Battery life while dry camping

[Eric Perplies]

If I am slightly careful I can get by with running the generator once a day for
2 hours +/-. I don't like being careful, so I usually charge the batteries
twice a day for 1 to 3 hours.

To determine how long you can go with your lifestyle and batteries you have you
must monitor the voltage on your batteries. In a hyper condensed summary: You
don't want to have the capacity drop below 50%. When you are dry camping
monitor your batteries several times a day with a digital voltmeter. When you
hit the 50% charge level it's time to recharge your batteries. (It's 12.05
volts on my AGM batteries.) If you keep doing this you will eventually learn
what your recharging point should be, which will depending on your lifestyle and
battery capacity.

Note: This issue is MUCH more complicated that this. You should research this
issue. It is quite uncomfortable to live on your batteries and not know if you
are abusing them. Here's a couple of links:

http://www.phrannie.org/battery.html
http://www.amplepower.com/primer/index.html

Incidentally, in the future it would be helpful if you sign your post along with
the year and type of coach you drive. Some people may know you but likely most
do not. It's often hard to respond without that information.

Eric Perplies
96' 42' WBWL
currently in Gallup, NM