Teardrop newbie looking for electrical advise.

[kayakdlk]

I went with a UB121000, 12V, 100AH AGM battery off ebay. Under $200 with free shipping. It seemed to fit my Summit racing battery box the best. I am sure there are better batteries but many cost a lot more. It has worked great so far.

Dan

[Wishno]

I went with a UB121000, 12V, 100AH AGM battery off ebay. Under $200 with free shipping. It seemed to fit my Summit racing battery box the best. I am sure there are better batteries but many cost a lot more. It has worked great so far.

Dan

Thanks for the advise.

These are the parts I'm looking at so far.

The battery
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TSL3YWI/ref ... Y5AUBKUPRP

The GFCI cord
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DTDTKK/ref ... T6BHVEUUXC

RV plug
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NV0V8C/ref ... MQ1CAJ7BTB

I just thought this would be nice to have
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MODXVO8/ref ... SKZO1YDYWM

[Wishno]

Any thoughts on the parts? Anything that may work better?

[Shadow Catcher]

One suggestion, Include more outlets both AC and DC than you think you need, we have three duplex AC inside the cabin and four DC. We have four duplex AC on the exterior and three DC. One of the exterior is a separate 20A GFI protected circuit for the AC. We tend to use the AC plugs in the galley area when we have AC for cooking, Coffee maker, fry pan... As long as you are paying for power why burn propane!

[dales133]

One suggestion, Include more outlets both AC and DC than you think you need, we have three duplex AC inside the cabin and four DC. We have four duplex AC on the exterior and three DC. One of the exterior is a separate 20A GFI protected circuit for the AC. We tend to use the AC plugs in the galley area when we have AC for cooking, Coffee maker, fry pan... As long as you are paying for power why burn propane!

Totaly agree , I've probably gone overboard inside and out with dc but I'd far rather have to many than to little as it's not an option to add them later without it looking a mess.
Dc iv got 2x double outlooks in the galley 1x double inside and one for a battery charger and 1 for water heater...or will have

[lrrowe]

Good suggestion. I tried to plan for enough outlets so when I am done with the rough wiring, I will sit back, grab a brew and see if more could be used.

[Wishno]

One suggestion, Include more outlets both AC and DC than you think you need, we have three duplex AC inside the cabin and four DC. We have four duplex AC on the exterior and three DC. One of the exterior is a separate 20A GFI protected circuit for the AC. We tend to use the AC plugs in the galley area when we have AC for cooking, Coffee maker, fry pan... As long as you are paying for power why burn propane!

Ok I will be sure to do that. Thanks for the suggestion.

If no one has any objections about the parts I posted they will be ordered by this weekend.

[TNSean]

Looks good. Add in a 12v fuse panel and battery charger and you are good to go.

[Wishno]

How is this for the fuse panel?

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems- ... Term+Blade

And this battery charger?

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-02 ... ery+tender

[MtnDon]

And this battery charger?

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-02 ... ery+tender

1. What battery are you selecting? That charger is designed for Gel cell batteries, which require a different charge profile from what is needed by std. flooded batteries and GM batteries. Gel cells do require special care and I personally would not recommend them unless the power needs are very low and the recharge will be leisurely.

2. The amperage output is only 1.25 amps. Unless the battery is very small that is not enough to get a battery recharged in a reasonable time, especially if the battery is AGM or std. flooded.

In case you don't know... gel cells can be irreversibly damaged by charging at too high a rate. Internal bubbles can form in the gel. The bubbles are permanent, which reduces battery capacity.

For standard flooded batteries the more or less ideal charge rate is expressed as C/10, where C = the capacity of the battery in amp-hours. So if the AH = 50, then C/10 = 50/10 = 5 amperes. AGM batteries may also use the same rule of thumb, but check the maximum charge rate specified by the battery manufacturer. For Gel cells also check the charge rates (amps & volts) spec'd by the manufacturer.

The multi stage charge of that unit is great. I have doubts about the capacity unless the battery in question has an AH of about 12 - 15 AH and is a gel cell.

[Wishno]

This is the battery I plan on buying

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TSL3YWI/ref ... Y5AUBKUPRP

What would you recommend as the ideal charger for this?

[MtnDon]

tech info on that batteryHERE

Down at the very bottom it lists the maximum charge rate. 0.30C (C/3.33) which is 30 amps. See AGM don't follow the same rule of thumb as flooded (C/10). So a charger that can do 30 amps would work. The PD4045 charger should work fine as it won't output more than the battery can handle, and it has the three stages. There are other choices but.... I'm out the door so... later.

[Wishno]

So it looks like this is the one I should get for an agm battery.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Ch ... ery+tender

[TNSean]

So it looks like this is the one I should get for an agm battery.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Ch ... ery+tender

I would use a charger that put out more amps. This way if you ever plug in a generator it will charge your battery up faster.

If you only plan to hook up to shore power at the camp site or at home to recharge than it probably won't matter.

It depends on how you plan to use your 12v system.

[Wishno]

So it looks like this is the one I should get for an agm battery.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Ch ... ery+tender

I would use a charger that put out more amps. This way if you ever plug in a generator it will charge your battery up faster.

If you only plan to hook up to shore power at the camp site or at home to recharge than it probably won't matter.

It depends on how you plan to use your 12v system.

I don't expect to ever have to use a generator but my main concern is that it can at least charge it fast enough to keep it charged while I'm using the 12v lights and the cooler. The one I posted should be enough for that right?