One battery or two? HELP

Submitted: Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 13:53

ThreadID: 73244 Views:4226 Replies:5 FollowUps:11

This Thread has been Archived

LeahSA

Hello, I am getting a caravan made currently and would like to be able to free camp a fair bit of the time since we have 4 children and the fees seem to be huge once you add 4 extras in a caravan park.

I will be running a large fridge when free camping (shall I run off gas or battery??). I have 2 9kg gas bottles and was only going to get one battery and with the Anderson plug, I believe (could be wrong) that you can charge the batterry from the car after a 1-2 hours of driving. Was told by the caravan maker that the battery shoudl last a few days without charging.

Really what I would like to know is is this a realistic setup for free camping or will it drive me nuts recharging the battery with the car every few days so should I just buy another battery?

Thanks so much for your help, in anticipation. I have always had some great advice from this site. Leah

Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator Share

Reply By: Lex M (Brisbane) - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:00

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:00

We can't help without more information, although some will make all sorts of assumptions I'm sure.

What type/brand/size fridge?
What type/size of battery?

AnswerID: 388373

Follow Up By: LeahSA - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:34

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:34

Hello, the fridge in the van is 184 litre. The battery on the order I have just checked and it says Deep cycle battery and smart charger. That is all the info I have so I have just emailed the dealer for some more info. Thanks for your interest.

FollowupID: 656012

Reply By: Member - mazcan - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:02

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:02

hi leahsa
this thread will help you no end so i suggest reading it as it will give you a good insight into charging batteries and how to etc - thread 73187-

AnswerID: 388374

Follow Up By: LeahSA - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:35

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:35

Wow that is a lot of info! I will have a sit tonight with my 'smart' hat on and work out what it all means.

FollowupID: 656014

Reply By: MrBitchi (QLD) - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:26

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:26

Without getting too detailed, the fridge uses the most power so run that off gas and save the batteries for lighting. Probably still go for two batteries though, and add a solar panel to keep them charged.

AnswerID: 388378

Follow Up By: ob - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:34

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:34

Yep, agree, we run our fridge of gas when free camping and only use the battery (100AH) to power lights, water pump etc. This battery lasts about 3days before the voltage drops to about 12.2 volts when I recharge. We are only 2 adults so I guess extra bodies will use more.

Cheers ob

FollowupID: 656013

Follow Up By: LeahSA - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:37

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 14:37

Thanks for that information. How do you charge your batteries? How often do you need to refill your gas bottles? Thanks, Leah

FollowupID: 656015

Follow Up By: tim_c - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 15:27

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 15:27

I agree with John, it sounds like you've got a 3-way fridge if you're thinking of running it on either 12v or gas, and they are not generally very efficient on 12v so would be best to run it on the gas.

As for the battery for other things, I'd recommend getting as much battery power as you're willing to pay for and carry - I've never heard anyone regretting buying a battery that was too big, I've heard plenty having problems with a battery too small...

You'll also need some way to keep it/them charged too (either solar panel or generator) unless you're driving for a few hours every couple of days.

FollowupID: 656021

Follow Up By: PeterInSa - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 17:43

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 17:43

I would have the van wired for Solar, ie a Terminal Block on the roof and at least cables from the terminal block to a TB adjacent to your batteries, You could later intall a controller adjacent to your batteries if the Batteries are in your front boot. I would have 2x 120Ah deep cycle batteries installed and make sure they are the sealed type not the ones that you can fill up with water.

I would also have a low voltage cut out to save your batteries, if this is not already a facility as part of your charger.

if cost is a major consideration, only go with one battery but ensure that there is space for 2.

Peter

FollowupID: 656043

Reply By: ss--ss - Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 21:44

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 21:44

I came across this link earlier today which I thought was fairly interesting regarding batteries.. Worth a look

http://www.fridge-and-solar.net/agm.htm

AnswerID: 388444

Follow Up By: LeahSA - Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 at 07:36

Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 at 07:36

Thanks for that. I had a look and it was very interesting and easy to understand, especially given we were planning to charge the battery mainly from the car. I am going to ask the manufacturer for more info about the batteries. Thanks, Leah

FollowupID: 656109

Reply By: Maîneÿ . . .- Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 22:01

Friday, Oct 23, 2009 at 22:01

Leah,
Insist they install "AGM Deep Cycle batteries" of at least 200 Amp Hours in total, either 1 big battery or 2 smaller batteries.

You need large *battery capacity* when you go long term free camping because you tend not to drive anywhere, so you need a generator or solar system to keep the batteries charged.

Maîneÿ . . .

AnswerID: 388448

Follow Up By: LeahSA - Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 at 07:27

Saturday, Oct 24, 2009 at 07:27

Thanks, after the advice on here, I am speaking to the manufacturer today to get some more information. It is hard to know which questions to ask since we have not used a caravan before. Leah

FollowupID: 656108

Follow Up By: rayj - Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 at 23:38

Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 at 23:38

We have 2x 64w unisolar panels on the van we just bought. It has a Morningstar controller. I have 130w Kyocera panel from my camper and wonder if it is ok to add this to the array. It would need to remain as a freestanding unit as there is not enough room on the roof. There is 2x 100amphour gel batts. Can I add another without harming the existing ones ?

FollowupID: 656408