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Venturing into Australia’s breathtaking landscapes with your Platinum Camper requires preparation and knowledge. Key among these is understanding your camper trailer’s battery life and how it powers your camping experience. To make this process easier, every Platinum Camper includes a battery V metre and amp gauge, enabling you to keep track of your power usage and battery life on the go.
For camping enthusiasts, two popular battery choices are AGM (Absorbent Glass Mat) batteries and Lithium batteries. Both have their advantages, but understanding their power capacities is crucial, especially if you’re using a 100-amp hour battery.
AGM batteries are a favourite due to their reliability and cost-effectiveness. However, to maintain the longevity of an AGM battery, it’s recommended not to drain more than 50% of its capacity.
This means a 100-amp hour AGM battery effectively gives you about 50 usable amp hours. So, if you’re running a device that consumes 5 amps per hour, your 100-amp AGM battery would last for approximately 10 hours (50 ÷ 5 = 10).
But what happens if you ignore this guideline and drain more than 50% of an AGM battery? Deep discharging can cause the battery’s capacity to diminish over time, reducing the hours of use you’ll get out of it in the future. Regular deep discharging might even lead to a situation where the battery no longer holds a charge.
Lithium batteries, on the other hand, can be drained almost entirely without harming the battery’s lifespan. This means, with a 100-amp hour Lithium battery, you have close to 100 usable amp hours.
Using the same device that consumes 5 amps per hour, your 100-amp Lithium battery would last for approximately 20 hours (100 ÷ 5 = 20). This is twice the duration of the AGM counterpart.
Every Platinum Camper includes a battery V metre and amp gauge. These tools enable you to monitor your power usage and battery life in real-time. If you’re running a fridge that consumes 3 amps and a light that uses 2 amps simultaneously, your total consumption is 5 amps per hour.
For enhanced monitoring, Platinum Campers also offers options like “shunts”. These devices, coupled with Bluetooth capability, not only let you monitor your current draw but also see how much time you have left before your battery drains. This way, you’re always aware and can manage your power usage effectively.
Inverters are devices that convert the 12-volt DC power from your camper trailer’s battery into 240-volt AC power. This conversion allows you to run standard home appliances that require AC power, like a laptop or a TV, while you’re out in the wilderness.
The duration these 240-volt appliances can run depends on their power draw and the type and capacity of your battery. For example, if a laptop charger uses around 50 watts or approximately 4.17 amps (50 ÷ 12 = 4.17) at 12 volts, a 100-amp hour AGM battery would allow you to charge for roughly 12 hours (50 ÷ 4.17 = 12). However, considering the recommended 50% drain limit, your practical usage time drops to 6 hours.
On the other hand, a 100-amp hour Lithium battery could sustain the same laptop charger for nearly double that time due to its greater usable capacity.
While understanding power draw and battery life is vital, knowing how to replenish your battery is equally important. With Platinum Campers, you have two versatile charging options.
One option is to use a solar panel. Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity that can charge your battery, making them perfect for off-grid camping. They are portable, eco-friendly, and can provide power as long as there’s daylight.
The second option is useful when you’re at a powered campsite. Using a battery charger, you can draw power from the campsite’s power supply to recharge your batteries, ensuring you’re ready for the next day’s adventures. We also recommend you keep your camper on a maintenance charge during storage. This will ensure your batteries are kept healthy and ready to go.
At Platinum Campers, we want your camping experience to be a joyous journey, not a technical challenge. By understanding your power system and managing it effectively with our built-in tools and options, you can focus on what truly matters – the breathtaking views, the serenity of nature, and the memories you’re creating.
Embrace the wilderness, embrace the journey with Platinum Campers.