Boondocking with a PC 2100?

WillieontheRoad

Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« on: May 20, 2018, 08:28:23 pm »

Hi, We need some advice from PC owners who boondock. We will be picking up our new 2100 in Elkhart at the end of May. Joan and I live in Austin, TX and in the west we have so many opportunities to dry camp in national forest and on BLM lands. We need some advice from anyone who is experienced in boondocking with Phoenix Cruisers and especially in the 2100s.
We don't plan on being extreme and heading out to 4X4 areas. If we are very conservative with battery power, water and tanks, how long might we be able to stay out before we need to find a campsite with hook-ups? Any other boondocking advice you can give us will be most appreciated.
Thanks,
Alan and Joan

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jatrax

827
John and Carrie
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: November 2016
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2017
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Graystone
ExtColor: Graystone
Location: Oregon Mountains

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2018, 09:08:07 pm »

Your length of stay is limited by the most limiting factor of your rig: either electric, fuel, food, fresh water, gray water or black water.
Do you have solar installed?
Do you have a generator installed?
Either would extend your battery life to nearly unlimited removing that as a concern. We have a compressor refrigerator which takes more power than the absorption models and find that with 300 watts of solar and careful use of other electric items we can recharge the batteries fully on any day with reasonable sun.

Fuel, either gasoline or LP are not likely to be an issue unless you need to run the furnace a lot.

Food is also unlikely to be a factor.

That leaves tank capacity.

We find that the gray tank capacity is the limiting factor for us. On my 2552 the gray water tank is only 23 gallons but our fresh water capacity is 45 gallons so we have to be careful not to overfill the gray tank. Your 2100 gray tank is listed as 35 gallons with a fresh water capacity of 31 gallons. So you will never fill the gray tank.

My guess is that your boondocking limit will be determined by your fresh water supply which is 31 gallons. Calculate your daily water use and you have a good idea of how long you can stay. That is assuming you have either generator or solar to charge up the batteries.

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Dynadave

84
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: Used
PurchDate: 10/2018
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2018
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Tan
ExtColor: White/brown
Location: Florida

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2018, 09:16:07 pm »

I don’t do much boondocking but will respond to your question which although sounds simple is very difficult to answer. Personal habits and needs are different for each of us and consumption of water and energy will vary greatly, some people can go for a couple of weeks others last 2 days. Take a couple of short trips and see how you do, learn what the major draws on your batteries are and adjust useage accordingly, monitor how much you must run the generator to bring them up to full charge. Monitor your various tanks and gauges several times a day. You will learn a lot by doing and trying different cooking, washing, and bathing techniques. There is much to learn and a lot of info on this topic in the various forums. Try the IRV2 forum for info also. After a few trips you should be able to pinpoint where you greatest needs are and then go to work on those areas.

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2018 Phoenix 2552

keelhauler

560
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: 05/2012
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2012
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Sunlit Maple
ExtColor: Sunlit - no paint
Location: Westlake, OH

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2018, 09:25:24 am »

You don't mention if you have solar panels.
Using a generator to charge your batteries is very annoying to yourself or neighbors.

Do yourself a favor and buy the parts for a system. They are very inexpensive and much has been posted on this forum about solar. Get a Bogart battery monitor, the only way you will confidently know how much power you are using. Reading the voltage only works at times when you are not using any power at all.

I love to boondock and with solar you can last for an unlimited time by carefully monitoring your use unless it is rainy and heavily overcast.

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John

Ron Dittmer

5647
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #4 on: May 21, 2018, 10:24:20 am »

Irene and I near exclusively boon dock with our 2007 2350 in various national parks and other public lands where there are no hook-ups. We will travel for 3 to 4 weeks at a time and will stay in a place with hook-ups maybe for 3 nights the entire trip.

Because we tow a Jeep, our PC stays put at the camp site while we sight-see and day-hike. Doing so, we need to dump and replenish our water every 3rd day and need to run our generator daily for one hour using our 40 amp step charger as shown HERE.

Most 2100 owners do not tow another vehicle. If you plan to setup camp and stay put, then I would agree with the other comments. But if you break camp daily and go sight-seeing and such, you will quickly learn that driving your PC daily keeps your batteries charged well. And if a dump station is along the way, then you simply dump & replenish as needed.

So it all depends on whether you stay put at your campsite, or get in your PC and travel about while at your destinations.

About solar panels... Keep in-mind that they do little to no good if you are a camp-site shade seeker. Since we are shade seekers, I didn't feel solar technology would benefit us enough so I decided against it. If you are a desert fox camping often in the desert without shade, that would surely change things.

« Last Edit: May 21, 2018, 10:36:50 am by ron.dittmer »

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

fandj

345
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
Model: 2552
ModelYear: 2016
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Graystone
ExtColor: Nightscape - full body
Location: Virginia

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2018, 10:41:09 am »

I agree with Keelhauler having a proper battery monitor is important. This is especially true if one expects to Boondock for any significant period. A monitor in my book is almost a necessity when relying on solar to insure proper battery charge levels are being maintained. Even without solar and relying on the generator the monitor provides you helpful information as to when to run the generator for recharging and how long to run it. You will find the generator coupled with high enough converter output voltage (14.4 - 14.8 volts) will in fairly short order bring the battery charge level up to about 90% charge. The remaining 10% will take quite a bit longer. The battery life will be shortened if it is not brought up to 100% and is left partially discharged on a regular basis. A properly designed solar charging system is capable of quietly bringing the batteries up to full charge.

I have been using solar for 7 years (Phoenix 2 years plus pull camper 5 years) and have been pleased with performance. One extended outing to Alaska for 5 months and never had to have shore power to recharge the battery. I use a Victron brand power monitor that allows one to monitor the amperage going into and/or coming out of the battery, battery charge level, amp hours used, hours of battery life remaining at current consumption, battery/charge voltage, and other parameters if desired. This is a link to the monitor https://www.amazon.com/Victron-BMV-700-Battery-Monitor/dp/B00MJ9TAN8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1526912438&sr=8-3&keywords=victron+battery+monitor

This is a photo of my monitor installation https://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2489.0;attach=3902

I choose the Victron as it provided all the information needed at a somewhat lower cost and the size allowed me to mount it in a location for easy monitoring. The Bogart unit as Keelhauler mentioned is another proven option.

Others have addressed the tank capacity issues and how it is highly dependent on personal usage. You will find if you are willing to make some compromises and planning this can be reasonably managed as well.

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WillieontheRoad

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2018, 07:03:19 pm »

Thanks to everyone who responded to our question about boondocking with a Phoenix Cruiser. We gathered so much useful information from your replies.
We are very excited about becoming PC owners next week and really joining all of you.
Alan and Joan

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Cropduster

124
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: Used
PurchDate: 05/2015
Model: 2100
ModelYear: 2002
Slide: Yes
IntColor: Brown
ExtColor: Brown
Location: Midwest

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2018, 07:53:29 pm »

We do almost exclusive Boondocking in our 2002 2100. Longest time out was 10 days. Five to seven days are more common. We are conservative with the use of our single 12v RV battery. In addition, I wired in an inexpensive 12v 8 amp battery to help recharge cell phones and the laptop. A system with is separate from the RV electrical system.

Several years ago we acquired a "50W Complete Kit Folding Portable Solar Panel Off Grid 12V Camping Home Caravan". Since it is a portable panel it can be placed where it will best receive direct sunlight. The 3 amp output will not charge a heavily-used battery, but it will slow the drain on an RV battery receiving normal use. The folding solar panels take up less room.

I added a piano hinge to allow better access to the under-seat outside storage. Not sure if the more recent PC 2100 have this feature -- which allows much more effective use of the storage area.
Since there was no inside voltmeter I installed an inexpensive one by the back door. Which also took care of my wife's request for a rear nightlight. Gives off a nice blue glow to help in navigating the back of the RV.

Feel free to send a PM if you have any questions.

« Last Edit: May 21, 2018, 07:55:57 pm by Cropduster »

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Sarz272000

365
OwnPC: No
NewUsed: Used
Model: None
Slide: No
Location: Michigan

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2018, 09:55:20 pm »

Does the PC2100 on a E350 chassis adequate cargo capacity? Or would E-450 be better? If you got levelers, slide out and suspension upgrades may need the 450. Any thoughts?

This is good conversation, thanks for the education. I hadn’t considered a 2100. We want to boondock and this might be the ticket.

Ron

« Last Edit: May 21, 2018, 10:22:43 pm by Sarz272000 »

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Ron Dittmer

5647
Ron and Irene
OwnPC: Yes
NewUsed: New
PurchDate: June 2007
Model: 2350 Ford
ModelYear: 2007
Slide: No
IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
ExtColor: Full Body Gray
Location: N/E Illinois

Re: Boondocking with a PC 2100?

« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2018, 11:57:08 pm »

Hi sarz/Ron

Model 2100 suffers from rear end sag because so much of the weight is behind the rear axle, which lifts the front end a little. Model 2350 suffers the same but to a lesser degree. The condition contributes to less than ideal handling. But building a 2100 on an E450 chassis seems to me as way too much over-kill. An E450/2100 would bounce and shake tremendously, especially the front suspension. I would rather equip the E350 chassis with after-market heavy duty suspension upgrades including adding one or two extra leaf springs per side in back to level out the rig. But I surely am no authority on this....it is just my opinion.

I had considered adding a leaf spring or two in back for our 2350, but I fear our rig would not clear our garage door opening. Right now, unloaded, our PC clears the opening by only 1.5". I don't want to risk it. But I do feel that adding a leaf spring or two per side in back would take care of the sag most properly.

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Ron (& Irene) Dittmer