12v or 24v Camper Electrical System, Advantages and Disadvantages

[DiploStrat]

Hi all. Google bought me full circle back to the EP! So, as I have almost completely clad our Hab Box, I'm now at the point of buying/fitting stuff to it, and have come across the 12v vs 24v conundrum. Originally I'd just assumed that the Hab Box would be 12V and the truck would be 24V. A little research has me now wondering if this is the best way... I already have several Items:-

• Maxxfan 7000 x 2 12v 5 amp (max each)
• Waeco CFX95 fridge/freezer 12/24v 1.25amp
• Vitrifrigo DW180A fridge/freezer 12/24v 10amp (max)
• Truma AquaGo Instant HWS 12v 2.5amp
• Surflow water pump (not purchased yet) 12 or 24v (6.5a -12v, 3.8a - 24v)
• Sirocco fans x 4 Bedroom and living area 12/24v 0.35a on high...?
• Autoterm 4kw diesel air heater 12/24v 5 amps on high fan speed
• Smart TV (not purchaced yet)
• Hab Box CD/Radio (not purchased yet) 12v
• LED lighting throughout (not purchased yet) 12/24v unknown amps...

I will have a gas cooker, 240v a/c, 240v washing machine etc so these do not need factoring in. I plan to go all Victron as I hear nothing but good about it, and know it all works together. I'm now leaning towards 24v as it seems logical, but am yet to learn enough to know if this is the right decision. Any input from those that have done it or are in the middle of it would be welcome...

Nitromethene43 beat me to it. I have a 24v truck which had been badly set up for a 12v camper. Over three years of conversions and it is clear that I would have been $$$$ and headaches ahead had I simply replaced the 12v inverter/charger and solar controller on day one and gone all 24v. As noted, there are many ways to bleed off 12v for fans, etc. And it looks like you can get one of your largest loads, the refrigerator, as a 24v - even better. Everything that is left is unlikely to top 20A or so.

For a 12v vehicle, I would simply stay 12v.

N.B. For a Lithium bank, the easiest, safest connection would be through a battery to battery charger. The best is probably a well designed, dedicated alternator/regulator combo - proven to not overheat or suffer from a sudden loss of load - i.e. BMS shut down.

 

[Sitec]

Thanks all. That settles it. 24v it is! Both our fridges will happily run off 24v so this is a good start. So, will that Victron Orion 24v to 12v charger run appliances, or does it have to be supplying a battery that then feeds the appliances.... (so if I've understood it correctly I'd have 4 batteries set up to run the 24v side of things, running two pairs in series, and then a 5th 'stand alone' battery that's fed by the Orion that is soley for the 12v appliances...?)

 

[DiploStrat]

Should not need a 12v battery, just a transformer/converter or equalizer tap of the appropriate size. Calculate your 12v needs and add a 50% fudge factor. Methinks that Victron probably makes what you need.

 

[filippomasoni]

Hello, I'm resurrecting this post as I've been debating 12V vs 24V for a while and still haven't decided. My vehicle is 12V and I ordered 8x 280ah lifepo4 cells for my camper build (still need to decide on the BMS of going 8s or 2x 4s) and I'll run a 2000W inverter for induction cooking. I really like the idea of 24V for better efficiency, smaller wires and I'll save about 500 euros as well. Most of the appliances are available both in 12 and 24V versions, but I'm worried about the availability of spare parts around the world for future upgrades or fixes if something breaks. Any advice on that?