Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-27-2012, 03:54 AM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
x17z and stock Interstate battery

Any opinions on how long (nights of dry camping) one could expect with this set up... limited shower, furnace etc. Taking all things into consideration.. keeping lights to a min and all good battery saving techniques... could we expect 3 nights?

Battery is an SRM 24
group 24 12v Deep cycle
140ah
New, fully changed by an outboard deep cycle capable charger.

Down the road I do see myself going to two T105s and LEDs but thinks likely next year
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2012, 05:43 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Quahog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,526
It's hard to say how long it will last but there are calculators out there that will help you estimate this somewhat closely. Pick up a Kill-a-Watt (I paid $19 off of Amazon) and you can measure the actual power draw on small appliances, gadgets, TV, and other things you might use then plug those numbers into the calculator and viola.

http://www.amazon.com/P3-Internation...656c7064757-20

Your long term plan sounds like the way to go to maximize your time on the battery bank.
__________________
Mike, Sue, Sissy and Little Man

2015 Ford F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 CC DRW
2015 Eagle Premier 351RSTS

Quahog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2012, 06:30 PM   #3
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 35
We have a 17. We went solar and love it. Check out my old posts to get an idea what we did.
Lounsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2012, 06:57 PM   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Southern NY
Posts: 77
dddire - your battery does not have 140 amp hours. That is the reserve capacity for cranking (starting). The battery is rated for 84 amp hours. At most you want to use 1/2 of this so consider 40 amp hours the maximum you want to use before recharging. Discharging these batteries below 50% can significantly reduce the life expectancy of the battery.

Although it states this is a deep cycle it is not truly one. Real deep cycle do not have a CCA(cold cranking amps) rating. You might consider getting a 2nd battery of the same specs. Wired together - needs to be done properly so investigate - you will have 80 amp hours of power. To provide context on how much this is the Jayco manual states running the fridge and furnace on 12vDC continuously would use 75 amp hours of power.

Battery usage can be confusing so do not hesitate to ask questions.

Dan in NY
Mainenebula is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-27-2012, 08:09 PM   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
To provide context on how much this is the Jayco manual states running the fridge and furnace on 12vDC continuously would use 75 amp hours of power.

Battery usage can be confusing so do not hesitate to ask questions.

Dan in NY[/QUOTE]

Interesting, so how would one convert this to continuous running time?
I realize the fridge and furnace won't run continuously but it would give me an idea of how little I might expect from this battery.

I have (not installed yet) a 3000W inverter in the TV.. so AC won't be an issue but I want to be able to go dry when needed.
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 06:34 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Merrimack NH
Posts: 917
dddire-- I don't see where you have considered running the fridge & furnace on gas, that would extend your battery life. Larry
__________________
Larry & Rachel Demers 2013 F150 Eco Boost Super Cab 6.5 bed 6 sp. 3.31 4x4 White Hawk 28DSBH
29BHS ECO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 05:00 PM   #7
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 35
F250 is right. Run fridge & furnace on gas. We camp dry for a month at a time. Last year we used 21 pounds of propane for everything but cooking. We carry a separate 20 pounder for BBQ and coleman propane stove(we don't cook in the trailer). We have an 80 watt solar panel that more than meets all our power needs
Lounsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 05:04 PM   #8
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 35
Maybe you are just talking about the power needed for the furnace fan and fridge controller???
Lounsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 06:08 PM   #9
Member
 
PhxKim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 96
We almost always dry camp with our X18D. We have it down to a science now. The lights will suck your battery dry. We have those circle LED lights next to the camper lights and hang small lanterns from the tent support poles with S hooks. I have a $1 store pop light in the bathroom. We DO use our furnace at night and set to about 60. We do use the hot water heater. Water pump is key - don't want to lose that. Once we lost our battery the oven wouldn't light. Stove did so we used it for heat one morning but the oven wouldn't.

Now that we don't use the lights, we go 3-4 days easy. When we get worried, we hook up our truck and trickle charge the battery for an hour. We're just getting ready to go solar but I'm looking for a good deal on one of those quiet Honda generators if I can find one.

Cheers! Kim
__________________

2008 CHEV SILVERADO Crew Cab LT
2012 Jayco X18D
PhxKim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 07:48 PM   #10
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Southern NY
Posts: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by dddire View Post
To provide context on how much this is the Jayco manual states running the fridge and furnace on 12vDC continuously would use 75 amp hours of power.

Battery usage can be confusing so do not hesitate to ask questions.

Dan in NY
Interesting, so how would one convert this to continuous running time?
I realize the fridge and furnace won't run continuously but it would give me an idea of how little I might expect from this battery.

I have (not installed yet) a 3000W inverter in the TV.. so AC won't be an issue but I want to be able to go dry when needed.[/QUOTE]

dddire - what do you plan to power the 3000w converter with?? As for real use remember you should only use 1/2 the battery or 40 AHs. As others have stated you can leverage the propane to minimize battery drain. The LED lights are a must if you intend to dry camp much as the stock bulbs suck power.

Dan in NY
Mainenebula is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-28-2012, 08:52 PM   #11
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
Def plan on gas for fridge and furnace when boondocking
We won't have the inverter installed on our first outing and there will be no shore power for sure this first trip.

Trip will only be two nights.. so hoping the battery will hold up.
How long would it take to charge the battery from flat with the TV hooked and running?

The inverter will be used for everything hopefully at some point, Microwave and AC....if it will do it.

the Inverter is 3000, 5k surge so I'm thinking I'm in good shape with this.
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2012, 06:03 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Quahog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,526
AC, as in air conditioning? Yeah, your 3k inverter will power that but unless you have some very large battery bank, it won't be for very long.
__________________
Mike, Sue, Sissy and Little Man

2015 Ford F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 CC DRW
2015 Eagle Premier 351RSTS

Quahog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-29-2012, 09:58 AM   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quahog View Post
AC, as in air conditioning? Yeah, your 3k inverter will power that but unless you have some very large battery bank, it won't be for very long.
The thought is, while traveling.. stopping for lunch, TV engine running, TT ac would be used for an hour or so..
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-30-2012, 10:04 PM   #14
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 61
Keep in mind that 1 amp AC is approx. 10 amps DC so if your air conditioner draws 15 amps AC, that will be 150 amps DC. You will need 0 gauge or at minimum 1 gauge wiring from your batteries to your inverter to handle that load & heat.

Watts = amps x volts. So 1 amp @ 120 volts = 120 watts, & 15 amps at 120 volts = 1800 watts. Your 3000 watt inverter will handle the load, but you will need some good battery power.

Lets say you have 2 12v 100ah batteries wired parallel that would act as 1 12v 200ah battery. If both batteries were in perfect condition & 100% charged you would use approx. 75% of your battery running the air for 1 hour, and that's on the easy side of things.

I used to have a cruiser (boat) with a 3000 watt inverter & I had 5 12v 90ah batteries wired parallel and it would last about 24 hours when being careful, but I could also kill it in about 3 hours with the air, hot water tank, etc. Most of the boat, air, stove, hot water all needed AC, no propane option.

Good luck!
cablerum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2012, 05:10 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Quahog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,526
Welcome to the JOF, cablerum and thanks for posting. If you want, stop over to the New Members forum and say howdy.
__________________
Mike, Sue, Sissy and Little Man

2015 Ford F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 CC DRW
2015 Eagle Premier 351RSTS

Quahog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-01-2012, 11:35 PM   #16
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by cablerum View Post
Keep in mind that 1 amp AC is approx. 10 amps DC so if your air conditioner draws 15 amps AC, that will be 150 amps DC. You will need 0 gauge or at minimum 1 gauge wiring from your batteries to your inverter to handle that load & heat.

Watts = amps x volts. So 1 amp @ 120 volts = 120 watts, & 15 amps at 120 volts = 1800 watts. Your 3000 watt inverter will handle the load, but you will need some good battery power.

Lets say you have 2 12v 100ah batteries wired parallel that would act as 1 12v 200ah battery. If both batteries were in perfect condition & 100% charged you would use approx. 75% of your battery running the air for 1 hour, and that's on the easy side of things.

I used to have a cruiser (boat) with a 3000 watt inverter & I had 5 12v 90ah batteries wired parallel and it would last about 24 hours when being careful, but I could also kill it in about 3 hours with the air, hot water tank, etc. Most of the boat, air, stove, hot water all needed AC, no propane option.

Good luck!
you numbers are what I'm looking for, thanks

What's your thoughts on single deep cycle battery/inverter and ENGINE RUNNING... to run the AC for an hour or so for lunch?
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2012, 03:32 PM   #17
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 61
Quote:
Originally Posted by dddire View Post
you numbers are what I'm looking for, thanks

What's your thoughts on single deep cycle battery/inverter and ENGINE RUNNING... to run the AC for an hour or so for lunch?
Simply put, it won't work. I doubt your single battery will even allow for the AC start-up. Remember an appliance draws up to twice its rated amps during start-up. That's why you see generators with 2 ratings, such as 7000 watts peak or surge & 5000 watts continuous. If your AC uses 15 amps continuous, it requires about 22 amps when the compressor first kicks in for the first few seconds. I bet it would cause your inverter to alarm low battery & kick off with just 1 battery. My inverter would kick off once the batteries reached 10.5 volts and with that much draw on a single battery voltage would drop quickly. You also can't charge a battery as fast as you can drain it so having the vehicle running would only make a little difference, especially since the charging wire from the TV to the trailer is not rated for much amp draw, it's more like a trickle charger.

You would most likely need 2 batteries minimum, approx. 100ah+ each, and even then if you got it to run an hour you would be lucky.

Remember, lower voltage batteries have higher AH ratings. That why you see things such as electric golf carts & fork lifts use 6 volt batteries as opposed to 12 volt. Generally two 6 volts batteries would last longer then one 12 volt battery because when they are combined you get greater AH. The 6 volt battery is the same physical size and sometimes bigger, but the lower voltage provides higher AH. So if you got room for 2 batteries try two 6 volts wired in series to create 12 volts. Here is a link from Trojan batteries. They are popular in the RV & marine world. They have several 6 & 12 volt deep cycle options. Use the drop down and select a battery. It will tell you that batteries AH rating, dimensions and weight.

Good luck..let me know what you decide to try & the outcome. Please be very careful when wiring batteries and working with DC.
cablerum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2012, 09:41 PM   #18
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 89
Well, I can officially say, a 3000w inverter with 5000w peak, will not run the AC in a x17z. Runs everything else including the microwave just fine.
dddire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2013, 10:14 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Jersey
Posts: 296
I'm going dry camping in 2 weeks with my new X17Z. I already have a Honda Companion that I will be bringing with me. I intend to have my battery charged up before quiet hours start. Assuming the battery is fully charged, is it safe to assume that I'll get a night's worth of furnace usage? Stat at 65, nights in the 40s. PUGS and Reflectix installed on the bunk ends.

???
s1njin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2013, 10:37 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: near Englewood, FL (South of Venice)
Posts: 1,237
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mainenebula View Post
dddire - your battery does not have 140 amp hours. That is the reserve capacity for cranking (starting). The battery is rated for 84 amp hours. At most you want to use 1/2 of this so consider 40 amp hours the maximum you want to use before recharging. Discharging these batteries below 50% can significantly reduce the life expectancy of the battery.

Although it states this is a deep cycle it is not truly one. Real deep cycle do not have a CCA(cold cranking amps) rating. You might consider getting a 2nd battery of the same specs. Wired together - needs to be done properly so investigate - you will have 80 amp hours of power. To provide context on how much this is the Jayco manual states running the fridge and furnace on 12vDC continuously would use 75 amp hours of power.

Battery usage can be confusing so do not hesitate to ask questions.

Dan in NY
... all good information above.

My 17Z had a group 24 Interstate battery that would provide 76 amp hours, but only half that, that I would use. The only draw when heating with propane is the furnace fan. My inside temperatures could be kept in the low 60's, when the temp outside was in the mid 30's for 8 hours, using about 40% of the battery.

I used the water pump and coach lights VERY little. Both are high draw items, but we only used them for very short times.
OnTheGo is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:36 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.