Planning to go camping in the upcoming fall or winter? No doubt it’s a great time to get away from city life and enjoy some solitude, but be careful about the weather as it could get chilly out there.
Although you could take a portable heater with you but most of the time, you would have to rely on your RV’s furnace. It is the best option to have out there and one must know how it works and for how long you can rely on it.
How Does an RV Furnace Work?
A standard RV furnace runs on propane and the main combustion process takes place by burning the propane inside the gas chamber. You cannot use the onboard 12V RV battery to run the furnace and the propane tank serves that purpose.
To dissipate all the heat produced by the furnace inside the RV, it comes with a blower that uses the battery to run. Like all other appliances, this blower also uses the onboard 12V battery to run and help you keep warm while camping during winter
How Long Will an RV Battery Run the Furnace?
To understand how long your RV battery will keep the furnace running, you have to understand the concept of battery amperage and the blower’s consumption per hour. Sounds alien? Let us make it very simple for you!
Modern RV batteries are acid-based, also known as flooded or AGM batteries, and have 12V power with 100 amperes. A standard RV furnace blower consumes 8 amperes per hour. You also have to understand that you can only use 50% of your RV’s battery and if it is drained beyond that, it could be damaged beyond repair.
Based on this concept, only 50 amperes are usable, and also bear in mind that other onboard appliances also use the same battery. Your RV most probably came equipped with 2x 12V 100 amp batteries, offering 100 amp of usable power. Let’s assume you’re only using your furnace inside the RV with all other appliances shut, your RV battery will run the furnace for 12 hours.
So if you use it only for 20 minutes per hour all day long, you’d be able to use it for more than a day without charging your RV battery. Having a portable solar panel setup gives you so much freedom and gets rid of battery discharge anxiety.
Which Batteries Are Best for Your RV?
With lead-acid batteries getting dated and nearing extinction, you should look for better alternatives to upgrade your RV battery.
Lithium-Ion is currently the most popular and frequently deployed battery technology in the automotive and electronics industry. It is lightweight, compact, and has a much longer life than lead-acid batteries, with less propensity to accidents and accelerated drainage.
In the near future, Solid State batteries will replace Li-Ion batteries. This is even more refined technology than lithium-ion and would offer much longer durability than any other option on the market. If you’re looking to upgrade your RV battery, Li-Ion batteries should be your first choice.
Citations
https://www.rvforum.net/threads/how-long-can-batteries-run-furnace.61031/
https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f55/how-long-will-a-battery-run-the-furnace-36853.html
https://thecampingnerd.com/rv-battery-run-the-furnace-calculations/
Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by travel. I inherited this passion from my parents. Since my college years and to this day, I have had a passion for traveling in a motorhome. I am here to share my experiences with you.
