Bought Litime 230AH 12v battery for full time vandwelling, good or bad?

[TMariano]

Not 41Ah at 12v. More like 13x that amount.

410w/120v/0.85=48A DC x 12h= 578Ah

Ok I see... For some reason I presumed the 120V conversion from the inverter meant the AH's for things that needed it would be calculated as 120V as well, but I can now see how that doesn't make a lick of sense coming from a 12V battery bank lol. I'm assuming 24V or 48V battery bank would serve me better in this case?

I will only be able to get around 600 watts (12V panels) on my roof. I could also run my engine awhile before/after work and on my 10 min breaks/45 minute lunches? I will have access to shore power during my 3 day weekends, technically could drive back to my weekend parking spot during the work week but it's a 20 mile drive one way and I doubt i'm getting anything more than 10 MPG if that. Every day of summer would be a bit much but I could work with driving back halfway through the week to top off...

Also just found the wattage of the AC is actually 56 to 58 watts when fan is running, and 290 to 350 watts when compressor is running, each depending on fan speed. Fan/low would be sufficient on most days as i'll have a maxx air fan in front and roof window in back for exhaust. I can deal with driving back to charge every day on the really hot weeks too as there's only a few in the year.

I have also considered building my own ac with a well insulated cooler, "low power" ice maker and a fan, but was hoping I could use a system that didn't require maintenance. Might just plan for this route though as it sounds like I will REALLY need to beef up on power for an actual AC, and space is already really tight.

 

[TMariano]

I agree that a DC-DC charger (charging from the alternator) is an important part of a van system because it augments solar and may mean that shore charging is not needed or significantly reduced.

I originally didn't want to go this route in case I messed something up and screwed my starter battery, I am changing my mind though as I feel my life will be more difficult if I don't use a charger.

Can you provide an example of your calcs leading to 30-40 amps per day? For example, the fridge may use 45-60 watts but it cycles on and off. What were your assumptions there? Regardless, the fridge probably makes up the bulk of your consumption but what do the rest of your loads look like?

I basically just found the amps for each item and multiplied it for however many hours i'd use them for, rounding up. I know the fridge auto shuts off but I don't know how to calculate for that so I just assumed 24 hours. However, I did not calculate the 120V items (just the ps4, baby monitor and gateway hotspot) as 12V so the 30-40 number is innacurate, will report back with (hopefully) accurate numbers for each load soon.

 

[JRH]

Hello all, new user here. Apologies for the lengthy post or if any of this has already been asked here, I just want to be as thorough as possible for my particular situation. Any info/recommendations are welcome and appreciated. Please be kind as I am not an electrician and just a humble human doing my best to survive.

I'm putting together my first power system (12V) for full time van dwelling. Was going to wait a while longer but I impulse bought a 230AH LifePO4 battery (Litime) because it was on a good sale and what I planned on getting anyways. I will be getting everything else over time as I can afford it. I have only a basic education with electricity and did my best to keep things realistic and do thorough enough research to ensure I have safe/adequate power to live off of without breaking the bank, but was hoping for some advice before I go any further in case i'm wrong so as to avoid costly mistakes. Here's a list of the major components I planned on using:

230AH 12V Litime Plus battery
Renogy Rover BT 40A Solar charger
500-600 watts worth of 12V solar panels, maybe 24V if I can use that with my system somehow.
Weize 2000W Pure Sine Wave inverter (may get Renogy if it means more efficient power)
Renogy 12V 40A battery charger (would be using all day/night 3 days a week)
250A Positive/negative busbars (not sure what brand yet)
Blue Sea 5026 12V Fuse block (100A I believe?)

Per my calculations, I would be regularly going through 30-40 amps a day at most. Going into detail, I am planning to power up to two cooking appliances a few times (give or take) a week, for no more than 20-30 minutes at a time with the heaviest load being 1500 watts (600W skillet and 900W air fryer/multi-cooker), and still have enought power stored to be able to charge my laptop/phone. Maybe even an hour or two of ps4 time, though I could easily live without it in my van. I will also have a 12v fridge running all the time, website states 45W on ECO and 60W on MAX, I plan to only use ECO. Other than that I plan for a few puck lights, a computer fan (for toilet vent), temperature monitor, and a two way baby monitor/camera for my dog so I can watch over him while I work.

My main concern is that I won't have enough power to last through the work week. I will have access to power for 3 days a week (my weekends) that I plan to recharge using a converter/charger, but will be parked on the street for 4 days a week (about 50 feet from where I work) with no access to power. Will most likely also invest in few small power banks just for phone/laptop charging, just to be safe..

Also, for the sake of thoroughness, here is a crude sketch I made based off a working 12v system that, aside from being wired to a 100AH battery and no converter involved, is exactly identical to what I planned for above. I am hoping I can still use the same amp ratings on fuses and such with my 230AH battery along with adding a 40A converter, if anything about this is wrong or looks sketchy please let me know.
View attachment 164308
Thanks in advance for anyone who is willing to help me out with advice, recommendations or corrections!

I wasn’t going to say anything, but your comment about a baby monitor for your dog says you a good guy..Dogs always end up being your best friend in the end.. take care of Bowser..
keep plugging At it …. you will get there…good luck…
J.

 

[TMariano]

Don't know your timeframes for everything, but I'd invest in the design process now, before buying more components. The 12v230ah battery can be standalone for now (a single battery), or part of a 12v system design (one or more batteries in parallel for a battery bank) or a 24v design (2 batts in series, and then more in parallel), all of which goes to getting the battery-bank amp-hours you need to run (between charging). Sounds like you'll go 12v for the entire system design for now, but not too late to change to 24v with the addition of one more battery.

Shooting for beginning/middle of fall, I got some time but I also still need to convert/build out the van and do some mechanical work so i'm opting for the quickest/cheapest system I can get that's safe. Not worried about rebuilding my system next year if I need to and will have much more money/time to invest into it.

1. Go here, and enter in each appliance's values (watts, hours/day you want to run it, etc.):
unboundsolar.com/solar-information/offgrid-calculator

2. Go here, using numbers from above, and fiddle with various entries/components, and you'll see in real-time what your system component (inverter, mppt, panel) sizing is:
www.altestore.com/store/calculators/off_grid_calculator/

Awesome i'll definitely be making use of this!

First rule of design is to cut out loads you don't need or can convert. You could go all electric, and try to find the most efficient electric appliances you can, or you can convert some of those to propane (a very good/handy fuel for RV/Van scenarios). A propane-based cooktop, appliances that work on propane flame stoves, etc.

I think I will actually be using propane cookware/heating devices instead, was already planning on mr heater buddy joining me for winter and I also already own a single burner propane stove as well. Was trying to cut out recurring costs but propane is cheap and i'd rather save power for things that actually need it.

While this is putting more eggs into one basket, you could consider an All-in-One like a 12v or 24v mpp AIO model. Hook your battery up to it, plug some panels into it, and it does all the rest for you. Plug in some shore power, when near it (house, car, whatever), and it can recharge from that as well.

Looking into these as well, sounds like this may be the way to go for my situation. Noobie question but where would you plug your AC stuff into? None of the AIO's I can see online have any AC inputs like inverters do.

 

[TMariano]

I wasn’t going to say anything, but your comment about a baby monitor for your dog says you a good guy..Dogs always end up being your best friend in the end.. take care of Bowser..
keep plugging At it …. you will get there…good luck…
J.

Thank you!! He really is my best friend and by far what i've been planning around the most, my utmost priority is making him 100% safe and happy in our new home.

 

[JRH]

Thank you!! He really is my best friend and by far what i've been planning around the most, my utmost priority is making him 100% safe and happy in our new home.

Ruff ..ruff…..?

 

[Tomthumb62]

will only be able to get around 600 watts (12V panels) on my roof. I could also run my engine awhile before/after work and on my 10 min breaks/45 minute lunches? I will have access to shore power during my 3 day weekends, technically could drive back to my weekend parking spot during the work week but it's a 20 mile drive one way and I doubt i'm getting anything more than 10 MPG if that. Every day of summer
would be a bit much but I can work with driving back halfway through the week to top off?

Also just found the wattage of the AC is actually 56 to 58 watts when fan is running, and 290 to 350 watts when compressor is running, each depending on fan speed. Fan/low would be sufficient on most days as i'll have a maxx air fan in front and roof window in back for exhaust. I can deal with driving back to charge every day on the really hot weeks too as there's only a few in the year.

If you can get the air cond usage down from 12 hours a day to something much smaller, you might be able to get away with it. Best thing to do is to run the unit in the similar conditions you expect to use it for 12 hours and use a KillAwatt meter to measure exact energy usage. It may be using far less than my math points out.

 

[TMariano]

If you can get the air cond usage down from 12 hours a day to something much smaller, you might be able to get away with it. Best thing to do is to run the unit in the similar conditions you expect to use it for 12 hours and use a KillAwatt meter to measure exact energy usage. It may be using far less than my math points out.

That makes sense. I wasn't going to buy the AC unit until closer to spring, I won't have a way to test it out until then. We're not gonna be in the van this summer though, so AC is on the back burner for awhile. I will do some more research with what i've learned here and most likely put a new thread out eventually when i've come up with some more ideas.

 

[Tomthumb62]

That makes sense. I wasn't going to buy the AC unit until closer to spring, I won't have a way to test it out until then. We're not gonna be in the van this summer though, so AC is on the back burner for awhile. I will do some more research with what i've learned here and most likely put a new thread out eventually when i've come up with some more ideas.

Since you’re dogs health and safety are on the line, you’re going to want to test out your system first. Just throwing the whole system together and then rushing off to leave them alone in the heat for 12+ hours a day might prove a sad ending.

BUT since you have time, you do have time to work out the math and size of the system and get feedback from people here to determine if what you’re planning is even feasible or not.

For example, what kind of heat are you going to be dealing with next summer? Southern Arizona? Or northern Maine? Big difference. If Arizona, you’re not going to be able to do this off grid, on a van. UNLESS, this is just an idea I just had, you build a sizable thickly insulated “crate” for your dogs and pipe in the air conditioned air into that has a thermostat inside to turn off the A/C when it gets cool enough. Some A/C units come with a remote control that acts as a thermostat. This would massively cut down on your energy needs.

 

[DIYrich]

Hello all, new user here. Apologies for the lengthy post or if any of this has already been asked here, I just want to be as thorough as possible for my particular situation. Any info/recommendations are welcome and appreciated. Please be kind as I am not an electrician and just a humble human doing my best to survive.

I'm putting together my first power system (12V) for full time van dwelling. Was going to wait a while longer but I impulse bought a 230AH LifePO4 battery (Litime) because it was on a good sale and what I planned on getting anyways. I will be getting everything else over time as I can afford it. I have only a basic education with electricity and did my best to keep things realistic and do thorough enough research to ensure I have safe/adequate power to live off of without breaking the bank, but was hoping for some advice before I go any further in case i'm wrong so as to avoid costly mistakes. Here's a list of the major components I planned on using:

230AH 12V Litime Plus battery
Renogy Rover BT 40A Solar charger
500-600 watts worth of 12V solar panels, maybe 24V if I can use that with my system somehow.
Weize 2000W Pure Sine Wave inverter (may get Renogy if it means more efficient power)
Renogy 12V 40A battery charger (would be using all day/night 3 days a week)
250A Positive/negative busbars (not sure what brand yet)
Blue Sea 5026 12V Fuse block (100A I believe?)

Per my calculations, I would be regularly going through 30-40 amps a day at most. Going into detail, I am planning to power up to two cooking appliances a few times (give or take) a week, for no more than 20-30 minutes at a time with the heaviest load being 1500 watts (600W skillet and 900W air fryer/multi-cooker), and still have enought power stored to be able to charge my laptop/phone. Maybe even an hour or two of ps4 time, though I could easily live without it in my van. I will also have a 12v fridge running all the time, website states 45W on ECO and 60W on MAX, I plan to only use ECO. Other than that I plan for a few puck lights, a computer fan (for toilet vent), temperature monitor, and a two way baby monitor/camera for my dog so I can watch over him while I work.

My main concern is that I won't have enough power to last through the work week. I will have access to power for 3 days a week (my weekends) that I plan to recharge using a converter/charger, but will be parked on the street for 4 days a week (about 50 feet from where I work) with no access to power. Will most likely also invest in few small power banks just for phone/laptop charging, just to be safe..

Also, for the sake of thoroughness, here is a crude sketch I made based off a working 12v system that, aside from being wired to a 100AH battery and no converter involved, is exactly identical to what I planned for above. I am hoping I can still use the same amp ratings on fuses and such with my 230AH battery along with adding a 40A converter, if anything about this is wrong or looks sketchy please let me know.
View attachment 164308
Thanks in advance for anyone who is willing to help me out with advice, recommendations or corrections!

How heavy is the battery? Maybe an Anderson connector and luggage cart. Bring it into work to recharge.

 

[Tomthumb62]

How heavy is the battery? Maybe an Anderson connector and luggage cart. Bring it into work to recharge.

He’s going to need two batteries then. He can’t leave his dogs in the van without air conditioning running.

 

[jimf909]

...was already planning on mr heater buddy joining me for winter

Propane combustion releases a LOT of moisture. Running that type of heater in a van will result in a on of condensation inside the van by morning. It will be very wet. Also, CO2 will accumulate and either the CO2 shutoff will turn off the heater or you and/or your pup may be poisoned (worse case = death). You won't want to leave your dog unattended with the heater on.

To use a Mr. Heater type heater you'll need to vent the van to avoid CO2 and condensation buildup (although it's hard to keep ahead of the condensation).

I'm not sure how cold your winter is but a proper furnace (propane from Propex, diesel from Espar or China - google Chinese Diesel Heater to find inexpensive versions) is what's needed for long-term use or when a human or dog will be sleeping.

edit: CO, NOT CO2. doh!

 

[Tomthumb62]

To use a Mr. Heater type heater you'll need to vent the van to avoid CO2 and condensation buildup

The Mr Heater are designed to not produce CO or CO2 buildup, unlike most propane heaters. But you’ll still have the condensation buildup.

OP: look into the Dickinson heaters. They’ve models that burn propane and others that run on diesel or kerosene. We bought ours used for $500, but the price has come down new for about $700. They’re vented and small but really kick out the heat. Burns for 12 hours on a single pound of propane, extremely efficient. And a beauty to watch the flames flicker in the glass window like a fireplace. Great ambience combined with excellent function. The best money we spent on our mini camp trailer setup. Would be ideal for a van or other rv.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

not sure how cold your winter is but a proper furnace (propane from Propex, diesel from Espar or China - google Chinese Diesel Heater to find inexpensive versions)

I agree. I’m in Vermont. One of my early off grid purchases was a brand new RV heater. No moisture and no risk of death.

I’ve actually met people who are now dead from ‘safe’ enclosed space heaters. Great they shut down but it didn’t help the guy and his woman in a tryst on his sailboat that are now dead. I don’t trust the things.

You can get a small RV furnace <$500ish

 

[12VoltInstalls]

won't be using any electric cook

Your link didn’t work. But for the money go to Amazon and get some security if the cheap things quit.

Mine work fine. They are the fan blower metal case ones from Bezos’ Amazonian Outfitters

Forget allie expressed anything

 

[TMariano]

Since you’re dogs health and safety are on the line, you’re going to want to test out your system first. Just throwing the whole system together and then rushing off to leave them alone in the heat for 12+ hours a day might prove a sad ending. BUT since you have time, you do have time to work out the math and size of the system and get feedback from people here to determine if what you’re planning is even feasible or not.

I definitely wasn't going to just throw it all together and hope for the best, I just won't have time/money to invest to that problem until I'm finished converting and start living in the van, aiming for beginning of fall but hopefully sooner. It remains a priority to figure out a solution well before it starts getting hot, if all else fails I would have a sitter for him through the week but that would make me sad.

For example, what kind of heat are you going to be dealing with next summer? Southern Arizona? Or northern Maine? Big difference. If Arizona, you’re not going to be able to do this off grid, on a van.

I'm in Portland, OR. Most weeks are around 90 in summer here but there are a couple weeks or so that get a little over 100, which are the days i'm going to shoot for when calculating/planning.

UNLESS, this is just an idea I just had, you build a sizable thickly insulated “crate” for your dogs and pipe in the air conditioned air into that has a thermostat inside to turn off the A/C when it gets cool enough. Some A/C units come with a remote control that acts as a thermostat. This would massively cut down on your energy needs.

This is a very interesting idea, will definitely look into this sounds like a great solution!

 

[TMariano]

To use a Mr. Heater type heater you'll need to vent the van to avoid CO2 and condensation buildup (although it's hard to keep ahead of the condensation).

The Mr Heater are designed to not produce CO or CO2 buildup, unlike most propane heaters. But you’ll still have the condensation buildup.

OP: look into the Dickinson heaters. They’ve models that burn propane and others that run on diesel or kerosene. We bought ours used for $500, but the price has come down new for about $700. They’re vented and small but really kick out the heat. Burns for 12 hours on a single pound of propane, extremely efficient. And a beauty to watch the flames flicker in the glass window like a fireplace. Great ambience combined with excellent function. The best money we spent on our mini camp trailer setup. Would be ideal for a van or other rv.

I'm familiar with the venting/condensation issue as I used it last fall/winter in a small unventilated attic and always had it near a cracked window, put a detector between us and the heater and it never went off. Would plan to do the same for in the van as well.

I will still look into the Dickinson heater and other heaters mentioned above, I wouldn't mind going a different route for heat. The heater buddy was just a temporary/cheap solution to get my boy and I through winter.

 

[TMariano]

Your link didn’t work. But for the money go to Amazon and get some security if the cheap things quit.

Mine work fine. They are the fan blower metal case ones from Bezos’ Amazonian Outfitters

Forget allie expressed anything

Was trying to show the PowMR 1600 watt AIO, this link is to manufacture website - https://powmr.com/products/all-in-one-inverter-charger-1600watt-220vac-12vdc

Ali was just what showed up first when looking up the product, only planning on buying things either through amazon or manufacture websites, whichever has better warranty/price.

 

[Tomthumb62]

I'm in Portland, OR. Most weeks are around 90 in summer here but there are a couple weeks or so that get a little over 100,

The dilemma then is do you park in shade for cooling or in sun for power production. Heavy insulation can make a huge difference though. Blinds on windows, especially insulated blinds, can also make a big difference in reducing the greenhouse effect.

I think with good insulation (or making an insulated compartment) you can make it work in Portland. I’ve also seen van people create an insulated barrier between the cab and the back, in addition to heavily insulating everything else. If you haven’t seen “Drew Builds Stuff” on YouTube, he does a pretty sweet basic van build and I think he does the insulated cab barrier thing.

 

[TMariano]

The dilemma then is do you park in shade for cooling or in sun for power production. Heavy insulation can make a huge difference though. Blinds on windows, especially insulated blinds, can also make a big difference in reducing the greenhouse effect.

I think with good insulation (or making an insulated compartment) you can make it work in Portland. I’ve also seen van people create an insulated barrier between the cab and the back, in addition to heavily insulating everything else. If you haven’t seen “Drew Builds Stuff” on YouTube, he does a pretty sweet basic van build and I think he does the insulated cab barrier thing.

Trying to convert the van to hopefully withstand parking in the sun for optimal charging. I already had plans for a partition that i'd be insulating, and then insulating anywhere I can stuff it including on the floor/roof. Was thinking of using a combination of rockwook flush to the ribs, then polyiso boards flush to furring strips i'll be screwing into the ribs, topped by whatever panel board I can find that looks nice and is cheap. Floor will probably just be 2 sheets thick of poly-iso. Also looking into "insulation" paint (basically just ceramic paint I think) and will most likely be using that insulated compartment idea as well, that sounds like the ticket.

Checking out that channel now, looks like a lot of good stuff on here!