Hi,
ive been class 2 for 5yrs and class 1 for a few months but ive not done much night out work but in my new job i stay in the cab over night a lot and im not sure how much i can use the battery at night with it going flat,
all im running is a small laptop using a 12v inverter into the cigarette lighter, we have lots of different rigids and tractor units but r all DAFS, can anyone give a rough indication on how much it would take for me to get a flat battery ? could i watch a couple of films on my laptop and still be ok ? cheers
depends what state your batteries are in!
if im weekended i tend to run my wagon up every 5 hours or so to be safe watching a coupld of dvds at night wont be much of a problem and night heater will be ok
Couple of films should be no problem. I also drive a Daf and often leave the laptop on all night, 9 hours or more, without a problem. When weekended I have ran it for many hours without starting the vehicle, again with no problems.
You would be better with a 24 volt inverter as it will draw less from the batteries but you should be okay with your 12 volt one.
ah ok, i dont stay in service stations so i just worry im gonna be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery, i saw in a truck stop once u can get voltage meters that tell u how much battery u got left, are this accurate? anyone used them? also does the night heater charge the battery ?
person22:
also does the night heater charge the battery ?
No, it discharges it.
oh really, i never knew that, im deffo gonna get a volt meter
i drive a daf cf ( 53 0 plate and on the dash is a battery reset switch. if you see it flashing then that tells you to turn on the engine. but you should not have any probs.
you will definatly flatten your battery, if you run over it.
but if you stick your tongue in the cigarette lighter socket, you will know if there is enough charge to start the engine.
person22:
oh really, i never knew that, im deffo gonna get a volt meter
Don’t waste your money, it will just cause you to panic needlessly.
Coffeeholic:
person22:
oh really, i never knew that, im deffo gonna get a volt meterDon’t waste your money, it will just cause you to panic needlessly.
Rather than buy a volt meter which will only tell you what you already know i.e. that your batteries are flat, by a set of heavy duty jump leads suitable for 24v trucks. The chances are you will never need them (unless the batteries or alternator are tired) but you will always be popular with a fellow driver who has flat batteries, usually a drink in it!
Unless it is really freezing and you’ve got a good (high Tog - cue Rhod Gilbert 
) duvet/sleeping bag you’ll find you will need to open a window rather than switch on the night heater - unless you were on the beans or curry 
dont think ive driven truck in the last 15 years that did,nt have a battery guard, are they not a standard fit these days 
Person22 i used to drive a Daft cf and run a laptop and inverter to watch films on, plus the night heater, ( we have a job where yopur parked up for 15 hrs at a stretch…so what i do is before i go to bed, and whilst putting the kit away i run the engine for 15 mins…in the morning i run the engine whilst boiling the electric kettle, and get back under the covers till it has, and never had a problem…if you run electric things without charging the batteries up…you get flat ones…remember …you only get out…what you put in…
Let’s try a comparison. How much energy does it take to run a tail lift loading and unloading 40 odd cages? Bear in mind a tail lift uses a starter motor type motor to drive the pump. With good batteries you don’t (usually) need to leave the engine running whilst delivering so I would think your comparatively puny electronic items won’t be a problem. Didn’t someone leave a nightheater on all weekend with no problem starting on Monday? The battery guard, if fitted, will probably stop you flattening the batteries.
I flattened a set of batteries once (new ones too), the truck had been re-wired and the heated mirrors stayed onn with the ignition turned off. That, the night heater and a film in the evening did the trick 
First I knew about it was at about 03:00 when the night heater couldn’t operate and I woke up shivering uncontrolably (-12 outside, no wonder the heaters drained the batteries), I ended up fully dressed in my sleping bag waiting for the morning when I could arrange a jump start.
I’m now pretty paranoid about turning everything off
Hope that helps. A meter won’t tell you much - a battery can read a reasonable voltage (say 12v on a car) but still be useless, it’s the load that matters.
howatsi:
Coffeeholic:
person22:
oh really, i never knew that, im deffo gonna get a volt meterDon’t waste your money, it will just cause you to panic needlessly.
Rather than buy a volt meter which will only tell you what you already know i.e. that your batteries are flat, buy a set of heavy duty jump leads suitable for 24v trucks. The chances are you will never need them (unless the batteries or alternator are tired) but you will always be popular with a fellow driver who has flat batteries, usually a drink in it!
Unless it is really freezing and you’ve got a good (high Tog - cue Rhod Gilbert
Excellent advice. That a pack of substantial cable ties an adjustable spanner a pair of mole grips and a pair of pliers can get you out of a lot of situations.
I forgot to unplug my 12v halfrauds cool box one Friday after a week away,
returned to work Monday morning and a very flat battery, thankfully we had a
guy in the yard doing an inspection on one of the trailers, and he was kind enough
to jump start it for me 
I used to leave Fed Ex on friday evenings and go back on monday mornings with the night heater set at 65f the whole weekend, winter, spring, summer and fall. Never got a dead battery.