12 volt Refrigerators

Gdetrailer wrote:

JRscooby wrote:

NRALIFR wrote:

I don’t have solar panels right now, although I could add some now that I have a DC-DC charger that has a solar input. I may add some someday, but for now taking advantage of the charging potential available while driving was a better fit for our traveling and camping style. Up to 40 amps whenever the engine is running. Our trips usually involve a lot of driving, sometimes at night when solar doesn’t seem to work very well, so I needed something I could depend on more.

I have had a off the wall idea for somebody that sets up the camper then spends part of most days out and about in the TV. How mush power does the camper use while you're out? I would think a small battery could handle that for a week or so. Now mount another battery, big enough to handle normal loads for a couple of days on the TV. Driving would keep that battery charged, just hook to camper when get back. Might need to switch batteries if don't move often enough to keep trailer charged...

I am sure there are folks doing this, however, I suspect most folks would get pretty tired of shuffling around 80lb-160lb batteries on a daily basis.

Not to mention even if you had a direct line on the TV to the depleted batteries you would find that the depleted batteries would not get enough charge to warrant this kind of hassle.

Instead, you would have to use some sort of DC-DC charging system or 120V inverter to 12V converter/charger that boosts the TV's voltage up to a higher voltage in order to ever affect any appreciable charge on the depleted batteries.

Then you would have to be running your vehicle for hours and hours non stop. Most times you rarely will need to run a vehicle more than half hr one way and half hr back unless you are planning to take 6hr each way "day trips". Not going to be much charging happening with short trips.

Cost in building up such a system and cost in work plus cost of daily hassle = not worth it to me. That's a younger man's game, over the years I have wised up and look for LESS WORK.

Far better to size the battery bank for the loads and run time expected/needed between charging and perhaps add in some solar to round out and extend your time a bit.

No free meals, no free energy, you have to pay for it somewhere..

If your gonna camp with no commercial power, manup, buy enough batteries and solar to do the job or run a generator.. Anything else is a lot of hassle added to your camping, I don't know about you, but myself, my priority is not attending to more hassle and work and I am not afraid of pulling the gen starter cord if needed if it means less hassle..

As said, it could be done. Torklift makes a dandy looking little aux battery system that hangs off the truck frame. Of course you have to get the battery up there, and that’s the problem for me as well. Shoulder injuries and surgery make that an impossible task. It’s hard enough getting the single group 31 AGM that weighs 75 lbs into the battery compartment that can only hold that one battery. I have to get on a ladder so I don’t have to pull it up above my waistline. Fortunately, once it’s there, it pretty much stays there. I don’t really want batteries in the truck bed either, as clearances are pretty tight there already.

If I couldn’t count on the amount of road time we typically have on our trips, solar would definitely look better to me. Right now, there would be very little return for the time and money spent. That may change once we no longer have some business to mix with our pleasure, but I’m not totally counting on it. We do like to travel around a lot, and as far as I’m concerned we have a very workable system. The availability of the DC-DC charger will always be higher than solar.

:):)