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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: How long should a battery last?
If he's boondocking the way I think of boondocking, he won't be in a campground with rules but rather a dispersed spot with only the neighbors he traveled with. I do realize there are campgrounds without hookups so valid points on generator hours/rules.
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ewarnerusa
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03/27/23 10:12am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How long should a battery last?
... you can fire up your tow vehicle ... it is equipment you already have.
How long should I run it for if the battery goes down below 12V?
...
I like the idea of jumper cables instead of 7 pin. Pull in forward so you're close enough to run jumper cables between your tow vehicle battery and trailer battery. Idle the tow vehicle while hooked up this way, the alternator will push amps into your trailer battery. I have no idea for how long though.
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ewarnerusa
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03/25/23 03:36pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: How long should a battery last?
...They don't install absorption fridges anymore.
That's what I've gathered from the forums. Followed by grumpy scoffs from boondockers! LOL You mentioned that you're in a one-off boondock situation so not worth investing in any more gear. So you can fire up your tow vehicle and plug in the trailer via 7-pin to get some juice into the battery. Without upgrades to that wire path, it will not provide a whole lot of current for charging. But it is equipment you already have.
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ewarnerusa
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03/24/23 09:04am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Water saver for shower.
I've got this video bookmarked as a "someday" project. It is a DIY take on the ShowerMiser product linked to earlier.
RV Recirculating Hot Water Line Don't Waste Water Complete Installation
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ewarnerusa
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03/23/23 02:00pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: How long should a battery last?
That's about right. You should not be running an electric fridge on that battery. The battery will be shot before the end of the year.
We have no choice as it is a 12v/120v fridge. I typically do not use it on 12v except for while driving.
If boondocking you'll have to run it on 12V, right? Is that how you're testing it during your 24hr test?
With a propane absorption fridge, a single group 24 would probably be be pretty low after a weekend of fridge and lights (also water pump and maybe fans). A 12V electric fridge would be a much larger load on the battery.
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ewarnerusa
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03/22/23 05:39pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 12v? 24v? 36...48v????
I've heard that a higher DC baseline can help reduce the impact of voltage sag. This can allow for skinnier wires, as mentioned. Or from another angle, a higher DC inverter won't be as negatively impacted by the voltage sag when you really draw down hard to meet a big AC load like microwave or even go for the air conditioner. But if you're not devising a way to run big loads off the battery, I can't see why you would want to add the complication since your entire camper DC system is setup for 12V.
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ewarnerusa
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03/08/23 08:24am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
I did some "bench" testing on the heating element today. It pulled 24 amps and got nice and hot. I had the element in a mug of water and it heated it up quickly.
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ewarnerusa
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03/05/23 12:06pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
Check this thing out. 300 watt 12V element that is swappable with the hot water tank drain plug. It dry fit well in my tank. Hopefully with thread tape it seals up perfect. The white plug is one of my spares.
https://i.imgur.com/PdfFeZnl.jpg "border=0"
https://i.imgur.com/m3zZPvb.pngClick For Full-Size Image.
https://i.imgur.com/rL6A2sOl.jpg "border=0"
https://i.imgur.com/m3zZPvb.pngClick For Full-Size Image.
https://i.imgur.com/CgbmOWEl.jpg "border=0"
https://i.imgur.com/m3zZPvb.pngClick For Full-Size Image.
https://i.imgur.com/M7GQMt4l.jpg "border=0"
https://i.imgur.com/m3zZPvb.pngClick For Full-Size Image.
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ewarnerusa
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02/25/23 06:59pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Negative and ground wire questions
Thank you for the input enblethen. That is the answer I suspected and hoped for.
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ewarnerusa
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02/24/23 10:15am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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Negative and ground wire questions
A spring project I have in mind is to upgrade the OEM power wire between the battery and converter to a larger gauge. I think it is currently 8 gauge and I want to upgrade to 4 gauge. The OEM setup is a long positive wire from 12V panel in the camper to circuit breaker on the tongue and then to the battery. The negative wiring from 12V panel is a short run from the panel to the camper frame.
Should I replace the short negative wire run with 4 gauge wire to same frame grounding connection? Or is it better to run negative all the way to the battery? Does a ground wire from battery to frame need to be of same gauge as the largest in the system?
Thanks.
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ewarnerusa
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02/24/23 09:21am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Bicycles
As an avid cyclist I pondered the same thing. When we had our FW I was able to put fork mounts in the bin beneath the bedroom. It was a massive pass through and tall enough and wide enough to mount 3 bikes via forks with seat posts lowered (dropper posts helped). Out of sight and out of elements.
With our new setup I'll be using my Kuat hitch mounted rack with a zippered cover.
I'm in the same boat. I have never liked the idea of reinforcing the rear of the travel trailer bumper and using a rack because the bikes would just get hammered by road filth back there and really bounced around. I like the idea of the rack on the front of the trailer, but my preference is still always to have them inside a vehicle or trailer. I currently fit them inside the trailer wherever I can. kids smaller bikes laying down on their beds, wife's bike laying on our bed, my bike partially disassembled and wedged between a bed and wall. I often think if I had to do it all over again I would prefer the toy hauler route. just load everything into the toy hauler garage and be good.
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ewarnerusa
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02/16/23 08:01am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Transfer switch
Nice, inspiring me for another spring project.
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ewarnerusa
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02/14/23 08:02am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
"IMO, in order to actually use excess solar capacity, add battery storage capacity so the excess power can be used when needed."
Exactly. That is the correct thing to do.
I completely agree that the idea is to save the energy for later rather than "waste" it. Unfortunately I have no more room on the trailer tongue for more batteries. I don't want to relocate batteries inside as that would require moving to a different battery technology than my flooded lead acid GC batteries. A full battery technology swap is a very expensive alternative. Adding more batteries also requires that I have more solar than needed for my current battery capacity and that I could properly charge more batteries if I had them. Or that I need more of both batteries and solar for my needs. Neither of those situations are true, although admittedly I am thinking of a bit more solar as I explore remote work possibilities.
A heating element adds heat energy to water that I want heated, so it is a way of saving the energy for later as well. All of the daily energy not used for charging and other loads is still being saved in a heat reservoir vs a battery chemistry reservoir. I am disregarding the insulation of the hot water tank and other variables that allow for that heat energy to escape.
To me, the cool part about the diversion load idea is that 100% of solar harvest capacity is used throughout the entire solar day. If a solar charging system is designed to be able to fully charge your batteries, then for a good chunk of time your charge controller is going to be tapering the amps to the batteries. Whether you're using 280 watts of solar into a 200 Ah battery bank or 1600 watts of solar into a 1000 Ah battery bank, at some point the CC begins to taper amps. A heating element diversion load changes this tapering from on/off (use/waste) of the solar input to splitting it between charging & loads and water heater. 100% use, zero waste.
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ewarnerusa
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02/13/23 08:39am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
As previously hinted at, if you have a 2/3 way absorption type fridge, why not divert the excess power generated to that and save some propane? Clearly, if you have a 2 way fridge, you'll need an efficient inverter capable of generating at least +-500 watts on a duty cycle of at least 50%. Just keeping your 1500 watt PSW inverter online full time may be enough to waste enough excess power to solve your issue doing nothing else. IMO, 280 watts of solar wont be enough to run the fridge full time, but hey, it's a start. You'll be spending a lot of time doing load management.
Chum lee
A different take on this idea^^ I wonder if instead of a 12V water heater element I could explore a refrigerator 12V element? Is there harm in adding variable/inconsistent heat (less than the OEM 300 watt AC power element) to the ammonia in an absorption fridge? This is just a brainstorm, I definitely don't want to swap out the AC side of the fridge.
EDIT: I clearly don't know exactly how the ammonia is heated in an absorption fridge, just that this is part of the process. But first google search showed a promising success for a similar idea. This is a Dometic fridge, mine is Norcold. https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/adding-12v-heating-element-to-rm2510-fridge-16224.html
my 3 way on 12V is 12 amps. thats a lot of power to be chucking out for the return on propane savings.. I can go probably between 1 and 2 months on just my fridge with a 20lb bottle, but as soon as your solar stops producing over the amprage for the 12v heater then you have to turn your fridge back to propane or you start eating battery capacity. Idealy you want somthing that you don't have to interact with in my opinion. the hot water element would be great, in my case the space heater would be good but in the summer you would have to be able to turn it off and you would still be not using all your potential when its hot... maybe a combanation of the water heater and space heater so you can use which ever one you want.
Steve
Thank you for this. Do you think both a water heater element and a space heater could be paralleled on the diversion load circuit each with an on/off switch?
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ewarnerusa
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02/12/23 08:51am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
I think the only thing "running" when an absorption refrigerator duty cycle is on is that an element is heating the ammonia. So I think I would be bypassing any refrigerator thermostat and just applying a bit of heat to the ammonia. Since the diversion load current wattage would never be even as much as the OEM 120v element, I'm not sure if it really gets hot enough to achieve the cooling cycle. I don't fully understand the systems, just the high level idea.
Which, since it accomplishes no effective work, is still wasting that energy while at the same time adding to the degradation of the heating element over time.
If all the diversion load would accomplish in this scenario is to preheat the ammonia rather than boiling it, that is still offsetting work the propane burner would have to do to get it boiling once the thermostat calls for it.
I'm not really considering the fridge element as a candidate, it seems like the hot water tank is a much better sink for extra current turned to heat. It was more of a brainstorm of another place to dump it.
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ewarnerusa
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02/12/23 08:13am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
I think the only thing "running" when an absorption refrigerator duty cycle is on is that an element is heating the ammonia. So I think I would be bypassing any refrigerator thermostat and just applying a bit of heat to the ammonia. Since the diversion load current wattage would never be even as much as the OEM 120v element, I'm not sure if it really gets hot enough to achieve the cooling cycle. I don't fully understand the systems, just the high level idea.
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ewarnerusa
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02/11/23 07:35pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
My thought you are wasting time and money for the small amount of energy you possibly save.
Sometimes it is just about tinkering. I certainly don't expect to notice any change in my propane expenses. But if it works, I will like seeing my amp meters show full solar harvest potential happening even when it isn't needed right then for the battery charging and other loads. And I will have learned something about off-grid solar design to apply to future projects.
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ewarnerusa
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02/11/23 11:36am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
Then we have the kind of online gambling shopping when trying something from Ali Express. The 1/2" NPT size means it could swap with my 1/2" NPT thread drain plug, right? This would be ideal, maintaining my OEM 120V AC 1400 watt heating capacity.
Dernord Immersion Cartridge Heater Hot Rod Heating Element Replacement with 1/2"NPT Thread 12V 24V 100W 150W 200W 300W
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ewarnerusa
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02/11/23 10:21am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
The different idea on the refrigerator is with the diversion load, where there is no input on my end. The heating element gets some diverted current whenever it is available, which in my head means it gets turned into refrigerator cooling and therefore propane offset. Same logic as the water heater, where heat is being added to the water just because there is spare current available and there is no "control" of it. Just "here I have some extra energy, want it?"
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ewarnerusa
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02/11/23 10:18am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Feedback on 12V water heater element as solar diversion load
As previously hinted at, if you have a 2/3 way absorption type fridge, why not divert the excess power generated to that and save some propane? Clearly, if you have a 2 way fridge, you'll need an efficient inverter capable of generating at least +-500 watts on a duty cycle of at least 50%. Just keeping your 1500 watt PSW inverter online full time may be enough to waste enough excess power to solve your issue doing nothing else. IMO, 280 watts of solar wont be enough to run the fridge full time, but hey, it's a start. You'll be spending a lot of time doing load management.
Chum lee
A different take on this idea^^ I wonder if instead of a 12V water heater element I could explore a refrigerator 12V element? Is there harm in adding variable/inconsistent heat (less than the OEM 300 watt AC power element) to the ammonia in an absorption fridge? This is just a brainstorm, I definitely don't want to swap out the AC side of the fridge.
EDIT: I clearly don't know exactly how the ammonia is heated in an absorption fridge, just that this is part of the process. But first google search showed a promising success for a similar idea. This is a Dometic fridge, mine is Norcold. https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/adding-12v-heating-element-to-rm2510-fridge-16224.html
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ewarnerusa
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02/10/23 08:19am |
Tech Issues
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