It's all about watts/amps. Checking voltage will give you a rough idea of what you have in battery charge but it depends on many factors. Is the battery under load or resting? Different voltage readings. Is the solar charging the batteries? Different voltage. Cold or hot out, different voltages.
The green yellow red panel lights are just about useless in showing the charge state, you need to be able to log the amps you are using over the course of a day.
You need to see both watts in and watts out.
Nameplate draws on appliances are often inaccurate. Poor installation will cause the fridge to run more than necessary. The wiring in these campers is the weakest link.
Check the voltage at the batteries and then check it at the fridge, you can see what your voltage drop is.
Driving should charge your batteries, check your trucks gauge, it should read lower when charging and move above 14 volts when they are charged.
If they aren't charging the problem is often in the wiring from the truck to the camper, bad connections at the plug, too small a wire from the truck.
The 10 gauge wire from the truck to the camper is marginal to charge one battery much less two discharged batteries.
My 65 watt panel keeps up with my Engel 45 fridge and other minimal draws, runs the furnace overnight and still is above 12 volts in the AM.
Remember that there are losses throughout the system, you only have about 50% of the total amps available in your batteries before drawing them down lower than is good for maximum battery life.
Add up the other losses due to voltage drop and temperatures and your reserve drops even lower.
Dsrtrat
The green yellow red panel lights are just about useless in showing the charge state, you need to be able to log the amps you are using over the course of a day.
You need to see both watts in and watts out.
Nameplate draws on appliances are often inaccurate. Poor installation will cause the fridge to run more than necessary. The wiring in these campers is the weakest link.
Check the voltage at the batteries and then check it at the fridge, you can see what your voltage drop is.
Driving should charge your batteries, check your trucks gauge, it should read lower when charging and move above 14 volts when they are charged.
If they aren't charging the problem is often in the wiring from the truck to the camper, bad connections at the plug, too small a wire from the truck.
The 10 gauge wire from the truck to the camper is marginal to charge one battery much less two discharged batteries.
My 65 watt panel keeps up with my Engel 45 fridge and other minimal draws, runs the furnace overnight and still is above 12 volts in the AM.
Remember that there are losses throughout the system, you only have about 50% of the total amps available in your batteries before drawing them down lower than is good for maximum battery life.
Add up the other losses due to voltage drop and temperatures and your reserve drops even lower.
Dsrtrat