Converting a van come February. I need to keep it simple because this van doubles as my work vehicle. I am just looking for the simplest and cheapest way to have enough power to run a couple fans, LED light strips, and charge some gadgets. That's really it. I was thinking one battery (which one?), and some sort of solar charger. A portable set up would be cool, but I guess I could put something on the roof. What else am i missing? Any thoughts/insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
Easiest, simplest, cheapest power set up?
- Thread starter wjffineww
- Start date
Help Support Van Living Forum:
BigT
Well-known member
I wanted to keep my power system as simple as possible too, so I opted to skip a separate house-battery, and dropped the largest Northstar AGM battery I could find, and that would fit, under the hood in place of the OEM starter battery.
Then I mounted a 190 Watt solar panel to my roof rack, added a MPPT charge controller, and called it a day.
This way the AGM unit is automatically connected to both the alternator and the electrical outlets in the van. (Plug-N-Play).
Then I mounted a 190 Watt solar panel to my roof rack, added a MPPT charge controller, and called it a day.
This way the AGM unit is automatically connected to both the alternator and the electrical outlets in the van. (Plug-N-Play).
The absolute simplest would be to replace your engine battery with a marine battery. Add a low voltage cut-off so that you can't get carried away and leave yourself stranded. This would be enough for LED strips, computer fans and cell phone charging, but not much more than that.
For more use, a separate battery bank would be best... Then you're likely getting into solar and an additional line from the alternator for charging while driving.
For more use, a separate battery bank would be best... Then you're likely getting into solar and an additional line from the alternator for charging while driving.
Optimistic Paranoid
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 4,534
- Reaction score
- 10
The system described by BigT is probably the simplest one possible. Whether or not it would work for YOU depends on how many amp hours of power you need. Will you drive every day, or will you sit for several days in a row? If the former, you could charge your devices while driving, and the only problem then would be how much power the fans pulled out of the battery if you had to run them all night. If the later, you might need something more elaborate. But it will all depend on the numbers, "some devices, some fans" is just a bit too vague to really say.
If you did try to go this route, I would carry one of those portable jump packs to start you van if you end up pulling too much power out overnight.
If you did try to go this route, I would carry one of those portable jump packs to start you van if you end up pulling too much power out overnight.
SternWake
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
- Messages
- 3,874
- Reaction score
- 2
x2 on what what was written above.
Carry a jumper pack and always keep it fully charged. Do not use it as a house battery. Pretend it does not come with a ciggy plug receptacle.
When your existing engine start battery is too compromised to trust, get the biggest marine battery which will fit in the same location, and consider an AGM battery from Odyssey or Northstar, as these have no issues accepting everything ( and more) that the alternator can make, and will also be able to start the engine when depleted to a lower level than the same size flooded marine battery could.
Northstar batteries are relabelled and sold as X2 power by Batteries +, a nationwide chain, and come with a 4 year free replacement warranty.
I've been cycling a Northstar group 27 for 3 years now, and recharging it somewhat close to ideally. Well over 400 Deep cycles on it and it is performing very very well. When new its engine cranking ability was scary fast. now it is still more impressive than any flooded battery of the same size/weight, but lost some of that extreme starter motor cranking gusto it had when new. For the last 18 months, it has been my only battery, for both house loads and engine starting. i have full confidence in it, and do not carry a jumper pack.
If one wants more amps from the alternator, add a parallel cable from battery (+) to alternator (+) stud (fuse near battery to protect cable, and add another ground cable from engine battery(-) to alternator mounting bolt on engine.
I recommend one does not idle unmoving to recharge a well depleted battery, as the low alternator rpms and lesser underhood airflow will heat the alternator much more than highway speeds and and highway rpms.
220f is the tipping point which will significantly reduce the life of the alternator, no matter its rating, or marketing, or possible chroming.
Also, if one has the option to plug into the grid and recharge, every so often, by all means do so as it takes a significant amount of time to fully recharge any lead acid battery, with ideal voltages. Rarely does the vehicle's voltage regulator even approach Ideal voltage for the required time on a depleted battery. Getting it back to 100% full when plugging in can easily double the life of the battery, compared to expecting the high amp rated chromed and polished well marketed alternator alone to do it.
Carry a jumper pack and always keep it fully charged. Do not use it as a house battery. Pretend it does not come with a ciggy plug receptacle.
When your existing engine start battery is too compromised to trust, get the biggest marine battery which will fit in the same location, and consider an AGM battery from Odyssey or Northstar, as these have no issues accepting everything ( and more) that the alternator can make, and will also be able to start the engine when depleted to a lower level than the same size flooded marine battery could.
Northstar batteries are relabelled and sold as X2 power by Batteries +, a nationwide chain, and come with a 4 year free replacement warranty.
I've been cycling a Northstar group 27 for 3 years now, and recharging it somewhat close to ideally. Well over 400 Deep cycles on it and it is performing very very well. When new its engine cranking ability was scary fast. now it is still more impressive than any flooded battery of the same size/weight, but lost some of that extreme starter motor cranking gusto it had when new. For the last 18 months, it has been my only battery, for both house loads and engine starting. i have full confidence in it, and do not carry a jumper pack.
If one wants more amps from the alternator, add a parallel cable from battery (+) to alternator (+) stud (fuse near battery to protect cable, and add another ground cable from engine battery(-) to alternator mounting bolt on engine.
I recommend one does not idle unmoving to recharge a well depleted battery, as the low alternator rpms and lesser underhood airflow will heat the alternator much more than highway speeds and and highway rpms.
220f is the tipping point which will significantly reduce the life of the alternator, no matter its rating, or marketing, or possible chroming.
Also, if one has the option to plug into the grid and recharge, every so often, by all means do so as it takes a significant amount of time to fully recharge any lead acid battery, with ideal voltages. Rarely does the vehicle's voltage regulator even approach Ideal voltage for the required time on a depleted battery. Getting it back to 100% full when plugging in can easily double the life of the battery, compared to expecting the high amp rated chromed and polished well marketed alternator alone to do it.
skyl4rk
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2014
- Messages
- 681
- Reaction score
- 14
Put a marine battery from a big box store in a plastic battery box. Store it somewhere secure, mount it or tie it down.
Connect a fuse and two cigarette lighter female outlets to it. This is where you take your power from, plug your devices in here.
Connect a fuse and a cord with a male cigarette lighter plug to the battery. This is a live plug, be careful not to short it out.
Plug the cord into a van cigarette lighter outlet that turns on and off with the ignition. It is best to leave it plugged in all the time.
The battery will charge when the motor is running and you are driving. A low voltage disconnect is a good addition to this system.
Connect a fuse and two cigarette lighter female outlets to it. This is where you take your power from, plug your devices in here.
Connect a fuse and a cord with a male cigarette lighter plug to the battery. This is a live plug, be careful not to short it out.
Plug the cord into a van cigarette lighter outlet that turns on and off with the ignition. It is best to leave it plugged in all the time.
The battery will charge when the motor is running and you are driving. A low voltage disconnect is a good addition to this system.
SternWake
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
- Messages
- 3,874
- Reaction score
- 2
Such a system a skylark suggests certainly does work, however if the marine battery in the plastic box is depleted to 50%, it will receive about 12 amps at best, which will quickly taper to the 7 or 8 amps range as the too thin wiring and ciggy plugs and receptacle heats up causes even more resistance, and drop voltage.
The same marine battery, in the engine compartment, depleted to 50% would accept over 65 amps from the alternator at cold idle. It would recharge much faster and last much longer, and have more energy to give.
If the battery is only lightly discharged, then it cannot accept more than 12 to 15 amps anyway, but the battery in engine comaptment will still see higher voltage over the thicker cabling, and still recharge faster.
Depending on vehicle, the higher amps required to maintain 14+ volts as system voltage, might trick the vehicle's voltage regulator into holding 14.X volts, instead of prematurely dropping to 13.6v.
If system voltage is only 13.6v then the voltage drop with a depleted xtra battery on far end of dual male ciggy plugs, will only get ~13.0 volts and very few amps will flow.
Charging a well depleted marine battery through Dual ciggy plug receptacles, is a recipe for a warranty return and poor performance until that premature inevitable end. But 75 deep cycles at 2.5 months before warranty return might be OK and just fine......until the second premature warranty return costs more than a new battery.
The same marine battery, in the engine compartment, depleted to 50% would accept over 65 amps from the alternator at cold idle. It would recharge much faster and last much longer, and have more energy to give.
If the battery is only lightly discharged, then it cannot accept more than 12 to 15 amps anyway, but the battery in engine comaptment will still see higher voltage over the thicker cabling, and still recharge faster.
Depending on vehicle, the higher amps required to maintain 14+ volts as system voltage, might trick the vehicle's voltage regulator into holding 14.X volts, instead of prematurely dropping to 13.6v.
If system voltage is only 13.6v then the voltage drop with a depleted xtra battery on far end of dual male ciggy plugs, will only get ~13.0 volts and very few amps will flow.
Charging a well depleted marine battery through Dual ciggy plug receptacles, is a recipe for a warranty return and poor performance until that premature inevitable end. But 75 deep cycles at 2.5 months before warranty return might be OK and just fine......until the second premature warranty return costs more than a new battery.
jimindenver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2014
- Messages
- 5,266
- Reaction score
- 51
I like BigT's plan. Inexpensive yet power while driving or sitting.
DannyB1954
Well-known member
I think the simplest is get a second battery and a disconnect switch. If you are using it for work, you probably drive it often. Let the vehicle's alternator charge the second battery.
Trebor English
Well-known member
When my starter battery got to the end of its useful life I replaced it with the largest battery that would fit in the original space. Later I got a solar panel and pwm controller.
MrNoodly
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2012
- Messages
- 4,967
- Reaction score
- 60
wjffineww said:
Okay, now to get serious. LEDs can run a long time on regular AA batteries. There are fans that run on D batteries. And there are small solar panels, about 5" wide and 12" long, that can charge electronic devices directly. Or simply charge them via the cigarette lighter in your vehicle.
ArtW
Well-known member
Simplest and easiest? get Prius 
not that cheap though
not that cheap though
Similar threads
