From: wolverine01@charter.net   
      
   On 3/3/2025 7:39 PM, Ted Heise wrote:   
   > On Tue, 4 Mar 2025 00:37:03 -0000 (UTC),   
   >    Carol  wrote:   
   >>   Ted Heise wrote:   
   >   
   >>> I'm now wondering if my best bet may just be to minimize use   
   >>> of the battery so it might last a couple of days.  The fridge   
   >>> seems likely to the biggest draw, and is probably why the   
   >>> batterys has lost a significant portion of its capacity after   
   >>> a day of towing.  Would it be unacceptably dangerous to run   
   >>> the fridge from the propane tank while towing?   
   >   
   > Any thoughts about running the fridge on propane while towing?   
      
   As far as I know, it's not illegal.  You can do it, but it does open up   
   a slight bit of risk should something happen to the now open gas tank.   
   Seems to me the little juice those fridges pull you'd be better off just   
   using the trailer battery and figuring out how to keep it charged up.   
   Save the gas for hot water and heat if you need it.   
      
   FWIW, I think you've gone to the expense of installing a Lithium battery   
   in your unit, and we should go back to the start here and help you work   
   through this problem of getting and keeping it charged.  I am still   
   recovering from surgery, and not in top form, but this effort could be   
   used here as a study in how to help fellow RVers with similar problems.   
   One way or another we should come to some kind of consensus on what the   
   group thinks is a good way to solve this problem.  There will be others   
   like Ted who are going to have the same questions.   
      
   The first problem is whether or not you can use the tow vehicle to   
   charge the trailer when moving from site to site.  I assume you would   
   leave for any trip with it fully charged, so this would be for mostly   
   when packing up and going elsewhere.  I still think a DC-DC charger is   
   your best bet here, and not as complicated as it might initially appear.   
     Probably more affordable than you think too.  We'll have to look for   
   good options on that.  Once you have that, it could also be used in an   
   emergency to charge the trailer batteries flatspotting, as well as using   
   your generator.   
      
   Next, if your boon-docking, you need to get the battery charged back up   
   as it gets depleted.  I know there were some additional notes recently   
   on what you have currently in the Lance, but I was a little too under   
   the weather to get into them too much.  I'll try and give a look tomorrow.   
      
   That said, it is my understanding you don't have a solar panel of any   
   type at the current time.  So, we have to know if the Lance does have a   
   controller in it, just not hooked up, and if it does have a plug in for   
   the solar panel.  I know you have the generator you could use to charge   
   the battery if you had to, but to me the proper use of a solar panel and   
   controller that could keep the Lithium charged is the solution you   
   should be aiming for.  Then, you'd only really use the generator if you   
   don't have shore power and need AC.  On my unit it is installed on the   
   roof and keeps my pair of deep cycles fully charged quite easily, with   
   the fridge running too.  I do like the idea of having a portable panel   
   that allows you to park the Lance under a more shaded area and then   
   place the panel more out in the direct sunshine.   
      
   Maybe I am just still under a little brain fog from the procedure, but   
   it just seems like we are getting into the weeds and not being helpful   
   recently.  But, I do think we can all put our heads together and help   
   you make a good decision on this battery charging problem of yours.   
   It's a universal concern for RVers.   
      
      
   ---snip---   
      
   > So if I'm reading this right, the concept would be to use some   
   > kind of portable power station as something like a backup for the   
   > trailer's installed battery?  Seems it would be handy, and might   
   > be simplest to set up with solar panels.   
      
   IMO, this power station idea is not what you need.  You already have   
   one, an expensive and capable one, with your lithium battery.  A solar   
   setup is another thing.  You just have to figure out how to get the   
   power to it.  Answer the questions posed above about what you have now   
   and let's work through this again, Ted.   
      
   --   
   Better Days Ahead!   
   Darwinism Is Junk Science!!   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)