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Yukon

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Ok here goes'' when one boondocks requiring heat'' the furnace blower is run off the juice stored in Batteries Correct? If so how long could one expect the batteries to handle the Blower operation.? Yep we have solar Panels and plan on getting a Generator next year.............Thanks Yukon

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It's only dumb if you don't ask, well if the sun comes out in the morning you will be able to go as long as the propane holds out. You'll run out of gas before anything else if the sun shines. Just a note if you do cold weather camping always have a back up source, don't ask how I know. I keep a small cube heater should we have electric and when boon docking I keep a small propane buddy heater with several small green propane bottles. Thanks Gary

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Gary & Jona

2016 Silverado 2500 Diesel

Legacy Elite II Hull 81 

 

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The furnace fan uses about 7 amps DC, which is a fair amount but the run time depends entirely on the thermostat setting. Keep it at 65 degrees and your system will run often. Bundle up in a warm bag and turn it down to 45 and it will not be a worry. We stay at 65, just because we can. We spent way too many decades shivering in the wee hours of the morning. No more of that silliness.

 

Yes, a backup heat source is prudent, we ran dry one time. It was very embarrassing for the person responsible for system maintenance, me, and it generated a good deal of noise from the Other Half. I do not plan to let it happen again.

 

Since that fiasco I have been pondering an Olympic Wave radiant heater but I have not figured out an acceptable fixed mounting location that is both away from the beds and dogs, and out of the traffic flow. This type of heater uses zero electrical power but does need good ventilation, which could be a worry in rainy weather. Any mounting suggestions are welcome. ... http://www.rv-travel-lifestyle.com/radiant-heater.html

 

https://www.amazon.com/Olympian-Portable-Catalytic-Camco-57331/dp/B000BUV1RK?th=1

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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John,

 

Which furnace are you using? I ask since 7 amps seems high compared to what the Elite 2 manual states. Please note that I have no practical experience yet with the trailer or the furnace.

 

Mike

Oops, you are 100% right, I was thinking of a different model. Thanks for the correction. 2.8 amps is more reasonable.

 

 

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

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SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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As indicated above, depends on what you set the T-Stat to and the ambient.  In general, our fully charged stock batteries will power up the furnace all night on a charge.  We camp high and have had several nights with freezing temp's and have not had a problem with the batteries topped off via generator before going to bed.

 

I also support having a supplemental heat source.  Even if it is only your Honda and a 1500 watt electric heater.  Without kids or pets in the trailer, we like to put the heater in front of the bath room entry facing the emergency escape window.  Out of the way and a plug is handy there also.

 

Have fun!

 

Geronimo John

 

 

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TV:  2019 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat, 3.5L EcoBoost, Max Tow, FX-4, Rear Locker      OLLIE:  2018 OE2 Hull 342, Twin Bed.    OLLIE DYI’s:  BB LiFePO4's, Victron 712 Smart, 350 Amp Master Switch, Houghton 3400, Victron Orion DC - DC, 3000-Watt Renogy Inverter, P.D. 60-amp Converter, Frig Dual Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Drawer Straps.    TV DYI’s:  2 5/16" Anderson System, Timken Bearings, Nitto recon’s, Firestone Rear Air Bags, Bilstein 5100’s, Mud Flaps & Weather Tech all.

  image.jpeg.9633acdfb75740f0fd358e1a5118f105.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

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If the 2.8 amps is correct 12V DC current for your furnace, you could run your furnace for 10 hours with a 100% duty cycle (always on) and use roughly 28 amp hours or 350 watt hours.  I am not certain what your batter configuration is but I will try to find the spec. capacity for the 4x6V AGM setup.  I think it is something like 440 amp hours (or 5,500 watt hours), but I will need to do some research to verify this setup.  Using your propane furnace provides your trailer with 19,000 BTUs of heat during that time.   The 1500 watt electric heater produces approximately 5000 BTUs of heat but uses considerably more electricity but zero propane. This is okay when you have hookups, but if you have propane it is likely much better to use the generator to charge the batteries up so that you can continue using the furnace.

 

 

when one boondocks requiring heat” the furnace blower is run off the juice stored in Batteries Correct? If so how long could one expect the batteries to handle the Blower operation.

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Yukon,

 

If the 2.8 amps is the correct 12V DC current for your furnace fan, you could run your furnace for 10 hours with a 100% duty cycle (always on) and use roughly 28 amp hours or 350 watt hours.  I am not certain what your batter configuration is but I will try to find the spec. capacity for the 4x6V AGM setup.  I think it is something like 440 amp hours (or 5,500 watt hours), but I will need to do some research to verify this setup.  Using your propane furnace provides your trailer with 19,000 BTUs of heat during that time.   The 1500 watt electric heater produces approximately 5000 BTUs of heat but uses considerably more electricity but zero propane. This is okay when you have hookups, but if you have propane it is likely much better to use the generator to charge the batteries up so that you can continue using the furnace.

 

 

when one boondocks requiring heat” the furnace blower is run off the juice stored in Batteries Correct? If so how long could one expect the batteries to handle the Blower operation.

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The article below from Technomadia indicates that the Oliver AGM setup has 220 amp hours of usable capacity (which is also temperature and discharge rate dependent).  So assuming you have full batteries and you only used your furnace (no other electrical) you would expect to be able to run your furnace fan with a 100% duty cycle (always on) for just over 78 hours when the temperature is 80’F outside.  Note: The usable capacity is expected to drop off a bit in the cold weather. According to the Trojan specs you might expect to lose about 20% capacity at 30’F (62 hours run time) and 40% at -5’F (46 hours runtime). Please understand that my numbers are not representative of any practical experience. Please test your system properly before heading out in the cold weather.

 

 

 

https://www.technomadia.com/2011/10/lithium-update-lead-acid-downsides/

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  • Moderators

Thanks for bringing up the post wisdom from Chris and Cherie (technomadia). Though they've moved on from their Oliver, they are still a great  technical resource.

 

Btw. I'm starting a new post about it, but technomadia is going to be on pbs (and Amazon,  itunes, and other formats) next year. I'm totally excited to see my old friends on TV in a few months,  discssing rv tech...

 

Sherry

 

 

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2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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