How many amp-hours?
Hi! I would like your opinions. I have an ATC Panther (pop-up TC) that we are building out. The TC came with a 79 amp-hr battery, which we found to be insufficient. So what does our rig warrant in ter...
Forum Discussion
theoldwizard1 wrote:
For batteries, I recommend a pair of 6V golf cart batteries. That is about 225 AH @ 12V. These would be cheaper and store more energy than a pair of dual purpose marine/RV batteries. AGM golf cart batteries are available but are $$$ !
The real issue is recharging, especially when shaded or during short days. I think you are going to need more solar panels than you can practically mount on a TC.
This means a generator or a DC-DC battery charger (and running the truck engine for hours) is a must !
Don't forget a good battery monitor like a Victron BMV-700 !
Yep, already got a Renogy Rover 20 Amp 12V/24V MPPT Common Positive Solar Charge Controller. :C
jaycocreek wrote:
Just a side note on your Dometic CFX cooler..I have seen countless reviews of all the portable compressor refer's seeing just how long they will run on battery power..
As an example,the CFX-50 will run about 60 hours on the 500 WH Jackery power station which is equal to a good group 24 battery at 50%..84 amp hours to watt hours is 1008wh but at 50%,which is he lowest you want to go with a 12V battery,it is 504wh or the same as a power station with 500 watt hours..
So in 60 hours of running the refer for the CFX refer alone,you would be out of juice or at 50% on that group 24 battery in alittle over two days...
I run my Engel refer on a stand alone battery with a volt readout and all the other stuff on other batteries...The refer alone draws more than people realize,depending on which model you get/temp and how often it is opened...Dometic public numbers are alittle deceiving compared to actual use..
Yea, unfortunately, we are poster children for the "Believing the low power draw" on the CFX-50. 35-40% discharge after a day on average on a 79 Ah battery, and I unplug the fridge at night. So it's using 30-ish Ah in a day (and this is not in 100-degree heat either!). We have been camping numerous times for up to 3-weeks at a time in the last year with the fridge and it's pretty consistent.
pianotuna wrote:
More amp-hours is better so long as there is a way to fully recharge the bank assuming lead acid jars.
Yep, we have been trying to figure out a way to carry a generator. I was thinking of removing the connection between the alternator and the TC battery, but now I am not so sure (at least til we have a generator).
