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01-19-2022, 07:16 PM #11
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01-19-2022, 07:46 PM #12
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- Mar 2019
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- Tampa Florida
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You have received some good suggestions. However, the bottom line is you can't know until you are out camping in your rig, doing the things you and your family do.
I have a friend, who knows a guy...
Anyway, this guy spent months calculating all of his electrical needs, figuring out all the variables for his Solar and battery system. He knew exactly how much energy he would use on any given day and how long his batteries would last. Well, you guessed it, he fell horribly short on his calculations during his first week of camping at Yellowstone NP.
Myself, I figured out my biggest usage would be our furnace. I knew from past experience that we could get by for one night on a pair of 6v batteries, about 100ah +/-. So, I designed my system with a whole lot of batteries (400ah) and a whole lot of Solar (1200 Watts) and then we spent a month in a campground without hooking up to shore power. The main reason for the month's stay was to test the new electrical system. Since it was December we experienced several cold nights. What we found out is that we needed to double our battery bank. While we were able to get through the entire month without any issues, we found that the reserves we expected just weren't there.
Once we doubled the size of our battery bank we were much more relaxed about our system and could relax about monitoring the system. This also allowed us to be comfortable using the Air Conditioner when we stop for lunch on hot days and not be concerned the battery could not keep the furnace running through the night.
Bottom line: make your best guess as to how much Solar and battery storage you are going to need and then just live with it for a while. You will soon know if you need more batteries or a larger Solar array.David and Peggy
2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
2018 Solitude 310 GK
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01-23-2022, 06:43 AM #13
- Join Date
- Jul 2017
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- Wherever I park it.
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I would recommend wiring in a Victron shunt. That would tell you exactly how much DC power your rig is using and how much life is left. That said, if I had a fridge that ran DC only, I'd want an extra battery at the least.
2018 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
2020 Ram 3500 SRW
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7803/4...56f2161a_m.jpg
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03-05-2022, 09:43 AM #14
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- Mar 2022
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- Sacramento
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We recently purchased a 2500Rl with 12 v furion frig, 165 w solar and two lead acid batteries. Our first Dry camping experiment was three days of sunny to partial sun. We were very easy on the power needed but the last night it did dip into the high 30 degree temps. Heat was set to around 58 so it did turn several times in the evening. I had no way to monitor the power being used but I did monitor the battery level. Around 3 AM the batteries went off. We dry camp about 50% of the time many times around 5 days at a time. I do have a 3000 w generator but prefer not using it much.
I have decided to bite the bullet and install two additional 175W solar panels for a total of 515W, 3000w inverter/charger and three 100ah lithium batteries. This might be a little overkill for our size of trailer and use demands but rather be more need than less. A side note. We are in norther California and a lot of our dry camping is along the ocean and mountains so foggy and/or tree canopy can hinder solar power.
I would highly advise you upgrade to a minimum AGM or 6 volt batteries. I don’t have personal experience withAGM but our past TT I had good experience with the 6 volt batteries used in conjunction with generator.
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03-05-2022, 02:23 PM #15
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- Mar 2022
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Your comments are good. After having gone three days dry camping with nice daytime temps but cold evenings wit heater set to 58 batteries ran dry on third night. I have standard 165 w solar with two lead acid. Want to try and eliminate generator use as much as possible. I’m installing two additional 175 watt panels, three 100 watt lithium batteries and 3000w charger/inverter. Not sure the third battery is needed but why not have it. For reference I live in northern cal with 2500rl with 12v fridge
Re-pack bearings necessary?
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