chain
Pecos
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I have 2, separate from the van , car type batteries that charge themselves while i drive . With my power ,converter "800 watt" I was wondering how long they would power a small electric heater .
Thanks, Chain
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Coalminer UG
Grande Cache Alberta
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I will say not very long. Imho its a waste of time.
Ches and Marie
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Fishinghat
Western Washington, USA
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Not very long, possibly less than an hour. Resistance electric heaters draw too much amperage to be powered by batteries. To do it, you would need a bank of perhaps 8 or 10 six volt deep cycle batteries and then a generating system to keep them charged. Too impractical to even be considered.
A more practical solution would be a portable propane catalytic heater.
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skipnchar
Google Kansas USA
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Starting batteries are NOT designed for deep OR frequent discharge/charge cycles. they won't last long (per use or over all) when used that way.
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OR 2004 F-150 HD (85,000 towing miles)
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chain
Pecos
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Fishinghat wrote:Not very long, possibly less than an hour. Resistance electric heaters draw too much amperage to be powered by batteries. To do it, you would need a bank of perhaps 8 or 10 six volt deep cycle batteries and then a generating system to keep them charged. Too impractical to even be considered.
A more practical solution would be a portable propane catalytic heater.
Kinda what i thought . I'm going to hook up a small heater to my propane system but i was curious about the battery set up . What do most people use the battery set up for when not at a plug in area .
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wsfurrie
Arizona
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Lights, water pump, TV etc. Most of us can go 2 nights on 1 battery if we are careful.
Wayne
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi chain,
What is the amp-hour capacity of the batteries?
Do you plan to run the power inverter (and heater) while driving?
How "big" is the charging cable?
How many watts is the heater you plan to run?
chain wrote:I have 2, separate from the van , car type batteries that charge themselves while i drive . With my power ,converter "800 watt" I was wondering how long they would power a small electric heater .
Thanks, Chain
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts solar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries 2500 watt inverter.
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landyacht318
Near a large body of water
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Years ago, before I had Solar or a battery monitor, I bought one of those cheap harbor freight 12 volt heaters.
It was loud, and smelly, and I never ran it long enough to run down my batteries. In fact I never ran it more than once, because it smelled like cheap toxic plastic. I Wrote it off as a nice 6 foot long 10 awg ciggy plug cord.
Since your in a Converted Van, you will not be carrying a huge bank of batteries just to power an inverter powering an electric Heater.
There are the catalyic Heaters that burn propane and require an open window or 2.
Although I'm currently in San Diego, I have spent half a winter in NJ living in the Van and It's all about many Good blankets, and long underwear. I'll go upto the mountains and reminisce the temps encountered that winter, but I've lightly insulated my Van since, and section off the sleeping quarters so that area remains 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the Van, and the Van 10 degrees warmer than outside.
Making a deposit in the P bottle is still an even more dreaded activity in those temps.
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chain
Pecos
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Thanks everyone for the info . Will the batteries be enough to power the fridge for a couple nights and a light or two ? I plan on going to a show in colorado in january and will be sleeping in the van for 2 to 3 nights . I will have a small heater running off the propane tank so I just need some power to last a few nights . I know i probably wont have to worry about the fridge thawing in colorado in january but was just curious about how much time you get off these batteries .
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landyacht318
Near a large body of water
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An Incandescent light or 2 can and will use more electricity than a compressor fridge over an hour of use.
LED lights use about 1/7th the electricity. They make replacement LED bulbs to fit any Incandescent fixture.
If your batteries are healthy, you should be able to get 2-3 days without charging
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