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Quick Learner, Need advice (Old school '86 Dolphin)

dexxsonic
Explorer
Explorer
So I'm weighing a couple options waiting for my '86 sunrader I just acquired (Built on a dolphin body) to get back from the shop for diagnostics of all the systems, 12 volt, 120 volt, water, etc. As of right now, I have three major issues that I know of, minus the water system, which i'm going to wait until i get the diagnostics to even worry about.

My 1st Question: My refrigerator is possibly broken beyond repair, and I'm looking into just replacing it anyways to get something consistent. After reading all the reviews on the domestic 2 and 3 way fridges, they seem to have the same problems they used to that caused the current one to be the way it is. I'd like to say "f*ck this" and get a cheap low wattage mini fridge, jerry rig it in place, and do a 200 watt solar setup to get it to run, along with 2 155 amp hour batteries, which allows the sytem to be easily expandable to about 400 watts with another battery. Most of the fridges I've looked at (after calculating their amp hours per day at about 60) would be able to run 4 days with no sunlight and no generator usage. If i add an extra battery and 200 watts of panels, i could run all the lights inside, which i'm replacing with LED bulbs, and my laptop i figure on good days. This is just what I've calculated and not exact, but i'm wondering, has anybody else done this? What were your results? Any luck with good 2 or 3 way models?

My 2nd question: When I got it, the A/C would run fine on the generator, but there was an issue. If I turned on the A/C, and then one light, it would run okay, but when I turned off the A/C, the light would flicker for 4-5 seconds, then a loud click in the vehicle (some sort of switch) and then the lights would no longer flicker, but they were suddenly running on battery. Recently, the A/C must have blown a fuse(?) because it cut out, and will only run on shore power now. It's an old generator (as far as i can tell hasn't been replaced in the last 15 years at least), and i think it might be the exact wattage needed by the A/C at peak. I'll be replacing it for sure, but what else could be causing this? Should i look at the inverter? (They may just diagnose this where i'm getting it fixed but I kind of want to find the solution myself)

And my 3rd problem: I don't understand how the general power works. I understand there's a generator, and it makes power at 120v, 30amp for RV setups normally. Does this system allow a Battery to be charged? Most of the generator's i've looked (Unless inverter generators) didn't have a 12v plug on them too, does a seperate inverter work the other way (to allow battery charging?) . Where does all the switching occur for the systems to switch from generator to battery(at the circuit breaker?)Is the front battery in the same loop or is it independant to stop you from overusing your starting battery?

Sorry i know it's a lot of questions i'm just a little lost. ๐Ÿ™‚
2 REPLIES 2

Matt_Colie
Explorer II
Explorer II
Dexx,

You have asked a lot more than the three question you think you asked and answers are more than a little complex.

Vocabulary for today:
A Converter make 12VDC from 120VAC.
A Converter/Charger makes 12VDC from 120VAC, but has the control to safely recharge the house bank.
An Inverter makes 120VAC from 12VDC.

For #1, Yes, you can put in a mini-reefer and use a serious inverter to run it from a bank. It will take a serious bank to run it more than a day. The starting load of the Chinese compressor will require a larger inverter than you might think. The power consumption is also always great than published. Your 60AH/D is probably very optimistic. Then there is the fact that the condenser is the sides of the unit and must be in free air to cool. I don't what jars you think are 155AH, but you have to remember that you can only use about an half of that before the jar is damaged. If you are thinking of single 12V jars and putting them in parallel, think again. Lead acid (LA) batteries do not play nicely in parallel. You would be much better off with 220ah golfcart jars in pairs in series.

You say broken beyond repair. Did you investigate any of the rebuilt cooling units? Usually about an half of the cost of a new. On DC or AC, they eat power too. But on propane they run forever.

So Much For Reefers for now.

For your second, without any information about the equipment, my best guess is that you have an antique charger/converter that is switching out for some reason. These were old uncontrolled brutes that had both a 12V supply section and an battery charge section because they had nothing like the control required to change a bank of jars and not fry ever lightbulb. It sounds like is it deciding that the AC supply has faulted when you shut down the A/C and so puts the house back on the house bank. Replace that with a good 3 or 4 stage smart charger. (Look at Iota or Progressive Dynamics.)

About the third, Both shore power and the APU (genset-generator) supply the unit with 120VAC for the system that uses it. It is rare that this device also charges anything. Typically, there is a Converter/Charger that is powered by what ever AC is sees and it charges the house bank and supplies power to the 12VDC system.

The main engine start battery should be completely isolated from the above unless someone has added a specific charger for that.

If this is not a complete answer the questions posed, try again.

Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dogs (one dear dog is waiting for us at the bridge) going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.

mahaney
Explorer
Explorer
I cant help on issue #1, but issue #2 sounds like you need to check your breaker or fuse from the generator. It sounds like you blew something inline, if not the actual breaker for the A/C.

Issue #3- yes you should have an converter to change the 120V AC to DC for both coach battery charging as well as running your lights inside. From what I have seen, the coverter will be right next to your AC breakers as that is where you get the power for them. The engine battery should be a separate system.

J