[tcb] Re: Question About Dual Battery Set-Up And Solar Panels

  • From: kelly dosch <kellydosch@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:08:43 -0800 (PST)

  And the winner of the Most Helpful and Informative Answer goes to Mr. 
Schwarze. 
  
  Your answer brings up a couple more questions though- 
  Where did you fit two more batteries? Is there enough room in the engine 
compartment? 
  And just to be sure I have this right- Two golf cart batteries @ about $150 
can keep you in lights and cold beer on a primitive site for two days? That 
would be fantastic! 
  And you say if I spend another $300 on solar panels and accouterments and 
park in the broiling sun I might get almost another day? 
  If that is the case I think I'll pass on the solar panels. Maybe just a solar 
trickle charger for emergencies. 
  Thanks again for a great answer. As soon as I get my side tent I'm going 
right to Costco for two golf cart batteries. You rock.        )< (- (_ (_`(     
  

--- On Sat, 1/22/11, David Schwarze <dschwarze@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: David Schwarze <dschwarze@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [tcb] Re: Question About Dual Battery Set-Up And Solar Panels
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 12:19 AM



  

    
  I have a pair of 1,050 amp-hour batteries in my garage... do I win?

    They weigh almost as much as my bus though.  :-)

    

    Back to the original question.  My recommendation for a deep cycle
    RV battery is a pair of 6V golf cart batteries.  They will cost $150
    (Sams club or Costco) and give you 220 amp-hours worth of 12V
    power.  Relatively compact and light weight compared to AGM
    batteries and will last 8-10 years if taken care of and when they
    die they will still be worth $30 at the recycler.  If you only want
    a single battery then I'd go to West Marine and buy the group 27 or
    28 RV/Marine battery (usually 95 amp-hours) for about $75.  Make
    sure it doesn't say "starting" anywhere in the description (there
    are starting batteries, starting-slash-deep-cycle batteries, and
    just-deep-cycle batteries - you want the latter).

    

    Solar panels, I love 'em (have two on top of my bus and a third
    waiting for the giveashit factor to increase) but they are not
    simple or cheap and only truly useful if you go whole-hog.  With the
    aforementioned pair of golf cart batteries and my older Norcold
    fridge (which drew 6.5 amps) I could camp for a weekend with cold
    beer and lights without plugging in.  Adding 75 watts of solar
    panels and parking in the sun gave me *maybe* another day.  Now that
    I have a more efficient fridge (3.5 amp Norcold) and 110 watts of
    panels, I might get a week without driving in ideal conditions. 
    Useful if I lived in my bus, otherwise it's just an expensive
    novelty.

    

    -David

    

    On 1/21/2011 3:28 PM, Justin Wilt wrote:
     I have 4, 120 amp hour batteries in my shed and 120W
      solar power charging them.  From there you can run an inverter
      that bumps the voltage from 12, 24 or 48 volts to 120volts AC
      current.  I have lights and a small refrigerator full of beer
      running completely off the sun.  I plan on transferring this setup
      into my camper when it comes out of the body shop. There are amp
      hour and inverter calculators online that tell you how long you
      can run a device. No RV service connection needed!
      
        

      
      Justin

        

        On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 3:18 PM, kelly
          dosch <kellydosch@xxxxxxxxx>
          wrote:

          
            
              
                
                  

                    

                      Hello. I need to get a deep cycle RV battery for
                    my Westfalia Campmobile. I'm seeing about a
                    gazillion types with vastly varying prices.
                    ($120-$600!)  Is it really all that complicated or
                    can I just get the cheap Sears Marine/RV battery? 
                    ($120) 

                      Also, I have noticed a lot of Westies with solar
                    panels. Why? If they have a campsite with electrical
                    hook-up the battery can charge itself. If not, the
                    alternator will charge it during a short drive. I
                    don't get it. Why would anybody want to drop $400
                    for a solar panel? (Tell me it isn't just to be "green".) 

                      Thanks for your time,...  )< (- (_ (_ `(    

                      

                  
                
              
            
            

          
        
        

        

        

        -- 

        Justin Wilt

        Technician

        

        Post Oak Motorcars

        Rolls Royce Motorcars Houston

        Bentley Houston

        

        1530 West Loop South

        Houston TX 77095 USA

        

        +1-713-850-1530

        +1-713-539-4419

      
    
  



      

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