Second Battery for heater inside van?

[Voyager77]

Hello,<br>I got a pretty decent Ford Econoline cargo van from my uncle for free, his company got a new one and he just gave it to me which was really nice. It's kind of like this one: <a href="http://images.thecarconnection.com/...commercial-side-exterior-view_100245203_l.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://images.thecarconnection.com/...commercial-side-exterior-view_100245203_l.jpg</a><br><br>I wanted to know if there is anyway I could have a second battery, like an RV does, which would charge when I'm driving the van during the day and then would give me 8-12 hours of electricity for use at night so I could sleep in the back with a space heater/humidifier and a mattress. I'm in school full time and in the library until 9PM studying and am trying to save my student loan money for when I transfer so instead of renting a room I thought I could just sleep in the van 10PM-6AM and shower at the gym and stuff. I got a driveway to park it in. <br><br>Just wondering what kind of battery I could install that would give me this many hours of power and I could charge by driving just like the car battery does. Would this be a&nbsp;"deep cycle"&nbsp;battery? Do you know how much they cost and how hard it is to install them? I am not handy at all when it comes to electrical stuff so I&nbsp;wouldn't know how to wire it/maintain it if something broke, but I think my friend might know. I would like it to where I could&nbsp;have a power strip in the back&nbsp;of the van hooked up to the battery so I could just plug a heater in. &nbsp;<br><br>Thank you for reading my post.

 

[Guest]

Yes a second battery can be done, very easily, if you put a relay or battery isolater in it will charge while the engine running and isolate it when the engine is off. I don't think you will be able to use an eletric heater. They draw a lot of power. Just make sure you put the battery in a proper battery box, one that is sealed on the inside of the van but vented to the outside. You don't want explosive gasses inside the van.

 

[ccbreder]

A second battery, deep cycle battery, House Battery, is useful, it will save your starter battery from early death. There are many posts and also info on the main page about house batteries and electrical systems for campers. Heating is not a good use for 12 volt systems. For heat investigate propane such as Mr Buddy Heater. Be sure, be sure to use a carbon Monoxide detector!! Search this site and you will find every thing you want to know. "...here's your world.." good luck, c2b

 

[coultergeist]

Hi Voyager77.&nbsp; Welcome to the group.&nbsp; That's alot of questions, but I will try to help as much as I can.&nbsp; <br><br>Regular heaters draw alot of power, typically 1000 watts or more.&nbsp; A really good 12v deep cycle battery is good for about 100 amp hours with a full charge.&nbsp; This would only give you about an hour of use at best.&nbsp; Even with several really good batteries you wouldn't be able to run a regular heater as long as you'd like on just battery power.&nbsp; You mentioned that you had access to a driveway.&nbsp; If they would let you plug into their power, you could run one off of a heavy duty extension cord.&nbsp; That would work.<br><br>If external power isn't available, then your best bet is probably a Mr. Buddy Propane heater.&nbsp; They are designed to be used in confined spaces like tents and rv's.&nbsp; They do a very good job.&nbsp; Quite a few people who are doing what you are thinking of make use of them.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Heating via battery power alone is not viable.<br><br>A secondary battery is great to have, but most will overestimate the amount of charging that takes place when driving, and underestimate how much they are drawing from the battery.<br><br>This in turn usually leads to very short battery life.<br><br>Thick cabling leading to the second battery helps speed up the charge, but basically to return a &nbsp;battery to a true 100% charge will take several hours of driving, and a regular battery charger should be used on occasion to do the job the alternator never has time to complete.<br><br>&nbsp;

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

You want to buy a deep cycle battery, you can get them at costco and sams club etc (look for 100 ah or more), they run about $90.&nbsp; You can wire what is called an inverter to it ($40), and you plug a power strip into that.&nbsp; Not sure how to hook it up to your alternator for charging because i plan to use solar.&nbsp; An alternator will keep a deep cycle constantly undercharged tho unless you drive all day, leading to eventual death of battery. &nbsp;&nbsp; You will not be able to run a electrical space heater off it either way, it takes too much power.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You could possibly use a 12V electric blanket though, which would be pretty effective combined with sleeping bag/thick blankets if you just want to sleep warmly.<br><br>Here is an informative article, it gives an overview on all the choices and tells how to hook it to alternator safely:<br><br>http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/How_To_Have_Electricity_2.html<br><br>As mentioned, you should look into a Mr. Buddy portable heater ($75 or so, requires propane), just crack the windows when using it for ventilation (it will more than heat the van despite the cracked windows).<br><br>You likely wont need a humidifier, the use of propane will generate moisture in such an enclosed space.&nbsp; If anything you will need a dehumidifying agent like Damp Rid ($10 a bucket), which requires no power.<br><br>Insulating the van will go a long way toward comfort.

 

[highdesertranger]

the price of battery's has really gone up. &nbsp;last year i had to replace 2 group 27 deep cycles from costco they were over $200.00.&nbsp; the last time i replaced them they were under $70.00 each and they tell us the is no inflation.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[wrcsixeight]

Most 12 volt batteries which say Deep cycle on them are in fact Dual purpose batteries, which excel neither at starting power, nor recovering from deeper cycles.<br><br>Marine/RV/Deep Cycle/Trolling. &nbsp;If the label combines2 or more of all these terms it is a dual purpose battery.<br><br>Sometimes "trolling" batteries are indeed true deep cycles batteries, but no guarantee.<br><br>Real 12 volt deep cycle &nbsp;Flooded batteries are about 25% more $$ and weigh about 15% more for the same size case. &nbsp;Trojan, Crown, and Deka are 3 companies who manufacture true deep cycle 12 volt batteries.<br><br>Sometimes marine/ dual purpose batteries are just fine for Van dwelling. &nbsp;While true deep cycles can recover from deep discharges better and can last longer, they are still damaged by &nbsp;too deep of a discharge and not regularly recharging fully.<br><br>Taking into account the extra price of Trojan or Crown or Deka true deep cycles, the marine/ dual purpose batteries might be cheaper in the long run, especially if you do not have the means or knowledge on how to regularly and fully recharge them.<br><br><br>

 

[highdesertranger]

wrc68 is correct. i believe the costco batts are dual purpose.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Voyager77]

Thank you everyone for the informative replies!!

 

[Rob S.]

IMO the best answer is no 2nd battery at all...spend the money to insulate yourself with today's great materials you can be comfortable with temps around&nbsp;10 F. <BR><BR>best!