Power component selection help needed

bfr

Observer
I need some help planning/ laying out the my electrical system with the following goals in mind

1. Buy quality components that will provide long service.

2. Ablility to run a freezer/fridge (engel mt45 or ARB 50), an electric blanket, a potable water system pump, a small radio, and a few LED lights ( for reading, food prep, etc) for as long as possible without recharging.

3. Keep battery weight under 100 pounds.

4. Ability to charge via 12V or shore power while in use.

I know I will need...
A. Batteries
B. charger / inverter
C. Fuse / distribution panel
but I do not know which ones.
 

youwillforget

Adventurer
Blue Sea marine components it's expensive but is high quality. I have a trip lite inverter charger it is their computer grade but you can spend a lot and get medical grade. I have the inverter for a home project I'm working on. I have a black and decker 800W for the trailer and a 400w mounted in my truck. I use to work for a marina and have seen a lot of batteries and no matter what I recommend someone will correct me so I will let them recommend batteries. Do you only plan on charging from generator or shore power?
 
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bfr

Observer
I would like to be able to charge from either shore power(fast), or the tow vehicle 20A 12V circuit (slow).
 

McZippie

Walmart Adventure Camper
x2 Blue Sea.
What type of trailer are you outfitting?
Question the "shore power(fast) or tow 20A 12V (slow)" thing??? That would depend on how you plan on using the trailer. How many days camping between driving, load, battery bank size etc.
Our Rig is set-up to charge batteries fast using the vehicle alternator, can recharge the 225 amp battery bank from 60% SOC to a 90% SOC in minutes with the alternator.
It would take hours to do the same using shore power/generator, or your example of 20A 12volt.
.
Shore Power can be inexpensive, using an automotive battery charger or much more costly using RV/Boat components with transfer switches, converter and inverters.
For Batteries I like low internal resistance AGMs.
 

bfr

Observer
The trailer is modeled after the military 1/4 ton trailers. It will have a rtt, potable water system, and kitchen. Realistically I do not expect to be in one place for more than 2-3 days before moving on to the next place. The 20A 12V circuit is present in my factory tow harness and I would like to be able to use it to charge while underway.
 
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youwillforget

Adventurer
2-3 days then move is pretty common, lots of info about those kinds of set ups are available. That 20amp circuit will provide power to that battery but a deeply discharged batter could take a long, long time to fully charge using just that. What will you be doing while at camp? If you will be exploring/wheeling most of the day and your engine will be running anyway I would suggest a setup using 2 batteries that individually slightly exceed 24 hours of use and make them easy to swap between the TV and AT. Then plan on swapping the fresh battery right after returning from the day’s adventure, mounting and battery type would vary depending on TV you can’t go putting batteries that gas as they charge inside an SUV and I doubt there is room for 2 batteries under the hood of a compact PU. I have a 06 GMC 1500 with 2 batteries under the hood and I use a solenoid to connect them only when the ignition is on. The 400w inverter is wired to that battery so I can run a fan, lights, laptop or any other low draw device off that and the truck will still start in the morning. I get the added benefit of it fully charging off the alternator as I drive each day. I am building my AT with on board batteries, an 800w inverter and a Century 87151 that has been modified to use the 50amp Anderson plugs instead of clamps so I can pull it out and use it on other stuff as needed.
Now you need to calculate your load what will you be running, how much do you know about 12v wiring? My local Auto Value has some testers that you remove the blade type fuse plug the test device and it will tell you how many amps that circuit is pulling really simple to use and are a good option if you don’t have access to or are not familiar with a multi meter.
There is a lot of really nice stuff out there I would love to have 3 optima type batteries but at almost 200 dollars each I can’t spend my whole budget on just them. There are combined charger inverters too but if one side fails you have to repair/replace the whole unit.
 

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