Battery question

Lizz · Member

Battery question

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Welcome to the gang Lizz, enjoy here and out in the playground.

I have a 100ah battery being charged by a 120w Solar Panel. I can't see a 21w panel doing the job sorry Lizz. I might be wrong though. I am sure you will get plenty of replies though so hang in there. You will also need a 12v fan for that "Little Fan".

Hope it goes well for you.

oldbobsbus · Guru

Dougwe wrote:
Welcome to the gang Lizz, enjoy here and out in the playground.

I have a 100ah battery being charged by a 120w Solar Panel. I can't see a 21w panel doing the job sorry Lizz. I might be wrong though. I am sure you will get plenty of replies though so hang in there. You will also need a 12v fan for that "Little Fan".

Hope it goes well for you.

Yep I'm of the same opinion Doug.

BUT

to answer the OP's question I would be going with a 100ah AGM battery and then maybe getting a larger capacity solar panel to service it..

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Lizz, Bob is right, go for the 100ah battery. You can get 120w folding panels to make it easy. Just make sure you get heavy duty cable to help prevent current loss over it's length. I use 6B&S cable with a 120w solid panel that I use as a portable one and prop it up then move it around to follow the sun. Everything is connected by Anderson plugs. I made up a false floor about 75mm high in the back of the tug and transport it around under that and bring it out when needed. Works well for me.

You will also need a charger in between the panel and battery.

May I suggest you pop into a Jaycar store and chat to them. You will need to tow the bank behind you as now you are talking 12v and Solar Power, $$$$$ are needed BUT well worth it if you do it properly the first time and I tell you that for free smile

I have known people to try and do it on the cheap and ended up costing heaps more to fix.

Good luck but have fun doing it all.

Lizz · Member

Thanks so much guys for the advice. Least you got a laugh eh? no[1].gif I can't wait to get out there. I'll learn.
Lizz

Baz421 · Guru

Lizz wrote:
Hi Guys, I am heading out alone to the playground for 3 months soon. I have a little old camper trailer. I have a solar panel.(21 Watt/max rated power) I probably only need to run power for a little fan( for when I am granny napping), little light, and my phone/camera/ Tablet charging. What sort of battery do I need? Like size/type etc ?
Lizz

Lizz depending on how often you drive you may not need solar at all.

If you buy a good quality100ah AGM battery and charge from the vehicle alternator, a fully charged deep cycle battery would last you for 3-5+ days with the type of load you describe.

The naysayers will say the alternator does not charge as well ie 70%, as compared to solar 100% state of charge (and this is true) but you need to ask yourself do I need to invest in battery $300 odd $ plus a switch (smart solenoid) that charges car first and auxiliary battery second, say $120: plus a 120w solar panel and regulator say $350-400 for good quality plus fitting.

If you know what your needs are and they appear from what you say to be very frugal, especially as you could PROBABLY charge your tablet whilst driving with a small inverter plugged into cig lighter socket. How many watts of power to charge tablet?

From my perspective phone/camera can be charged whilst driving easily ie direct 12v or 12v with USB connection.

Keep it simple and lowest cost for 3 months and see how you go would be my suggestion.

If you need any more info please ask.

Hope this helps Cheers Baz

-- Edited by Baz421 on Saturday 31st of May 2014 08:40:29 PM

SnowT · Guru

Hi Liz when you say Camper Trailer do you mean one of these..?

If So.. Have fun.. As a Solo person not the best..

But if your talking of a Small Caravan Type then you will have a Ball..

Re: Power for the Camper..

If the Power usage is Minimal.. Then Yes a 100Ah Battery will do the Job..

- A solar Panel.. Fixed Or Folding of about 100-200w will do the Job.. One issue Make sure that it does not have a Panel Mounted Regulator..

The solar Regulator Needs to go as Close to the Battery as it can..

The Cable from the Solar Panel need to be of sufficient size that you minimize the Cable Lose.. Include in the Cable a Sheathed Steel Cable[Stainless Steel if you can find one as a Security Measure so the Panels don't go walking..]

That is what I would do a Minimum..

Juergen

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Lizz wrote:
Thanks so much guys for the advice. Least you got a laugh eh? I can't wait to get out there. I'll learn.
Lizz

I for one and I'm very sure no one else here had a laugh Lizz. You asked a question because you are not sure, that's what this section of the forum is about.

We all were at the stage of travel you are now, not knowing much at all and feeling confused, gee I'm still confused smile but learning heaps as I go along, thanks to great knowledgable people on this great forum.

Don't hesitate asking questions Lizz we are all here to help if we can.

Use the PM (Personal Message) system on the forum as well. The ones who see the "Chat" is you and the other person only (like email). Just click on the persons name and you will see how to PM.

Enjoy the journey.

GaryKelly · Guru

Abso-bloody-lutely! Inexperience is nothing to feel ashamed about. We're not born with knowledge... we learn as we go, and particularly from others who've already been there. If we never ask, we'll never know. As to set ups, mine is a 105ah deep cycle battery with a 70w solar panel (an oldie previously fitted). It's also charged by the car's alternator while driving. So far, so good. One GN posted a comment recently about her battery going flat on a cloudy day so she ran the car's engine on idle for half an hour and recharged the battery. Too easy!

oldbobsbus · Guru

Lizzy, again I with Doug insomuch as I didn't laugh and we are here to help as we all started out at some stage.

I guess if you consider all the info given so far you have a couple of choices to consider.

1. Just buy a 100ah battery like THIS and have it charged as you travel by the tow vehicle (short term solution)

2. As funds permit buy a bigger folding (for ease of storage) solar panel like THIS and a controller/regulator like THIS that can be mounted close to your house battery so you can prolong the time you stay or dont have to run your motor. or a complete outfit like THIS (not recommended) but still an option.

Considering you are still only just dipping your foot in the water so to speak, so long as the battery is charged before you leave home and you don't put a big demand on it you could give it a go without buying anything else to start with.. smile

WAssa41 · Senior Member

Hi Liz, as you can see there is a lot of knowledge out there and at times you will find it confusing as we all think that what we have is the best or may be the best. The more you ask the more confident you will become and the easier it will be to make your decision. With regard to your question on battery size a lot will depend on how many nights you will be camping for and how many items you will connect to it. A 100 ah will be fine but what tends to happen is you think of other things you would like to run on 12 v and before you know it you are running out of power. Start with the 100ah (or 150ah if you can afford it) and then think about a solar system which you can install at a latter date, say 120-140w unit. This I think would met all your needs.

Keep asking those questions.

Regards

Wassa

Lizz · Member

That's wonderful everyone, thank you. Thanks Bob for taking the trouble to post the links. Reckon the 100ah battery is the way to go. I am heading to the Caravan and Camping show on Wednesday. Might get a bargain!
I hit the road on June26th Yay!!
Liz

blaze · Guru

Lizz wrote:
That's wonderful everyone, thank you. Thanks Bob for taking the trouble to post the links. Reckon the 100ah battery is the way to go. I am heading to the Caravan and Camping show on Wednesday. Might get a bargain!
I hit the road on June26th Yay!!
Liz

I doubt you will, go to a specialised battery shop

cheers

blaze

ps

I would charge your things from the vehicle and get a couple of led lights with aa batterys, no big spend at all, save it for fuel

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Get a generator !!! No I'm stirring aha ... We have NO issues charging our phones etc directly off 12v plug..
With correct inverter.

KevinC · Senior Member

G'day Liz,

Baz mentioned the word PROBABLY regarding charging the tablet. Well give some thought to this, because he's right. We have two tablets, an Android thing and an iPad. Neither will charge from the car as we drive. If you discover the same problem, best it be before you leave. The phones charge OK.
Maybe someone who can do it can give us a heads up now.

03_troopy · Guru

I have an Android ASUS transformer 101 tablet, and it charges OK from the car charger I bought off ebay. I have an Android HTC Desire phone.. older one, that also charges fine from a generic USB plugin to the cigarette lighter socket. My Wife has a Garmin Android phone that also works fine from the generic or her branded Cig Socket adaptor. I bought a portable charge device that takes 4 AA batteries that will charge the Garmin fine, but will not charge the HTC Desire, which won't even show a charging light on this device. Maybe a matter of millivolts difference in output of the charging methods, but I haven't investigated any further.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

We had to purchase a higher output USB plug in charger..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Car-Cigarette-Lighter-USB-Charger-2-Slots-2100mA-1000mA-Adapters-For-iPad-Tablet-/230792574888
For our Ipads etc..
To think a few years ago we only had a P/C..

-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Wednesday 4th of June 2014 11:13:58 PM

KevinC · Senior Member

Thanks Aus-Kiwi. That's the information I needed.

Friar Park · Senior Member

Lizzie, If you have the ability to charge your 100a/h battery from your car and you have two or three cheap LED torches, and can charge your tablet from your car, dont buy any other gear until you've tried out this camping idea. You dont need everything at once to enjoy life in the great outdoors. Keep the fuel tank at least half full, run the engine for 1 hour every third day and enjoy yourself. No one here has or will laugh at you for asking for help. I know because I've asked some doozies in the past.

Enjoy it

Friar

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

All good keep in touch ..