacks:

- I don't see a bunkhouse model, which is a big issue with small kids who would rather than fool around in a shared bed than sleep

- Don't see how you can quickly make a pit stop in a parking lot without taking the time to raise the camper. Important consideration with kids not that far out of potty training.

But maybe some day.

[Westernskies]

You might want to spend a few $ on a low-output solar charger, deep cycle batteries seem to like being tickled a bit, and will stay topped off when the trailer is sitting in your driveway all week between trips. Make sure you get one with an automatic shut-off.

[fisherman]

Brewer our travel Trailer has a bunk house for all the same reason you listed.

Regarding your battery. I bought a Solar charge panel for the off months and just hook it up while disconnecting everytihing else so that the battery is trickle charged during the winter. If you let the battery get to discharged it will freeze and then you will have to buy another. I use the Solar panel so I do not have to leave AC power connected all the time when it is stored. They are about $50.

Just another option but you definitely need to check and monitor the water level. The Hygrometer?(SP) is cheap and easy to use and will show if a cell is bad which will limit how long the battery will last between charging.

Happy camping!

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westernskies You might want to spend a few $ on a low-output solar charger, deep cycle batteries seem to like being tickled a bit, and will stay topped off when the trailer is sitting in your driveway all week between trips. Make sure you get one with an automatic shut-off.

The regularly go on sale for $12 - you may have a store near you to save on shipping

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