Residential refrigerators in the excel

[TexasTwoStep]

Originally Posted by TexasTwoStep

Ok let's see if my math is ok. I have 440 amp/hrs of storage or about 250ish amp hrs available. Overnight using tv, charging stuff, hair dryer, coffee pot, lights, other dc loads, heater fan, etc. I will be down around 130-150 amp hours. Add another 80 amp/hrs or so for the refer ovenight and I'm down 210 amp/hrs. I can put in 25 amp per hour (3 135w panels) with peek sun out here. That's say 5 hours times 25 equals 125 plus say plus 60 more for the rest of the day say putting back in 200 amp/hrs. during the day. At the same time I am drawing refer amps say 100ish during the day along with other loads. Generator time.
The only thing I am not accounting for as best I can tell are hours when my batteries are full and turning amps back, which. I don't believe will happen in this scenario.
You are correct. I am using more than my system can supply.

Actually, my math is wrong. I have available 30ish% not 70ish, so that changes the 250 to 150 amps available. Also Jimbo numbers are 130 instead of the 180 I used, but that doesn't change the end result.

[TexasTwoStep]

Originally Posted by Selah

I'm still new to all this but here is my opinion. If your going full time I would go all electric. How often, and for how long, do you think you will actually boondock? Two or three days a month, a week every couple of months? Chances are you'll spend 95% of your time with at least electrical if not full hookups. For those times you do boondock the newer coaches have sufficient battery power to run everything for at least 24 hours or more without needing the generator (except the induction cook top). Then it's about a two hour run to bring the batteries back up. With all electric there is no trying to find propane, heating and hot water are supplied via AquaHot or HydroHot using diesel. The residential fridge will keep your ice cream solid even when the outside temps reach 100*.
I know many full timers are using absorption fridges but that is changing as nearly all manufactures are now offering all electric on there larger coaches. Tiffin's Phaeton's are all electric standard, propane is now an option and will cost you an additional $2200. With LED lights and energy efficient TVs the energy draw has been reduced a lot and the additional two batteries included on the all electric models pretty much makes it a wash.

We were gone to AK 5 months last year.Many areas of AK don't have hook-ups for larger rigs (especially in the areas we went to). We had power for less than 30 days. A lot of people prefer being out of rv parks (congested most of the time) and out in open. As I said above, it depends on eah person's plans and needs.

[drfife]

Originally Posted by JDT

....I wanted the ability to run other things like my small compressor off the inverter if need be.

Jim, my compressor runs fine on the modified sine wave inverter.

I would not run delicate electronics off it.

[drfife]

Originally Posted by TexasTwoStep

I'll give you Jo's number and you can discuss that with her. I'm sure she would be interested in your views.

Gary, if she had a taste of a full size fridge she would make you add capacity to cover it.

Probably best that I don't talk to her.

It might cost you some $$.

[JDT]

Originally Posted by drfife

Jim, my compressor runs fine on the modified sine wave inverter.

I would not run delicate electronics off it.

You are right, it would, plus a number of other things. Sometimes I do things that only make sense to me so not a lot of justification for the change. My friends will tell you I'm a bit of nit picker and I just felt better about the long term use of a psw. Plus, projects on the Winslow keep me entertained. I just need to find cheaper entertainment.

[Steve R.]

I thought about starting a new thread for this but figured that the OP wouldn't mind the information.

My new L34IKR will be arriving soon and I need to make some decisions on house batteries. Because my rig will have the Samsung residential refrigerator, should I go with banks of 6V golf cart batteries or stay with two 12V batteries? Bryan's advice was to just go with the standard battery enclosure because I will never dry camp with this trailer (I only boondock in my generator equipped toy hauler). Given that, would anyone be kind enough to guide me in the right direction for quality 6V batteries with the correct form-factor to fit in the standard Excel enclosures? I believe that some folks with the same refrigerator stayed with 12V batteries. May I ask why you did not go the golf cart battery route?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic.

[JDT]

Someone a lot smarter than me needs to answer this, but I understand that 2 400 amp hour 6 volt batteries wired in series is the same as 2 200 amp hour 12 volt batteries wired parallel. The advantage is the 6 volt batteries are more robust???? My 6 volts were installed by the dealer and are Interstates.

[rockintom]

Originally Posted by Steve R.

I thought about starting a new thread for this but figured that the OP wouldn't mind the information.

My new L34IKR will be arriving soon and I need to make some decisions on house batteries. Because my rig will have the Samsung residential refrigerator, should I go with banks of 6V golf cart batteries or stay with two 12V batteries? Bryan's advice was to just go with the standard battery enclosure because I will never dry camp with this trailer (I only boondock in my generator equipped toy hauler). Given that, would anyone be kind enough to guide me in the right direction for quality 6V batteries with the correct form-factor to fit in the standard Excel enclosures? I believe that some folks with the same refrigerator stayed with 12V batteries. May I ask why you did not go the golf cart battery route?

Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic.

I won't get into the math, mainly cause I don't remember exactly without researching. But basically, you yield a slight bit better performance out of the 2 - 6 volt in series vs the 2 - 12V in parallel. On other hand, on occasion a battery can crap out (cell short or the like) and if you have the 6 volts you are SOL since you can't run on 1 - 6 volt. You can run on one 12 volt though! Just a thought to ponder. With my luck both of my 12 volt batteries would fail at the same time!!! Some things you just can't control. They why God made wine!!! rockin'

PS. We don't boondock (occasional overnight), but if I had room in my battery box to hold 4 batts., it would have 4 batts. Heavier, costlier.......yes, but more POWER!!!

I'm getting to sound like some of the rest of you.....lota big male ego stuff going on here!!!! 'Bout time for Sarge to jump in here and straighten us all out!

[jimbo2013]

Most (98%) golf carts use 8 6v rather than 4 12v to make the required 48 v system they need because there's mores amps which equal greater range.

In the cases of an RV I think the 6 volts are the way to go.

I have 4 6v in mine

[TexasTwoStep]

Let me start out by saying I am no expert on this subject. I did install my own solar so I have some knowledge. I would advise against trusting the dealer on this subject. Having said that I will put in my 2 cents worth.
In my case the batteries were supplied by the dealer, not PI. I have 4 Trojan T105 6 volt batteries and they fit nicely in the Excel compartment. I also installed a battery absorption mat under my batteries to protect the bottom of the compartment. This can be purchased to the length you need at: Acid Neutralizing Mat - Yellow: BatteryMart.com
These are lead acid batteries and require periodic maintenance. Notice that I got individual caps on the cells instead of the 3 way swivel job which would be a problem removing with these heavy cables. AGM batteries are also used at about twice the cost and need no maintenance. 6 volt batteries have heavier plates and charge and discharge deeper than 12 volt batteries and thus are favored by golf courses which challenge their battries.
Mine are wired with 2/0 cable and I would think that at least this size would need to be run back to the converter/charger (I don't use a converter) so am not sure about this.
I would advise making it clear exactly what battery you want and wiring you want. Otherwise you might get undersized wiring that would limit your power.
If you don't feel you aren't getting all the information you need here I would post it to rv.net under technical issues.
Oh, I forgot.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.fo...ata_Sheets.pdf
Good Luck

[Dr4Film]

This has been debated many times so here's my opinion.

There is no comparison between one 12 VDC Deep Cycle battery and two 6 VDC Golf Cart batteries for sustained delivery of AH's to your RV devices. The two 6 VDC batteries will outperform the one 12 VDC battery.

Weigh two 12 VDC Deep Cycle batteries and then weigh four 6 VDC Golf Cart batteries. Which ever is heavier will give you better AH performance.

Here is a tutorial on batteries that you may or may not have seen. Very useful information.

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

The 12volt Side of Life Part 2

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[JDT]

Originally Posted by TexasTwoStep

Let me start out by saying I am no expert on this subject. I did install my own solar so I have some knowledge. I would advise against trusting the dealer on this subject. Having said that I will put in my 2 cents worth.
In my case the batteries were supplied by the dealer, not PI. I have 4 Trojan T105 6 volt batteries and they fit nicely in the Excel compartment. I also installed a battery absorption mat under my batteries to protect the bottom of the compartment. This can be purchased to the length you need at: Acid Neutralizing Mat - Yellow: BatteryMart.com
These are lead acid batteries and require periodic maintenance. Notice that I got individual caps on the cells instead of the 3 way swivel job which would be a problem removing with these heavy cables. AGM batteries are also used at about twice the cost and need no maintenance. 6 volt batteries have heavier plates and charge and discharge deeper than 12 volt batteries and thus are favored by golf courses which challenge their battries.
Mine are wired with 2/0 cable and I would think that at least this size would need to be run back to the converter/charger (I don't use a converter) so am not sure about this.
I would advise making it clear exactly what battery you want and wiring you want. Otherwise you might get undersized wiring that would limit your power.
If you don't feel you aren't getting all the information you need here I would post it to rv.net under technical issues.
Oh, I forgot.
http://www.wholesalesolar.com/pdf.fo...ata_Sheets.pdf
Good Luck

I had a lot of problems with corrosion in the battery compartment when we had our motorhome. It had 4 6 volt batteries. I had to clean out the storage area about once a year and finally coated the inside with pickup bed spray. Someone on the Monaco website recommended Thermoil. I thought I had nothing to loose so I got a bottle for each battery and 4 years later (the batteries were 7 years old) when we sold it those batteries were still going strong and I never had to clean the compartment again. I bought 2 bottles for the Excel right after we got it and am having the same results. Some on the website said it was nothing but snake oil but all I know is it worked for me.

[drfife]

According to my Kill A Watt meter my Samsung residential refrigerator has used 0.7 kWh in the past 24 hours. That equates to about 58 Ah.

That is with the ice maker off.

What an energy hog....

[excel2014]

Actually the refrigerator manual says about 440kw a year and dividing by 365 gives about 1200 watts a day. Shutting off the ice maker probably helps some otherwise your getting by cheaply. Still like the residential over the other choices though.