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fttang's avatar
fttang
Explorer
Feb 22, 2014

newbie battery and electrical question

Hi all,
new to the forum, bought a 04 E350 to do a camper conversion.

so i am considering the electrical things now,
just got a norcold 740bb fridge that draws 3.75amp under 12v mode,
planning to get a roof AC unit, seems most of them draws around 10amp on 12v.
will not have microwave or water heater. but maybe a tv and some speakers.

for the battery i am considering 2 lifeline GPL-4CT, because they are under $300 a piece and 220 usable amp-hour seems about enough for me(24 hours of fridge running and 10 hours of AC, plus a few other things)

the website i am shopping with recommends powermax chargers,
the 45 amp model has:
14.6 Boost Mode Output
13.6 Normal Mode Output
13.2 Float (trickle) Mode Output

how does this set up look? any recommendation? i don't want spend too much on the batteries so $600 is pretty much the limit, the charger is $150 on the same website.

and for the charger, i've read that you are only supposed to use this kind of 4 stage charger on the agm batteries, is there a 12v version out there so i can charge the agm house battery when the van is running? there were a person in this post was using 12v to 110v converter to draw power from engine generator and power the 110v charger to charge the house battery, i am assuming he is doing that because 12v 4 stage battery charger does not exist?

how about generators? what size(watts) am i looking at(with charger, fridge, and roof AC working under 110v)? any recommendations?
Class B

30 Replies

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  • stan909's avatar
    stan909
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    Go to sportsmobileforum.com they have info on DIY builds and lots of Ford info as well.truckfridge.com is a popular choice for less expensive but well made compressor fridges.
  • fttang's avatar
    fttang
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    ffjeff wrote:
    I would got to FORD and get a body builders handbook for your E series. Ford produces these to prevent up fitters, especially from the RV industry from doing things that will void the warranty and more importantly something that will affect safety. It is part of the FORD QVM program.
    All the power tap points are there, shielding requirements, rear AC, body areas that you can cut etc. Great reference for all the chassis wiring as well.


    thanks for the input,
    i only found this manual type that seems would come with incomplete vehicles, something like this
    https://www.fleet.ford.com/TRUCKBBAS/non-html/2004/04ivm_eseries.pdf

    i only plan on drill a couple of round hole for electric and water on the side panel anyway so that's probably not a problem.
    would be interested in the other things you mentioned but couldn't find those info in the on i found.
  • fttang's avatar
    fttang
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    booster wrote:
    The roof AC has to be 10 amps at 120 volts. Ask Roadtrek how long they can run the AC in the e-trek. They have 800AH of 12v battery power, and despite initial big claims, now most are saying they can run air maybe 4-5 hours. They also have solar and a 3500+ watt engine generator.

    You don't need to have the engine power changed to AC, and then back again to charge the batteries, it will do it directly, and if you want to get the good 3 step charging, you can get a 12v to 12v multistep charger from folks like Sterling.

    The frig will probably use in the range of 30 to 60 AH per day, so if you want to stay in the 50% discharge range, it alone would get you to charge point in two days.

    Personally, I would chose a Sterling charger over the Powermax, but Powermax isn't bad either.


    i misread, you are right, roof ac is 10amp 120v.
    if i get a 12v to 12v charger, will it be able to draw from a 110v to 12v converter so that i can charge my battery when connected to shore power?

    i am new to the whole rv thing so realizing AC draws that much power is a little surprising to me, what do people usually do when dry camping in hotter climates? large enough battery bank would be cost-prohibitive, that leaves generator the only option?
    what about place like national parks where you are not allowed to run generator during the night?

    i had this really miserable experience when i was in florida last summer sleeping in my passat wagon at everglades, ended up idling the engine all night, luckily there weren't anyone else so we weren't bothering anyone with noise or exhaust.

    because i want AC in the new camper badly, but now i am a little lost.
    i did find a portable AC that only draws around 4.5amp(110v), so maybe run that for 5 hours with 2 220ah battery?
  • fttang's avatar
    fttang
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    full_mosey wrote:
    fttang wrote:



    Two 100AH 12V AGMs from Sams Club will yield 200AHs for $360(2 x $180), or about half the cost.

    AGMs do not require a multistage charger, and certainly NOT a 4 stage. Stage 4 is usually a high voltage stage designed for flooded batteries to stir the liquid. AGM's acid does not stratify and actually cannot be stirred.

    AGMs do benefit from a charger that monitors the battery temperature. This precludes the use of inappropriate high Voltages which may harm the AGM.

    Look at the Parallax Powermode charger for around $175.

    HTH;
    John


    actually the lifeline is rated at 220ah each for ~$290,
    but as i was browsing, i found the trojan t105 flooded deep cycle,
    there are quite some good words about them, the best part is they are 225ah and $140 each.
    since there isn't really a capacity or performance difference with agm and flooded, i may go with flooded after all.

    for the charger part, i always thought agm needs special charger, since starting batteries are also flooded and not stage charged.
    so you are saying if i get agm i can wire them to the starting battery simply using an isolator and let the alternator charge it, but if i get flooded i will need stage charger?
  • full_mosey's avatar
    full_mosey
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    fttang wrote:
    Hi all,
    new to the forum, bought a 04 E350 to do a camper conversion.

    ...

    for the battery i am considering 2 lifeline GPL-4CT, because they are under $300 a piece and 220 usable amp-hour seems about enough for me(24 hours of fridge running and 10 hours of AC, plus a few other things)

    the website i am shopping with recommends powermax chargers,
    the 45 amp model has:
    14.6 Boost Mode Output
    13.6 Normal Mode Output
    13.2 Float (trickle) Mode Output

    how does this set up look? any recommendation? i don't want spend too much on the batteries so $600 is pretty much the limit, the charger is $150 on the same website.

    and for the charger, i've read that you are only supposed to use this kind of 4 stage charger on the agm batteries, is there a 12v version out there so i can charge the agm house battery when the van is running? there were a person in this post was using 12v to 110v converter to draw power from engine generator and power the 110v charger to charge the house battery, i am assuming he is doing that because 12v 4 stage battery charger does not exist?

    ...


    Two 100AH 12V AGMs from Sams Club will yield 200AHs for $360(2 x $180), or about half the cost.

    AGMs do not require a multistage charger, and certainly NOT a 4 stage. Stage 4 is usually a high voltage stage designed for flooded batteries to stir the liquid. AGM's acid does not stratify and actually cannot be stirred.

    AGMs do benefit from a charger that monitors the battery temperature. This precludes the use of inappropriate high Voltages which may harm the AGM.

    Look at the Parallax Powermode charger for around $175.

    HTH;
    John
  • ffjeff's avatar
    ffjeff
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    I would got to FORD and get a body builders handbook for your E series. Ford produces these to prevent up fitters, especially from the RV industry from doing things that will void the warranty and more importantly something that will affect safety. It is part of the FORD QVM program.
    All the power tap points are there, shielding requirements, rear AC, body areas that you can cut etc. Great reference for all the chassis wiring as well.
  • booster's avatar
    booster
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    The roof AC has to be 10 amps at 120 volts. Ask Roadtrek how long they can run the AC in the e-trek. They have 800AH of 12v battery power, and despite initial big claims, now most are saying they can run air maybe 4-5 hours. They also have solar and a 3500+ watt engine generator.

    You don't need to have the engine power changed to AC, and then back again to charge the batteries, it will do it directly, and if you want to get the good 3 step charging, you can get a 12v to 12v multistep charger from folks like Sterling.

    The frig will probably use in the range of 30 to 60 AH per day, so if you want to stay in the 50% discharge range, it alone would get you to charge point in two days.

    Personally, I would chose a Sterling charger over the Powermax, but Powermax isn't bad either.
  • Roman_Duck's avatar
    Roman_Duck
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2014
    Ac units might run at a 10 amp draw atfer start up, but will need more amps to draw at intial start up. I'd be very interested in a 12 volt AC, What brand makes a 12 volt?. How many BTUs will the a/c produce?. I'm sure that there is a relationship between btus and amp draw
    I'm not profiecent at any of this, but intend to follow your thread.
    Please post your conclusions, and performance on your final system.
    Be great if you can run all needed, on batteries for 24 hrs before recharging.
    Good luck!
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Feb 22, 2014
    A roof top AC that draws 10 amps at 12v? Did you mean 10A at 120V?

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