OverTheTopCargoTrailer 7 x 16

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

I gotta tell you folks

It's 88 outside & I'm lying under blankets freezing my nuggets off

It's a meat locker 71 deg inside my trailer......Parked in the full sun.
Now you may not be impressed but I'm putting out 200 watts of heat from fans, tv , DVD & my fat human body.
The insulation is still not completed & 1/2 stuff and the cabinets etc are still outside.
Things can only get better when im finally done.

In effect I'm cooling the trailer with 3,000 btu AC - if I left & turned stuff off.
I'm pretty sure when done I can cool trailer in full sun at 100 deg only using solar

Still not impressed, well try to do it yourself , it's never been done.
Not even a tiny house can claim that much success and their whole purpose is low energy usage.

Jerry

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Here is the newest update.

This morning i installed some more insulation, but I still need to do the 32" side door.
The side and rear cargo doors will only have 1.5" at least to start with - 3" would be better

Right now at 5 pm ..... It's blast furnace hot outside , over 95 deg & the trailer inside is a nice
And cool 71 deg
I've been laying in there all day running the fan, tv , DVR & making lots of body heat.
At this point the cabinets, bed , storage and lots of stuff still needs to be installed.

I think it safe to say that my design goal will be meet - being able to cool the trailer , maybe down to 70
While parked in the 100 full sun. for some time I was a little scared due to the solar panel roof heat issue.

Hopefully by October I will be able to do a little road test to the Beach

Jerry

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Is everybody on vacation ??

Last night I closed the trailer & I think I can get it to use ZERO. Heat for 2 people down to 32 deg.
So my appliances & body heat will provide 25-30 degrees interior free heat, bringing it up to 60 deg.


This morning I connected the battery, my electric cabinet , screwed the cabinet to the floor & installed
The magnum 1500 watt PSW inverter. Right now I'm charging the batteries at 13.3 volts 25 amps
With the magnum inverter, slowly I will then begin connecting & testing the other stuff.
After Monday it should get cool again so work may go faster.
Looks like I'm the only one working this weekend

Will post some pics latter today

Jerry

[lrrowe]

Jerry, I find your results very inspiring. I know that when I get my trailer, I am going to (1st) go back and read and digest yours and other's posts on insulation. Then (2nd) I am going to go after all the info from yours and other experiences on solar power and see what I can do with my more limited knowledge and experience in this area.

I for one appreciate your reports on your attempts and results. Please keep them coming.

Bob

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Hi bob

I just posted a few more pictures on my blog that you guys might like.
sorry for the mess

http://overthetopcargotrailer.blogspot.com/


I have to admit I'm liking the insulation more & more AS I REALLY HATE THE HEAT....
But it is very expensive at least $1,000 for materials only , I'm doing this because I wanna live full time
In the trailer. And knock off 100,000 miles
Also I wanna see if the concept works & can be done ? There is no guide for this
Santa Clara univ just built a solar house with 20 engineers, 2 years & $1,000,000 bucks....
So compared to my project with only one old fart - is dirt cheap.

For a weekend guy this is most likely overkill , I would guess if one left the plywood in place,
Don't know why folks hassle pulling plywood out ? the thermal bridging from the metal kills everything.
I would just do it this way -
Installed a 1.5" layer of white or pink or blue foam, then 1/4 or 3/8" then plywood over that , inside a 7 x 12 , with 4 solar panels, the white can not be walked on - its too soft.
And a 5,000 window AC you could get just about the same effect for 70% less cost.

I'm gonna run most of my electric inside the cabinets - so I can get to it & I don't wanna catch the foam on fire,
Only my 12 volt trailer wires are behind the walls & I will still be able to get to them.

Cheers Jerry

[bdosborn]

[roadinspector]

Jerry,
Looks really good. Glad to see a dream come together that works.

Thermal bridging is a killer! I killed it pretty good in my ceiling but should have done better in my walls. But it will function very well for us with the limited use it will really get. It got up to a cool 98 today and my AC kept it at 78. A thermal barrier film on the windows would really help.

Earnest

[lrrowe]

Interesting Jerry,
You are saying that for a weekender (not quite what I want to be, but a good frequency category to put me in), I might be as well off to leave the paneling on, as received, and consider putting 1.5 in of foam and then a plywood or other interior panel on it for much less money spent.

I was planning on giving up 1.5 in (3/4 each side) on possibly a 6 ft (68-69 inch interior width) trailer. I am not sure yet I want to give up the extra 1.5". (I hope this math makes sense to a reader). I will just have to spend the appropriate time thinking and researching this one out. When I get the trailer, I will have blue tape all over the place.

Wiring in the cabinets makes sense. I was thinking of doing something different then putting it behind the factory panels. Not sure what I will do when I start. I have many ideas floating around in my head, but you can only do so much without the trailer in front of you. You can go crazy thinking of things and then changing your mind. I went through the same agony when I designed and then built my latest home.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Earnest

I see you cheating a little bit, the pictures of your trailer are parked under some very large shade trees.
Park the trailer in the full sun & then give me some numbers on the AC - so we have good comparison
Even parking on grass makes a big difference
Mine is parked in the blazing sun on a concrete driveway - almost worst case
But I don't have the humidity you may have in Texas
That does make a difference.

What you don't finish, you can do on the road.

Jerry

[Engineer Guy]

Starting with 'Mother Earth News' Magazine back in the late '60s and early '70s, I've been absorbing Solar House theory and practice. This culminated in my own Solar Retirement House Design that never drops below 50 F inside w/no external heat, even if it's -10 F at 6,100' in W. Colorado. My own Solar Mantra is: 'Heat you never lose, you never have to replace'. Insulation is, indeed, King because it up ends the old assumptions about the Energy req'd to heat or cool a volume. We can turn off our Well Pump, and walk away for Trailer Traveler w/o fear of freezing or worse. Power outages are irrelevant insofar as Human comfort goes. I've not yet turned on the Radiant Floor, since we heat the entire 1,750 sq. ft. Ranch House with 2 - 1,500 Watt Space Heaters. I've also flipped on 2 of 5 Burners on the Propane Cooktop to blast the House temp up a few degrees before my Avatar wakes up.

Indeed, in Europe they're building 'Net Zero Energy' Houses, and just completed some here around Boulder, CO. Heat for an entire House is supplied by a Heater equivalent to a Hair Dryer. Air exchange is essential, of course. In a Trailer, an adjustable low Vent and a high Vent to enhance convection will work to provide just a smidge of Air Exchange.

If and when, my own Cargo Conversion will be super Insulated. Being mostly out West in our Travels, I'll use a RV Swamp Cooler w/a Thermostat than runs on +12 VDC, and a tiny Heater for cold Climates IF even req'd. For many years, I've used a type of 'Reflectix' under the bottom Fitted Sheet in my Trailer that does not have 'bubbles' in it; it's flat material. It bounces ~95% of Body Infrared back at cha, and works like a champ passively. It's made to go under Roof OSB to keep an Attic ~30 F degrees cooler, lowering Cooling requirements in the House volume. We've used it in a Tuff Shed w/a Murphy Bed at >9,000' where we could see our Breath in the Fall, and we still were warm while sleeping.

'Home Power Magazine' is one good Resource for ideas to adapt. These ideas have been around for Decades, but they've been on the fringe for 'Back To The Land' types to savor and forward to others.

Home Power Magazine

[Rainier70]

You bring up a good point. Air exchange is important. Without that, your indoor pollution will poison you. Double walled air/heat exchangers can be devised to exchange air but not your heat or cool. Too tight of construction is not a good thing with out it.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

It's 10 am mornings, i have connected the first 4 panels x 255 and I'm pulling about 440 watts right now
On bulk charge for my Surrette 400 amp hour batteries.

[OverTheTopCargoTrailer]

Bruce - where are you

Everything works but fine , while sucking all that free juice the 63 amp din rail breaker -
Which limits the output from the outback 80 amp charge controller to the battery
Kicks off OUCH
It was only pulling 660 watts on the charge controller


http://www.altestore.com/store/Enclosures-Electrical-Safety/Overcurrent-Devices-Fuses-Breakers/Din-Rail-Circuit-Breakers/Midnite-Solar-63-Amp-DC-DIN-Rail-Mount-Breaker/p5815/



Can I replace that with a 80 amp blue sea breaker , surface mount breaker
Should be ok as the charge controller is rated at 80 amps
Or is derated 63 amps the max ?

http://www.hodgesmarine.com/Blue-Sea-7186-80-Amp-Circuit-Breaker-Surface-Mount-p/blu7186.htm?click=19

[MtnDon]

I have not been following the entire project with close detail, but I ask myself why would you have a 63 amp breaker on the output of an 80 amp charge controller?

On the input side of the FM80, for NEC compliance and theFM80's 80 amp output rating and to maximize MPPT capabilities, the largest input current from a PV array must not exceed a Isc rating of 64 amps. The output side however can have up to an 80 amp breaker as long as they are 100% continuous-rated type breakers. The conductors connected to the breakers must have a safety factor of 125% applied according to NEC. If 80 amp output is expected then wire capable of 100 amps should be used.

This is a 12 VDC system?? How's the total PV input wattage? IIRC at 12 VDC the FM60 is limited to 1250 watts of PV array.

[roadinspector]

Yo Jerry!

We don't consider it cheating if you park under a shade tree here. In Texas, its just common sense to get in the shade if ya got it instead of full sun if ya don't want dain bramage!!

Humidity varies from 10% to 60%. Yep, it can be a killer, literally! I got hit with heat stress in 2011 and I'm still not over it. I didn't have a shade tree to crawl under that day and got me a little on the job dain bramage!! It hit 100 in May and hit 100+ everyday until Sept 2nd. I'll cheat evey chance I get.

Don't smoke test your CT yet, your build is interesting!

Earnest