Mastercraft Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 We did our first dry camping with the inverter and battery setup. We have the Magnum 2812 and 4 Trojan L16E-AC batteries (740 AH per Trojan data sheets). The coach AC panel I modified and pulled four 20 amp circuits onto a separate bus that is driven by the inverter. After my mod, the circuits are on the same leg of the 240V 50 amp service as they were pre-mod. On batteries, in addition to the normal 12V loads, these loads are supported by the inverter - residential refrigerator, micro wave, TV, surround rcvr, sat rcvr, subwoofer, living rm lights, kitchen lights and outlets, lav lights and outlets, bedroom (lights, TV, and outlets). My observations are - with the outside temps in the 55 - 75 range, the refrigerator doesn't run that much. The inside lights in the frig draw a lot, so we unscrewed all but one light bulb in the frig and freezer. I think there were three 120V bulbs in the frig part. Had the ice maker off. The worst depth of discharge noted on the Magnum remote panel was 17% (83% capacity left). I ran the gen set for an hr in the morning during coffee, toaster, micro wave time, and again for about an hr in the evening during food prep. I cranked up the charge rate to 100% for the inverter and the most current I saw was 130 amps .....so 65 amps per battery leg is fine. Each gen set cycle resulted in the battery status showing 100% capacity. I think I could have gone to once a day for running the gen set . Four days dry camping used 5.5 gal of propane for AC power generation. If I had three or four 250 watt solar panels, could have gone w/o running the generator at all, but at about $2.50 a day for propane, no solar for me any time soon. 2009 Volvo 780 D16 535hp 1850 ft-lbs I shift 3.36 Thermo King Tripac APU DIY Bed and Frame Extension ET Hitch, Stellar EC2000, EcoGen 6K 2002 F350 CC Dually w/ Lance 1181 2012 Mini Cooper S 2007 Teton Royal Freedom " The only place you will find success before work is the dictionary " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Great setup! One thing you might consider with the solar is that it truly makes it a set and forget type system. It just ticks away in the background and you have power on demand without having to worry about gen time, hookups, packin fuel, etc. It's also nice when your in storage mode between trips. Your mag will maintain your batteries beautifully all on it's lonesome. The most you have to do is turn the inverter on and off. The 5.5 gallons of LP.. was that strictly gen consumption or does that include the water heater, stove, etc? Either way.. that seems highly cost effective and opens up a lot of camping opportunities when you don't have to rely on a hookup. ~ Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mastercraft Posted March 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 The 5.5 gal is just the genset .....it's mounted on the truck - no noise - no vibration - no fumes. It's set up to carry two 100lb tanks but this trip, I just swung a 20 lb bottle up there. Ran one out and used just a bit of the next one. 2009 Volvo 780 D16 535hp 1850 ft-lbs I shift 3.36 Thermo King Tripac APU DIY Bed and Frame Extension ET Hitch, Stellar EC2000, EcoGen 6K 2002 F350 CC Dually w/ Lance 1181 2012 Mini Cooper S 2007 Teton Royal Freedom " The only place you will find success before work is the dictionary " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 The three 120 volt bulbs is truly an aggravation, I haven't seen any LED 120 volt bulbs rated for fridge use but if you could find some that would be a nice improvement. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Stan, my residential fridge has LED lighting in it....so there must be some..... Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 I know attempts have been made, but it seems most leave a lot to be desired... low output.. directional light with poor surrounding illumination. I'm sure it won't be long though. Best of the worst maybe... Too rich for my blood for a reefer light. I would probably just do an adhesive puck type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Stan, my residential fridge has LED lighting in it....so there must be some..... A lot of residentials have LED's now, but they are specifically wired for LED. There isn't a whole lot out there for A15 LED replacements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 A lot of residentials have LED's now, but they are specifically wired for LED. There isn't a whole lot out there for A15 LED replacements. Widen your search parameters a bit. An A-15 is a glorified 1156, with a higher price tag. I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yarome Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 Widen your search parameters a bit. An A-15 is a glorified 1156, with a higher price tag. How would you plug an 1156 into an A15 base socket though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 We must be talking different animals, the A-15 I was thinking of isn't the wedge base. I was thinking of these BA-15. Doh! I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al F Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Not sure why one would worry about the light bulbs inside the fridge. They turn off with the door closed. Al & Sharon 2006 Winnebago Journey 36G 2020 Chevy Colorado Toad San Antonio, TX http://downtheroadaroundthebend.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpatrickc Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Not sure why one would worry about the light bulbs inside the fridge. They turn off with the door closed. I was thinking the same thing. I only replaced the lights that are used a lot. 2006 Chevy Duramax, DRW, ext cab, Long bed, Reese 18K hitch 2011 Carriage Cameo Ham radio operator, WA3UOE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsy Traveler Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Thanks for the info! It's all fine and dandy until someone's marshmallow catches fire! 2015 Ford F-250 6.2L (She ain't diesel but she hauls ass!) 2012 Jayco Pinnacle 36KPTS Http://www.5thwheelgypsy.blogspot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I take the bulbs out of my rv fridges. It works for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sushidog Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I did not have a light in my small Aliner's Dometic fridge, so I wired one up. It uses a small 5 LED headlamp that hooked up to a micro switch. The tiny internal batteries on the headlight are good for a couple hours of run time. If I have the door of the fridge open 1 minute/day, that means the batteries are good for 4 months of use before they need replacement. I also rigged up a way to easily turn the light off for cleaning, loading the fridge, etc, It's really only needed for night and early morning use, when its dark in the camper. It's not very bright, but better than nothing when its pitch dark inside. I made it with parts laying around the house, so it was virtually free. It was a bugger bear to align the door switch just right though. Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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