Teardrop battery in the car? (and a fuse panel question)

[Jeff Bannow]

We are in the process of getting our first teardrop - a 2004 Little Guy 4' wide model. It currently has no electric inside, and we'd like to retrofit it with a battery system for a 17 day trip coming up in May.

Because I don't have a good place to put the battery, and because I want to be able to charge the battery every night if needed, I would like to make the battery removable.

My plan is this - have a charging cable wired to the trunk of my tow vehicle, and put a disconnect on it. Put a matching disconnect on the outside of the teardrop. After driving around and charging all day, I would then take the battery out of the trunk and attach it to the tear back at camp.

Is this a crazy / silly / dangerous idea?

Also, anyone have a recommendation for a fuse panel that uses automotive fuses? I'd like it to be under $50, have a cover, and a ground panel. I only need a couple of circuits - 3 or 4 maybe.

Thanks everyone! This forum is a great resource.

[ai4kk]

I plan to just have a 7a/hr gel-cell in my trailer and charge it through the vehicle connection. With LED lighting, this should last for a while, although in reality I will be running off the TV battery or a 110-12v adapter/charger most of the time.

[Miriam C.]

Sounds like a good idea to me. Be sure to put it in a battery box and you can get any number of fuse ideas at the auto store or a marine shop.

[bdosborn]

<snip>
My plan is this - have a charging cable wired to the trunk of my tow vehicle, and put a disconnect on it. Put a matching disconnect on the outside of the teardrop. After driving around and charging all day, I would then take the battery out of the trunk and attach it to the tear back at camp.

Is this a crazy / silly / dangerous idea?

Also, anyone have a recommendation for a fuse panel that uses automotive fuses? I'd like it to be under $50, have a cover, and a ground panel. I only need a couple of circuits - 3 or 4 maybe.

Thanks everyone! This forum is a great resource.

Its not a silly as you might think; this is how motor homes are set up, you just don't have to move the battery at the end of the day.

Try your local auto parts store like Miriam said and look for a Buss fuse block. This one is pretty cheap, but it doesn't have a cover. Buss does have versions with a ground bar. eBay is another source or try Westmarine.



Bruce

[Trackstriper]

You might leave the battery in the trunk and run a heavy duty AC extension cord to carry the 12v to the teardrop. But this would assume that your tow vehicle would be fairly close to the TD when you would want 12v power. The thought is, why lug the battery around? Just a possibility.

[eamarquardt]

You might leave the battery in the trunk and run a heavy duty AC extension cord to carry the 12v to the teardrop. But this would assume that your tow vehicle would be fairly close to the TD when you would want 12v power. The thought is, why lug the battery around? Just a possibility.

I agree! Lifting a battery in and out of the trunk might be a good way to strain yourself if you don't use proper technique. A while back I had to buy a new battery for my van. I drove my wife's car to the store, bought a new battery, and then put it into her trunk (which is always cluttered with "girl stuff"). Unbeknownst to me she, although she doesn't drink soda, had a soda can in the trunk and when I set the battery in I hit the can and it EXPLODED spraying my eyes with soda. Not knowing exactly what was going on my first thoughts were" "I've got acid in my eyes and I'm gonna be blinded!". After a few moments, that seemed like an eternity, I figured out the liquid was soda! Whew!!!!! Anyway, since then, the less I move and am in the "line of fire" of a potentially explosive battery, the happier I am. Maybe it's a rare event, but it does happen. So, I think putting the battery in a battery box that is really strapped down (why take chances of it getting free and starting a fire or expolding if you should have an accident) and using a 12 gauge (good for 20 amps) extension cord to connect the battery to the teardrop in the evening is a good option.

See this string:

http://tnttt.com/postin ... e&p=632838

If you keep the load on your battery light (as crusing sailors do) you could probably get by with a solar panel to charge the battery. That is my ultimate plan.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

[ai4kk]

That's what I plan to do....keep my load light. LED lighting, propane everything else. I may have to use a bigger deep-cycle battery if my fridge (which I do not have yet) needs 12V power, but I'll still set it up with a full-time battery in the trailer and a charging connection to the TV, preferably through the trailer lighting connection.

[Jeff Bannow]

Thanks for the advice everyone - keep it comin'.

The problem with the power load is that I'll be using a CPAP every night. I'm figuring I'll need to recharge every day or two.

Hmm .... choices ... the battery is going to be heavy. Of course I'm only 30, so I'm still dumb enough to sling around 80 pounds while vacationing.

[ai4kk]

According to the search results from googling 12v cpap, many CPAPs have 12v inputs. Skipping the inverter and powering it straight from the battery should give you a fairly long battery life considering that the machine isn't blowing that hard or pulling that much juice. Check out http://www.cpap-supply.com/Articles.asp?ID=146 for one manufaturer's take on that.