Need "class" on using and conserving battery power????

Snarkle

Member
RV LIFE Pro
Joined
Oct 9, 2024
Posts
13
We purchased our first RV in October of 2024 (total newbies and as green as they come). Our maiden voyage was a trip from New England to Florida and back right after purchasing it. We stayed in full hook up sites only and all was well. Now I want to head out to places that "do not" have "electric hook ups" but my husband is insistent that we can't do that because we'll drain our batteries and get stranded. This is causing a lot of angst between us and he's ready to abandon ship. We have a 2016 Via Class A. It has a diesel generator, one 100W solar panel, propane and 2 coach batteries. I keep arguing with him that the whole purpose of buying an all contained RV is because they are designed for "off the grid" camping!!!! The problem is that he does not believe that we can actually run our propane heat for the night and the fan that comes on with the heat will NOT drain our batteries. We are retired and do not use a lot of electricity. The lights and possibly the TV a bit, charge cell phones, little stuff like that. No big draws on the electricity like hairdryers, toasters, coffee pots.... Our problem is ignorance. Neither one of us understand our RV and what we "can" or "should not do" when it comes to the different sources of power (generator, batteries, propane, solar). Is there a Winnebago "class" or video that can teach us??? We live in Massachusetts and would love to meet a fellow Winnie owner maybe willing to school us. Any suggestions? I've searched for You Tube videos but have not had any luck. I'm really hoping someone can direct us. Thanks for listening!
 
Hi Sue,
On page 4-1 of your Owner's Manual, I see that you have a absorption refrigerator which draws an insignificant amount of DC battery power when boon docking. If you keep your furnace on Propane Heat, you will only draw about 5 amps from your DC battery power, so overnight heating is not a problem. You also have a battery charge meter (see page 4-5) which will tell you the status of your charge.
You should have no problem boon docking , and if your batteries are getting low, just run your generator for a while. You can read about your generator on page 6-6.
You might try a one-night boon docking trip to see how it goes, and then expand out for further days as you gain confidence.
Eagle5
 
Hi Sue,
On page 4-1 of your Owner's Manual, I see that you have a absorption refrigerator which draws an insignificant amount of DC battery power when boon docking. If you keep your furnace on Propane Heat, you will only draw about 5 amps from your DC battery power, so overnight heating is not a problem. You also have a battery charge meter (see page 4-5) which will tell you the status of your charge.
You should have no problem boon docking , and if your batteries are getting low, just run your generator for a while. You can read about your generator on page 6-6.
You might try a one-night boon docking trip to see how it goes, and then expand out for further days as you gain confidence.
Eagle5
Perfect!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Eagle5!!!!
 
I would add look at your coach batteries and make sure they are in good condition. May need to be replaced it older than 4 years. I would pull them out take to a auto parts store and have them checked that way you know. If you take them out please, please take picture of them before you remove the cables. When you remove cable tie together and lable which post they came off of.
Good luck and enjoy
 
Great suggestion, thank you so very much! It's going to a Mercedes dealer to have the diesel filter changed so I may have them check the batteries; good idea?
 
Another possible small point to keep in mind and check it is working is the way the coach batteries get charged as you drive!
It can be very confusing and we get tons of posts on what and why!
We can't look at the exact model/floorplanwithout that info, but I "think" there is likely to be a set of fuses on the passenger seat? Then under that seat, out of the way but harder to work on, is a gizmo called a mode solenoid!
That is a different name for a relay that does two good things for us. There is likely a switch near the drivers, labeled various for different years. Possible "boost, AUX, etc." that you can use to get a "jump start" by pushing the dash button, if your start battery is weak! Push the switch and listen for the thump from under the seat?
But the second, more important thing the solenoid does is connect the coach battery to the chassis battery when we have the engine running! That means the engine alternator is also connected to the coach batteries and they get charged as we drive!
Maybe do a close look at the coach battery meter when the RV has been setting for a few hours and note the battery level before starting the engine. Then start the engine and see if that level suddenly jumps up as it begins to get charged!
I'm kind of guessing about the monitor reading the levels but I "think" that will show it charging?
That can be a big help at times when you may be on a trip and drive most every day. Drive four hours and it gets a lot of charge in the coach batteries and they are all topped off when you set up to camp. Run things and be somewhat conservative until you find what they do, but many will find the batteries hold fine overnight. Drive the next day and repeat!
But it is always good practice to keep a watch on battery power and check it IS getting charged as you drive as it is a set of contacts that close every time we start the engine, so they tend to be a maintenance problem we hear about!
BUT if you are not plugged in, not wanting the noise of the generator, etc. you can run the RV engine to get power and put some charge in the coach batteries as well as the start battery!
Not terribly efficient but it works better than staying cold!
Maybe a trip or two to parks that have hookups but then test how the batteries hold up and consider the hookups as standby to bail you out if it is a problem?
As a note, we rarely stay in parking lots, etc. but much prefer the local, state, and national parks. Depending on area, we find great value in regional sites run by the Corp of Engineers, Lower Colorado River Authority, etc.
A map search for "RV campsites" can turn up some great info to investigate!
Why look at the back of a trailer truck when you can be on a nice quiet lake for a few dollars more?
 
Thank you for such great advice! I love the idea of camping where shore power is supplied but not use it to see how we make out 👍👍👍
 
Great suggestion, thank you so very much! It's going to a Mercedes dealer to have the diesel filter changed so I may have them check the batteries; good idea?
Hi Sue,
Yes, having the dealer check the batteries is a great idea. They can check them in-place without having to remove them. Page 6-9 shows where your House batteries are located (under the step).
About every two months, clean the House battery tops with paper towels (wearing gloves.) This will stop current leaks across the road dirt which will accumulate there. Also, you can pop-off the battery tops and add distilled or reverse osmosis water to the lead / acid batteries to bring them up to full.
Thanks, Eagle5
 
Sue, I suggest you look into the Harvest Hosts organization. When you join, you gain access to hundreds of locations where you can boondock, most of which are at farms, restaurants, wineries, and breweries. So even when you're "off-grid", you're not in the middle of nowhere without resources in a pinch. Also included in the membership is access to Boondockers Welcome sites, which are fellow RVers who open their property to others to stay for free. We've used both Harvest Host and Boondockers welcome sites around New England, and have met lots of wonderful people and had many great experiences. We've also stayed at several state parks, which are typically very inexpensive, but offer some amenities. They're usually quiet, shaded, and peaceful.

We're sort of "split-based" between Cape Cod and Southern NH, and have discovered that there's a lot to see in our own back yard.

We're in a View, which is built on the same chassis as your Via, but has a different body. We were able to do overnight boondocking during the first year with the original batteries, which were not in great shape when we bought it. Since then, I've done a pretty major upgrade to the electrical system that allows us to last a week or more without recharging. Water is now our limiting factor for boondocking. A modest battery upgrade could eliminate your "power anxiety", if you feel you need it.
 
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Thank you so very much for all your your great advice!!! I guess we're sort of "neighbors" being that we're about 50 miles from the Cape. We did try Harvest Host for our "maiden voyage " back in October but did not have much luck with them so we canceled the membership. Maybe we'll give them another try in the future, but right now we have RV Overnights and we will see how we make out with them.
I am very familiar with the View; that was the model we were originally planning to buy, but then discovered the Via 25T and fell in love with it's layout.
I am very interested in learning about your electric upgrade, would you mind sharing? Or would you mind elaborating on what "modest" upgrade we could look into? I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share your rv wisdom with us!
 
You can also run a test, by camping in your driveway and seeing just how long things will last. That way, in the worst case, you're right by your house with tool and power if you need it.

I've found that the furnace draws quite a bit of power, but if you set your generator for auto-start, it will come on by itself and keep running until it isn't needed anymore, then will shut itself off
 
Thank you so very much for all your your great advice!!! I guess we're sort of "neighbors" being that we're about 50 miles from the Cape. We did try Harvest Host for our "maiden voyage " back in October but did not have much luck with them so we canceled the membership. Maybe we'll give them another try in the future, but right now we have RV Overnights and we will see how we make out with them.
I am very familiar with the View; that was the model we were originally planning to buy, but then discovered the Via 25T and fell in love with it's layout.
I am very interested in learning about your electric upgrade, would you mind sharing? Or would you mind elaborating on what "modest" upgrade we could look into? I can't thank you enough for taking the time to share your rv wisdom with us!
It's a shame that your initial experience with Harvest Hosts wasn't a good one and I'd be interested to know what went wrong. We haven't tried RV Overnights yet, but may look into it.

As you know, the View and Via share the same chassis, but the bodies are completely different. Our view is also 6 years older than your Via, and systems changed somewhat in the interim. I looked at the 2016 Via owner's manual online (I was curious about it) and the two versions - the 25P and 25T are equipped quite differently; which do you have? Since you purchased it recently, it must be pre-owned, so did the original owner make any electrical modifications to it? Does your Via have any solar capability? It's important to establish a baseline before planning any upgrades.

You should also take some time to define your goals for an electrical upgrade. Do you simply want to be able to boondock for a night or two, using the lights, fans, radio, TV, water pump, etc., without having to worry about your battery capacity, or do you want more extended and/or expanded capability? Per your request, I'll explain our upgrade, then review some options for you. Buckle your seatbelt... :)

Our View had only a pair of 85Ah lead-acid batteries, a 45-amp converter/charger, no inverter, and no solar. This got us through overnights without any issues, but we only ran the basics I mentioned above. My goals for the upgrade were:
  • Increase boondocking capability to a week or more under the conditions listed above.
  • Be able to run AC-powered devices - microwave, toaster, waffle iron, etc. - off the batteries.
  • Be able to run the air conditioner (A/C) for at least a couple of hours on batteries, if need be.
This required pretty extensive upgrades, particularly for the ability to run the A/C, as it draws a lot of power. I am absolutely not suggesting that you need to do anything like this, but you did ask for details. I ended up installing the following:
  • 600Ah of lithium (LiFePO4) batteries. I started with 300, but added a second 300Ah battery after our first trip post-upgrade. This required relocating the batteries (and substantial rewiring), as they wouldn't fit in the stock battery box. However, 200-300Ah of batteries would fit in the battery box easily.
  • A 60-amp DC-DC charger. This was necessary because the large lithium battery bank can draw very high current from the alternator, which could cause it to overheat and fail. This is not an issue with batteries up to ~200Ah. The DC-DC charger also bumps up the charging voltage to fully charge the lithium batteries.
  • An upgraded 75-amp converter charger. The original charger would not output sufficient voltage to fully charge the lithium batteries. Since I needed to change the converter, it made sense to go up in capacity as well. This required a minor wiring upgrade.
  • A 3000-watt inverter with a built-in automatic transfer switch. This is really the minimum necessary to power the A/C. While it doesn't draw more than 1600 watts, a 2000 watt inverter might not do the job and wouldn't leave enough capacity to run additional AC appliances at the same time.
  • A soft starter for the A/C unit. This reduces the initial startup load when the A/C is turned on, easing the load on the inverter. It also makes the startup quieter.
  • An upgraded (400-amp) main battery fuse.
  • A battery cutoff switch. The switch in the door well turns off most of the DC circuits, but not everything. The cutoff switch disconnects the batteries completely, which is sometimes necessary when working on the system.
  • I also installed a Victron Lynx Distributor as the central connection and fusing point for all of the DC connections. For my particular installation, this made the most sense.
  • A cooling fan for the inverter. This was necessary due to the confined area where it's located.
After installing the new batteries under the dinette seat, I refurbished the original, rusty battery box. After cleaning and repainting it, I sealed the openings on the sides and build an air screen/filter for the bottom, as this is now the location for the inverter, Lynx distributor, cooling fan and battery cutoff switch.

I opted to not install any solar at this time, due to the way we use our View. That could change.

Hopefully, I haven't scared or overwhelmed you with all of this. While this upgrade achieved our goals with room to spare, most of the above wouldn't be necessary if your goals are more modest than ours were.

Let's look at some options for you. I'll assume that your Via has the stock stock setup of 2, 100Ah lead-acid batteries, which provide you with ~100Ah of usable power, since they shouldn't be drained past 50% on a regular basis.

If your goals are modest, an upgrade to 200Ah of lithium batteries may be all you need. Since the full power of lithium batteries is usable, that will effectively double your capacity, while also eliminating battery maintenance and cutting the battery weight in half. It will provide sufficient power for 2-3 days of light power use, as previously outlined. The new battery - or batteries - will fit where your current batteries are located and shouldn't require any wiring upgrades, though they may require different connectors.

You'll have the choice of installing a pair of 100Ah batteries or a single 200Ah battery. The single battery will be smaller overall, less expensive, and lighter. However, using a pair provides redundancy in the unlikely event that one fails, and will use the stock wiring arrangement and hold-downs. If you want to go larger, a single 300Ah battery will fit, but anything larger than that probably won't.

I don't know if your Via's converter has a lithium setting or if there is a lithium upgrade module for it. I suggest that you contact the manufacturer and ask them. If it isn't lithium compatible, it will still work, but will only charge the batteries to ~80-85%, so you'd lose some of your battery capacity gain. Replacing the converter is a relatively easy project. If you stick with the same brand, it should be a wire-for-wire swap. If you stick with the same capacity, you can use the stock battery and ground wiring. If there's a lithium module for your existing converter, that should be easier and cheaper.

You have a 220-amp alternator, which should handle the charging load from 200Ah of lithium batteries without the need for a DC-DC charger, but it won't provide the voltage needed to charge them to 100%. If you decide to go larger than 200Ah of batteries, I would definitely install a DC-DC charger.

If you have solar installed, the solar controller may have a lithium battery setting. If so, the solar could be used to "top off" your batteries if your converter and alternator can't fully charge them.

The bottom line is that simply upgrading the batteries can be a drop-in installation, depending on your current equipment.

Depending on the model you have, your Via may have an inverter installed. If not, it may be prepped for one, but that's beyond my knowledge. Whether you need inverter capability - running AC appliances off the batteries - is up to you.

BTW, as for my "wisdom", let's just call it experience. ;) I'm still relatively new to this and learning all the time. I just hope this helps provide some useful information.
 
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I knew some basics, but did a lot of research and planning, and consulted with some online electrical experts before starting the project. They were a huge help. I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out. There's more than what I listed above, but it gets into things that most people probably wouldn't bother with.
 

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It's a shame that your initial experience with Harvest Hosts wasn't a good one and I'd be interested to know what went wrong. We haven't tried RV Overnights yet, but may look into it.

As you know, the View and Via share the same chassis, but the bodies are completely different. Our view is also 6 years older than your Via, and systems changed somewhat in the interim. I looked at the 2016 Via owner's manual online (I was curious about it) and the two versions - the 25P and 25T are equipped quite differently; which do you have? Since you purchased it recently, it must be pre-owned, so did the original owner make any electrical modifications to it? Does your Via have any solar capability? It's important to establish a baseline before planning any upgrades.

You should also take some time to define your goals for an electrical upgrade. Do you simply want to be able to boondock for a night or two, using the lights, fans, radio, TV, water pump, etc., without having to worry about your battery capacity, or do you want more extended and/or expanded capability? Per your request, I'll explain our upgrade, then review some options for you. Buckle your seatbelt... :)

Our View had only a pair of 85Ah lead-acid batteries, a 45-amp converter/charger, no inverter, and no solar. This got us through overnights without any issues, but we only ran the basics I mentioned above. My goals for the upgrade were:
  • Increase boondocking capability to a week or more under the conditions listed above.
  • Be able to run AC-powered devices - microwave, toaster, waffle iron, etc. - off the batteries.
  • Be able to run the air conditioner (A/C) for at least a couple of hours on batteries, if need be.
This required pretty extensive upgrades, particularly for the ability to run the A/C, as it draws a lot of power. I am absolutely not suggesting that you need to do anything like this, but you did ask for details. I ended up installing the following:
  • 600Ah of lithium (LiFePO4) batteries. I started with 300, but added a second 300Ah battery after our first trip post-upgrade. This required relocating the batteries (and substantial rewiring), as they wouldn't fit in the stock battery box. However, 200-300Ah of batteries would fit in the battery box easily.
  • A 60-amp DC-DC charger. This was necessary because the large lithium battery bank can draw very high current from the alternator, which could cause it to overheat and fail. This is not an issue with batteries up to ~200Ah. The DC-DC charger also bumps up the charging voltage to fully charge the lithium batteries.
  • An upgraded 75-amp converter charger. The original charger would not output sufficient voltage to fully charge the lithium batteries. Since I needed to change the converter, it made sense to go up in capacity as well. This required a minor wiring upgrade.
  • A 3000-watt inverter with a built-in automatic transfer switch. This is really the minimum necessary to power the A/C. While it doesn't draw more than 1600 watts, a 2000 watt inverter might not do the job and wouldn't leave enough capacity to run additional AC appliances at the same time.
  • A soft starter for the A/C unit. This reduces the initial startup load when the A/C is turned on, easing the load on the inverter. It also makes the startup quieter.
  • An upgraded (400-amp) main battery fuse.
  • A battery cutoff switch. The switch in the door well turns off most of the DC circuits, but not everything. The cutoff switch disconnects the batteries completely, which is sometimes necessary when working on the system.
  • I also installed a Victron Lynx Distributor as the central connection and fusing point for all of the DC connections. For my particular installation, this made the most sense.
  • A cooling fan for the inverter. This was necessary due to the confined area where it's located.
After installing the new batteries under the dinette seat, I refurbished the original, rusty battery box. After cleaning and repainting it, I sealed the openings on the sides and build an air screen/filter for the bottom, as this is now the location for the inverter, Lynx distributor, cooling fan and battery cutoff switch.

I opted to not install any solar at this time, due to the way we use our View. That could change.

Hopefully, I haven't scared or overwhelmed you with all of this. While this upgrade achieved our goals with room to spare, most of the above wouldn't be necessary if your goals are more modest than ours were.

Let's look at some options for you. I'll assume that your Via has the stock stock setup of 2, 100Ah lead-acid batteries, which provide you with ~100Ah of usable power, since they shouldn't be drained past 50% on a regular basis.

If your goals are modest, an upgrade to 200Ah of lithium batteries may be all you need. Since the full power of lithium batteries is usable, that will effectively double your capacity, while also eliminating battery maintenance and cutting the battery weight in half. It will provide sufficient power for 2-3 days of light power use, as previously outlined. The new battery - or batteries - will fit where your current batteries are located and shouldn't require any wiring upgrades, though they may require different connectors.

You'll have the choice of installing a pair of 100Ah batteries or a single 200Ah battery. The single battery will be smaller overall, less expensive, and lighter. However, using a pair provides redundancy in the unlikely event that one fails, and will use the stock wiring arrangement and hold-downs. If you want to go larger, a single 300Ah battery will fit, but anything larger than that probably won't.

I don't know if your Via's converter has a lithium setting or if there is a lithium upgrade module for it. I suggest that you contact the manufacturer and ask them. If it isn't lithium compatible, it will still work, but will only charge the batteries to ~80-85%, so you'd lose some of your battery capacity gain. Replacing the converter is a relatively easy project. If you stick with the same brand, it should be a wire-for-wire swap. If you stick with the same capacity, you can use the stock battery and ground wiring. If there's a lithium module for your existing converter, that should be easier and cheaper.

You have a 220-amp alternator, which should handle the charging load from 200Ah of lithium batteries without the need for a DC-DC charger, but it won't provide the voltage needed to charge them to 100%. If you decide to go larger than 200Ah of batteries, I would definitely install a DC-DC charger.

If you have solar installed, the solar controller may have a lithium battery setting. If so, the solar could be used to "top off" your batteries if your converter and alternator can't fully charge them.

The bottom line is that simply upgrading the batteries can be a drop-in installation, depending on your current equipment.

Depending on the model you have, your Via may have an inverter installed. If not, it may be prepped for one, but that's beyond my knowledge. Whether you need inverter capability - running AC appliances off the batteries - is up to you.

BTW, as for my "wisdom", let's just call it experience. ;) I'm still relatively new to this and learning all the time. I just hope this helps provide some useful information.
Whoa, great detailed info, thanks! Our Via is the 25T.
Our good friend is a master electrician and I'm passing this information along to him. He's been talking to us about upgrading to lithium batteries; that may be our first step along with upgrading the converter if necessary. We do have solar, but only one 100 watt panel.
The Via does have a 1,000 watt inverter which really isn't adequate (ask me how I know, lol) .
Well thanks again for all this great guidance. I'm feeling more confident now that with the 2 batteries and the Onan diesel generator we should do fine until we can make upgrades.
 
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Whoa, great detailed info, thanks! Our Via is the 25T.
Our good friend is a master electrician and I'm passing this information along to him. He's been talking to us about upgrading to lithium batteries; that may be our first step along with upgrading the converter if necessary. We do have solar, but only one 100 watt panel.
The Via does have a 1,000 watt inverter which really isn't adequate (ask me how I know, lol) .
Well thanks again for all this great guidance. I'm feeling more confident now that with the 2 batteries and the Onan diesel generator we should do fine until we can make upgrades.
Happy to help. A battery and converter upgrade should be child's play for your friend to do. The 1000-watt inverter is about the most your current batteries can support. A 3000- watt inverter really requires around 400Ah of battery capacity for reliable use.
It's nice that you have a diesel generator, as it frees up propane for heating and hot water. There are diesel versions of those systems available too, but that's a whole 'nuther project!
 
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We purchased our first RV in October of 2024 (total newbies and as green as they come). Our maiden voyage was a trip from New England to Florida and back right after purchasing it. We stayed in full hook up sites only and all was well. Now I want to head out to places that "do not" have "electric hook ups" but my husband is insistent that we can't do that because we'll drain our batteries and get stranded. This is causing a lot of angst between us and he's ready to abandon ship. We have a 2016 Via Class A. It has a diesel generator, one 100W solar panel, propane and 2 coach batteries. I keep arguing with him that the whole purpose of buying an all contained RV is because they are designed for "off the grid" camping!!!! The problem is that he does not believe that we can actually run our propane heat for the night and the fan that comes on with the heat will NOT drain our batteries. We are retired and do not use a lot of electricity. The lights and possibly the TV a bit, charge cell phones, little stuff like that. No big draws on the electricity like hairdryers, toasters, coffee pots.... Our problem is ignorance. Neither one of us understand our RV and what we "can" or "should not do" when it comes to the different sources of power (generator, batteries, propane, solar). Is there a Winnebago "class" or video that can teach us??? We live in Massachusetts and would love to meet a fellow Winnie owner maybe willing to school us. Any suggestions? I've searched for You Tube videos but have not had any luck. I'm really hoping someone can direct us. Thanks for listening!
 

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