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new converter/charger and shunt |
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bmaddux 
Newbie 
Joined: 17 Feb 2022 Location: Whidbey Island Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
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 Topic: new converter/charger and shuntPosted: 09 Nov 2022 at 2:29pm |
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Thank you all for your responses. This confirms that I'm on the right track and will start getting it together over the winter.
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2013 Ford F150 Ecoboost
2017 RPOD 178 Hood River |
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jato
Senior Member 
Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3340 |
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Posted: 05 Nov 2022 at 8:13pm |
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We don't have any of the following in our 177 (it was special ordered this way back in January 2011) no A/C, entertainment system or microwave/convection oven) as we usually camp where there is no electricity. Batteries we carry: a pair of 12v. #1 is a Trojan T-1275 golf cart battery, weight is 85 lbs and gives 166 aH at the 100 hr. rate and 150 aH at the 20 hour rate. It is just over a year old. Our other dependable battery is an Interstate group size 24 deep cycle which will turn 12 years old next April - been a real workhorse over the years and still holds a great charge. We expect 6 days total out of both batteries when night temps are in the mid-low 40's and the furnace runs quite a bit (we like to keep it 58-60 when sleeping). Battery is run to 50% S.O.C. or 12.2v and then changed out to the other fully charged one. As we travel the low battery is charging off the tow vehicle's generator. This has worked very well for us over the last 12 years of travel across the U.S.A. No generator or solar utilized. We travel light and simple.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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Posted: 05 Nov 2022 at 5:02am |
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I think you'll be happy with two 6v GC2 size batteries. Your tow vehicle is fine for the tongue weight increase, which will be around 60-70 lbs or so vs a single group 27 battery which is probably what you have now. Don't settle for 195 amphours, you can readily get 210-220 AH GC2 batteries.
Remember that you don't want to discharge beyond about 50%. That gave us about 2-3 days boondocking capacity running either the fan full time or the heater at at around 50% duty cycle, a few hours of TV and lights in the evening, and other normal 12V usage including some USB device charging. Roughly around 30-50 amphours a day total No 120V inverter operation, that can kill your energy budget. I swapped out the TV for a dual 12/120V one, I recommend doing the same, rather than run an inverter.
My 2kw (now they're 2.2kw) Honda would maintain the batteries in about 1 hour daily runtime or so.. I suggest daily as that minimizes battery cycling, but you can certainly go 2 days and run longer. Unless you mostly camp under tree canopy then I'd also get a 100-120 watt or larger solar module and charge controller. If you do that you will only need to run the generator during cloudy periods. If you run the Honda a bit while preparing breakfast and or dinner you can run the microwave at the same time and get your hour a day charging done simultaneously The generator will be limited in charging rate by the converter not the total load on it, unless you run the a/c. If you want to be able to do that if needed (why would you not?) then the 2 or 2.2k Honda is still fine, but you should install an Easystart in the a/c to reduce compressor startup current. That approach is better that getting a heavier generator unless you have a really strong back Overall, dual GC2 batteries, a 2.2K Honda, or other high quality inverter generator of similar size, an Easystart, a 12V TV, and a 120W plus portable solar setup makes for a reasonably low cost, flexible boondock package. Keep a second propane cylinder in the truck as well and convert the Honda to run on that, much more convenient, no worries about bad gas, and cleaner that carrying gasoline, and you have backup for the rpod propane appliances. You can also use the Honda and propane cylinder at home for emergencies. The whole setup will cost maybe around $2k. You don't have to buy a name brand solar module, any glass/aluminum frame 12V module will be fine Avoid the so called flexible solar modules, they aren't. The solar cells will eventually break in those things I used to manufacture them If you have room in the truck you can often get a 250-300 watt or so residential solar module cheap left over from a project. Check Craigslist. That will still only weigh around 40-50 lbs so not a back killer, and you might almost never need to run the generator, it will produce around 25-35 amphours even on a cloudy day. Get an MPPT type charge controller if you get one of those modules the MPPT will step the voltage from the larger solar module down for 12V charging. Ditto the batteries, you don't need expensive name brand AGM's as long as youre willing to keep an eye on electrolyte levels in inexpensive flooded batteries every few weeks. Either way they will last about 4 or 5 years probably Lithium batteries are much better and very reasonable now but the need to change your converter and vehicle charge system, and to keep the batteries warm makes it too expensive and complex for most folks. Spend the money getting a good quality generator and an Easystart instead. Have fun boondocking. We rarely stayed in campgrounds with hookups, the more primitive ones are generally so much quieter and more private. And much cheaper, you'll pay for the boondock stuff in a month or two of off grid camping. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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gpokluda
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 398 |
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Posted: 04 Nov 2022 at 4:51pm |
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Hi bmaddux
You ask some really good questions. Power needs during boondocking are going to differ from one camper to the next so I will give you our experiences. We have two 12V, group 24 deep cycles in parallel for 160amp hrs total, but only 80 amp hrs useable since they are flooded and only should be discharged 50%. We also have a 2000 watt inverter generator (Champion) and a GoPower 130watt portable solar kit. We have managed a full 7 days boondocking on several occasions and in all instances, power was not our limiting factor. It was water and tank capacity. With just a generator, you will be able to power your RV until your fuel supply runs out and our Champion will easily run 8hrs on 1gal of fuel. We normally run the generator 1-2 hours a day in the summer and 2-4 hours a day in fall and winter when furnace/blower run more at night. We carry about 5 gallons on gas with us, so you can easily see that we could go weeks. Supplement with the 130 watt solar kit and power is the least of your worries. We normally plug our 179 directly into the generator. Our solar kit plus into a pig tail I have installed on the battery bank. We also have a Renogy 1000watt inverter wired in for times when we need 110 for other electrical needs. Something you may want to consider is a battery cutoff switch. This will help isolate batteries from parasitic drain. We have a Renogy 500 battery monitor with a regular shunt. It does the job keeping us informed of power usage. I mounted the small display on the wall along with the tank and battery monitor that came with the Rpod. I can't speak to the use of golf cart batteries. I know some folks really like them but, like you, the added weight concerned me. Best of luck
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Kawasaki KLR650 |
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bmaddux
Newbie
Joined: 17 Feb 2022 Location: Whidbey Island Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
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Posted: 04 Nov 2022 at 12:03pm |
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I'm in the process of looking at some of the same modifications... being adding a 195Ah 12v Golf Cart battery, a battery monitor, and a small generator (like the Honda 2200).
I have a couple of questions: 1) Does you vehicle give your batteries a significant charge while driving? 2) How long does it take your generator to charge your batteries? Do you plug your RPOD into the generator? Or use a battery charger directly to the batteries? 3) Is there a benefit of 2 6v batteries over a single 12v? I know I'd get 15 - 30 more Ah's from 2 6v's, but that also comes with more weight. Is it worth it? 4) How many days of boondocking can you realistically get from your batteries? A small test I did looks looked like running the MaxAir fan on low, the frig on propane and one or 2 lights was using between 20 and 30 watts. With an average of 25 watts x 24 hours = 600 Wh or 50 Ah/day. So I'm guessing I'd get about 2 days without charging from the 195Ah 12v GC battery before I'd need shore power or the generator. Does that seem about right? I started down the road of Lithium, but it all seemed to get complicated, although its not completely off the table yet. I might still consider a single 200Ah Lithium battery and upgrade the converter/charger, along with the battery monitor and generator... Our goal is to be able to go out for a 3 - 6 day swing through the Eastern Washington Harvest Host wineries with maybe just 1 night in a campground. Or to be able to do a longer road trip with stays at free or low cost campgrounds and/or boondock with the only real limit being tankage. At the same time, I'm trying to do the upgrades without going "all in" until we really find out how much off-grid camping we are going to do (only owned the camper for about 9 months and only had it out for 3 weekends, all with power/water).
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2013 Ford F150 Ecoboost
2017 RPOD 178 Hood River |
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gpokluda
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 398 |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2022 at 8:41am |
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Ditto on StephenH and OG. I mounted the shunt for the Renogy 500 in the lid of the battery box and added an additional splash guard I made from an sturdy old food storage container. Also, weep holes in a tongue mounted battery box are a must.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Kawasaki KLR650 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6422 |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2022 at 6:42am |
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+1 on the weep holes. I had two battery boxes on the tongue and removed the cover one day to find that both had filled up with water (whether rain or that which was splashed up by travel through rain, I can't say). That is when I drilled holes in the bottom to let any water that gets in drain out.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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Posted: 22 Sep 2022 at 6:11am |
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The smart shunt has an IP21 rating which translates to protection from finger touch and from condensation but not rain or splash protection.So you can put it in your battery box as long as the battery doesn't touch it and the box cover protects it from rain and road splash.
If you're really concerned I guess you could get a little NEMA4x or IP66 rated box and put the shunt in that, but then you'd have to route the battery negative cable through the new box, which in turn is likely to compromise that enclosure's water ingress rating. There's nothing worse than a watertight electrical box that leaks around the cable glands and ends up filled up with rainwater or condensation. Happens all the time. Personally, after opening up all kinds of "watertight" boxes over the years while troubleshooting failed solar power systems, and having water run out, I prefer rain shielded self draining NEMA 3R type enclosures, which is pretty much what a plastic battery box is if you drill some weep holes in the bottom. I'd just put the battery shunt in the battery box, be sure to have some weep holes and the cover on tight, and leave it at that. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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gpokluda
Senior Member
Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 398 |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2022 at 8:48pm |
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We use the Renogy 500 and really like it. You need to throw the directions away because they are useless and watch the Youtube video to configure it, but once you get that figured out it's easy to use.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Kawasaki KLR650 |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6422 |
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Posted: 21 Sep 2022 at 6:43pm |
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This is the one I used along with an extension cable so I could put the display where I wanted to:
I did not feel like I needed a "smart" monitor. The simple one costs a lot less money and does the job for me. Renogy offers one for a bit more. I would probably opt for that if I were to purchase one now. It has some good features and even offers one made for "smart" Lithium batteries.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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