Re: battery change questions

On Thu, 1 Aug 2024 21:40:14 -0500,
  sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

 On 8/1/2024 8:47 PM, George Anthony wrote:

On 8/1/2024 7:57 PM, Ted Heise wrote:

On Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:34:58 -0500,
   sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

  For $300-400 you can get those smaller (~2,000-4,000 watts)
  portable generators that are easy to handle, can be used for
  other things too, and would charge up the batteries whenever
  you needed it.  The money you would spend having someone
  setting all the stuff up with the heavier wire and plug-ins
  could easily go over what one of those cost, and if your
  batteries go down while you're camping you have to hook back up
  to the truck again.  Just hook a small charger up to it and
  you're good. They're quiet and lost a long, long time on a tank
  of fuel.

>
Thanks, both.  What you say makes sense.  Based on some of
the accounts I read, it seems the Acadia with suitable heavy
gauge wires should be able to bring the trailer battery back
to full charge during a day of towing, but I agree the
install sounds like a major hassle.
>
I like the idea of a small generator, but the ones I found
(e.g., those recommended by Wirecutter) are closer to $1k in
cost.  They had a pretty poor opinion of the cheaper units. 
In any case, even the smaller units seem like a lot more
weight and space than I realy want (or can afford) and I'm
not keen on having to carry fuel (or the noise in operation).
>
Leaning more toward solar panels mounted on the trailer roof,
it sounds like something I could do myself and would be less
prone to theft than portable units.  Not being optimally
aimed woould be offset to some extent by being able to
generate power during the day while towing.
>
I'll be mulling this all over, but more input is always
welcome!

 
https://www.harborfreight.com/1400-watt-super-quiet-inverter-generator-with-co-secure-technology-59186.html

 
 Not bad.  I used these type when working on interstate highway
 jobs and they powered the light stations of the flaggers.  Ran
 a long time on a tank of fuel.
 
 I would also suggest doing a search on amazon keywords: small
 generator inverter.  You get hits like these:
 
 $379 for 2500 Watts
 
<https://www.amazon.com/PowerSmart-PS5020Super-Portable-Generator-Compliant/dp/B089FDFDH5/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wa7Za-KHnGgWpg7GeIn1-ArCnkkg8s7cTp8U8TQHQO3DC2WJEeHDWRjU95AHyo3evHFM6UOZqo0leGgx4zMbz0NMqB7xltZKKsseaXPU5s1y2bQ42X6KeuOppS8Grma5tvV-wgu_BQlTAPr_1kW8DVxoiI5l17AYXJi75PTkhDU4-DFeCWrRcFZQ4XiIeGzKQrzcpjpGLIO1s3qOTwkEuz_lHubSc3aeD8_t9uNzknY.EsCnqxG37pGh_u-ONawogPCJy0mizztd_2sdyzomeg0&dib_tag=se>
 
 To be honest, I like this better.  #379 for 4400 Watts
 
<https://www.amazon.com/PowerSmart-Generator-Inverter-Technology-Compliant/dp/B08W44DTYG/ref=sr_1_11?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wa7Za-KHnGgWpg7GeIn1-ArCnkkg8s7cTp8U8TQHQO3DC2WJEeHDWRjU95AHyo3evHFM6UOZqo0leGgx4zMbz0NMqB7xltZKKsseaXPU5s1y2bQ42X6KeuOppS8Grma5tvV-wgu_BQlTAPr_1kW8DVxoiI5l17AYXJi75PTkhDU4-DFeCWrRcFZQ4XiIeGzKQrzcpjpGLIO1s3qOTwkEuz_lHubSc3aeD8_t9uNzknY.EsCnqxG37pGh_u-ONawogPCJy0mizztd_2sdyzomeg0&dib_tag=se>

Thanks for the pointers, both.  If I were to go with a generator,
my preferences in priority order would be...

1) Quiet
2) Light weight
3) Small dimensions
4) Bluetooth interface
5) CO monitor
6) Electric start

So the Predator that George suggested seemed to fit these
preferences best.  The electric start of the PowerSmart is
attractive, but I expect such a feature adds weight.

 You should also keep in mind you are not going to be running it
 all the time.  With Solar panels alone, you still have all the
 same problems with running out of power.  I don't know what you
 all have to power with the batteries and need to eventually
 charge back up.  Do you have a fridge needing power?
 
 In my View, I can't run the AC at all on battery power, and
 they say the fridge won't last long on battery power.  It is a
 large fridge, and I do have 2 good sized solar panels on the
 roof, but they have a max of 750 watts if I added more
 panels(which I prolly won't do).  I'll have to check it out
 soon to see how it performs.  Fortunately I do have a diesel
 generator if needed.

All good thoughts, and reminds me I haven't said much about my use
case.  We tow a Lance 1475 with the Acadia Denali, and my interest
is being able to camp off the grid (e.g., National Forests) so we
can have some freedom in where we go (i.e., not be bound by
campground reservations) and to not be packed in with lots of
other campers. 

Our limiting factor is probably the black tank.  Its listed
capacity is 26 gallons, and two days seems to be our current
limit.  Probably most of that is pee, so we might be able to
extend a day or so if I went in the woods.  :)

As far as electrical usage, the fridge is fair size for a small
trailer but can run on propane.  The AC won't run at all on 12 V,
so that leaves microwave, electric kettle (for Aeropress coffee),
furnace fan, lights, and charging of phones and laptops.  We have
a newish 100Ah LiFEPO4 battery, and my guess is it might not last
a full day.  Hence the need for some additional power source.  I
need to try it out without shore power, so plan to try next
camping trip.  Probably at a place with shore power, but just not
connected until/if needed.

Anyway, maybe more than you all wanted to know.

--
Ted Heise      <theise@panix.com>       West Lafayette, IN, USA