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Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: How do you beat the dreaded SB curfew hours?
Hi Gary,
60 watts may disappoint you.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 09:42pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Battery Equalization
Hi 88lover,
Some AGM companies do recommend equalization.
I agree on the Gel cells though. Equalization is a quick way to ruin them.
Equalization is to bring up "weak" cells to full capacity while (slightly) overcharging the other cells. (I wonder if 2 volt cells can have an individual two volt charger? hmmmmm) (3 hours minimum @ 15.5 volts at the c/20 rate)
Equalization is to "stir the electrolyte". (a few minutes at 15.5 volts)
Equalization is to desulphate the plates. (a "tuned" pulse charge, sometimes at intensely high voltage up to 72!)
The first two are *definitely* real. The last one...well the companies that sell desulphators say they work.....
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 08:57pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: found a good deal on solar system
Hi Gary,
Two group 27 batteries would have a combined capacity of between 160 and 210 amp-hours. The 200 watts of panels planed on may well do a good job of keep them charged.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 08:36pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Solar Charger
Hi Jimehc,
Solar panels now cost less that $2.00 per watt if you shop around.
Hi pryan,
For solar to work well the range of wattage is best between 60 and 150 watts of panels per 100 amp-hours of storage. Less than 60 watts may not be able to equalize the battery bank (but even 15 watts per 100 will, given enough time, fully charge the bank). There are reasons to use more than 150 watts--but after the battery bank is 85% charged there is not much point in attempting to charge faster than the c/8 rate.
Charging a battery bank is somewhat like a frog on a log who can jump 1/2 to the end of the log in any jump. Every jump takes about the same time but the amp-hours returned to the battery become smaller and smaller. That's why solar, with a good charge controller, is one of the better ways to recharge batteries. It is not uncommon for me to see my solar panels "putting in" just one amp to 875 amp-hours of storage.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 08:30pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Furnace
Hi James,
Non inverter generators are dependent on rotational speed for frequency. They use a bunch more fuel to do that unfortunately.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 04:45pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: My latest mods
Hi BFL13,
The twin inverters are wired in parallel and feed *both* outlets. So each one can do 5000 watts. Of course I'm not likely to do 5000--I'd max out at 3600 watts, other than for surges.
Hi Capt Storm,
There are no breakers--just internal fuses (which I'm not too happy about) The 12 volt side has two banks of 40 amp "car" fuses. Twin "multi country" type outlets.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 04:41pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: My latest mods
Hi smkettner,
Ah yes...but yours is pure sine is it not? On the other hand my microwave is a *hog* at 1591 watts.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 04:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: My latest mods
Hi Chris,
I'll let you know.
Apparently it is two 2500 watt units tied together at the 110 volt outlets for a total of 5000 watts available.
I'm off on my way to Florida--so it will get a work out then.
DrSmart, that would be 500 amps if a person went to 5000 watts.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 04:11pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: My latest mods
Hi Chris,
ebay 5000 watt inverter
Item # 190420102458
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 09:28am |
Tech Issues
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RE: My latest mods
Hi Korbe,
I'd love to be full time but I still have to work for a living. I use my RV about 50 nights a year--and drive it about 1000 miles per month on average.
There is nothing "sticking out" other than the bat wing antenna which I have used once in 19 months.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 09:25am |
Tech Issues
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RE: My latest mods
Hi goff1256,
So far there are no problems running the air while trundling down the road--or for that matter while standing still and using battery power. The alternator is a Ford 3G or G3 130 amp-hour unit.
I have "beefed up" the charging path but would be interested in being able to "fool" the alternator into producing more power.
I do have dual battery banks--one of 500 amp-hours, and the original of 375 amp-hours and I can separate them, as well as charge either from solar, shore or alternator.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 09:20am |
Tech Issues
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My latest mods
Hi all,
I've added a 2nd thermostat--so now I can use both the heat strip and the furnace at the same time. The strategy will be to run off the heat strip as much as possible and set the furnace to come on at a slightly lower temperature.
As my next trip is to Florida--this mod won't be much use!
My other mod has been to replace my 2500 watt Cobra MSW with a 5000 watt pure sine wave inverter.
The Cobra could run any item in the RV but did struggle with the microwave. I think the new one will do as I want it to do and make my RV behave as if it were plugged into a 30 amp shore power outlet, while I'm trundling down the road.
This may prove very useful on the trip to Florida for I suspect the dash air will not be enough to keep the RV cool.
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pianotuna
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09/08/10 12:22am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Battery straps
Hi,
Find some 100% wool straps. It is more or less impervious to the strength of acid in a lead acid battery.
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 09:54pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery question or two..
Hi Dgrid39,
My Fridge uses 3500 watts in 24 hours, on the 110 volt setting. Since a *large* battery only stores about 1200 watts, and since for them to have a long life span we can only use 50% of that energy, to run the fridge on an inverter, six large deep cycle batteries would be needed--and then there needs to be some way to recharge them back to 100% state of charge.
The options are to run a generator, or to get over the propane fear.
My wife is really afraid of propane..Will the fridge start up automatically in the gas mode or is there something else I need to fire up other than turning the propane bottle on...
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 09:50pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Battery question or two..
Hi 88lover,
A group 27 lifeline has a 20 hour rate of 100 amp-hours. No way you want to take it down to 4 amp-hours or 4% state of charge.
Life Line capacities (scroll down)
If it draws 12A a 27 Lifeline would have a 5 hour reserve capacity
Lifeline Battery
Rated Cap.
Amp. Hrs
20 Hr Rate
100
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 04:23pm |
Truck Campers
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DC voltage drop to fridge
Hi,
I've read on rvnet that Norcold fridges will not tolerate voltages higher that 15.4. Is the same thing true for Dometic?
What about the other control boards in an RV?
Has anyone measured the voltage drop to the fridge control board?
My Blue Sky charge controller can equalize--at 15.5 volts, but I don't wish to burn out any of the control boards in my RV.
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 04:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: AGM Battery Lifespan?
Hi Mena,
If you are going Blue Sky on the charge controller the IPN remote does even more tracking than the Trimetric, and allows programing of the charge controller.
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 04:07pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Any generator deals? Any electric start gennys?
Hi,
If boondocking and no solar system, probably 2 to 3 hours a day of generator time may be needed to recharge the "house" batteries. Even an extremely frugal RV'er may use 40 amp-hours per day.
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 04:01pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Battery question or two..
Hi,
The fridges in general work very poorly on 12 volt. Better plan on some freezer packs or get an inverter. Or use propane.
My fridge draws 12 amps on the DC cooling setting, so 8 hours would be 96 amp-hours--way more than is recommended to draw from a single battery.
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pianotuna
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09/07/10 03:40pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: First time Boondocking
Hi dtalley,
First tell us how many hours per day you plan on running the air conditioner--and how many watts it uses while running.
As to not needing an air conditioner in BC or Calgary--those areas do get day time temperatures in the summer of 100 F. Air conditioners--are needed.
Gadget Guy and Mootpoint, I didn't think that my batteries would run my AC, Please help me understand what I need to do to use my AC on batteries. If I can do this I will sell my generator tomorrow.
As stated in my original post, I just needed the Gen. for AC, I not in BC or Calgary and an AC is needed here in Texas as stated before twice..
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pianotuna
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09/06/10 11:55pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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