:huh: Hello, I have built my conversion van as a mini motorhome. The HOA where I live does not allow RV's and paying for a rental space and then driving back and forth was just getting to be a pain. My van is licensed as a station wagon in the state of PA so I can keep it in my driveway. Recently I purchased a 2000 watt inverter to run my mini fridge and my tv. I show dogs and use my van on the weekends. I need to purchase a battery and battery charger. My budget is small right now. I have looked at smaller batteries, golf cart, lawn mower, etc. Will this work to run my fridge and how long would it last before charging. I do not want to hook it up to my van battery. Any advise appreciated.
battery and inverter
- Thread starter maagk
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highdesertranger
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we need more info. how much does the refrigerator draw? how long in hours do you want to run the fridge between charging?
with golf cart batteries they are 6 volt so you need 2. but they are true deep cycle and hold a lot of power.
highdesertranger
with golf cart batteries they are 6 volt so you need 2. but they are true deep cycle and hold a lot of power.
highdesertranger
Unfortunately 2000w is wildly too big. A 800w or a 600w with capacitor will run a fridge and tv. If its a pure sinewave inverter even worse as its idle current can be 20-30A a day.
With that said walmart valuepower batteries are $55 out the door with a core any size. Yes...theyre starting batteries dont expect years out of them. A year or 2. 2 of those hooked in parallel is plenty.
Nobody makes good battery chargers anymore. Theyre all small trickle/10a units. Best and cheapest solution are powermax rv converters.
With that said walmart valuepower batteries are $55 out the door with a core any size. Yes...theyre starting batteries dont expect years out of them. A year or 2. 2 of those hooked in parallel is plenty.
Nobody makes good battery chargers anymore. Theyre all small trickle/10a units. Best and cheapest solution are powermax rv converters.
Lawn mower batteries are very small and only about 230 CCA, and seem to need to be changed out after a year or two of sporadic use. They only have a 3 month warranty if that says anything about them.
I would recommend a large deep cycle battery like the Optima; https://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8042-218-YellowTop-Purpose/dp/B00075OSDS
I would recommend a large deep cycle battery like the Optima; https://www.amazon.com/Optima-Batteries-8042-218-YellowTop-Purpose/dp/B00075OSDS
FloridaNomad
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I know that eventually I need to go to a deep cycle battery, but how long would a 700 CCA battery last running some LED lights, a small fan and charging a laptop every so often? I have that battery just laying around so it is basically free.
Trebor English
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Go ahead and put it into service. Use it until it dies. Then when you replace it you will be a better informed consumer.
It has a reserve capacity (RC) rating. That's how many minutes it can deliver 23 or 25 amps. Multiply the minutes by 23 then divide by 60 to get an amp hour number. If it is a maintenance free starter battery it is my experience that 10% of that number doesn't kill it fast if you keep it well charged. A solar panel will help a lot.
It has a reserve capacity (RC) rating. That's how many minutes it can deliver 23 or 25 amps. Multiply the minutes by 23 then divide by 60 to get an amp hour number. If it is a maintenance free starter battery it is my experience that 10% of that number doesn't kill it fast if you keep it well charged. A solar panel will help a lot.
grandpa pete
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get a renogy DC - DC charger and charge while your tripping back and forth the more expensive charger won't have to be changed if you eventually go to lithium batteries
