Conserving Onboard Resources

The resources on board your RV are limited. The fixtures and appliances inside of an RV may look and  behave a lot like those in your home and have many of the conveniences, but unless you're in a full hook up campground you are totally dependent on what resources you have on board -- what you brought with you. Even with full hook ups, your supply of gas for your furnace, stove, water heater, and refrigerator is limited by the size of your propane tank. At home we get used to taking things for granted. Except in times of extreme local disasters there is always water when we turn on the tap, always electricity when we flip the light switch, and always gas to run the furnace and water heater. They all come in almost endless supply from utility companies -- as long as you pay your bills. Waste water flows down the drain and into a sewer or septic system and we seldom have to think about it. All of these resources are in very limited supply in an RV when you are off the grid or boondocking.  You don't want to use up your water or fill your holding tanks before you're ready to leave.  It is nice to have a little capacity left for the trip home too.

Your resources are also limited when you are tent camping.   You don't have the resources of an RV but are still dependent on either what you brought with you or what is available in the campground.  If you aren't in a developed campground you are pretty much dependent on what  you brought with you and you'll need to make it last the whole outing.

Conserving battery power. Battery power is one of the most critical and often depleted resources in an RV.  Except when you are running your generator, have solar panels, or connected to shore power you are limited to the power supplied by your battery bank. Running your generator or running the engine of a motorhome or tow vehicle should recharge batteries. Some tow vehicles are wired to charge trailer batteries. If yours is not already so wired, you may want to add a battery charging circuit. If you have only a simple 4-wire connector, you will have to upgrade the connector to add an additional circuit.  But once done, you automatically charge your trailer batteries whenever the tow vehicle engine is running and the trailer is connected. The coach battery circuits, whether in a motorhome or in a trailer via a charging circuit in a tow vehicle should be protected by a battery isolator. This allows all the batteries to be charged by the vehicle alternator but will prevent the RV batteries from draining the vehicle starting battery while camped. There has been a lot of discussion about the best way to recharge RV batteries. In most cases, the fastest way is to run the automotive engine. The alternator and regulator will charge the batteries much faster than the charging circuit on most typical converters. Advanced converters and inverters with multi-stage chargers, such as Intellipower from Progressive Dynamics do a much better job than conventional converters using shore or generator power, but it is a relatively expensive upgrade -- between $250 and $300 plus installation. Having a system like this allows your batteries to be charged pretty well whenever you are using the generator for some other purpose, such as running the A/C, TV, or microwave and you don't have too think much about the batteries -- assuming you have an adequate battery bank in good condition to start with. You can reduce the amount of power drained from the batteries by the judicious use of lighting. Most lights are notorious energy wasters. Ordinary incandescent bulbs are about 10% efficient in producing light and about 90% efficient producing heat. Turn off lights when not needed. Align your activities to the rising and setting of the sun to minimize the need for lights. Use flashlights or portable camp lanterns (battery or gas powered) instead of exterior RV lights as much as possible. Turn off radios and other 12-volt appliances or equipment when not in use. Limit the use of inverter-powered 120 volt appliances.  Another option if your furnace consistently runs your battery down each night is to add an infra-red heater. They are strictly propane powered and require no electricity. The are available in both portable and wall-mounted versions. Another option for reducing 12-volt electric consumption is to replace ordinary incandescent and even fluorescent bulbs with LEDs. Fluorescent used to be the most economical, but LEDs use even less power and provide more pleasant light. LEDs use a fraction of the power of incandescent bulbs and often provide brighter light. LEDS can be used in interior lights and in stop/tail lights and clearance markers. Because they respond more quickly than incandescent bulbs, LED stop lights provide and extra margin of safety. The estimates I've seen say they give about 17' more notice and stopping distance at highway speeds, which could prevent getting rear-ended. The only down side to LEDs is that, at least for now, they are fairly expensive. A replacement for a single interior bulb will run you $8-$10. Regular incandescent bulbs cost under $1.00 each. When you factor in the energy savings and the fact that LEDs will probably outlive both you and your RV and never need replacing again, they may be well worth the investment. They certainly will significantly reduce battery drain when dry camping.  All LEDs are not the same so do your homework and choose carefully.  Some have a very white light that some people find offensive but there are "warmer" colors that are less harsh.  Depending on the rating, LEDs might not provide as much light as incandescent bulbs, so you might want to be selective where you use them.  They are ideal for porch lights where you don't need a lot of light and it is convenient to leave the light on for extended periods of time.  I've found them pretty good for general interior illumination but I still favor incandescent bulbs for reading lights and work areas.  More powerful LEDs might solve this problem, but they're a lot more expensive.

Solar panels can be used to recharge batteries. Small, inexpensive units that plug into a cigarette lighter socket can help maintain batteries while the unit is in storage but are usually not enough to be of much use in camp when the batteries are being drained by lights, furnace fan, etc. Larger solar charging systems are available that will aid in recharging batteries but these are relatively expensive and will most likely require professional installation on the roof of your RV. Recently some higher powered portable battery charging solar systems have come onto the market. They are easy to set up and easy to use and require no permanent installation, which are clear advantages. However, they are NOT cheap. Currently prices run $600 - $800!

Wind generators. I have seen some small, portable wind generators that can be used to aid in recharging RV batteries, but most people find them too cumbersome to transport and difficult to setup, and they are not cheap! You might build your own using an automobile alternator, but you'll still have the issues of transporting, storing, and setting up the "tower" for the generator, to say nothing of obtaining and attaching blades to run it.

Your best bet for maintaining adequate 12-volt power is to start with enough capacity and keep the batteries charged using your generator and multi-stage charger,your vehicle alternator, or solar charging array. Because of the high capacity and regulated output of vehicle alternators, running your vehicle engine for an hour or so each day is usually the best way to recharge your batteries. Many RVs come with only one coach battery and motorhomes will have a separate starting battery for the vehicle engine. Larger and more expensive RVs may have larger battery banks. You may be able to increase your capacity by increasing the number and/or type of batteries on board. Two types of batteries are good choices for RVs: 12-volt deep cycle batteries, and 6-volt golf cart batteries. Ordinary automotive batteries are not designed for the kind of frequent discharge and recharge cycle of RV batteries. Many RVers use 6-volt golf cart batteries wired in series to produce 12-volts to gain better performance and increased capacity. I have used that configuration in several RVs over many years and found it to be superior to multiple 12-volt batteries wired in parallel. If you find you consistently run out of battery power, look for room to add another battery. If you already have 2 12-volt deep cycle coach batteries you may benefit from converting to two 6-volt golf cart batteries. Two 6-volt golf cart batteries will take up the same space as two 12-volt RV deep cycle batteries, but will deliver better performance. If you need to add batteries, locate them in a vented exterior cabinet. Batteries give off toxic and flammable fumes while they are being charged. If you find you have a bad battery in a battery bank, replace all the batteries in the bank at the same time. Make sure you understand the connections required for the configuration you are using. 6-volt batteries must be wired with pairs in series to provide the 12-volt power needed by your RV. That means connecting the ground of one battery to the vehicle ground, connecting its positive terminal to the negative terminal of its mate, then connecting the positive terminal of the mate to the vehicle 12-volt supply. Multiple 12-volt batteries must be wired in parallel. That is the negative terminals of both batteries must be connected to the vehicle ground and the positive terminals of both batteries connect to the vehicle 12-volt supply. Improperly connecting 6-volt batteries will leave you with inadequate voltage to operate on-board equipment. Improperly connecting 12-volt batteries will overload the 12-volt system on your RV, probably destroying the converter and any other directly connected devices and possible causing a fire! If you are using more than 2 6-volt batteries, each pair must be wired in series, then the pairs connected in parallel, to provide 12-volt power.

Conserving water. RVs have a limited amount of water. Be sure you know what the capacity of your RV is. If your RV is equipped with working tank gauges, be sure to monitor your usage. Typically, the smaller the RV, the smaller the fresh water and holding tanks. Class C motorhomes traditionally carried about 25 gallons of fresh water. Some newer models have larger capacity. Larger Class A units often have 80-100 gallons.  Mid sized Class A's may have smaller tanks.  Fresh water capacity of travel trailers varies wildly. Truck campers and Class B van conversions may have as little as 5 gallons. Like motorhomes, a travel trailer's fresh water capacity varies according to size from make to make and from model to model. Know what the capacity of your fresh water system is so you can ration water usage to last through your outing or until you can replenish your supply. Many RVers carry extra water in 5-6 gallon water cans, gallon jugs, or expandable bladders available from RV supply stores. I've even hauled an extra 55 gallon drum of water in our pickup for desert camping in our motorhome when we were using a pickup truck to tow our motorcycle trailer. To conserve water, use as little as possible for each task. Instead of rinsing dirty dishes, wipe them off with paper towels, used paper napkins, or old newspapers. Another option is to collect cold water in a dishpan while you're running the shower to get it warm and use that for rinsing dishes and other chores that don't require hot water. When you use the shower or washing your hands, only run the water when you need to -- to wet down or to rinse away soap. Turn it off while you are soaping, shampooing, and scrubbing. I added an inline push-button on-off device to the shower head so I didn't have to change the hot/cold adjustment to turn the shower off. Listen and watch for evidence of leakage. A water pump that cycles frequently when no water is being used or a hissing sound or a unexplained soaked spot in the carpet or on a wall are typical signs of a leak in the plumbing system. One of my dirt biking friends had a unique solution to his teenage kids using too much water while desert camping. He had a son and a daughter and the daughter had very long hair she thought she needed to shampoo and condition at least every day. They ran out of water frequently until he came up with a solution. He labeled some gallon jugs with the kids' names and brought along one gallon for each kid for showering each day and made them use the jugs instead of running the shower. If they wanted to use up all their jugs for one shower, that was OK -- they just didn't get to shower the rest of the trip. That way the kids used only their own water and didn't deplete the supply needed for cooking etc. Another shower solution is to use a "Sun Shower". These are plastic bags you fill with water and lay them out for the water to be heated by the sun. They are quite effective and can be used while tent camping as well as an alternative to wasting your RV's hot water supply. Using a Sunshower also saves propane by letting the sun heat the water and helps ration water usage. Its easier to see how much water you're using as the bag deflates than when just watching it go down the drain in the shower! The Sunshower can be used outdoors or in the RV shower. They are easy to turn on and off and provide a water at a constant temperature.

Conserving holding tank usage. Conserving water automatically conserves gray water tank usage. There isn't much you can do to conserve black water tank filling unless there are restrooms available.  Make use of campground facilities when you can.  But when you got to go, you got to go! You may want to flush sparingly, but using too little water for flushing will cause a very unpleasant and potentially damaging build up of solid wastes in the black water tank. One way to boost liquid in the black water tank without wasting water is to dump the dishpan of water collected during shower start up and used to rinse dishes into the toilet. If your gray water tank is becoming too full you may be able to drain off a bucketful or two to put out your fire each night. DO NOT try that with black water! If the black water tank fills up you will need to either get to a dump station quick or use one of the portable "blue" closed holding tanks to drain and dispose properly of some of the contents. If you are in a campground with any kind of restroom facilities, use them to reduce the demand on your black water tank. I know, the pit toilets in some places are really foul. But that's nothing compared to how foul will your RV become if your black water tank backs up! I don't think you want to find out! Enduring even the dirtiest pit toilet for a few minutes beats suffering a major black water overflow in your RV that can result in a lot of nasty cleanup and extremely unpleasant conditions for a very, very long time. Replacing badly fouled flooring can be very expensive.  If sewage gets into the sub-floor it will create a nasty problem that can be very, VERY expensive and time consuming to repair.

Conserving propane. Your options for conserving propane are somewhat limited. Obvious choices are to not run the furnace or the stove unless necessary and limit the use of hot water. There is often much discussion about whether maintaining hot water all the time or re-heating it when needed conserves the most gas. Running it all the time is certainly the most convenient. Most recent expert advice I've seen says you will use less propane if you run the hot water heater only when you need it and turn it off if you're not going to be using it for a while. For example, turn it off at night, then turn it on when you get up in the morning, then turn if off after morning ablations and breakfast dishes are done. Turn it back on in the evening for dinner and evening showers or wash ups, then turn it off again over night. Some us enjoy a nice hot shower first thing in the morning so turning off the hot water heater isn't as desirable unless you can discipline yourself to get up and turn it on long enough before your shower to let the water get hot. Just remember, keeping it hot all night might mean you might be wasting fuel and could  more easily run out of propane before the end of the trip! Personally, I like having hot water always available.  You never know when you're going to need to wash up or tend to a medical emergency.  And some folks believe it actually takes less propane to keep the tank hot than to reheat it from scratch over and over.  Another way to save propane without sacrificing hot water on demand would be to switch from the standard tank style water heater to a tankless, on demand water heater. They are not cheap and require professional installation, but it is something to consider if you do a lot of boondocking. A good way to conserve propane on cooler days is to reduce the heat loss from your RV so the furnace doesn't have to work as hard. Insulate windows and roof vents, keep weather stripping in good condition. Limit opening doors and windows as much as possible. Also, wear a sweater or sweatshirt to allow you to keep the furnace at a lower setting. You will also be surprised how much heat the human body generates. Recently at Christmas here in Utah with outside temperatures well below freezing, our small house was too warm to light a holiday fire in the fireplace, even with the electric heat turned off, just from the body heat of about 20 guests! Unless you have a huge mansion on wheels with multiple slide outs, you're not going to get 20 people into your RV, but if you limit heat loss, the body heat of your family will help keep everyone warm and toasty and minimize propane needs. If you are plugged into shore power or are running your generator to power appliances or charge your batteries, a portable electric heater can supplement your furnace and reduce propane usage (unless your generator runs on propane!). Make sure the heater is placed so it won't ignite curtains or upholstery or scorch walls, flooring or counter tops. Don't put heaters in the aisle where you might kick them over. A fun option is to use a portable electric fireplace, which adds a cabin-like ambiance while providing supplemental heat -- if you have room to use it safely and 120-volt power to run it.

A good guideline for all resources: take it easy. Remember that you don't have the apparently unlimited supplies of water, electricity and gas that you do at home, even though the appliances may look and work similar. And don't deprive yourself of the benefits of your RV systems just to save water, power, or fuel, but be reasonable so you can enjoy them throughout your trip and not just on the first day!

Practice! You can develop good habits by practicing conservation every day at home. Think about how you use your water. Do you leave the faucet running while you brush your teeth or wash your hands? If that is your habit you will probably do it when you're in your RV. Practice turning off the water except when you actually need it. You might even save a little money on your water bill, but even if you don't, it will help you use proper procedures when camping.

Make it last!