Rv batts

[barefooter]

Need to find out a little more on this. Just picked up a new trailer and am planning on going a little more green with the new set-up. I would like to be able to take the trailer out for a weekend and not worry about having to plug in, etc. Seems like you can get some great campsites without hookups, but of course wife will still want to use tv, coffee pot and microwave. :d

So my plan would be to go with 4 6v batteries, with and inverter and solar system to charge. With this - would I be able to run fridge on 120V whiule I was driving and turn it over to propane to park.

I really don't want to haul around a genset - nor do I want the noise. Most of my camping is weekend only. (plus my wife is such a greenie - I have her thinking it was her idea to do this)

Dave - can I run the entire 120 system through the inverter? Are there some inverters that will act as a switch to shore power when plugged in (I know most act as battery chargers as well)? Or do I need to craft some sort of sub-panel for 120 and have a swich before that?

 

[campingnut]

I know mine runs the entire 110v system when turned on and I have a seperate transfer switch, I just have to turn of my charger. As for the fridge never tried it, if the trucks charging system was strong enough sure why not, I have no idea on the amount a fridge uses on 110.

 

[Transporter]

I bet fridge is close to 1500 watts. Its a heating element and they will suck power.

 

[rknight111]

Barefooter, invest in that Gopower system, it is the premium solar, panel, inverter system. You can find it at most RV dealers. I have it in my Snowmobile trailer, and the only thing I have to do once a year is add a bit of distilled water to my Interstate batteries. I never had an issue, its been 6 years now.

 

[rknight111]

I bet fridge is close to 1500 watts. Its a heating element and they will suck power.

You can switch the fridge to stay on Gas and dont go to power.

 

[DaveB]

Lots of the new Class A pushers run a home-type refrigerator...no gas option. They run big 3000+ watt inverters.

Barefooter: you can do as you planned....will work fine. Most of the bigger good-quality inverters will have a transfer switch built in....it will switch from generator/shore power to inverted power in an instant....doesn't even flicker the TV. If you're going solar, you going to want to be "watt wise". I'd just run the fridge on gas all the time except when plugged in at home. I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my rig with LEDs....same light with 1/10 the power usage.

 

[goodngrubby]

Lots of the new Class A pushers run a home-type refrigerator...no gas option. They run big 3000+ watt inverters.

Barefooter: you can do as you planned....will work fine. Most of the bigger good-quality inverters will have a transfer switch built in....it will switch from generator/shore power to inverted power in an instant....doesn't even flicker the TV. If you're going solar, you going to want to be "watt wise". I'd just run the fridge on gas all the time except when plugged in at home. I replaced all the incandescent bulbs in my rig with LEDs....same light with 1/10 the power usage.

I bought a 30 lot of 36 diode 1141 LED bulds for my trailer off Ebay. I paid roughly $100 shipped to my door. You can actually run 20 of them for the same power consumption as 1 incadescent bulb. The light is a little more blueish and stark, but you can leave every light in the trailer on all night.

 

[eclipse1966]

I bought a 30 lot of 36 diode 1141 LED bulds for my trailer off Ebay. I paid roughly $100 shipped to my door. You can actually run 20 of them for the same power consumption as 1 incadescent bulb. The light is a little more blueish and stark, but you can leave every light in the trailer on all night.

do you have the info where u bought these lights on ebay? I just tried looking for them as I am interested but could not find anything. Tks!

 

[goodngrubby]

This is where I bought mine from. Showed up in less than 2 weeks. I can't find any auctions from them with 30 bulbs though.

 

[DaveB]

I went with soft white for all mine....can't tell the diff from an incandescent bulb.

 

[eclipse1966]

This is where I bought mine from. Showed up in less than 2 weeks. I can't find any auctions from them with 30 bulbs though.

Tks! I just realized all my fixtures take the # 921 light bulb and I dont think they make an LED bulb for them. Maybe I should look at replacing the most used fixtures to accommodate an LED light.

 

[DaveB]

Tks! I just realized all my fixtures take the # 921 light bulb and I dont think they make an LED bulb for them. Maybe I should look at replacing the most used fixtures to accommodate an LED light.

www.LEDwholesalers.com - Brightest Tower Type T10 18 SMD LED 5050 12V Ac/dc

Pretty much all the bulbs styles are available. I'll have to look at what I have for number of LEDs....but I replaced 921 (T5 wedge base), 1152 (BA15D base) and those little 10w halogen ones in the recessed fixtures (G4 base) in mine.

 

[Murminator]

This is where I bought mine from. Showed up in less than 2 weeks. I can't find any auctions from them with 30 bulbs though.

I seen on RV.net a bunch of guys are using the stick on ones

here is the thread on them

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: LED Ceiling lamps still expensive!

 

[eclipse1966]

www.LEDwholesalers.com - Brightest Tower Type T10 18 SMD LED 5050 12V Ac/dc

Pretty much all the bulbs styles are available. I'll have to look at what I have for number of LEDs....but I replaced 921 (T5 wedge base), 1152 (BA15D base) and those little 10w halogen ones in the recessed fixtures (G4 base) in mine.

Tks!!! I am going to order some. Kids/wife insist on leaving lights on so with LED I wont have to worry as much.

 

[DaveB]

OK...DaveB's LED demo picture. I went and took out 3, put 'em beside the ones they replace, and put the packaging there for numbers. I can vouch that these particular ones VERY closely resemble the light of the originals. If you want brighter, you can go whiter and more LEDs. Here's a pic of three of the lights on. The one over the table has two of the flat base bulbs (old ones were 912s), the wall light has a single push and twist deal, and the recessed one has the flat one in 'er. (edit...made picture easier to read)

 

[doorfx]

OK...DaveB's LED demo picture. I went and took out 3, put 'em beside the ones they replace, and put the packaging there for numbers. I can vouch that these particular ones VERY closely resemble the light of the originals. If you want brighter, you can go whiter and more LEDs. Here's a pic of three of the lights on. The one over the table has two of the flat base bulbs (old ones were 912s), the wall light has a single push and twist deal, and the recessed one has the flat one in 'er. (edit...made picture easier to read)

Sorry , where did you get them?

 

[DaveB]

Sorry , where did you get them?

www.LEDwholesalers.com - Brightest Tower Type T10 18 SMD LED 5050 12V Ac/dc

 

[green-horn]

The 1156 do burn out. I had to exchange mine twice, last year but I do leave them on quite a bit.

 

[Jazzygurl]

It's not that 6v hold twice as much...that's not true. An average 6v golf cart batt is 180 to 220 amp hours while a Group 27 12v is 85 to 105 amp hrs. The thing that makes more amp hours is SIZE...more lead. A golf cart batt is slightly larger than a Group27 12v and a lot larger than a Group 24 12v. Large amp hrs is what you want.

Two Trojan T105 GC batts are 225 amp hrs at 12v. (62 lbs each)
Two Trojan 27 MTX G27 batts are 210 amp hrs at 12v. (55 lbs each)

Dave I agree I bought two Trojan T105 batteries, best batteries out there. They give alot of power & hold power for quite a long time as well. I can go a weekend with lights on in the trailer all the time, furnace kicking in and still have no problems with the batteries running low. They are a bit more pricey than the ones you can buy at Cad Tire, but definitely worth it. I pay $368 (in around there) for 2 batteries. You can buy them at Battery World.

Good luck

 

[doorfx]

OK...DaveB's LED demo picture. I went and took out 3, put 'em beside the ones they replace, and put the packaging there for numbers. I can vouch that these particular ones VERY closely resemble the light of the originals. If you want brighter, you can go whiter and more LEDs. Here's a pic of three of the lights on. The one over the table has two of the flat base bulbs (old ones were 912s), the wall light has a single push and twist deal, and the recessed one has the flat one in 'er. (edit...made picture easier to read)

greigg distributors now has a pretty good selection of these led bulbs.They are pretty pricey,1141 incandescent .89 cents 1141 led $14.00