Results 8,701 to 8,725 of 12743
-
08-28-2021, 09:09 PM #8701Registered User
- Join Date
- Dec 2020
- Posts
- 679
I checked out those Victrons, but was looking at the Redarc ones as well (without solar). If I am going to do just alternator charging it seems like the DC to DC chargers aren't too expensive - and it looks like they double as an isolator if I am seeing things correctly.
A Renogy battery that'll fit my needs seems to be about $250-300 for AGM. Though a golf cart setup would be about the same price for double the amp hours - need to investigate a clean install of those under the hood. Either way it seems to put me into this whole thing around $450 with the inverter and DC Charge controller for a setup that'll easily get me 2 days of comfortable camping / charging.
Thanks for the suggestion all around - I'll keep this updated as I get things together. Still have 8 weeks before my topper shows up.
-
08-30-2021, 10:54 AM #8702
LiPO is 100% worth it, for reasons I'm sure have been discussed (ability to draw down close to zero as opposed to 50% with AGM which effectively doubles your useable WH).
I do the noco thing when my DC/DC is acting up. Can confirm it works, but is a giant pain in the ass disconnecting/removing/charging/re-connecting.
-
08-30-2021, 01:21 PM #8703Registered User
- Join Date
- Oct 2019
- Posts
- 44
Heyo everyone! The lady and I picked up a rather old (but renovated) TC to use for ski season / camping and festivals at the beginning of the summer. Unfortunately the fridge died on us this past week. Having the 3-Way power was quite nice and after looking at new ones that are 3-Way (or any RV fridge for that matter) they're quite pricy. Does anyone have suggestions for replacements? The unit does have solar, and 1 12V AGM battery and a MPPT Solar charge controller. I'll see if I can get the exact specs of the solar panel later. If I gotta buck up and pay, that's alright just curious on your suggestions. Thanks in advance.
-
08-30-2021, 02:03 PM #8704Registered User
- Join Date
- Feb 2018
- Posts
- 277
-
08-30-2021, 02:10 PM #8705
-
08-30-2021, 03:15 PM #8706Registered User
- Join Date
- Oct 2019
- Posts
- 44
From what I've been able to gather the ammonia cooling unit is dead / out of liquid. It draws power and the freezer section gets slightly cool to the touch, even when left running for 24hrs+ it doesn't get cold.
As for the 12v compressor fridge, should I just look into adding an extra battery / solar panel? The ability for it to run off propane is pretty nice for when we're parked for a couple days.
-
08-30-2021, 04:47 PM #8707Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2010
- Location
- Sun Peaks Resort
- Posts
- 868
This might be overload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ija2LmLVZHA
-
08-30-2021, 09:31 PM #8708
Selling my camper trailer, let me know if interested ASAP: https://boulder.craigslist.org/rvs/d...373523848.html
"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
-
08-30-2021, 11:06 PM #8709
not interested
I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.
-
08-30-2021, 11:39 PM #8710Registered User
- Join Date
- Dec 2020
- Posts
- 679
From the looks of it, for $300 I can get one of the following:
- High quality 200Ah AGM battery (~100Ah usable)
- Golf cart battery setup with 450Ah (~225Ah usable)
- This lithium battery pack at 200Ah
I'm a little uncertain about the last one, but it seems those particular cells are popular with camper people. Any collective thoughts on the last option? That does provide me a bit more and it is likely to be easier to deal with than an AGM or SLA - could mount it in the bed.
-
08-31-2021, 06:49 AM #8711"fuck off you asshat gaper shit for brains fucktard wanker." - Jesus Christ
"She was tossing her bean salad with the vigor of a Drunken Pop princess so I walked out of the corner and said.... "need a hand?"" - Odin
"everybody's got their hooks into you, fuck em....forge on motherfuckers, drag all those bitches across the goal line with you." - (not so) ill-advised strategy
-
08-31-2021, 07:43 AM #8712
That’s a nice rig Danno. I’d be all over it if it worked for my situation.
-
08-31-2021, 08:55 AM #8713
Sounds like for your uses and how you plan on charging you think you need 100Ah usable battery? The lithium you linked is only 50. And it doesn't include a Battery Monitor System (BMS) that keeps you from doing stupid things to your battery. $650 for a 100Ah with a built in BMS from that company. If you want to be able to charge when the battery is cold, you'll need one with a heater (Battle Born makes these).
Since you are going with a DC to DC I do think lithium makes sense if you have the coin (in the not too distant future we will all have lithium). You would easily be able to add solar down the road for $300 or so (either roof mounted or portable panel).
For those wanted true dirt bag setup, go with AGM/two golf cart connected straight to your starter battery (no dc to dc) with an isolator. That setup is can be had for sub $400 for the entire thing (including cables, wires, fuses, ect).
-
08-31-2021, 09:19 AM #8714Registered User
- Join Date
- Dec 2020
- Posts
- 679
I don't think I need 100Ah, I think 50Ah usable would actually be plenty. Having some overrun seems like it'd be beneficial, mainly for AGM in the sense of discharging it less.
That lithium pack is, confusingly, 4x 50Ah batteries wired together into a single 200Ah pack. They're 3v single cells so 4 are required to get it to 12v. There are some simple BMS circuits that look liked they'd do what I need for around $30 - so that's not too bad. Hadn't considered the heating pad aspect of it - I need to do a bit more research on that. I think it's more likely that I'd be discharging while the battery is cold and only charging after the bed of the truck (where I'd put the Lithium) is already warm.
Appreciate all the advice and info all around, going to have to research a bit more before I set anything up. Have a couple of months before the truck shell arrives anyways. The biggest factor will be how cleanly I can install a battery under the hood, and if I can't then the Lithium seems like the bet.
-
08-31-2021, 09:36 AM #8715
Regarding fridges, make sure you're level. It's an even crazier issue than I ever imagined. If I back into my driveway literally 2 inches less than normal, that makes the difference between zero refrigeration and ice cold. I was sure the thing was dead before figuring that out.
-
08-31-2021, 09:44 AM #8716Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2010
- Location
- Sun Peaks Resort
- Posts
- 868
-
08-31-2021, 10:54 AM #8717
-
08-31-2021, 11:11 AM #8718Registered User
- Join Date
- Dec 2020
- Posts
- 679
After a bit more research it looks like you can build a 100Ah battery with BMS for around $150. The DIY community online seems to think that ~$1/Ah is about the right price to pay for a decent LiFePo package (cells only). The integrated BMS is a pretty simple circuit, and you can buy them for $30-50 to wire into your battery pack. Seems like these RV / camper communities have a few vendors they like for the battery cells and have had good experience with.
Heating seems like it'll be unnecessary for what I'm doing - I can take the efficiency hit on the initial startup before the diesel heater brings the truck bed up to temp. Cells look like they'll work OK for the temps I expect to be in, and I won't be charging while the batteries are cold.
Obviously I don't want to buy the cheapest batteries and have them show up dead or quickly get run down - so I'm trying to learn a bit more about what to look out for here. Most of the expensive LiFePo batteries seem to be a package of A grade cells versus a package of B grade cells (where the 25Ah size cell has a capacity of 20Ah actual, or similar "defects"). In that situation I think a B grade would be OK for what I am doing. Obviously there is always more to it than meets the eye - I'm willing to do the assembly and such to save a little bit, plus it's fun. We'll see where this goes.
-
08-31-2021, 11:45 AM #8719
-
08-31-2021, 01:46 PM #8720
Pinned, a BMS should have a temperature gauge so the battery starts charging the moment it is warm enough , and stops charging the moment it gets too cold. They also have BMS with built in battery monitors, so possible to kill two birds with one stone. Can you wrap the battery in foam/neoprene to help keep it warm? Put it in a battery box with closed cell foam installation? They also make combined dc to dc charger/solar charge controller. In the future, all this crap will be in a single component.
-
08-31-2021, 03:41 PM #8721Registered User
- Join Date
- Apr 2010
- Location
- Sun Peaks Resort
- Posts
- 868
-
08-31-2021, 04:05 PM #8722
Wrong. Overcharging or charging at a rate higher than spec will produce H2 at a rate higher than the mat can deal with. It's not a scenario you would hopefully ever encounter, but nevertheless something that should be accounted for.
https://rvnerds.com/2017/11/01/elect...-need-venting/
-
08-31-2021, 04:38 PM #8723
That was my understanding. But my AGM is not vented and I am assuming the risk that enough H2 can accumulate to create a fire hazard from a spark. My shell pop up camper (all terrain camper) came with a non-vented AGM so lots of manufacturers are not venting them, even though it is not 100% risk free (don't think they are vented from FWC). I wonder if that violates some kind of RV code? The manufacturer was otherwise code compliant (it came with a hard wired LP/CO monitor).
-
08-31-2021, 05:51 PM #8724
Dihydrogen without the oxygen?
-
08-31-2021, 06:31 PM #8725Registered User
- Join Date
- Mar 2017
- Posts
- 5
I've got a battery question for you. Can I simply use a 3-way isolator to switch all the van's power over to a deep cycle battery when I'm camped?
It would be rad to use the built-in fans, lights, and radio without having to duplicate all the wiring/components. I'd isolate the starter battery so it doesn't drain down. Not sure if running off a house battery would fuck up the van's ECU or other technical components I don't know anything about. But hey, 12 volts is 12 volts right?
Bookmarks