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Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Refrigerator coil
Leave the baffle alone. Be glad your maker did a good job.
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pianotuna
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07/06/20 11:58pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: breaker keeps blowing
Hi,
As the various items are turned on, voltage may become lower and lower. The air conditioner may draw more and more watts as the day gets hotter. I've measured mine at 1900 watts. (Dometic 13500 btu)
1900/107 =~ 17.76 amps at my comfort zone of 107 volts.
24 amps continuous is what a 30 amp service can handle.
24- 17.76 = 6.24 amps for all other continuous loads. (about 667 watts)
At campgrounds when every one is running their roof air, and other loads, there may be voltage drop. It behooves the owner to monitor voltage. As the voltage drops there is much more risk of melting plugs.
My comfort zone is no lower than 107. I keep in my comfort zone by added an autoformer.
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pianotuna
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07/06/20 11:53pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Snow Birds ??
it's really hard to know how to make any future plans right now
Given what is happening in USA, and the location I would wish to visit, it is getting less hard. Unless there is a fairly dramatic change, I won't be risking going south.
Your information about Florida is pretty serious. I certainly appreciate you posting it.
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pianotuna
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07/06/20 05:47pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Switching from 12 volt to 6 volt batteries
Look at the Victron gauges. They have a smaller footprint, more functionality, are more accurate and cheaper than the venerable Trimetric.
Blue tooth I think on the Victron, as well.
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pianotuna
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07/06/20 05:33pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Super Basic Solar Upgrade
My solar "plays well" with all other charging methods.
Use between 60 and 160 watts per 100 amp-hours of storage.
The series of plain articles here may help
https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/
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pianotuna
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07/06/20 12:48pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Large camper with single AC
Hemling,
1. Add a double mini split Air Conditioner and replace the existing roof top unit.
Sell the current A/C and just go with the mini-split. You probably need to go with 50A (240V) wiring.
Thanks for making it clear what I meant. Get rid of existing air--and have two evaporators.
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pianotuna
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07/05/20 02:53pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Large camper with single AC
Marginal info...when it's really hot is when voltage drops raising the amps. I've seen plenty of burnt up 30amp cords from people trying to max out the 30amps.
Do you mean the plugs or the actual cord? I've had several plugs die, but never the actual cord.
I've not had a plug fail/burn since I started using the autoformer. I do limit my demand to 24 amps (but still lost plug ends when I did not autoform)
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pianotuna
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07/05/20 02:47pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 100 watt Solar decision
Brettmm92,
The purpose of fuses, in this case, is to protect the wire.
The fuse box you linked to would not be useful for the 400 watt inverter, because it is rated for only 30 amps.
The inverter is rated for 400 watts, Probably it can surge to double that for extremely brief time periods such as 1/10 of a second. So it is never going to approach 60 amps continuous. The inverter will be quite happy with dual #10 wire.
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pianotuna
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07/05/20 11:57am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Switching from 12 volt to 6 volt batteries
Cycle life under ideal circumstances means getting to 100% state of charge each time for lead acid. Otherwise they sulphate and may loose part of their capacity. Sometimes that capacity can be recovered if the battery has not been left discharged for too long and sometimes it is a permanent loss. The process of recovery is often called equalization.
SiO2 and LI chemistries don't have the sulphation problem so don't need to get to 100% In fact, Li, does best if charging stops at 90% of full.
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pianotuna
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07/05/20 11:42am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Firman W02981- Any feedback?
Since they want inexpensive I'd suggest the harbor freight 3500 with electric start.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 11:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Large camper with single AC
Hemling,
A couple of solutions from most expensive to cheapest
1. Add a double mini split Air Conditioner and replace the existing roof top unit.
2. Add a 2nd roof top unit and an autoformer, combined with a hybrid inverter/charger that does load support.
3. add a window or through the wall air conditioner to the rear wall. Autoformer for sure--but maybe not hybrid inverter/charger
4. add a stand alone A.C. unit, one with twin tubes.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 11:04pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: From Large TT to Class C
Make sure wheel base to length ratio is near to 56%. 50% works just barely but is far more tiring to drive. Below 50% is a night mare to drive.
If you really need 32 feet--I'd consider a small Class A, or a C that has had the wheel base lengthened.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 10:57pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Switching from 12 volt to 6 volt batteries
But I do believe you can pretty safely discharge the 6 volts down to 20%, right?
You can cycle to 20% or you can have many more cycles by only using 50%. By many more I mean four times as many cycles.
If you want to cycle to 20% the only choices are SiO2 chemistry or LI.
My next bank will be SiO2 because I need to survive -40 and they are currently less than 50% of the cost of LI.
Neither SiO2 nor LI require getting to 100% state of charge, so they are ideal for use with solar.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 09:49pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 100 watt Solar decision
Brettmm92,
Here is what I would do in your shoes.
Since the fuses are "on the way" you can get to the DC amperage that the inverter wants to feed on by "doubling up" on #10 wire.
i.e. two positive cables and two negative cables with dual thirty amp fuses on the twin positive cables (one for each positive wire). The fuses should be as near the battery bank as is possible.
That would allow the inverter to draw 60 amps of DC--far more than it will call for.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 09:37pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Working online while in motion
You need what ever will give the smoothest ride.
I love my class C, but it would NOT fit your needs as it comes from the factory.
I wonder if an air ride could be retro fitted or if there is a class C out there with air ride?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjyQDFcmA-I
before and after
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww5p744ymms
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 03:00pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Melting wires
I think you are fortunate to have come out of this relatively unscathed.
Having to possibly replace a 30 day old air conditioner is not what I'd call unscathed.
I agree he is lucky the RV did not burn down.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 02:53pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Longer closure gathering momentum...
ty for the link Boon Docker. Just one word describes what is happening in USA
MESS
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 02:46pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: 100 watt Solar decision
Whats the math on the fuse? I can actually change my order. I was going on 30A fuse based from the charge controller being 30 amps.
Brettmm92,
The converter often has 2 or sometimes 3 30 amp fuses on the DC side. Those are 'reverse polarity' fuses. The wire they feed into will have either an "automatic" circuit breaker or another fuse very near the battery bank.
I got a really cheap cobra 400 watt modified sine inverter and want to use it safely.
While a 30 amp fuse with #10 wire would work (360 watts), it would be much better to move to #8 wire with a 40 amp fuse would be better (480 watts). As a bonus there would be much lower voltage drop to the inverter, and the costs of moving from #10 to #8 are not that big.
Maybe I will keep the solar, but I'm thinking about enjoying the solar setup until late in the year. Without it the solar and my current plans I just wouldn't have electricity but me needing to be accessed by phone provoked the whole solar thing. And I actually don't have an RV battery because I junked it (recycled) after realizing it was dead.
By all means--get some solar and if nothing else works, lay it on the ground. 200 watts as a minimum.
ps I loved my cobra msw inverter.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 02:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 100 watt Solar decision
A 30 amp fuse @ 12 volts = 360 watts
Such a fuse for an inverter may be fairly useless.
You could, in theory, wire several in parallel, but I DO NOT recommend it and it is NOT best practise. (written when I thought it was a 2000 watt inverter).
It is much better to have one fuse that covers the size of wire you are using for the inverter. Carry one or two spares.
If you are selling the RV why are you getting new batteries at all? Use up what you have already. Set up the solar on the ground--and keep it for the next RV.
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 10:53am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Electrical problem
Sounds as if low shore power voltage may be an issue. Measure it under load.
Is there a "whole house" inverter on the RV?
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pianotuna
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07/04/20 04:11am |
Tech Issues
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