diy solar

diy solar

100amp LiFePO4 12v battery for 1000w microwave?

Thanks for the link. Since I charge with solar and have never used shore power I think I will leave the converter as is. But, do you happen to know....while towing the trailer and using a 7 pin plug, do the trailer batteries get charged directly from the tow vehicle or does it go through the converter?
What Iceman said.

I recommend watching Jared from "All about RVs" if you want advice on charging from your tow vehicle. He just did a video a month ago on this topic.
 
The 7 pin connector has too much voltage drop to effectively charge a battery. It can run a 12V refrigerator at 12V. but 12V is not enough to charge any battery. So during towing, Solar is your best bet.
Thank you. My Jeep GC Trailhawk often shows battery charging voltage over 14 and I had assumed that transferred to the trailer. I've seen the trailer battery increase from 13.2v to 13.4v after towing. My small trailer has very little free roof space but I'll have to look into mounting possibly 1 100w panel up there. I currently use 1 or 2 100 watt panels once I'm set up to camp.
 
What Iceman said.

I recommend watching Jared from "All about RVs" if you want advice on charging from your tow vehicle. He just did a video a month ago on this topic.
Appreciate all your advice. Will check out Jared's videos.
 
Thanks for the additional info. It's sounding like I need to add the 2nd battery. I previously had 2 group 31 AGMs, one was an Odyssey. They probably handled the start-up surge much better.
AGMs can handle a lot more current then your LFP.

My two Group 29 AGM 95AH batteries can supply 1400A each - 2800A total. (30 sec) You group 31 probably had even more.
While the LFP do like 100-300A. That's why the Microwave or A/C unit starts of a lead battery rather easy and LFP don't

So you had a 10X of more power at your disposal.

Get a second LFP, doubles the current. Or add AGM in parallel to do the heavy lifting. There are AGMs which are very similar in charging parameter then LFPs. Just check your LFP settings - select a matching AGM.
 
I suggest you stop speculating and go empirical. Get something like a KillaWatt meter, put it in front of the microwave. It will tell you the actual draw. Step back from there, and measure at each boundary. What are you even getting out of the inverter. Mine all have multiple on-board fuses, and they make them replaceable for a reason. Somewhere you have a chokepoint. Five minutes using a meter will tell you everything. I personally like a clamp multimeter, even tho they aren't as accurate as in-line. Amazon has a decent one for $37. No, it's not a Fluke, but this ain't rocket science.
 
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