HALLMARK 6X12 CONVERSION

[flboy]

No, that is fine. That is the bulk charge level and the charger will taper that down to absorption level and then float around 13.5V. If it is charging at 14.2, then the battery is not above or is approaching 80% charge yet regardless of what the % says. Those % charge measurements aren't necessarily accurate.

No worries. Just keep an eye on battery water level now that you have a 24/7 charger on it.

You experimenting with the fridge yet?

BTW.. did you mean .44A instead of .44V?

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[Tommy B]

No, that is fine. That is the bulk charge level and the charger will taper that down to absorption level and then float around 13.5V. If it is charging at 14.2, then the battery is not above or is approaching 80% charge yet regardless of what the % says. Those % charge measurements aren't necessarily accurate.

No worries. Just keep an eye on battery water level now that you have a 24/7 charger on it.

You experimenting with the fridge yet?

BTW.. did you mean .44A instead of .44V?

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Well this is very cool. Just like you said. I checked it around 7 pm yesterday and it was at 13.4 with some sun still hitting it. BUT, I checked it this morning before sun hitting it and it was 12.7. I know its working as it should but it is a shock to see it all in action and to learn how it works.

Oh on the .44 thing. Well I saw .44, amps, volts, the same thing right? Seriously you tell me!

Ah yes the big test will be to load that Dometic Fridge up with 3-4 gallons of water and a case of beer and set it in there for 3-4 days. I would also like to leave the maxx-air fan on as this would be what I would do boondocking. Have to keep the ventilation going in the day or the dometic will run constantly in that heat. We shall see and I will report back.

Don Thanks again for your support in completing this. Could not have done it right with out your help.

[flboy]

You are welcome! Glad I could help. I'll nail down those Sept. Ocala NF dates this week and let you know.

Btw.. the 12.7V this morning with no sun is also normal. That is the fully charged resting batttery without any charger or load on.

No sun equals no charger. If sun were out and battery is full, the charger would maintain at about 13.5V as you saw last night.

It all appears to be cycling normally.

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[John61CT]

Oh on the .44 thing. Well I saw .44, amps, volts, the same thing right? Seriously you tell me!

Seriously? Google some Electrics 101 pages, current vs voltage is pretty foundational.

Have to keep the ventilation going in the day or the dometic will run constantly in that heat.

The high-amp general ventilation should be running to keep you cool, otherwise only in extreme conditions.

There should be low-amp fans evacuating the significant heat produced by the fridge's condenser and power unit. That will help efficiency and reduce cycling even when the weather is cool.

[Tommy B]

Now John, that was humor if you did not pick up on that. Since the unit is new to me I don't recall what units the .44 number was displayed in. Volts or amps. Don would know as he helped install the thing. Although I have come a long way while building this C.T, Electrical theory and function is not and will never be my thing. Luckily for me I know Don, the Doctor of all things electrical.

I don't really know if my maxx-air fan/vent is considered high amp but it is all I have right now and I will run it on the second lowest speed to draw some heat out while also leaving the door window open while the Dometic cooler is plugged in. Im sure the cooler must produce heat But I have not noticed that the few times I have used it.

What I really would like to do is install a small window on the right rear side for cross ventilation but that may have to wait a bit. Might need another battery and or panel. IDK yet.
I do need a $250.00 awning fabric replacement ASAP so that will have priority.
Anyway going to try the big test out today. Should know what's what in 24-72 hours.

I am looking at this for obvious reasons. The cover. Its Like $45.00. Supposed to be a help and reduce compressor time greatly.

[flboy]

I'd think that cooler blanket would help alot with the heat from the trailer. Probably worth the $45.00.

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[John61CT]

A custom box insulated where the cover is, ditto for air circulation, would be more effective, also a seat cushion over the top.

Even if you don't (yet) vent to the outside, a little DC fan circulating air right at that corner will pay for itself in efficiency. USB even, or a PC case fan is ideal.

[Tommy B]

Well It begins. All the things An Irishman needs. And he needs them cold.
Note the Sun, it now 6 pm here. Clear mostly. The beer was cold. The gallon water 79 degrees, in house storage. The bottled water was trailer hot as it was in a storage bin, in the trailer. The initial dometic temp was 79 degress when I plugged it in and just dropped from there quick. But...

See next three pics
one second.

[Tommy B]

It seemed to put a whammy on things but I am not sure.
Battery @68% but that might not be reliable.ok
1.87 amps ( I got it! ) going in from panel.
I don't know what 13.1 volts means.
It also gave the battery temp and I think It was 40 Celsius. Just info.

My other volt meter said 12.3.
I will check back.
Thanks.

[Tommy B]

That one and that seems like a big drop but I will monitor

[flboy]

Tommy, the difference in voltage measurements you are seeing may or may not be a problem. The Solar Controller is connected direct to battery so I'd tend to trust that one for the actual battery measurement. If in fact the Charger reading is 13.1V from the battery and the other Meter is reading 12.3 (assuming 12.3 is measuring near the same point as the fridge), you are losing about .8V in the wiring somewhere and that is not good. However, looking at the picture... it does appear that 13.1 is the solar panel voltage in based on the Icon (looks like a solar panel). What is the # displayed when the battery Icon is shown? That voltage should not be too far off from the other meter. Maybe .2V difference max.

If you have a voltmeter... measure the battery direct and then the voltage at the fridge when it is running. Also, you can validate the Solar Panel In and Battery Voltages directly on the terminals of the controller where the wires are connected.

In any case.. don't get too concerned... I can come over and help figure it out if needed. 12.3V does seem low if the battery was fully charged and you just turned on the fridge. Your battery may not be in the best shape after being discharged too low a few times or you could be dropping some voltage in the line if there is a bad connection or wrong gage somewhere or a combination of both...

I'd have started the fridge test in the morning when you have a full day of sun if the fridge has to pull down the temp on the contents tonight.

[Tommy B]

Ok, sun has set. I have to wonder what the voltage reading will be in the am. Cooler/fridge temp between 33 and 35 f good, Compressor seems to run constantly, But when it did shut off I thought I saw it spike to 12.9. Time will tell. Its seems to be at 12.4 with the compressor running.

I forgot to mention it was SO hot in the trailer I opened up all the doors and vents and turned on the maxx-air fan On nearly maxx! It was maybe like 110 degrees in there with it all shut up. My readings came from that set up.

info for you.

[John61CT]

What model battery, how many altogether, how old by the calendar vs how many cycles used, how well treated?

Again, I'd try to work on getting that compressor cycling less, many setups get it down to 25-30% of the time.

[Tommy B]

So the only thing running last night was the cooler. No fan. The battery voltage read 12.4 this morning with out the compressor running. When the compressor kicked in the voltage dropped to 12.2. The cooler temp was 31 f. It is set at 34 and I guess its + or - by 3 degrees.

This is what I remember from camping those few times.

Now today, in addition to the cooler, I also left the door window open and the maxx air fan on the lowest setting with the vent cover open all the way.

But I can already see that if I don't pick a camp site that has sun exposure I will still have to fire up the genny in the morning. That's ok though, that's why I got the Champion anyway.

The C.T will set on the side of the house for 345 days out of the year or so. I will never have to worry about the battery during that time other than DH2O. So mission accomplished.

The only other thing I might do is add another battery so I'm not stressing the one out. Don I would do like you said and get a fresh pair as this one has taken some abuse. In answer to your question John. Also I think I might order that cover today and continue the experiment for a bit.

Just info. Thanks!

[flboy]

You letting it run today to see how it recovers with the solar today? It will be interesting to see if the solar is enough to run the fridge and recover battery in the day. I expect it will be borderline.

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