spill the juice

[droid_ca]

What kind of battery are you using?
How many?
How long does it last?
What do you run off of it?
Solar Panels Yes/No
Generator Yes/No
Do you keep it hooked up to your tow vehicle?
Pictures lets see them how is yours set up

[GuitarPhotog]

1- 60 AH deep cycle marine AGM battery
WFCO 8725 Converter/Charger
LED lights, computer fan, and phone chargers only (low load)
Runs up to 5 days without charging
Does not charge from vehicle (yet)

Here's the electrical panel





Here's the wiring behind the panel



You can see the battery at the bottom behind the open door. The wiring at the top right goes to the galley lights and outlets.

There is no 120VAC when it's not plugged into shore power (i.e., no inverter), but there are 120VAC receptacles in the cabin and galley for those times when 120VAC is available.

[jss06]

I run a single optima blue top 55AH battery.

I don't know how long it will run as I have not found out yet. right now the only DC load I have in my trailer is the vent fan. I do know it will run all night long on high without a problem.

I normally disconnect the trailer from the vehicle when in camp. This keeps the trailer from draining the starting battery on the tow vehicle.

I do not have solar. I have that as a possible option down the road.

I do not have a generator. Again it is an option I may consider down the road after i start using the trailer a lot. Especially in the summer when I might want to run the Air Conditioner.

I do have shore power capability that can be used to connect a genset if needed.

I have a PD9245 converter that charges the battery when I am in a campground with AC power.

[deceiver]

Pretty much the same as above. I have a deep cycle battery with a marine charger located in the tongue box. Plug it in at the campsite and the battery stays charge so you always have power.

[jss06]

Took Some pics of the electrical I have so far.

First a block diagram of the final plan. I still have to install the galley 120VAC outlet and the only 12VDC I have completed is the vent fan.



Battery and charge controller in the tongue box.



Back side of Iota AC/DC power distribution panel. Shore power input is the black plug in the lower right hand corner of this pic.



Cabin view of power distribution panel.



This panel can have up to 6 seperate 120VAC circuits on individual breakers (not including the shore power input and the plug for the power converter each of which is also breaker protected) . It also supports up to 12 seperate 12VDC circuits each with its own fuse.

[droid_ca]

Since my trailer design is a little bigger then most, I'll have access to some under floor storage, and its been a real toss up as to if I should put some extra batteries in there or not

[Ratkity]

What kind of battery are you using?
How many?
How long does it last?
What do you run off of it?
Solar Panels Yes/No
Generator Yes/No
Do you keep it hooked up to your tow vehicle?
Pictures lets see them how is yours set up

One battery.
Lasts 3 days, 2 nights without the solar panel
Fantastic fan, lights, DVD player, charger for phone and kindle, CPAP
1 solar panel - 85W - now charges any night time battery usage back to full by 9 am next day.
No generator
No. Usually unhook so I can access the back of the truck. Animals get in and out of the truck easier that way.



The front tool box is now a 6ft truck tool box that matches the criss-cross aluminum pattern. Way more room!

Hugs,
Ratkity

[droid_ca]

Hey Ratkity what kind of solar panel are you using do you know what the dimensions?

[Martiangod]

Last trailer would eat 3 deep cycle group 24 batteries in twelve hours, furnaces really eat it up. And rv fridge will also draw down fairley fast, even when off. parastic draw can be high depending on what you have , a TV turned off draws almost as much power as when it is on, all car stereos draw for memory and clock.A battery monitor will draw all the time, unless you put an inline switch.
This trailer being built has 2 Deka 24 group marine batteries, If I add a furnace at sometime, I will up it to 3, with solar
I may replace them with the Oddessy AGM out of my truck though

[parnold]

One, 100 ah battery, running one interior lamp, 2 lamps in the galley, fantastic fan, and I charge cell phone, laptop occasionally. Just added an 80 watt solar panal, but have not had the opportunity to test it yet. I don't use lights very much. My best guesstimate based on usage recorded by my doc wattson meter is that I could go three nights using the fan and normal light usages and my battery would be at approx 50%. My thought is that the 80 watt solar panel will stretch that to indefinite usage. I have jumper cables in the tow vehicle if I ever needed them for a charge.

[Shadow Catcher]

There have been too many changes that are as yet untried to give an accurate assessment of how long it all lasts but.
150AH Lifeline AGM battery
185W solar panel to Moringstar MPPT solar controller
144W flexible Unisolar panel to STECA solar controler
300W Morningstar SureSine inverter
45A Progressive Dynamics power center
21"flat screen TV and Dish Sat reciever
Stereo with Sirius receiver
Espar diesel heater
5000 btu AC
All LED lights
computer case fans
2300W generator
water pumps
Vectron battery monitor

Still have to complete wiring for inverter and Vectron

[droid_ca]

I'm looking for those small square solar panels...any one know anything about them as I'd like to have 4 on a circuit and when it comes to designing them I get lost I need a way to have extra batteries for my pickup I have a place picked out and everything I would like to get

and at the very back of the drawers is where Ill have 4 deep cycle batteries Id like to have the solar panels mounted on the roof so I'm dealing with very limited space but a friend of mine said he could do a drwer type of slide out so we though a panel on each one

then I get to put search and rescue K9 unit on the side with my own pretty lights that will be fun but still need to have some more ideas for this system

[byrdz1]

I have one of these, it is spendy, but when I had it out at an event some of the fellas got out a voltage meter and then started saying things that sounded like "15... wow, this thing really works" So maybe this will do what you need?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046D ... 00_details

[droid_ca]

I love how fast plans change just as fast as budgets do...hahaha
So it looks like I'm going to be doing a different setup for my truck
The main problem is I'm getting in too deep with too many organizations
I'm involved with Search & Rescue ,I'm starting my own kennel and animal rescue ,I'm trying to get into Falconry and I would like to use the same truck for it all Plus to have the freedom to use it for camping and fishing would be nice....

I will be placing extra batteries in it for all the extra load of lights and telemetry equipment plus It's seems like a nice feature to have ...solar panels just make sense to me for keeping the batteries topped up and I thought that it might be a good idea to have extra juice for when its connected to the trailer to extend my trips I have been known for parking the trailer and occasionally drive down the road to the store or what ever so was thinking that might be a good way of also recharging the battery and not annoying fellow campers ...still enjoy the thoughts and Ideas on this thread so keep the coming