Toyhauler Power System Build
I’m starting a thread here about the power system I’m installing in the trailer I’m building. Most of it will be a copy and paste from another thread I have going over at SBR. Here’s the opening po...
Forum Discussion
Cee
We're currently burning between 300-450Ah daily depending on how much time we spend inside due to weather. Bad weather means little solar power and lots of consumption.
I run a 80qt Engel 12v refer/freezer @ 4.4Ah (>50% est duty cycle), Two Ham radios @ 1.8AH idling, and the inverter 24/7 so we get all the satellite DVR stuff recording. In the summer time, I heat the water heater on 120V with the extra power that we won't use. Wonder if they make a 12v heater element?
We have seen as much as 510Ah harvested on a summer day but we're down to around 200Ah right now, so generator run time within a few days is inevitable this time of year. LED's will help a lot as would LED LCD TV's. The 32" TV that came in the trailer draws 12Ah alone.
You will likely see a couple % better on your PV charging efficiency since it looks like you are going with low voltage panels. I went with a setup more optimized for winter and smaller cable runs by using higher input voltages to the charge controller.
Did I see you were going to install tilt brackets for your panels too? That could help too. I didn't because I really didn't want the extra setup time and possible noise associated with moving parts on the roof in the wind.
I read through your whole build thread and forwarded it to my wife. We both love you durability and utility concepts.
Maybe we will build our next hauler?
We're currently burning between 300-450Ah daily depending on how much time we spend inside due to weather. Bad weather means little solar power and lots of consumption.
I run a 80qt Engel 12v refer/freezer @ 4.4Ah (>50% est duty cycle), Two Ham radios @ 1.8AH idling, and the inverter 24/7 so we get all the satellite DVR stuff recording. In the summer time, I heat the water heater on 120V with the extra power that we won't use. Wonder if they make a 12v heater element?
We have seen as much as 510Ah harvested on a summer day but we're down to around 200Ah right now, so generator run time within a few days is inevitable this time of year. LED's will help a lot as would LED LCD TV's. The 32" TV that came in the trailer draws 12Ah alone.
You will likely see a couple % better on your PV charging efficiency since it looks like you are going with low voltage panels. I went with a setup more optimized for winter and smaller cable runs by using higher input voltages to the charge controller.
Did I see you were going to install tilt brackets for your panels too? That could help too. I didn't because I really didn't want the extra setup time and possible noise associated with moving parts on the roof in the wind.
I read through your whole build thread and forwarded it to my wife. We both love you durability and utility concepts.
Maybe we will build our next hauler?
