On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:46:01 GMT, Larry W4CSC wrote:

Wayne.B wrote in
:

It is true however that some devices just refuse to run on modified
sine wave power. We had to try several different brands of electric
blankets before we found one that worked.


Oh, Wayne. I just gotta hear all about your house battery banks and
charging system.

How many amp-hours are aboard to run electric blankets and the other loads
all night?

I just looked at the tag on my king-size electric blanket. It draws
200 watts. That'd be about 16.67 amps at full load from the battery.

Not many people would use a king size bed in an RV. More like a twin
or regular. I'd guesstimate the draw to be more in the 60 watt range
or 5 amps. This corresponds well to my 12 volt electric throw that I
use that draws 3.5 amps. Remember that these things are
thermostatically controlled so they don't run all the time. That
makes the actual situation better than it looks.

I have a couple of Group 29 batteries in my rig and have no problem
running the blanket, the furnace and other loads for a day at a time.
According to the E-meter, I'll typically use 80 ah per 24 hour period
in the winter.


(Nothing is funnier than a boater with a new 4KW inverter carrying his
electric heater down the dock with that knowing smile on his face....)

Yup. Old rule of thumb, a gallon of gas is about the energy
equivalent of about 1000 lbs of lead-acid batteries.

John
---
John De Armond

http://www.johngsbbq.com
http://neonjohn.blogspot.com -- NEW!
Cleveland, Occupied TN