Full-time minimal set up

[mothercoder]

If you buy a modest sized and priced inverter generator in the 1000-1500 watt range, about $400 to $600 or so, then spend about $500 on a modest solar system, then you could have both for a very reasonable amount of money.

If you plan on AC, that generator will run a 5000 btu window unit. ( not a roof AC)

It might run a microwave, depending on the power level, but a 600-700 watt microwave should be ok.

It would also run a decent sized battery charger.

Not all at the same time tho! (one at a time)

Gotcha.  At this point I'm not sure if even at that level I can afford both the solar and the generator.  It kind of depends on how finances fall these next 6 months.  But you think a 1000-1500 watt generator will run a 5000 btu window unit?  That's good to know.  That opens up generator possibilities.

 

[mothercoder]

Alternator charging on a trailer is going to require some substantial re-wiring in your vehicle. My truck really has no effect on keeping my batteries charged at all...too far of a distance with small wire gauge = not getting much voltage back there. By the time you invest in heavier wire to go from the alternator to the plug and then to the battery/ies you may as well have bought a 100W portable solar panel that would probably work better.

THANK YOU!  This is really helpful.  So I'm going to forget about the trying to re-wire the Suburban and consider the solar panel.  Actually, I hadn't even figured the cost of re-wiring into the picture so my numbers still stay the same but now I know that solar really has to be purchased.

 

[mothercoder]

The answer for long term boondocking is both. In the event you have to chose I would say a generator because using it will show you how much power you use and how much solar you need. Then again the Sportsman 800/1000 inverter generator was under $200 on sale and a 160 watt portable solar kit is $179 at SolarBlvd.

Whoa!!  Good to hear from you Jim as you are my guru.  Colorado folks are so smart.    

I didn't realize that I could get away so cheaply with the generator and solar.  I'm taking note.  Do you think that generator would run a 5000 btu window AC?  So many people are worried about being too cold on the road and I worry about being too hot.

 

[sometimesido]

yes, there are videos of 800 to 1k generator running 5k btu A/C. Also, there are hard start kits on amazon for 10 bucks. lots of people will say 1k generator is not enough, but that's been proven wrong by other people.

 

[mothercoder]

while it's true that you won't get big amps that far from the alternator,  you will get some.  and some is better then none.  I mean your driving anyways why not get something out of it.  trucks with factory tow packages already have the truck side done.   highdesertranger

Okay. Mine has the factory package. Just have to figure out wiring from truck to battery. HAHA no problem, mon.

 

[mothercoder]

I’m going against the tide and say solar on your cargo trailer. Gennies, while nice to have in inclement weather or at night, need maintenance, regular usage, gas and oil, then there’s where do you store it and the smelly gas... then the noise factor.  

So since your needs are so little I’d say solar, after a 4 gauge charge wire (with a return negative) run back from your alternator in the suburban, fused of course, and through a continous duty 100-200 amp solenoid.  Child’s play for some RTR friends to install for you.

So there, 100 votes for a gennie, 1 for solar... 

I would ordinarily agree with you but I can't run AC off solar and this girl can't sleep when it's 80 degrees. And unfortunately, no RTR folk in DC and I won't be at the 2018 RTR. I leave out in June so unless someone is in the D.C. area in May, I would have to pay someone for wiring.  Another cost. Sigh.

 

[mothercoder]

Thinking back to the alternator charging suggestion, it would probably be more efficient to mount the house battery closer to your starting battery, then run your wires for your small electrical loads back to the trailer. That would also allow you to keep your battery charged up when you're not towing your trailer.

So confused on the whole wiring issue. 

 

[jimindenver]

My Sportsman would not start mine but it recently gave up the ghost but I was expecting it. I will have to try it with the new energy star unit I am waiting to have delivered. It is not the run wattage, it is the starting surge that is too much. I do a odd way by plugging the converter into the generator. The converter charges the batteries. The batteries power a inverter that the A/C is plugged into. This way the surge is taken from the batteries and the generator provides the power to run it plus the double loss in conversion.

The other way it may be possible is to add a hard start capacitor to the air conditioner. I have seen a you tube where doing so made it so a Honda 1000 could start the 5000 BTU A/C. The Honda has the same 800 running watts as the Sportsman. Here is that video.



Here is a You tube of someone using a Sportsman 800/1000 to run a 5000 BTU A/C. He says it is right on the edge of not being able to but he did not add a hard start either. I want to add that running the Sportsman without the side and top shield makes it a lot louder. Also please do not point the exhaust under you vehicle.



Another review of the Sportsman claiming it would run a 5000 BTU A/C

 

[mothercoder]

Mothercoder,

If you want to run a hair dryer, the 1000 watt generator won't cut it. You would need a 2000 Watt unit. Most hairdryers run about 1500 watts.

 

I'm pretty low maintenance. Happy to air dry my hair or dry it using a low amp 12v fan.

 

[jimindenver]

The Ex use to set the hair dryer on low and we had no issues.

 

[HumbleBeginnings]

So confused on the whole wiring issue. 

Well, when I wrote that I didn't realize at the time that you were going to be running A/C. I was thinking put your batteries in the tow vehicle closer to the alternator, and run the longer thinner wires back to the trailer for your LED lights, etc. That way your wiring would be cheaper, easier to install, and more efficient in charging your battery.  

BUT... that doesn't make sense if we're talking about A/C or a hair dryer.

 

[rayrey]

The wiring is only confusing because you are trying to see not only all of it at once but also all of the possibilities. Break it down system by system and deal with them one at a time and it becomes much less confusing. First though, you need to decide what to do to thin out the possibilities.

 

[jimindenver]

The wiring is only confusing because you are trying to see not only all of it at once but also all of the possibilities. Break it down system by system and deal with them one at a time and it becomes much less confusing. First though, you need to decide what to do to thin out the possibilities.

 

[Almost There]

Okay, stupid question but can't I use the generator to charge the battery? 

I agree on doing generator over solar for now.  I was planning on a 2000 because I will have a 5000 BTU window AC unit and I think I'll need a 2000 for that. 

My understanding was that if you were going with a deep cycle battery, it's better to get two right away if you think you'll need/want that much later on.  Reasoning that the batteries should be the same age or the older battery will affect the performance of the newer battery.  But if I"m going to get an AGM, one may be all I can afford so I may have to take that risk.

My biggest question, however, is how to connect the battery to the trailer's electrical.  And how to connect the battery to the car so it's charging when I drive.  I do plan on putting a utility box on the tongue of the trailer for battery(ies) but as to the wiring/connectivity, I'm a clueless bunny.  I can do it myself...I just need to know how.  I'm a very good student.  

The Honda advertises itself as having an inverter charger built in but the wattage output is way too low for most all but the smallest battery bank. It's simply not practical to use it for fully charging most of our battery banks. You're better off buying a good battery charger that is matched to your battery bank - for example I have a 55 amp Iota battery charger that is hardwired to my batteries and starts running any time there is 120 power available either by generator or shore power.

Before you  invest in a 2000 gennie make sure that you can lift it comfortably. Even if you have it somewhere outside mounted semi-permanently you will need to be able to do service work like oil changes on it. I tilt mine on their sides to drain the oil and to refill them although you could probably use something like a turkey baster (for lack of better description) to suction the oil out and refill it. Because of weight limitations I have 2 -1000 Hondas linked with a parallel cord that allows them to perform like a 2000. A little more costly initially but I did it with knowledge that a decade down the road I would still be able to handle them myself because they each only weigh 27 lbs. I store both of mine inside the van and there is absolutely no smell of the gas as long as I remember to close the vent caps.

For wiring the truck so that you can charge the trailer batteries that are going to be located on the tongue of the trailer you'll need a solenoid, wiring ti hook it up to either the starting battery or preferably the alternator itself (battery sized cables), a wire to hook it up so that power to the solenoid only goes to it after the vehicle is started. Then you'll need wiring to the back of the truck and a connector to hook it up to the trailer so that you can disconnect it when separating the two. That wiring needs to be as beefy as you can afford so that there is no loss of power over the longer distance that it's going. A fuse at the battery end will also be needed. Oh, and John (Gotsmart) put a switch on my dash so that I could have control over whether I was charging the battery bank or not....I recommend it now, didn't think I needed it but it's handy to have and the light on it (or not) reminds me that I've charging the house batteries!

Unless that long wire is fairly substantial, it would be an exercise in futility because you're not going to be delivering enough power to the battery bank to make it worthwhile. Also keep in mind that a fairly depleted house battery bank could take longer than 5 hours to recharge completely if and only if it's getting good power. If your planned driving habits don't include longer driving there may be no point in putting money in to that part of the system right now, particularly if you're not flush with money.

 

[mothercoder]

The wiring is only confusing because you are trying to see not only all of it at once but also all of the possibilities. Break it down system by system and deal with them one at a time and it becomes much less confusing. First though, you need to decide what to do to thin out the possibilities.

From your lips to my ears...let's see if I can manage to do that.  I've always been a big picture kind of person:  see the end and work backwards.  Guess that ain't gonna work here.

I really wish someone would create a doubly dumbed down RV Power for Dummies tutorial. Like: 1) You need power. 2) Buy a battery. 3) How to connect the battery to things you want to use. 4) How to charge the battery without solar. 5) How to charge the battery with solar. 6) Solar options. 7) Connecting your solar with ridiculously super micro-managed details.

Give me a legal problem that needs analyzed and I can quote case law and write a brief for you. Need help being tutored in Biology, Chemistry or Algebra? I can do that. Need me to edit a book for publication? I'm your gal. Need me to understand electrical components? Brain goes dead.

 

[highdesertranger]

here's a pic of the trailer connector,



you should have the 7 pin connector on your Suburban.  the red wire that says 12 volts is the one that connects to your trailer battery.  you need to make sure it's only hot with the vehicle running.  like I said you won't get a big charge from this wire but you will get something.  highdesertranger

 

[sometimesido]

https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Solar-Power-Made-yourself/dp/1546567119

seems to have good reviews on that book. he's also on youtube.

 

[blmkid]

But you think a 1000-1500 watt generator will run a 5000 btu window unit?  That's good to know.  That opens up generator possibilities.

Edit: Okay. I see Jimindenver posted a you tube vid on it. I'm just rushing my post. I apologize for it. Got to go for a while.
i've not completely looked at the video. Not enough time at this moment. Other's will help you out on it.
[size=medium]Link: 

 

[mothercoder]

here's a pic of the trailer connector,



you should have the 7 pin connector on your Suburban.  the red wire that says 12 volts is the one that connects to your trailer battery.  you need to make sure it's only hot with the vehicle running.  like I said you won't get a big charge from this wire but you will get something.  highdesertranger

Yes although the trailer will have a a 4 pin.  Still not clear on how I'm connecting the battery to the 12v on the pin connector but I guess I'll figure it out...or make everything go up in a blaze of glory.  

 

[mothercoder]

https://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Solar-Power-Made-yourself/dp/1546567119

seems to have good reviews on that book. he's also on youtube.

Thanks.  I'll check it out but to date, everything I've read or watched that claims to be "easy"...not so much.