24 volt system

[Mikevet]

Building a tear drop camper. I want to make a lithium 24 volt system. Can someone recommend a list of items I need to purchase? 2nd question: is it possible to make the system with an inverter and converter and run completely off the battery at all times? ie, run system while solar panels charging and or hooked to shore power only used to charge battery while using it? I’m asking this as to simplify the system. Rather than have a switch to turn from dc to ac when at camp ground etc.
my goal for the system is to have a 24 volt 200 ah battery with (u tell me how much solar) on roof (top is 6x10). Plus capable of shore power to charge system as well. If question 2 is not possible. Then will need to know how to wire ac as well. Eventually, my plan is to get a larger alternator and a 7 pin plug to charge while driving or to charge when no sun.
My power needs will be led lights, dometic cooler, occasional 110 appliance like blender or ice maker, roof fan, iPad and phone charger, on demand water pump.

Question 3. Below my living area in the camper will be a 60 square foot are that will hold my water tank and storage drawers for camping equipment. 6’x10’x1’
I want to use this space to hold all my electrical as well. Will it be to hot? Any hazards to having that below my sleeping area?

 

[Supervstech]

I would want all electrics and batteries in a steel container in my space. I would want temp, and voltage, and cell level monitoring visible.
A teardrop is a compact living space, 200Ah is a lot of battery for such a small place. You should calculate the Wh total consumption and verify you will need so much storage.

 

[Cdkipp]

How big is your teardrop? (oh I see 6 x10) Those are usually quite small and due to the shape hard to place panels. You def will want to max out all area you can but do you have vents, A/C etc. on the roof. Your tear drop is going to have a 12 volt, not a 24-volt system as that is the standard in rvs. It is possible to use 24 Volt and then convert it down to 12 volt but generally that only makes sense for larger systems.

Most trailers come with the converter. An inverter would allow you to use AC from the batteries when not hooked up. Sounds like you would just need a small 12 volt inverter and forget the 24 volt stuff and dial your reliance on solar way back. If you are going to boondock then you may be better off basing your system off a gas generator and then think of solar only as a supplement. Folks with small trailers sometimes carry panels and then set them out on the ground propped toward toward the sun to increase the capacity.

The temp underneath should not be a problem.

 

[Cdkipp]

I would want all electrics and batteries in a steel container in my space. I would want temp, and voltage, and cell level monitoring visible.
A teardrop is a compact living space, 200Ah is a lot of battery for such a small place. You should calculate the Wh total consumption and verify you will need so much storage.

Weight becomes a big consideration with these trailers. Inverters and converters are common without any steel container protection. Whether the batteries present a fire concern depends on the batteries he is choosing.

 

[Bobert]

You need to do some sort of a power audit. You need to know the maximum 120v power draw you expect to have. If the max you need is 2000 watts or less the advantages of 24v over 12v evaporate. If you have no large 120 volt loads you are better off with a 12 volt system.

Anything electrical has a certain amount of risk to it. The risks of lifepo4 batteries are the least of all the battery chemistries I know of but whenever you have that much energy potential there is a increased risk. It’s up to you to insure the installation is done properly and to choose the quality of your components.

 

[Cdkipp]

Building a tear drop camper. I want to make a lithium 24 volt system. Can someone recommend a list of items I need to purchase? 2nd question: is it possible to make the system with an inverter and converter and run completely off the battery at all times? ie, run system while solar panels charging and or hooked to shore power only used to charge battery while using it? I’m asking this as to simplify the system. Rather than have a switch to turn from dc to ac when at camp ground etc.
my goal for the system is to have a 24 volt 200 ah battery with (u tell me how much solar) on roof (top is 6x10). Plus capable of shore power to charge system as well. If question 2 is not possible. Then will need to know how to wire ac as well. Eventually, my plan is to get a larger alternator and a 7 pin plug to charge while driving or to charge when no sun.
My power needs will be led lights, dometic cooler, occasional 110 appliance like blender or ice maker, roof fan, iPad and phone charger, on demand water pump.

Question 3. Below my living area in the camper will be a 60 square foot are that will hold my water tank and storage drawers for camping equipment. 6’x10’x1’
I want to use this space to hold all my electrical as well. Will it be to hot? Any hazards to having that below my sleeping area?

If you tell us more about your long term plans we can help more. I full time and use both a 40 foot fifth wheel with lots of solar and a 19 foot Lance trailer with no solar but set up for boondocking with lots of lithium batteries and a gas generator. All depends on your plans. I am seeing tear drops with flexible panels but flexible panels have draw backs and you cannot get many up there.

 

[Mikevet]

Building a tear drop camper. I want to make a lithium 24 volt system. Can someone recommend a list of items I need to purchase? 2nd question: is it possible to make the system with an inverter and converter and run completely off the battery at all times? ie, run system while solar panels charging and or hooked to shore power only used to charge battery while using it? I’m asking this as to simplify the system. Rather than have a switch to turn from dc to ac when at camp ground etc.
my goal for the system is to have a 24 volt 200 ah battery with (u tell me how much solar) on roof (top is 6x10). Plus capable of shore power to charge system as well. If question 2 is not possible. Then will need to know how to wire ac as well. Eventually, my plan is to get a larger alternator and a 7 pin plug to charge while driving or to charge when no sun.
My power needs will be led lights, dometic cooler, occasional 110 appliance like blender or ice maker, roof fan, iPad and phone charger, on demand water pump.

Question 3. Below my living area in the camper will be a 60 square foot are that will hold my water tank and storage drawers for camping equipment. 6’x10’x1’
I want to use this space to hold all my electrical as well. Will it be to hot? Any hazards to having that below my sleeping area?

 

[Mikevet]

So I plan on boondock most of the time. I don’t wNt a generator because of caring fuel and the NOISE. I figured for the price of the generator, I could get more battery and solar. I’m building this camper from the ground out. Since it’s custom, thee is no “standard”.
My plan for the was to have then hinged on the driver side wall then prop them up at 90 or whatever degrees needed to capture the sun. The beefed up alternator could charge the system if under trees or overcast.
My ac will be self contained and have it’s own lithium battery.
A rough audit of my system is lithium puck lights 3 watts each = 30 watt total, 12 volt cooler 45watt, ice maker 100 watt, iPad phone charging avg in 24 hour is 10 watts per hour, roof fan 18 watts. So that’s 230 watts per hour. So 24 hours that 5500 watts. That seems like a lot. Am I doing something wrong with my calculation? This is why I didn’t want to go with a 1200 or 2400 watt. Where am I going wrong?

 

[Mikevet]

So I plan on boondock most of the time. I don’t wNt a generator because of caring fuel and the NOISE. I figured for the price of the generator, I could get more battery and solar. I’m building this camper from the ground out. Since it’s custom, thee is no “standard”.
My plan for the was to have then hinged on the driver side wall then prop them up at 90 or whatever degrees needed to capture the sun. The beefed up alternator could charge the system if under trees or overcast.
My ac will be self contained and have it’s own lithium battery.
A rough audit of my system is lithium puck lights 3 watts each = 30 watt total, 12 volt cooler 45watt, ice maker 100 watt, iPad phone charging avg in 24 hour is 10 watts per hour, roof fan 18 watts. So that’s 230 watts per hour. So 24 hours that 5500 watts. That seems like a lot. Am I doing something wrong with my calculation? This is why I didn’t want to go with a 1200 or 2400 watt. Where am I going wrong?

My plan is mostly weekend trips.

 

[Supervstech]

So I plan on boondock most of the time. I don’t wNt a generator because of caring fuel and the NOISE. I figured for the price of the generator, I could get more battery and solar. I’m building this camper from the ground out. Since it’s custom, thee is no “standard”.
My plan for the was to have then hinged on the driver side wall then prop them up at 90 or whatever degrees needed to capture the sun. The beefed up alternator could charge the system if under trees or overcast.
My ac will be self contained and have it’s own lithium battery.
A rough audit of my system is lithium puck lights 3 watts each = 30 watt total, 12 volt cooler 45watt, ice maker 100 watt, iPad phone charging avg in 24 hour is 10 watts per hour, roof fan 18 watts. So that’s 230 watts per hour. So 24 hours that 5500 watts. That seems like a lot. Am I doing something wrong with my calculation? This is why I didn’t want to go with a 1200 or 2400 watt. Where am I going wrong?

Your math looks good, but you may use far less. Actually measuring usage is best. Most of the loads you list are not continuous loads, so x24 is excessive on them. And you wouldn’t use watts per hour, you would use, accumulated Wh totals for each load.

 

[mikefitz]

Stay with a 12v system. Estimate how much solar you can fit and work from that. I guess it wont be much, given the low roof area.
You may have to exist without the ice maker from the battery power
You have a small space, limit the amount battery and support chargers.
Plan for high AC consumers only when on shore power.
Away from shore power have everything 12v powered.
Be realistic on power use, your calculations seem way out, calculate based on watt hours, your lighting won't be on for 24 hours.
Off grid you cannot use more power than the solar can supply.

Mike

 

[John Frum]

The 7-pin tow cable will likely limit your charging current to ~10 amps.
You might not need an alternator upgrade.

 

[Al D]

If you're planning on using a 120V blender, or any other inductive load, you need to have an inverter that can handle 6-7 times the current draw of that appliance. You can look up "inrush current" to get more specifics. This applies to the air conditioner you mentioned also, regardless of it being on a separate system. Also, please keep in mind that a 120V air conditioner may draw 5 Amps from the grid, but it will draw 50 Amps from a 12v system. You would be able to run your air conditioner for less than 4 hours continuous (your inverter will likely only be ~90% efficient) on a 12v 200Ah battery. This time estimate doubles with a 24v 200Ah battery, as the current draw is only 25 Amps for this specific scenario.

As for the solar panels, you will need at least 1000W combined if you want the batteries to have the chance at full capacity after heavy usage (the air conditioner). This is a basic estimate taken at 4-5 hours of direct sunlight. You can get by with less if you're in a sunny area, and you'll need more if in a particularly shaded area.

I don't think there's enough roof top or canopy that would get you the 1kW, but you might not need it if you're careful with your energy use. Your energy usage for everything other than the air conditioner seems simple enough for ~400w panels to handle in 4-5 sunny hours. You might get by with a single household panel at 350W for that.

 

[Mikevet]

My air conditioner is not on any circuit. It has its own battery like an iPhone or iPad. The battery is part of the air conditioner.

 

[John Frum]

My air conditioner is not on any circuit. It has its own battery like an iPhone or iPad. The battery is part of the air conditioner.

Oh crap.
Is it one of these https://www.zerobreeze.com/products/zero-breeze-mark-2 ?

 

[Mikevet]

Here is the ac. The bottom is the battery pack

 

[John Frum]

Here is the ac. The bottom is the battery pack

Have you tested it?

 

[Cdkipp]

The 7-pin tow cable will likely limit your charging current to ~10 amps.
You might not need an alternator upgrade.

He can run a separate wire from the truck with its own hookup just need to make sure it will not overburden alternator

 

[Al D]

My air conditioner is not on any circuit. It has its own battery like an iPhone or iPad. The battery is part of the air conditioner.

You will still need to charge it. Per their own website, the unit is best used to cool 25-40sqft, not the 60sqft you have. The website also suggests the battery will only last 3-5 hours for the optimal area. The recharge time is reported to take 6 hours. If you were going to use your house batteries to charge the air conditioner batteries, you would be using at least 840Wh to recharge the full capacity. Assuming 3 hours of operation per fully charged battery, and the need for 12 hours of operation, you would be needing to recharge the battery 4 times. This doesn't allow for fully recharging (6hrs per recharge) so you will probably need to run the air conditioner from your own batteries, at least in part. That's ~3.6kWh. With combined 1000W panels, you would need 3-4 hours of direct sun. That doesn't include the power needed for your other devices.

 

[Mikevet]

yeah not sure if the ac unit will work. I would only plan on
using 2-3 hours anyway at night when going to sleep. So, it should only need to drop the temp down 5-8 degrees. I’d also put it on a timer so it would run for 30 minutes then cut off. I could get 6 hours out of it that way. If it’s hotter than that, I’m stay in home.