What do I need?

[Qxxx]

I didn't do any of those things, because my fifth wheel already has both a 120 volt and 12 volt power system. My inverter goes to a transfer switch and then to the same input that shore power would go if I was at an RV park. So when I turn on the inverter it powers all of the 120 volt outlets.

If you were building out a van without an existing power system, you would definitely need to add those to the list. Though I'd use a breaker box for #15.

Yeah, adding solar to a 5th wheel that's already wired for 120VAC is easy (what!! did I really say that? well, never mind). Except of course for a lot of big batteries and very heavy wiring and big breakers, plus trying to figure out the best way to integrate an already-built shore power and-or generator and-or car alternator system with the new solar add on. The Pandora's Boxed Devil is in the details.

When I was camping in Death Valley last winter, my neighbor had a new travel trailer that was all nicely wired for gas generator and shore power, and also had a plug on the side to connect a solar panel. Easy peasy, someone else figured it all out for him. I should also add another item when going DIY...

16. try not to electrocute yerself when doing items 14, 15, and 16.

 

[Qxxx]

 Ours drains the Goal Zero in about 4 hours from full charge.

What size Goal Zero?

 

[bullfrog]

I would have to look but I believe it has the AGM battery. It came with a 60 watt solar charger and even with that in full sun it cannot keep up with the cooler. Between the melted plugs and one burning up one of the fans they haven’t been used in a while. I’ll look in storage tomorrow at work. It is basically a swamp cooler that the out flowing air passes through a heater core which has cooled water from the swamp cooler pumped through it causing the water in the out flowing air to condensate on the heater core letting the dry cooled air blow out of the unit. Ours sits on top of a regular large Igloo cooler.

 

[barleyguy]

Yeah, adding solar to a 5th wheel that's already wired for 120VAC is easy (what!! did I really say that? well, never mind). Except of course for a lot of big batteries and very heavy wiring and big breakers, plus trying to figure out the best way to integrate an already-built shore power and-or generator and-or car alternator system with the new solar add on. The Pandora's Boxed Devil is in the details.

When I was camping in Death Valley last winter, my neighbor had a new travel trailer that was all nicely wired for gas generator and shore power, and also had a plug on the side to connect a solar panel. Easy peasy, someone else figured it all out for him. I should also add another item when going DIY...

16. try not to electrocute yerself when doing items 14, 15, and 16.

For my battery and inverter wiring I bought 2 gauge jumper cables and cut them up. Really good quality pure copper stranded cable, and half red and half black. They were, strangely, way cheaper per foot than 2 gauge wiring by itself (economies of scale I think), and the big alligator clips were a useful addition.

 

[gapper2]

Bandaidqueen,

  Could I make a suggestion.  I would do a temporary wiring job on the swamp cooler to see how it performs.  The reason I say that is I believe you are in the Atlanta area.  I live slightly NfE of there and with the humidity levels we have, I would really be surprised if it worked very well.  Out west and in a drier climate yes they work great.  But GA/Fl ??  Good luck curious to know how it works.

 

[gapper2]

I am being gifted two 12v deep-cycle batteries this weekend (I think one is 100 a/h and the other is 60 or so?). I need to know the minimum I need to be able to use and charge these batteries. 

I reread your OP and to answer this question need to know the brand and model of these batteries to know what the manufacturer recommends to keep these batteries happy and to get the longest life out of them.  (Great gift by the way).  For instance when I bought my Odyssey batteries I read the specs but the real world understanding what that meant didn't sink in till I was putting my system together.  I have two AGM's connected together in a parallel configuration.  The manufacturer reccomends when the batteries are at a 50% depleted state that you charge at a MINIMUM rate of 40 amps per battery. Which in my case a MINIMUM of 80 amps.  They will gladly accept much more from a depleted state.  And charging back to 100% everyday is important. I rarely take the batteries down that low but when the batteries are barely used (< 20%) you'll notice they won't perform like new.  But a massive charge from a more depleteted state seems to make them almost new again.

So to answer this question properly need to know what batteries you have.

 

[MrAlvinDude]

With the NOCO Genius charger you have one way to charge your batteries.  You can always add more methods later. 


With a 12V wire unit like this, you can have a way to use the battery, with the swamp cooler.
https://www.amazon.com/YCIND-Battery-Alligator-Cigarette-Lighter/dp/B07K31TVDN
That unit includes: battery clips, wires, a fuse and a way to hook up 12V items.

The 12V wire unit is also a way to hook up a 12V battery indicator/measure.
There are many types of 12V battery indicators, but it could be one like this:
https://www.amazon.com/LIHAN-Charger-Display-Voltage-Compatible/dp/B01JA627KU/


For the swamp cooler you might want a better connector, that is more reliable to stay connected. It can be any type of connector that is good for 10-30 amp.

It could be an SAE type
An Anderson type,
Of XT60 type

Here is an example of an SEA extension wire.
https://www.amazon.com/LIXINTIAN-Automotive-Extension-Disconnect-Connectors/dp/B085W4SLLT

Here is an example of the XT60 connector: https://www.amazon.com/Connectors-Replace-Battery-Builder-Hobbyist/dp/B081MQNGR1
And here is an example of XT60 connectors that are pre-wired: https://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Connector-Female-Silicon-Battery/dp/B085HF31K7


It is quite simple to add an SAE and/or XT60 connector to the 12V wire unit, so the standard 12V socket can still hold the 12V meter, while it is also connected to the swamp cooler. 

It is very possible to make the 12V wire unit from scratch, but talk to your helpers, to see what they would like to work with. 


Would it help to have a diagram that would show how to connect the 12V wire unit and the XT60 connectors, and the swamp cooler?

 

[bullfrog]

The Goal Zero is a Yeti 1250

 

[Qxxx]

The Goal Zero is a Yeti 1250

So the cooler you mentioned draining the Yeti in 4 hours was drawing about
1250 / 12V / 4hr, or about 25AH.

Unless you meant drawing down the AGM batteries to 50%, in which case the cooler drew 50AH or so. Nice load.

 

[bullfrog]

It uses 4 computer fans and 2 water pumps pumping the water up about two feet from the cooler. That would explain the blown fuses and melted ciggy plugs! I doubt the battery ever got fully charged as they were using the solar panels in a very inefficient way and having to get a shore power charge every couple of days to even get it to run at speed. This is what happens when you have people that know nothing about solar trying to buy and operate products based on sales brochures!