What's next? Moving inside.
ok, as some of you know we are in the process of rebuilding (more like building) a 76 Amerigo Truck Camper. For others, this is what we have done so far... All framing (90% new) complete All 3 vents...
Forum Discussion
Pay attention to battery charging and maintenance - so I would look at getting solar with a good charge controller - ideally a Max Power Point Tracker (MPPT). This will maintain your battery all year around as well as providing extra charge when camping.
Make sure you use a good thickness of wire from the alternator to the camper battery to avoid voltage drop due to resistance. We have fitted a DC-to-DC charger (trades off amps versus volts to give the optimal charging voltage at any time for the battery) - though for most people that is overkill.
Similarly when wiring for fridge make sure you use much thicker wire than the current alone would require - if you move to a compressor fridge you might need that - we did (start-up current was higher than expected).
I would also look at an accurate battery monitor - you can then optimise your battery life by ensuring you don't allow the charge to go too low.
Use LED lights to reduce battery load.
Pay attention to the battery charging from 110v hook-up. I believe many converters are just for powering 12v electrics, not for properly charging a battery. Look at a multi-stage intelligent battery charger (or a converter that includes one).
I'm currently replacing my converter with a custom built control panel. One thing I am including is a couple of battery isolators so that I can easily isolate both solar and battery power if I have a problem or need to perform maintenance.
Include plenty of both 110v and 12v sockets at various places around the interior of the camper so you can easily plug things in in convenient places rather than trailing wires around the place.
Good luck on the rebuild.
Steve.
Make sure you use a good thickness of wire from the alternator to the camper battery to avoid voltage drop due to resistance. We have fitted a DC-to-DC charger (trades off amps versus volts to give the optimal charging voltage at any time for the battery) - though for most people that is overkill.
Similarly when wiring for fridge make sure you use much thicker wire than the current alone would require - if you move to a compressor fridge you might need that - we did (start-up current was higher than expected).
I would also look at an accurate battery monitor - you can then optimise your battery life by ensuring you don't allow the charge to go too low.
Use LED lights to reduce battery load.
Pay attention to the battery charging from 110v hook-up. I believe many converters are just for powering 12v electrics, not for properly charging a battery. Look at a multi-stage intelligent battery charger (or a converter that includes one).
I'm currently replacing my converter with a custom built control panel. One thing I am including is a couple of battery isolators so that I can easily isolate both solar and battery power if I have a problem or need to perform maintenance.
Include plenty of both 110v and 12v sockets at various places around the interior of the camper so you can easily plug things in in convenient places rather than trailing wires around the place.
Good luck on the rebuild.
Steve.
