Cant design need help

Anything electric, AC or DC

Super Offroad Teardrop----ELECTRICAL!

Postby bigpaul » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:10 am

:o HOLY SMOKES! Boy, I thought I had big dreams! BUT! I am also very pragmatic and an Automotive/ Heavy Equipment/ Mechanic/ Electrician. ;)

4-6 Batteries? Nope, 2 will work fine and even then I consider that over kill unless you plan to go ‘off road’ for longer than two weeks. And, really, with the Solar Panels of which you speak, stop and think for a minute. Watch yourself at home. How long do you use energy when you are getting ready for work? When you are camping, do you plan to do something like watch Television? Or are you going to listen to the radio for a little while and then hit the hay. If you think this through to a daily conclusion, you can then plan your electrical.

Solar Panels, the size of which you speak, can recharge a single battery in less than four hours. One panel per battery is over kill, but can provide a sense of security in case you abuse the power they have. But if you plan to get up, use the power, then go play for three hours, you can have a master shut-off switch that will allow the batteries to charge without any draw. A simple pair of thirty-watt panels, one per battery, would work perfect in that type of environment.
Your DC/AC inverter should be 50 watts bigger than the total draw of every component you plan to use. This keeps your draw from being excessive, remember, as long as the inverter is on is as long as it draws current, even if you have all the AC stuff turned off the inverter still draws power. Are the 110v outlets really important? If so, how long will you use them? There are some really tiny Generators available these days. You might find out that ten gallons of gas and a baby generator is the way to go. Turn it on, use it, and shut it off! Batteries saved!
Use one huge battery for your inverter. Use the other, smaller battery, just for lighting.
In the tiny interior of a teardrop, a very tiny heater can chase you right out of it. Think about that, also, unless you want to die, you are going to have an open pair of vents no mater what. When using shore power, you can use electric blankets if it really gets cold enough. Hot water? For less than three hundred bucks you can purchase a tiny Propane water heater, with a built in water pump, that can supply hot water, on demand, for your shower. Turn the valve on, plug it in (12 volts), take your shower, shut it off and close the valve. DONE, energy saved. A/C, use the generator or shore electricity. Cabin Fan, use a sailboat cabin fan, self contained, solar powered, sun comes up, vent goes on, sun goes down…get the picture. You can “Have it all!” and all the power you need to run it and not have your Super Tear weigh too much. :thumbsup: Charging from the tow vehicle is a great idea. Just don’t get crazy again, find out the largest Alternator you can attach to the vehicle. Use a continuous duty relay and NOT a battery Isolator. The alternator on the axle is one more thing to worry about breaking when you are off-road and the cost of the parasitic load on your gas mileage would kill your wallet. Learn the maximum you plan to use, use the minimum to power it, and you’ll have enough power for your trips.

Something else to consider, do you plan to off-road as a, or with a, group. Even the smallest generator is over kill in most cases. Say you have four friends and they all need a little extra “juice” when you are out as a group. If you share the generator and the cost of the gas that goes into it, you can ALL benefit from putting your electrical systems on a diet.
Ready to build, but designing and gathering the goodies FIRST!
bigpaul
Teardrop Inspector
 
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