OverTheTopCargoTrailer 7 x 16

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hi Bruce

We are going to have do a thread on energy use & insulation

I see people here say they sleep in their trailer at -30 deg
But nobody gives info on how much power they actually used

Last night it was finally 25 deg outside & 55 -60 deg inside ,
I used 3.4kw or 3,400 watts again , about 10,000 Btu or 5 oz propane over 12-14 hours
I think that amount could be lowered by another 50% more.
A trailer could be nicely cooled with less than 5,000 Btu AC. even in 100 deg full sun

I made the dealer an offer for $6,999 let's see what happens Monday ?
I just told them I was only gonna pay the extra $100 dexter wanted & that's all
I'm not going to give them $450 up charge for $100 bucks

Jerry

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hey Bruce & Mark



This post is for you guys just twist you neck 90 deg to the left.

I'm just doing a quick test & later will clean up the finished look
I moved my 180,000 Btu water heater to the inside wall as I was getting worried about al the moisture on the exterior during rains.
Besides even though its a exterior heater it has 120 volt & 12 volt connections.
Right above the water heater I drilled a 4" exterior vent hole. and will use a exterior dryer type vent.
P.S. don't worry the hot air from the heater is only about 120 deg -

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Here is the whole setup - just twist you neck 90 deg to the left.
Its set up like this mostly for testing purposes, you may be able to see the 40 gallon tank below & it has its own fill valve.
The idea being I can fill the tank directly with hot water & heat the trailer
My first mini test showed that the 120 deg F heat will filter out over a 10-12 hour period
this keeps the trailer nice and warm - 30 gallons at 120 is good for 65 deg f inside all night long when its 20-25 outside.
That is about 15,000 Btu heat stored in the water if someone is interested.

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I'm just test fitting the dryer vent...it looks a little fugly...but its only $16
This exterior heater is $650 - the interior model is $895 plus the $150 exterior vent.
So in my book this is a no brainer.

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The exterior is a 4" deck plate that will be closed when the heater is not in use....
the fugley interior vent can just be removed & installed when needed.

Now i'm the worlds biggest solar cargo trailer 840 watts & the only one that heats with hot water

What will I come up with next ? If Bruce - the does the electronic's & Mark - metal and me - the glass tiles & crazy ideas, we could build a new trailer .....
Im sure it would be 10 times cooler.... Airstream watch out ....

Tomorrow I will report back how great the water heating system worked....
It only takes 12 minutes to make my 30 gallons of 120 deg hot water.


Jerry


http://overthetopcargotrailer.blogspot.com/

[bdosborn]

Wow, I've been on this forum since 2004 and this is the first hydronic heating system I've seen. It's been discussed a lot but this is the first one that's actually been built. You've definitely raised the bar.

Bruce

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hey Bruce

You guys are my inspiration too. So here are my results. Started filling
The tank around 6 pm yesterday with 33-35 gallon of 120 deg water.
Interior and exterior temp was 60 , I had to run big fan as heater was
Not vented to the exterior yet. Now to get slower release of heat I put
Insulation on 2 large sides of the tank.

Within about 90 minutes interior temp went to 70 deg , right now
The tank water temp is still 88 deg after 12 hours. The exterior temp is 31 deg
And the temp Inside the CT is 60 deg !!! So far only 50% of the water
Heat has been released because the tank is insulated on 2 sides.

So my calculation was pretty good, an uninsulated Tank with 20
Gallons or (4) 5 gallon buckets would do the trick.

Now keep in mind I have better insulation then most, so you would
Need to double the amount of water or increase water temp to maybe
150 to get same results. But heating can be done with just a simple
Container of hot water it does not need to circulate around the room.

Jerry

PS. On a quick follow up , the tank actually stayed warm for almost 48 hours insulated on 2 sides,
I would guess it would be possible to insulate the tank better & then remove
The insulation only when heat is needed. I would think one could heat the
Trailer for 3-4 days , also the hot water could be run through a small radiator if desired.

[Mark519]

You could also put an AC heating element into the tank to keep it at 120 deg if you have hookups. You would need a high limit thermostat on the tank for safety although a 1500W element would not heat 30 gallons very fast. I think I would prefer the propane and heater be all outside personally.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hey Mark

Pssssst this is a solar trailer :-) , I had the water heater outside and it got
All wet & had electric issues. I May put propane back outside, but if it's
Freezing then the propane tanks will freeze over or not work well.
I have had them inside my house for 20 years - gas grill and no blows ups
Yet. I do know however if you mess up - you will look like a BBQ French fry
That's a really ugly way to go if your lucky. Generally I always check for leaks
And turn all tanks off - when not in use - I never leave anything on,
That's the only way to be safe.

Also most don't know you have to have 4-9% propane to get an
Explosion, more or less wont work.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Ok guys it's official

The order is now being processed , OTTCT 2.0 is being Factory built ready for PU in April.

This will be a supper insulated 7x18 - with 3 layers of insulation, nice solid R12+ 100% coverage.
2000 watts MONSTER 9 panels of SOLAR. & 180,000 btu water heater & solar AC & 800 amp hour batteries.
80-100 gallon of fresh water.
Screwless exterior in white of course.
Tandem torflex 3,500 lbs dexter axels @ ZERO deg & never adjust elec brakes.
This trailer has wood walls - as metal radiates too much heat & wood insulates better.
Also the roof Chanel is alum - less or no rust problems.
Starting weight about 2400 lbs.

Not sure when I will start the build , but it will get done fast as I will be using most parts from OTTCT

Stay tuned

And watch the money fly

I will be starting with a nice 5,500 mile tround trip

[revorunner]

Well that is going to be very interesting indeed OTTCT. can hardly wait for the build progress pics.

[droid_ca]

That sounds great I have learned so much and got so many great ideas from this one I can't imagine what will be next

[rinn69]

I was COMPLETELY blown away by this build WOW is all I can say....and your OTTCT is FREAKING AWESOME !!!! And thanks for the numerous ideas and pics

Mike

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

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Here is quick picture of new trailer- Just in white

[hankaye]

OTTCT, Howdy;

Are you getting the wood ribs? 2X4's done sideways... You'll be starting with
1 1/2" thick walls for your insulation...

hank

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

They are 2 x 3" , so I would guess 1.5" but I heard someone say 1.75"
Time will tell.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Here is the picture of the converted dryer vent used as a Heater vent.
it really fits perfect and works great, heat from heater is only about 125 deg
the open slit connects over the heater outlet - just perfect.

cost was approx. $16 for a 4" dryer vent

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this was before it was finished & the bottom slit was cut.

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[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Well there is not much to report while i'm waiting for the time to come.
21 Days and counting until the OTTCT version 2.0 is ready for pick up

Below is a picture of the 4 metal solar panel covers that I had made. These will be used to cover the side wall 4 x 210 watt solar panels - to keep up the stealth mode.
The reason they are pink, is because the metal comes with a pink film to protect the exterior. You can see the interior is white.

I was thinking they would be great while driving down the road or at night, attracting less attention.
Time will tell if it's worth the effort!

Cost of each cover was about $125
They are 59" x 39" x 1.75" deep approx. - for the 210 watt panels

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they are pink, because the metal comes with a pink film to protect the exterior.

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One more note is that the 2 layers of insulation is working great,
the problem is almost too good for summer time,
at night time when it does not go below 50 deg , it gets a tad to
warm on the trailer interior - 70+
currently I do not have my fans connected however
that will solve that problem