How long will your battery last on a trip?

Power management is a crucial aspect of trailer ownership, especially when you're not connected to shore power. To effectively monitor and optimize your energy consumption, it's essential to understand the concept of Ampere-Hours (Ah) and how it relates to battery life. In this article, we will look at power usage in your Off Grid Trailer, focusing on Ah and its influence on battery longevity. This will give you an idea on how many days you can live off-grid without charging your battery 

1. What are Ampere-Hours (Ah)?

   Ampere-Hours (Ah) is a unit of electrical charge that measures the amount of current a battery can deliver over time. Specifically, one Ah represents one ampere (A) of current delivered for one hour.  

   For example, a battery with a capacity of 100Ah can theoretically deliver 100 amps of current for one hour, or 50 amps for two hours, and so on.

2. Understanding Power Consumption in your trailer

   Various appliances and systems in the trailer consume electrical power, including lights, refrigerators, air conditioners, water pumps, and entertainment devices. Each of these devices draws a certain amount of current (measured in amps) when in use. 

3. Calculating Energy Consumption

   To estimate how long your RV battery will last based on its capacity in Ah and the power consumption of your devices, you can use the following formula:

   Battery Life (in hours) = Battery Capacity (in Ah) / Total Current Draw (in Amps)

   For example, if your RV has a 200Ah battery and the total current draw of all appliances is 20A, the battery will last approximately 10 hours.

Here is a table of some of the common components found in an OGT trailer and the current draw (Amps) they take: