D
Deleted member 9101
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Just wire a dedicated circuit off the battery and bypass the trucks wiring. I run a two amps and a 1000 watt inverter off mine and have zero problems.
Super-simple 12v power source for fridge?
- Thread starter Martinjmpr
- Start date
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Well, between buying (or building) an ArkPak, or doing nothing, I decided to split the difference and ordered this:
It should arrive today.
Yes, I know I likely could have fabbed up something similar in my garage for less $$ but if spending sixty bucks saves me two hours of work (likely more, since I work slow) it's worth it to me.
I'll put a fully charged FLA battery (likely 90ah or 105ah, depending on what will fit) and it should be fine for the weekend. If I end up building my own "power box" (which I'd like to do anyway) I'll either keep this as a back up or sell it to someone in our camping group.
Amazon.com: MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center: Sports & Outdoors
Buy MinnKota Trolling Motor Power Center: Cutlery & Knife Accessories - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
It should arrive today.
Yes, I know I likely could have fabbed up something similar in my garage for less $$ but if spending sixty bucks saves me two hours of work (likely more, since I work slow) it's worth it to me.
I'll put a fully charged FLA battery (likely 90ah or 105ah, depending on what will fit) and it should be fine for the weekend. If I end up building my own "power box" (which I'd like to do anyway) I'll either keep this as a back up or sell it to someone in our camping group.
jadmt
ignore button user
let us know how it works. I actually like that idea.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Yeah, I was all set to build my own out of a basic battery box but then I started adding up the costs: Battery box for $10 - $15, cables, fuses, a couple of 12v outlets, and pretty soon I was up to probably $30.
So given that $30 is the cheapest I could build one on my own, it's worth another $30 for someone else to do all the work.
the 60a fused trolling motor connection and the carrying handle are just icing on the cake.EDITED TO ADD: My other thought was that I'd buy a basic "jump pack" and use that as a backup power source.
Problem is, even a "cheap" jump pack is around $50 at Harbor Freight and has a whopping 17ah battery.
An "expensive" jump pack would likely be close to $150 and still only have a 22 - 26ah battery pack. I could get one with a 44ah double battery but it would run over $400.
With this I can put in a Group 27 105ah battery for about $90 putting my total cost at right around $150. Sure it will be an FLA vs an AGM in the jump pack, but for my needs that will work fine.
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Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
OK, so the MinnKota battery box arrived yesterday. I unboxed it and it looks reasonably robust. It's big - will definitely fit a Group 27 and possibly a Group 31 battery! The carrying handle is nice but I would imagine that if you carried the battery a LOT you would want to support it underneath - I'll bet that top will start to crack after time if it's abused. It would have been nice if they had put the handle on the strap so instead of hanging all the weight off the box lid, it was supported from underneath, but for $60 you can't be too picky, I suppose.
But looking at it last night I got to thinking:
What if I combined this battery box with a separate box that contained this 120v AC "smart charger:"
AND a Renogy 20a DC-DC charger:
Wouldn't I have everything I need for a mobile "power pack?"
I'd basically have everything EXCEPT a power inverter (which I don't need - my truck has a 400w power inverter in the dash and we don't run 120v AC stuff when we're camping anyway - too wasteful!)
The 120v "smart charger" could be connected to the 60a Trolling Motor connections on the battery box, as could the Renogy DC-DC charger. If I have shore power I can plug the Smart Charger into that to keep the battery topped off, and if not I can run a couple of wires (maybe 10AWG?) from the battery to the cab of the truck to the Renogy DC-DC charger and that would keep the battery charged up when I'm driving. So whether I have shore power or not, I'd have a way to keep the battery in the battery box charged. I could even connect a solar panel to the Renogy charger if I was boondocking.
Is there a reason this wouldn't work?
But looking at it last night I got to thinking:
What if I combined this battery box with a separate box that contained this 120v AC "smart charger:"
AND a Renogy 20a DC-DC charger:
Amazon.com: Renogy 20A DC to DC Battery Charger for Flooded, Gel, AGM, and Lithium Batteries Using Multi-stage Charging: Automotive
Buy Renogy 20A DC to DC Battery Charger for Flooded, Gel, AGM, and Lithium Batteries Using Multi-stage Charging: Battery Chargers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Wouldn't I have everything I need for a mobile "power pack?"
I'd basically have everything EXCEPT a power inverter (which I don't need - my truck has a 400w power inverter in the dash and we don't run 120v AC stuff when we're camping anyway - too wasteful!)
The 120v "smart charger" could be connected to the 60a Trolling Motor connections on the battery box, as could the Renogy DC-DC charger. If I have shore power I can plug the Smart Charger into that to keep the battery topped off, and if not I can run a couple of wires (maybe 10AWG?) from the battery to the cab of the truck to the Renogy DC-DC charger and that would keep the battery charged up when I'm driving. So whether I have shore power or not, I'd have a way to keep the battery in the battery box charged. I could even connect a solar panel to the Renogy charger if I was boondocking.
Is there a reason this wouldn't work?
hour
Observer
I'd give thought to heat accumulating in the box, if you put the chargers in a box as you've mentioned. If Renogy has put the fans on the bottom of the unit, I'd cut holes in said box to match the fans and then bolt it up so it pushes air straight out. Shame.
But no, that makes sense. I think renogy has a chart for wire size and distance for running the 20a/40a units, so you'll probably want to give that a gander before running 10ga all the way back. Pretty certain you'll want to use larger.
Consider spending the extra $ on welding wire for your wire runs, it's a bazillion fine strands and doesn't fight you like amp wiring kit wire would. Also, it's not copper clad aluminum like most amp wiring kits.
Let me know how you do your wire runs as I'll be following your lead soon on my 2017 F150. I used the plastic plug blank at the front of the bed closest to the cab (there's one on each side) to run wire through for my solar and LTE antenna instead of drilling my camper shell. You could probably do the same. I don't know if there's a reason to not do this, but my wires haven't been pinched in the 2 years I've had this setup and the bed has flexed quite a bit on trails. I hate the thought of drilling. Also kindly let me know how you do your ground. I've read that you're supposed to ground to the frame so the (something something) sensor can detect the load on our trucks, but then read some people saying connect things directly to ground on the battery. There was a thread on f150forum where a guy who outfits law enforcement or emergency vehicles with dual batteries chimed in, but I never felt confident doing one or the other. It'd sure be nice to not have to run two wires the whole length of the truck though.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
I still have to do some planning on this. One thing that's a bit of a PITA going from a wagon (Suburban) to a pickup is that I want to keep the 12v fridge in the cab of the truck where we can access it while we're on the road. But on the flip side I don't necessarily want/need to charging stuff to be in the cab. So now I have to potentially look at how to get a wire from the bed into the cab. Like you I'm loathe to drill holes in the cab of a new truck so I'm going to look and see if there are any other options for getting a charging wire into the cab of the truck without messing things up too much.
It may actually make sense to go in from the firewall using an already existing grommet, if such exist.
As far as wire gauge calculations go, 8 gauge should work fine. I'm not going to use heavy 2AWG welding cable like I did on my dual battery install because that stuff is expensive and not easy to work with. 8 gauge should be able to safely pass up to 30a at 10' length according to the calculator I found online. As far as grounding, I'm not sure it's necessary to go all the way back to the battery. But in the long run it might just be easier to run a red and a black wire from the battery rather than try to hunt for a bolt with a good enough ground to attach to.
dreadlocks
Well-known member
in this case, if you put the DC charger near the aux battery, voltage drop to the DC charger is irrelevant for the most part as the DC charger will boost that back up.. as long as the wiring and fuses support the maximum rated current all will be fine, his aux battery will more than likely be sipping on 10-15A or less for the most part.
now when your passively charging a remote battery, a few tenths of a volt drop is enough to persistently undercharge your aux battery.. so oversizing wiring and maximizing voltage tends to be quite advantageous.
now when your passively charging a remote battery, a few tenths of a volt drop is enough to persistently undercharge your aux battery.. so oversizing wiring and maximizing voltage tends to be quite advantageous.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
To give values, 8 AWG at 30 A will drop just under 0.2V over 10 feet. Not quite "Why do batteries in my trailer only last a year?" amount of drop but enough to know it could matter. Keeping in mind that a 10' run of a red-and-black pair is a loop that's twice that, which would more likely rise to persistent undercharging at 0.4V drop.
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
There is a large grommet under the passenger side floor mat as well as one on each side of the floor, where the C pillars start.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Well, there is a metal "tray" underneath the "60" portion of the 40/60 back seat and that may be a good spot to put the DC-DC charger and possibly the AC-DC charger. I'll try to shoot a picture later of what I'm talking about.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
If I'm understanding you both then I think I'm good. My "long" connection would be from the starter battery under the hood to the DC-DC charger in the cab. The run from the DC-DC charger to the battery being charged would likely be less than 2 feet, maybe less than 1 foot.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Why not use that?
Probably because of this:
Obviously Lithium offers some benefits but I can get 55 usable amp hours out of a FLA 105ah battery that costs less than $100.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
There's also this:
www.mygenerator.com.au
Which uses an AGM instead of a Lithium. But it's 44ah and "only" $300 which means it's still roughly double what my setup will cost without the chargers. And less than half the amp hours.
Also the link above is from Australia and I'm not even sure if that Dometic RAPS44 is even for sale in the US.
Portable Camping Battery Power Pack | Portable Power Station | My Generator
Buy the best portable camping battery power packs from My Generator. We provide superior-quality lithium power packs and Lead-Acid power packs at great deals. Visit our website to shop now! Contact us at 1300 400 122.
www.mygenerator.com.au
Which uses an AGM instead of a Lithium. But it's 44ah and "only" $300 which means it's still roughly double what my setup will cost without the chargers. And less than half the amp hours.
Also the link above is from Australia and I'm not even sure if that Dometic RAPS44 is even for sale in the US.