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Maiden Voyage

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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Maiden Voyage
    Posted: 15 Apr 2022 at 3:17am
Electrical usage by the pump and tongue jack are negligible because the operate on a very low duty cycle. Ditto for the fridge on propane because it has a very low current requirement. LED lights aren't bad, but the fans (bath, furnace, or other ones you might add) use quite a bit. As does the TV.

We used fans in the mid Atlantic and watched a movie in the evening, and consumed around 30-40 amp hours a day, so you will probably be less. Bear in mind that you don't want to bring lead acid batteris down below about 50% state of charge so a single 100 ah battery in your case might last about 2-3 days with no recharging.

I suggest you get a multimeter with clamp on DC current measurement capability. Clamp it around one of your battery cables and turn on one load device at a time. Record the current each item consumes. Then you can make up a table of current and expected daily hours of use. Multiply the two together for each item then sum for a total. A spreadsheet is handy for this. This way you will quickly get to know what is consuming electricity in your particular case and what you don't need to be concerned about.

As for portable solar that's a great way to start out. You can clip to the battery but you'll still need a charge controller and please install an inline fuse at the battery + terminal for safety.

Also if you are running more than a few feet (so you can place the module in a sunny spot) use some heavy gauge wire to keep the resistive voltage drop down. It's only a 12V circuit so voltage losses can be quite significant.

For a 100 watt solar module you can use 12 gauge wire for a 25 ft run, or 10 awg for a 50 ft run. You can use a 20 amp fuse for the 12 awg or a 30A for the 10 awg wire.

A 100 watt module will provide about 25-35 amp hours per day anywhere in the country on a sunny summer day if unshaded and oriented south at about 20 degrees tilt. This doesn't need to meet all your load demand, just extend your battery life while you are boondocking for a few days.

You can always add another solar module later if you find your consumption to be much higher. By getting a controller that can handle 2 modules now and choosing a heavier wire for your cable run you wouldn't need to change those later.





1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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jato View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2022 at 2:08pm
Originally posted by bmaddux

At this point, I don't really know how much boondocking we are going to do.

Jato - what kind of batteries are you using?


My oldest is a 12v Interstate group size 24 deep cycle, purchased 04/2011.  The one I replaced last August was the same type except it was purchased 12/2010 so I got my money's worth out of that!

The replacement last August was a 12v golf cart battery.  It is a Trojan T-1275, rated at 150 aH at the 20 hour rate and 166 aH at the 100 hour rate.  It is heavy at 85 lbs but worked out to be a blessing on my 2011 177 as we normally boondock and carry a full tank of water which is located behind the axle so to keep my tongue weight at 11% of my total loaded weight I need 323# or more on the tongue.  With this battery I was able to take out a couple of truck rotors I had placed in the front stow area for that very reason.   I was able to remove both, thus freeing up valuable storage space.

We are probably a lot like your area, by the great lakes, lots of trees so solar in our area doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  We do not utilize either solar or generator while camping.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Ben Herman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2022 at 11:27am
Propane lasts a good while, from what I can tell the fridge is pretty thrifty running on propane. I went  to a two-tank setup because of that  "one time" at the end of the season when  I forgot to check the level and  ran out. Some people have room in their tow vehicles  to carry a second tank, I don't. Tow tanks is more than enough for  a full season (May-October for me) of fairly frequent 3-4 day trips. So a single tank should be fine, perhaps check it evry few weeks, depending on how much you camp. I have a single std  deep cycle battery and use a 100 w Renogy portable solar panel to keep it topped  up, using the battery for fridge motor, water pump. lights, and furnace fan when needed. Its more than adequate  but we get lots of sun in Colorado. I did put a 20 ft cord on it so that I can move the panels around to keep them in the  sun.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote bmaddux Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2022 at 11:02am
I live in the Pacific Northwest, which typically has moderate temperatures. So our normal usage would be to run the water pump, lights, bathroom fan, power tongue jack, and the fridge on propane. 

On average, how many days would we get from the ~100 AH of battery capacity? How fast does the fridge go through propane (we currently have a single standard propane tank)?

My thoughts on solar would be to start out with portable that I just connect to the batteries with alligator clips, and build from there. 

Much of our local camping is going to be at Washington State Parks in Western Washington, where getting power is difficult (fills up fast!), and the sites are fairly shady, so being portable and being able to chase the sun would be good.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Apr 2022 at 4:22pm
I don't think AGMs are worth it money unless you just can't bring yourself to check your flooded battery water level every few weeks. Deep cycle flooded golf cart batteries tolerate cycling better which is important if you're boondocking. You can fit 2 6V GC2 size gold cart batteries (about 220 amp hours) in the rpod rack assuming you can tolerate the tongue weight (about 120 lbs for 2). If that's not acceptable then you can go with a Li battery but you will have substantial cost and work to do, as much for the charger and DC to DC converter for tow vehicle alternator charging than for the battery itself.

As for potable vs roof mount solar there are pros and cons either way.

Roof mount: more secure and easier setup but I'd you like camp in the shade then your performance will be poor, and you have holes in your roof.

Portable: less secure and more setupbut you can move the modules into the sun and you don't compromise the roof.

Either way, don't get so called flexible solar modules, get glass/aluminum frame. And get crystalline silicon modules, not thin film ones. You will need a solar charge controller too, a simple PWM one will do. Most have both Li, AGM, and flooded lead acid charge settings, but be sure the one you get has the settings you'll need for the batts you select.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote bmaddux Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Apr 2022 at 10:56am
I do need to check the plug and decide whether being able to charge the battery while driving is worth an upgrade. Our battery is currently just a standard Deep Cycle sealed battery from Walmart. I definitely want to replace it, and add solar. I just don't know how much of an investment I want to make yet. AGM? LiPo? Portable solar? Fixed solar? Inverter? At this point, I don't really know how much boondocking we are going to do.

Jato - what kind of batteries are you using?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote GlueGuy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2022 at 12:07pm
When we travel, we usually have the fridge on 12V, but have never had an issue with the battery. Our (2015) F-150, and I assume any of the same or more recent vintage disconnects the 12V shortly after the ignition is off. So we switch to propane (or AC) shortly after we arrive at our destination.

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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Apr 2022 at 5:01am
bmaddux, sounds like you had a really nice trip for your first outing.  Glad to hear there were no serious problems.  We also tow with an F-150 and have never had an issue with the battery not getting charged on the bargman plug while under way.  You may want to take a multi-meter and check to see if the pin is powered up when the motor is on. There are pin diagrams available so you can find the one that charges pretty easily.  It should be pin 4.  

+1 to Ben Herman.  When we had our Pod, we always towed with the refrigerator powered with gas, except when we were in a situation where the gas had to be turned off.  Usually, the time the gas is off is not enough to significantly affect the temperature in the refrigerator.  Our Pod replacement has a larger refrigerator and there is no battery powered option on it, but we've never had a problem keeping things cold even if it was off for a while.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Ben Herman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2022 at 10:16pm
Good first outing!  Have you considered  using propane for the fridge, we never use battery for it.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Apr 2022 at 7:47pm
Good to hear you had a great maiden voyage!  Am surprised that with that kind of wind you would get frost on the windows.  We normally boondock in cold temps as you described and by opening the opposite windows by the bed about 1/4" and opening the FF in the bathroom about the same (with the fan off) we have not ever had that issue for the 11 years we have owned ours.

Not surprised about the lack of 12v charge from the Fords 7-pin plug.  Our 2011 F-150 was able to do that but when we upgraded to a 2017 F-150 we had to pay a tech to run a wire from the battery to the Bargmann plug so we could charge our batteries.  We almost always have our fridge on propane (travel and camping) except for those few times when we are at a place that offers electricity.  We expect, and get 3 days out of each of our 12v batteries when temps are in the 40's with the furnace running a lot, and that is w/o solar or generator usage.

Hopefully you didn't run your batteries down too far.  They will last a long time if you don't run them below 12.2v before recharging and keep the fluid levels up.  Our oldest 12v battery just turned 11 years old this week, still going strong.
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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