College Student & Full Time"RV" Living

Hi,

I see you have given up on the electric heater. Redo your math with this chart in mind.



And yes, it is for AGM batteries.

Where do you plan to eat inside the van?

How will you keep warm?

When you are not in the van, how will you keep the portapotty from freezing?

Grim_Knight wrote:
I did the math and so far, the only flaw in my plan is the total amount of power being provided by the batteries and what is needed to charge them.
Power requirements:
CPAP machine = 2.2A (17.6A total draw during a normal 8 hour night)
Coleman 40-qt. Road Trip Cooler = 4A (96A total draw in 24 hours max)
Laptop = 9.5A (max) (47.5A over 5 hours max use inside van)
21.5" Heavy Duty Swivel Utility LED Light Bar with Rocker Switch x2 = 1700mA (8.5A max over 5 hours)

Not accounting for the fact that Laptop will be charged in school most of the time and not drawing full power every time it's used, lights will only be on at night most of the time, and when CPAP machine is running, laptop and lights will not be running because I will be asleep.
Grand total = 17.3A (max per hour) (169.6A max use in 24 hours)

Based on the math, I would need 2 190A AGM batteries to supply the total amount of power I would need at max drain. 3 190A batteries would provide:

190A per battery x 3 batteries = 570A
570A / 2 (50% discharge) = 285A
285A - 169.6A (max drain per 24 hours) = 115.4A reserve

Again, this is a max usage which likely won't happen. I will be charging my laptop in class most days. I also don't actually plan to spend every minute not in class, in the van. These figures only assume 8 hours of sleep with only the cooler/fridge and CPAP machine running. Waking up and getting ready for class at 6am, being in class from 8-4 daily. And being in the van from 5pm-10pm. And after some research, I found a place to park for the night where I can get power, food, fuel and whatever else I need for the week within 6 miles of my college of choice. Pilot/Flying Js

I know there are other ways to provide power to the batteries such as solar and the van's alternator. I'm not going to focus on solar for now, that's something to deal with later. The van's alternator is an option yet to be decided upon and the wiring issue is something I need to plan out. But I also know that I can spend a little bit of effort to find friendly locations to hook up to "shore power" to provide for charging without using the generator.


I'm not looking to do a whole lot of work on the van to make it livable. By the time I am able to purchase a van, it will be April so I won't need to do a whole lot of work. I have no intention of doing a full conversion. Only installing some insulation to help keep the inside cool during the summer and warm during the winter. I will not be installing any furniture except for the bed/futon I will use to sleep/sit on. No cabinets will be installed, only shelves and some storage containers. The insulation and walls will be the only permanent installations in the van.