ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ค. 2024
- We got an interesting question last week from an Airstreamer whose batteries are going dead overnight while boondocking. What at first seemed to be a question about his CPAP was in fact a different way of asking the question we get all the time: "Why are my batteries going dead WHILE I'M CAMPING?"
We deconstruct this issue by first explaining 2 facts about lead acid batteries that every Airstream owner must understand (or you will keep wondering why the batteries keep going dead!). Rich then analyzes this question by breaking down the power usage of this Airstream questioner is using and explaining how over-discharged batteries impact charge capacity and battery life. We offer several solutions to this Airstream questioner's problem, explain how to use an amp hour meter (and why it's essential equipment), and provide tips for battery capacity budgeting, traveling with laptops, and more.
SEND US YOUR AIRSTREAM QUESTIONS! ask@airgear.store
RESOURCES: Rich refers to this free guide, Diary of a Lithium Battery Upgrade: airgear.store/pages/diary-of-...
00:00 - Intro
1:01 - 2 battery basics every Airstream owner MUST understand
3:10 - How much battery capacity does this Airstreamer have? We explain
4:33 - What happens when you deplete your lead acid batteries over and over
5:58 - What to know when charging batteries with a generator
7:11 - What happens if you've discharged your batteries too many times
9:29 - Summary of battery capacity math and why it matters
10:42 - Solution for when you have reduced battery capacity
13:35 - Tips for using laptops, tablets, electronic gadgets off shore power
14:21 - Beware the inverter!
15:20 - How to use an amp hour meter and why it's essential
19:57: Other battery saving tips and how to budget when boondocking
👀 VISIT OUR STORE airgear.store
ARTICLES & GUIDES
☑️ Checklists and Guides: www.airgear.store/pages/check...
🔦Maintenance & Inspection: www.airgear.store/blogs/maint...
☀️ Solar, Electrical, Batteries: www.airgear.store/blogs/solar...
🦺 Safety and Towing: www.airgear.store/blogs/safet...
ABOUT AIR GEAR
We’re a small, Tucson-based business founded by experienced Airstream owners. We design and curate top quality maintenance, safety, and upgrade solutions for Airstream and other brand RVs. Our products and ad-free content address the unique needs of Airstream and other brand RV owners.
Our mission is to make the RV travel experience awesome by helping people travel safer and smarter.
EXCLUSIVE AND BESTSELLING PRODUCTS
*Teak Shower Mats for Airstreams: www.airgear.store/collections...
*Teak Shower Mats for Other RV Brands: www.airgear.store/collections...
*Sun Shade: www.airgear.store/products/ai...
*RV Water Hose w/Storage Bag: www.airgear.store/products/ul...
*Trailer Tire Changing Kit: www.airgear.store/collections...
*Rivet Replacement Kit: www.airgear.store/products/ri...
*Maintenance Essentials Kit for Airstreams: www.airgear.store/products/ma...
*Lock Upgrades and Entry Door Keys for Airstreams: www.airgear.store/collections...
Inquiries: cheryl@airgear.store
BRN: 2065
Facebook: airgearstore
#airstream #airstreamlife #airstreamliving #liveriveted #rvlife #rvliving #rvmaintenance #rvrepair #rvtravel #rvsafety
My 2018 GT had same problem , your video on the Lithium upgrade you did on your Airstream gave me the inspiration to upgrade mine to lithium. Figuring the cost of new AGMs vs lithium was not that bad, Did the work myself and has worked great. I have solar & with a little sun it keeps up with the furnace during the cold camping, The SmartShunt is a must!
Great to hear! Happy camping!
Did you change out your converter too?
I suggest an Ecoflow or similar LiPO4 battery device to run the CPAP. They are a bit more $ than a CPAP battery pack, but they will also run multiple pieces of your electronic gear, in some cases for days. For example, our Ecoflow Delta 1300 will run our Starlink for 90 hours. It's not too heavy, has a handle, it's small, and it can be charged in numerous ways (AC, car, solar, etc). No, I dont sell the Ecoflow, but Amazon does:)
Guys, that was one of the most instructive and informative videos I have ever seen on battery management. Thank you!
\
Very nice. You covered all the bases. I totally agree, lithium if you can afford it, and Amp-hour meter for any boondocking. Also, most people just won't do the math - they look at that CPAP and say, oh, 3 Amps, no big deal. But any loads that run continuously (like CPAPs and electric refrigerators) use more Amp-hours than people expect, because they don't multiply by the hours of use, or they don't add up all of the loads that seem small by themselves. And one more thing: ammonia cycle refrigerators, which includes all of the models that can run on propane, are much less efficient than compressor-based refrigerators. Like a factor of 4 less. Now, if this guy's refrigerator is 12V only, then it is probably a compressor-based unit. It used to be that 12V compressor refrigerators were very expensive, but the prices have come way down. I have only a small top-loading compressor refrigerator, and I've just learned how to buy groceries so I don't run out of space - it's not that hard to do, and for me alone, I can fill it with four or five days worth of food that needs refrigeration. I bought the one I have with some skepticism, so it's small and just has a single compartment, which means no freezer section. But then, if I wanted to keep frozen food (Ice Cream!) on hand, I would just buy a second unit for use as a freezer. I have a friend who has two and uses them this way, and she is happy with them.
2013 25ft International, bought used in 2016, came with the standard Interstate batteries. Upgraded to AGM [150AH] batteries in 2018 when we had 400W of solar installed w/Victron smart shunt.] It took a while to understand the upgrades, the capacity we had and how to read the data on the Victron app. We took baby steps toward boondocking. I found a 12V charger online to charge my Dell laptop when boondocking which, when we are in the southwest for the winter, can be for a month at a time. We charge cell phones with 12V power outlets [added because our trailer had no USB outlets.] Our trailer had only one 12v factory installed plug inside the front locker [very inconvenient location], we added two more in convenient locations. We almost never turn the inverter on when boondocking. When those AGM's wear out we'll go to at least 300AH of lithium. Love the independence!!! Well done detailed discussion on the topic, thanks.
Thanks! We had fun shooting the video. Your setup sounds great!
One detail I would like to share. Often Airstreamers will travel at night, or do not have solar, and when going down the road with their newer electric only fridge, will deplete their batteries over a 8- 12 hour travel day. If you have not already , please make a video regarding the DC to DC Charger. The 7 Way RV plug does not charge your batteries while traveling down the road in most cases. At least not effectively.
The amount of power an electric refrigerator will use over 8 hours varies depending on outside temperature and other factors, but we approximate it at about 20 Ah (amp-hours) per 8 hours.
We measured the actual output from our Ford Ranger's 7-way plug, as an example. We found that it provides about 6-7 amps through the 7-way plug, which is about 48 -56 Ah per eight hours. In other words, the truck produces far more power through the 7-way plug than the refrigerator can use.
YMMV, but any modern tow vehicle should perform similarly. Therefore, we don't see any need for most people to install a DC-to-DC charger. There's a very narrow use case for actually needing a DC-to-DC connection on your truck.
If your batteries are being consumed during towing, the cause needs to be investigated:
* is the truck plug actually producing power (no fuse blown)?
* is anything blocking the flow of power (disconnect switch)?
* are other 12 volt appliances turned on (lights, furnace, inverter) during towing?
* are the batteries in good condition and holding a charge appropriately?
@@airgear I must have been it wrong the whole time. I would get to my destination and my battery would be approaching 50% after a 12 hour overnight drive. 2022 Nissan Armada Tow Package 7 Way RV Connector. I think your example is one of the 7 Way being a good source. But to truly benefit from the tow vehicle proving a power source, a DC DC Charger is king. I am truly surprise to see you make a case against it. I am a former overlander, and the Aussies know their stuff. DC DC Chargers are standard equipment for their rigs. I think you may want to revisit your opinion of them. I think it is more about the tow vehicle and how it is wire as a "Tow Package equipped vehicle"
Great video about those batteries and possible outcomes when you are camping. Solar charging can help for sure. Thanks for the info. Dave.
Thanks for watching!
@@airgear You are welcome!
Very nice explanation, I do not think this message can be said enough. As more and more beginners enter the market, new videos, need to be made. Great Job!
What a helpful video! My DH has always been sooooooo careful of our batteries, both when we were boaters, and now that we have an Interstate. I’ve decided to be less mentally lazy this year, and educate myself more about the details of how this complicated cottage on wheels works. Now, if we could only get the Cummins diesel generator to actually power anything……😢🤷♀️
We had our batteries changed to Gel and increased to a set of 4 at Jackson Center. Good price and they are much more cold resistant. Plus they can drain to 10% without great damage and last up to 2 decades.
You’re figuring 100 dollars a battery that is an old price, now days even lead acid batteries are $200 plus. Excellent video
You can still get really cheap lead-acid deep cycle batteries from Autozone, Wal-Mart, etc, for $100 or less. Google "deep cycle group 24 battery" for examples. If you never run your Airstream away from a power hookup, these are an economical option, but we wouldn't recommend them otherwise.
That was helpful! I learned the hard way that two nights is the absolute max! Now have lithium batteries.
Glad it helped!
Useful video. We’re not sure how to turn off our inverter. Tips?
If you have an Airstream-installed inverter, simply push the button to turn it off. Consult your owner's manual to find the location of the inverter, which varies depending on the model.
Something you did not mention is that lithium batteries charge much faster than lead acid batteries. This means that if you are on a campsite with limited full sun you have a better chance of getting your batteries fully charged during the day and even on a gray day you will replace more of your used energy, minimizing your battery drain. We have a 20fb and were able to replace the two AGM batteries with two 125 ah of lithium batteries. We have found that even when camping on a full shade camp site in the summer, our 2500 watt generator will keep us fully charged if we run it for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. My batteries have built in charge monitors and yes the generator does git us to 100% charge.
Yes, lithium batteries do charge faster, but only if there's a lot of power available to charge them. On a gray day or with limited sun they will not charge faster on solar than any other batteries, because the real limitation is that there's not enough sun available. For example if your solar panels are generating only 50 watts due to shading or clouds, it won't matter whether you have lithium or lead-acid.
Of course, a generator can supply much more power, and in that case lithium will have the advantage. Still, anything over about 400 watts charge rate is a waste for any 2-battery setup because even lithium batteries can't accept more than that (and usually less).
"Your mileage may vary" definitely applies to the questions of charging batteries. In your case, the power supplied to the batteries by your generator in 2 hours (about 45-60 Amp-Hours) makes up for what you use. For other people with higher power needs, they will gradually lose ground in the same scenario.
I have a 2020 Flying Cloud. I am so serious about "dry camping" that I have decided to install a Victron 3000/2 system with four Lithium Ion batteries, and 4-90 watts solar panels. I will let you know how well that works it you wish to know. Price tag: $13,000.
Good luck!
How would you know if your batteries were at half charge and is there a device that will shut your electricity off so that you save them?
The best way to know is to install an amp-hour meter, as discussed in the video.
No, there isn't any accurate device to shut off the batteries, since without amp-hour metering you can't really know for sure. And having the batteries suddenly shut off by themselves would cause other problems!
Also, do you want to limit charging your lithium battery over 85%? I know that my laptop limits my charge to 85% of max, since lithium degrades every time one fully charges it. Thoughts?
They aren't the same type of batteries. The battery in your laptop is Lithium Ion, but the batteries used in RVs are Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4). The LiFePO4 batteries are much less affected by being kept at 100% state of charge.
What does CPAP stand for?
Continuous positive airway pressure. It's the machine people sleep with to address their sleep apnea.
Airstream no longer installs gas/electric refrigerators? Why?
They haven't told us, but we'd guess it's primarily because Airstream is gradually evolving away from propane-based appliances. All-electric travel trailers and motorhomes are definitely on the horizon, and they will have significant advantages in safety, ease of maintenance, and simplicity.
@@airgear We read that most companies making propane appliances are European and are getting out of the business. ???
I think the all-electric trend is misguided. For refrigerators it makes a certain amount of sense, since compressor refrigerators are much more efficient than the ammonia cycle units that can run on propane. But it is just insane to think that you can heat water and air with just electric power, unless you're on shore power. Even with a generator, the energy cost per BTU is much higher for electric heating appliances than for propane.
@@BrightBlueJim Thanks for your reply. Unless you are willing to upgrade to Lithium...you will have to forgo dry camping if your refrigerator is electric only.
@@richardpiland912 That depends. Depends on how many days you stay at each location, since a nice, long drive resets the timer. Depends on the weather, if you have solar. Depends on what other appliances you just HAVE to have. As they say in the video, those laptops suck. Power, that is. And there's nothing like a meter that tracks total energy in and out, to let you know when you're doing it wrong.