generator vs batter bank w/ inverter

[Scott_Malkinson]

Hey guys. Im building an expedite van and im not sure which way I want to go for power usage. I will need to power an espar heater, rooftop a/c, ( coleman cub 9200 btu ) tv, laptop, small lights, possibly an xbox and possibly a small little refrigerator. The 1.7 cubic foot kind. I will need a generator for the rooftop a/c regardless and a battery for the espar.

So, my options are: Larger generator for everything ( I was thinking champion 3500 or 3100 watt inverter generator ) and a single deep cycle battery for the espar. I think the espar can wire directly to the battery so no need for an inverter. Or A large battery bank with an inverter for everything other than the a/c and a smaller generator for the a/c. Get a larger or second alternator to charge the battery bank when im driving, which will probably be everyday, but I may have to sit for several days at times.

Im leaning toward the larger generator and a single battery because it sounds much simpler and don't have to worry about losing power at all. Plus, im going to have to buy a generator anyway for the a/c, but to be honest im a pretty big idiot about this kind of thing so I really don't know what the advantages of either are. I would love to hear some opinions. I also see some people with a battery bank AND a larger generator to charge the bank. If youre going to run a large generator anyway, why not just power directly off the generator and save the money and hassle of a battery bank?

[pianotuna]

Hi Scott,

Before you rule out LI, work out the cost per cycle. You may find that it is quite competitive with AGM.

Scott Malkinson wrote:
Just checked the price on the Lithiums. Those are out. Im just going to go with a large agm. Thanks for the help, guys.

[Scott_Malkinson]

Just checked the price on the Lithiums. Those are out. Im just going to go with a large agm. Thanks for the help, guys.

[Scott_Malkinson]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Scott,

LI are about as far away from lead acid AGM's as you can get.

The only commonalities are that they are both sealed, and both store electrical energy.

Scott Malkinson wrote:
So about the lithium batteries...are they a separate type than agm, or just a different version of agm? Sorry to sound ignorant of all this, but I am.

Ok, thanks. Time to start researching the LIs

[pianotuna]

Hi Scott,

LI are about as far away from lead acid AGM's as you can get.

The only commonalities are that they are both sealed, and both store electrical energy.

Scott Malkinson wrote:
So about the lithium batteries...are they a separate type than agm, or just a different version of agm? Sorry to sound ignorant of all this, but I am.

[Scott_Malkinson]

So about the lithium batteries...are they a separate type than agm, or just a different version of agm? Sorry to sound ignorant of all this, but I am.

[Scott_Malkinson]

booster wrote:

Strabo wrote:
Go with the genny and one quality battery. Fuel is easy to carry and it's cheap. The new gennys are fuel efficient and produce all the power you need, for what ever length of time you use it.

You should look into a better battery charger also. You could later add in a solar kit to help offset charging.

See, this works and saves $$$

And noisy, smelly, and banned a bunch of places :), not to mention carrying fuel if it is not a built in, and exercising it.

Unless you need air conditioning, it has gotten fairly easy to have all the rest of the powered amenities without running a generator. Our rarely use Onan has gone on to a new home, and we have never missed it for a second or had an occasion that we couldn't run what we wanted.

Most truck stops allow inverter generators. I'm going to be running air conditioning, so I'm going to need a gen for that. I will try to run most of my other stuff off battery.

[Scott_Malkinson]

Strabo wrote:
Go with the genny and one quality battery. Fuel is easy to carry and it's cheap. The new gennys are fuel efficient and produce all the power you need, for what ever length of time you use it.

You should look into a better battery charger also. You could later add in a solar kit to help offset charging.

See, this works and saves $$$

I guess I'm going to have to as I can't have 300 pounds of battery. What do you mean better charger. I never said the brand, just a 3 stage.

[Scott_Malkinson]

time2roll wrote:
'solar' battery is more marketing gimmick than different chemistry or construction.

Pair of those will work fine. Just 260Ah total in series.

Light weight is going to be lithium and a bit spendy. Lots of advantages and longer life to go with it.

Oh, I guess I need two 12v to get double the ah. In that case I'll just go with a single 12v and have to charge it more often.

[booster]

Strabo wrote:
Go with the genny and one quality battery. Fuel is easy to carry and it's cheap. The new gennys are fuel efficient and produce all the power you need, for what ever length of time you use it.

You should look into a better battery charger also. You could later add in a solar kit to help offset charging.

See, this works and saves $$$

And noisy, smelly, and banned a bunch of places :), not to mention carrying fuel if it is not a built in, and exercising it.

Unless you need air conditioning, it has gotten fairly easy to have all the rest of the powered amenities without running a generator. Our rarely use Onan has gone on to a new home, and we have never missed it for a second or had an occasion that we couldn't run what we wanted.

[pianotuna]

wrong thread

[Strabo]

Go with the genny and one quality battery. Fuel is easy to carry and it's cheap. The new gennys are fuel efficient and produce all the power you need, for what ever length of time you use it.

You should look into a better battery charger also. You could later add in a solar kit to help offset charging.

See, this works and saves $$$

[Trackrig]

Scott Malkinson wrote:
Oh, one more thing. I see some batteries labeled 'solar'. I am not using solar panels. Are those specifically for solar set ups, or can I use them for what I am talking about?

Me thinks that's just another gimmick like a "solar ready" RV......

Bill

[time2roll]

'solar' battery is more marketing gimmick than different chemistry or construction.

Pair of those will work fine. Just 260Ah total in series.

Light weight is going to be lithium and a bit spendy. Lots of advantages and longer life to go with it.

[Scott_Malkinson]

What do you guys think about wiring two of these? US Battery USAGM250 6 Volt 260Ah Maintenance Free Sealed AGM Battery