Lazy Daze Owners' Group

... Between charging my cell phone, running the heater and Christmas lights off the 12v . . .

"the batteries are probably too drained to keep the refrigerator running"

Reading this thread, one thing stands out: you don't have a good way to know your batteries' state of charge (SoC). Without a good battery monitor, a person is fumbling in the dark. I was in that position for the first couple of years I owned an RV, and it was extremely frustrating, because I never really knew where I stood.

A voltmeter can be helpful in general troubleshooting (see my beginner's guide), but voltage alone is not a reliable indication of SoC--not unless you check it when there have been no lights or appliances in use and no charging of any kind for several hours. That's not very practical.

I recommend getting a good battery monitor. The best choices are Victron's BMV-712 and Balmar's SG200. If you can afford to spend the extra fifteen or twenty bucks, the Balmar monitor is more sophisticated, probably more accurate, and easier to read.

The Victron monitor does have the advantage of built-in Bluetooth wireless capability that lets you read out all values with a (free) smartphone or tablet app. That way you don't even need to mount the display if you don't feel like making a hole and running a cable. With the Balmar monitor, you pay $61 extra for that ability. I have it and like it, but it is more costly.

Either of these monitors will give you the vital information of how much power is in your battery bank. It's like having an accurate gas gauge, as opposed to listening to the sloshing of the tank and making a guess. In addition, the Balmar monitor gives you your batteries' state of health--how much power they can actually store, as opposed to what their rated capacity was when brand new. The Victron monitor can't do this, which is another reason I prefer the Balmar.

In addition to the purchase cost, both these monitors require that a "shunt" be installed between the negative post of your batteries and all the cables that now go there. You can't get accurate information without this, but if you have to hire someone to install it, it will add to the cost. (It's not a big or complex job by any means, though--just adding a jumper and moving some cables.)

I know this probably sounds expensive and forbidding, but without a good battery monitor you're left guessing as to where your batteries stand. It's worth seriously considering, especially if you're living off the grid. Look at it this way: if it saves you from beating your batteries to death again and again, it's a bargain.

No big deal, I figure running the generator for half the drive will get the house batteries to a power level to keep the fridge on. Got to Gila Bend, half way to Yuma, try to power cycle the fridge. Still no luck.