Viking Pop-up

[Oscar_P]

I'm picking up a Viking pop-up truck camper in the next couple of days. Need to get it ready for a trip in July to the mountains where I will not have shore power to plug into. I know a generator will be useful, but I'd like to avoid using one for as long as possible and definitely not through the night. So I have a few questions.

The first, the camper does not currently have a plug like most RV's (the large 7-pin plug), instead it simply has a 4-pin that I'm assuming will run the running lights and tail lights. My electrical needs for this trip are interior lights, furnace, phone charger, and laptop charger. Is it reasonable to think I can get this from the pickup batteries or do I need to get something more substantial designed before July?

I don't mind installing or redesigning whatever is needed to make things work for my purposes, but I would prefer to wait to start modifying things until after the trip to avoid down time.

[Oscar_P]

So, where to go from here?

My guess is, its time to look at what batteries to use that will power my electrical needs for the trip, then I can find what components are needed to charge those batteries from the solar panel I mentioned before.

Any insight or personal experience on the converter itself would be great. I'm also looking for recommendations on batteries. I was looking at the Group 31 automotive batteries due to being familiar with them and knowing they can handle our large equipment on the ranch and or diesel pickups, however, over the weekend I got turned on to the Trojan T105 (or replacement versions of it).

I need the battery budget to stay sub $120 per battery in order to keep everything on track, and obviously the less I HAVE to spend the more I can turn that savings around for other parts of the preparation process.

Any advice is good advice. Thanks everyone who is walking me through this.

[Oscar_P]

I return from the weekend one camper richer and with a little more information to share. I want to first say thanks to those that are following me with this and helping me work out the details.

So it appears the converter in the camper is a BW Series 6400 Model 6406. There is a switch on in showing Conv.-Off-Batt., and I have no reason at the moment to suspect the converter is not working properly. What little research I have been able to do has shown that this converter WILL NOT charge the batteries.

The furnace is a very basic setup. There were not any markings on the front and I did not have the time to dig into the cabinets to get make/model on it. However, I was able to determine that it is propane/electric. Propane for the heat and of course electric for the fan.

[work2much]

Oscar P wrote:
I'll bump this back up when I get it home and able to dig deeper into it. Like I said, I appreciate all the help to this point.


One more quick question to occupy my mind until then. I did some looking at my solar panel last night. It shows to be rated at 315w@9A. From what I have read, this should be adequate to charge two batteries in a day's time. Does this sound accurate to others? Would be nice if I could cut the truck electrical out of the equation all together and run only on solar.

315w @ 9A would be 35volts which is fine but you will need an MPPT solar charger to convert the high voltage into what the battery needs. 315 w will be good power for the uses you describe.

[Oscar_P]

I'll bump this back up when I get it home and able to dig deeper into it. Like I said, I appreciate all the help to this point.


One more quick question to occupy my mind until then. I did some looking at my solar panel last night. It shows to be rated at 315w@9A. From what I have read, this should be adequate to charge two batteries in a day's time. Does this sound accurate to others? Would be nice if I could cut the truck electrical out of the equation all together and run only on solar.

[ticki2]

With that vintage TC it could very well have a convection furnace which would require no electric power . My 78 Coachman pop up trailer had one .It also had a converter to switch to 12v when on shore power , but no charger or battery . Tell us more when you get it .

[Oscar_P]

MWJones wrote:
Oscar,
There are so many unknowns that we really can't help you. You need to get the camper home to you and find out all the things that has been talked about.
Good Luck and enjoy your adventure.

Y'all are actually helping me quite a bit and I want to say thanks for that. Although I haven't been able to confirm all the needed information just yet, it has helped clarify a few things for me and focus into a game plan of sorts.

[wnjj]

RickW wrote:
Have you confirmed that the furnace and interior lights will run on 12 volts? If so, what was the original source of 12 v power.

It's very possible the only source of 12V in the camper comes from a 120V-12V converter. A late 80's tent trailer my sister owned had a system similar to that, but you could switch the interior power from converter to battery (either or). The converter didn't charge the battery. His camper may just have a converter direct to 12V in which case he could option in a battery with a switch.

[work2much]

The furnace is probably your only concern. If the starter batteries are going to be used to power the camper I would install a LVCO (low voltage cut off) leaving enough juice to start the truck in the morning. Personally I would add a separate battery for the camper, throw a cheap solar kit on it and not worry about using your starter battery as a deep cycle rv battery.

[maddog348]

At least give us a clue as to age. Only 'google' seems to show from the 1990's. If so you really have a project ahead of you. JM2¢ YMMV

[MWJones]

Oscar,
There are so many unknowns that we really can't help you. You need to get the camper home to you and find out all the things that has been talked about.
Good Luck and enjoy your adventure.

[joerg68]

I can not recommend any specific brand for LED lights.

Just replace the bulbs with the correct replacement LED light that fits the original socket. You will probably see that some 21W bulbs are now replaced with 1 or 1.5W. They use a lot less energy and create less heat. Note that there are very "cold" bulbs and "warmer" ones, meaning the light temperature - where cold means more blueish and around 5000K temperature, and warm means more yellowish at 3600-4000K temperature. Neither is better or worse, it depends on your personal preference. The warm light is more like the original incandescent bulbs.

[Oscar_P]

RickW wrote:
Question:

Have you confirmed that the furnace and interior lights will run on 12 volts? If so, what was the original source of 12 v power.

One or two extra batteries in the truck bed and a switchable connection to the truck charging system will get you on your way. A small battery charger will keep you going when you have access to shore power. A small power inverter will service small electronic chargers and power supplies.

Solar panels or small generator will extend boondocking time.

Was the pantry originally a refrigerator or just an ice box?

Hope this helps,

I have not confirmed this, what determines this? I would guess the inverter? To my current knowledge, they furnace and lights work from the shore line. Will have to get the camper home to look into the inverter more and determine anything else besides that.

Once out to the campsite, we'll be there a week. So once I leave shore power it'll be a week before its accessible again. Not apposed to the generator if I run it the same time everyone else does, but I know they only run theirs to recharge their systems, so don't want to be the guy running mine the entire time just for a little light and warmth.

I do have access to a very large solar panel that I can install on the roof. I'm working on getting the specs for it now, however, I am also trying to flood my brain with the information on how to hook up a solar panel to charge batteries.

I can't answer the question about the pantry hole, I just know it is there. With as basic as the camper is, you could be right in that it was just an icebox.

It does help, gives me more trails to follow in working this thing out.

[RickW]

Question:

Have you confirmed that the furnace and interior lights will run on 12 volts? If so, what was the original source of 12 v power.

One or two extra batteries in the truck bed and a switchable connection to the truck charging system will get you on your way. A small battery charger will keep you going when you have access to shore power. A small power inverter will service small electronic chargers and power supplies.

Solar panels or small generator will extend boondocking time.

Was the pantry originally a refrigerator or just an ice box?

Hope this helps,

[Oscar_P]

What do I need to look for to get a good quality energy saving LED? Is it just a brand name thing, or are there certain specs to watch for?