Hi all,
just wondering, how long do the batteries last overnight in a truck? Say you had phone, laptop and cool box on?? Would you be on flat in the morning…
Also when tramping, do most company’s have trucks with a fridge fitted in??
Tips would be appreciated, thanks
gurj254:
Hi all,just wondering, how long do the batteries last overnight in a truck? Say you had phone, laptop and cool box on?? Would you be on flat in the morning…
Also when tramping, do most company’s have trucks with a fridge fitted in??
Tips would be appreciated, thanks
I run an ipad/phone for an hour when stopped then in summer I run the dash fan on number 2 all night. Never had a problem with flat battery. As for fridge I drive a dual freezer fridge body so store all my food in there.
In the winter the night heaters cut off when battery is getting low,you could start the engine in the middle of the night for peace of mind, or get some battery jump up cables.
Ched:
gurj254:
Hi all,just wondering, how long do the batteries last overnight in a truck? Say you had phone, laptop and cool box on?? Would you be on flat in the morning…
Also when tramping, do most company’s have trucks with a fridge fitted in??
Tips would be appreciated, thanks
I run an ipad/phone for an hour when stopped then in summer I run the dash fan on number 2 all night. Never had a problem with flat battery. As for fridge I drive a dual freezer fridge body so store all my food in there.
Cool, so you leave ignition on with fan at 2■■ Freezer/Fridge good, I was wondering as I’m looking for tramping jobs but wasn’t sure if I need to buy one of these cool boxes…
Couldn’t comment on the cool box, but I’ve never had problems running high energy accessories such as cooling fans on aux power overnight. Ipad/phone takes minimal power. Dash fan has moving parts (ie motor) and still doesn’t make a dent in the main battery overnight.
unplug the coolbox at night 
I just had a look at some lorry batteries and they are usually around 120Ah range.
What this number means is if you “draw” 1A off one battery it will last 120 hours. (If fully charged, and since you have been driving before you pulled up it should be.)
A cool box will probably have a 10A fuse in it. So WORST case it pulls 10A on start up but won’t pull that all night.
120Ah / 10A = 12 hours
If we say and find out its actually pulling 5A then as you guessed that’s 24 hours.
Now we just need to calculate all the other toys you have plugged in!
TBH the quickest method is to pull up at you local mechanic who looks after your truck and get him to put an clamp Ammeter on your positive lead of your batteries while you get in the cab and turn on all the goodies you want on overnight.
While he is there he will tell you the amp hour of the battery, get this number and divide it by the number on the ammeter. This will give you the hours you have got till the batteries are flat.
This is of course only if the batteries are in top condition!!
Al
Cool boxes are noisy so I used to unplug mine before turning in and the insulation would keep the stuff cool till you switch it back on when you move off anyway.
It’s only really an issue if your there for a couple of days it more then you’d fire her up from time to time to top the bats up.
I’ve always thought that a truck running 9-10 hours a day would be charging the battery’s up we’ll enough for you to watch tv,run a laptop off and plenty more besides as long as the Alternator is fine and is charging the battery.
I’m on containers and we a stood 5 hours a day on average.
I run my fridge, iPad,iPhone,radio all day and all night, and my batteries are fine in the morning. No problems.
thanks for the feedback everyone…
is there a specific brand of coolbox that is better than others on the market?? or is it all the same…
Brushless motor ones are quiter.
When I park up I use microwave, tv, fridge runs all the time and I charge both work and personal phones all with no need to start the engine.
i must have ■■■■■ batteries as i woke up one morning to flat bats running cool box and night heater on plus watching tv and charging the dog and bone. running the engine while i brush me teeth before hitting the sack sorted this though
Some cabs have fridges, some don’t, even within the same fleet.
Electric cool boxes use more power than a proper fitted compressor style fridge. And for the sake of power and noise, I unplug my cool box overnight.
Express Pete:
When I park up I use microwave, tv, fridge runs all the time and I charge both work and personal phones all with no need to start the engine.
Is that a built in fridge??
I switch everything off overnight apart from the night heater if it’s totally brass monkeys. Stuff like phone, ipad and laptop I charge whilst driving. Built in fridge freezer I switch off overnight and isn’t a problem. Realistically the contents will get eaten within a week in any case.
Stuff like electric ovens and kettles work better with the engine running so often put food in when I leave the last drop and then switch it on when near parking up.
Batteries are generally not a problem until the morning you get up and it won’t start because they’re knackered. Decent jump leads are a must really if tramping.
Some firms ban drivers using battery jump cables due to incorrect attachment and damage risk to the electrics,a Spaniard waved me down to charge his flat battery but later my tachograph did not work,some say you have turn on all the headlights and wipers when bumping another truck.
I will just point out that while electrovito’s info is spot on, if you work on these calculations you will end up with completely flat batteries.
I would guess that most people are more concerned about “will it start in the morning”. You’ve only got to run the batteries down by a few volts before they will struggle to start a truck, especially in cold weather.
I’ve never worried about phone chargers and sat navs but use a TV for a couple of hours and you’ll pull enough out of the batteries to make the next mornings start a bit of a lottery. As for a cool box, if you use one regularly then make sure you carry a decent set of jump leads. Leave one of these babies on overnight and you will definitely be jump starting the truck in the morning.
Cheers
Neilf
gurj254:
Hi all,just wondering, how long do the batteries last overnight in a truck? Say you had phone, laptop and cool box on?? Would you be on flat in the morning…
Also when tramping, do most company’s have trucks with a fridge fitted in??
Tips would be appreciated, thanks
Mine is a 12 volt system as opposed to the usual 24 volts in Britain and Europe, I have a fridge and TV that I leave running when I hit the sack, during spring I leave the engine off for about 12 hours and it all starts next day.