Electrical system for DIY camper build. A LOT of questions.

[dbhost]

Okay so for time being, we are camping out of the car / truck but I have medical needs for an off grid 110V power supply overnight (CPAP).

I am also in process of repowering my '04 F150 5.4L 4x4, and want to be able to transfer the build to the camper when built.

I had previously used an Everstart 1100 amp jump starter / power pack which would typically run my CPAP for 2 nights, however during the Texas deep freeze last month, my power pack flat out failed.

In an emergency rush I snagged up the first RV Deep Cycle battery I could grab, and a 12V power port. I carried over an old marine inline AGM fuse holder some 12ga wire ring connectors etc... and cobbled together a quick rig to get my CPAP going...

I was able to run the remaining 4 nights I was without power without issue, and was able to recharge the battery after power came back up.

So with all that being said, I want a basic power rig that wil provide my power needs.

At present, I have a Harbor Freight Tailgator 900w 2 stroke generator. HOWEVER, I am planning an upgrade to a 2KW inverter generator, and a Honda is not anywhere near my budget. WIll likely end up with an AiPower SUA2000IV. I will be powering a 6.5K BTU Energy Star window AC with a soft start, and a battery charger (more on that below.

Prior to the truck camper build, and to keep me going I am thinking about the following setup.

#1. The HF Tailgator to add some charge as I venture more and more off grid.
#2. A 10 amp @ 12v DC smart battery charger with the battery ring terminal connector such as the NOCO GENIUS10 with the additional ring terms. Grab some battery clamp / terminal lug adapters so I can use the large lugs on the battery for charging.
#3. Utilize the current Deep Cycle Marine / RV battery I got from Oreilley as an interim solution.
#4. This might be hokey, not sure if it is safe, but keep the ring terminal equipped 12V power outlet with AGM marine waterproof fuse holder, add ring terminals and another fuse holder to a second 12V power outlet to power my 12v to 6 USB charger, and lastly, ring terminal input for the 500w inverter that has its own fuse holder and glass fuse. I should be able to attach the charging / and power output stuff to a marine battery box, pass through with some grommets and call it good for now.

Longer term is where I get iffy.

I have the following thought in mind but am not sure it is a good idea.

Upgrade the generator to at least the AIPower SUA2000IV, better if I can afford it.
Keep the same charger.
Solar Charge controller, and at least 300w of panels on the roof of the truck camper.
Since this is going to be in the truck camper, is there any way I can take advantage of alternator charging going down the road?

I am assuming I should simply ring terminal both charger and charge controller to the lugs on the battery or battery bank, and here is where I get off on no clue what i am doing..

I know I am going to need more battery down the road, and something that can take more off road abuse. Not sure AGM is the right solution, or even then, how much battery am I going to need, how to wire it etc?

Some sort of housing... Once it is in the truck camper, it stays. But what are the design considerations I Need to give it?
Waterproof AGM fuse box / bus. Once I have the positive, and ground heading off of the battery, I mostly have the concepts of wiring down. HOWEVER, I am not 100% on this. Should I chassis ground? How exactly is ground done on these systems?

I will be keeping the 2 @ 12V power outlets. This will power my CPAP and USB charger for phones, cameras and such.
2KW pure sine wave inverter. This MIGHT be massive overkill.

My total load / appliances intended are...

Fantastic Fan.
Travel CPAP (Z2 CPAP)
Insignia 32" Fire Edition TV (runs on 12v or 110V).
WeBoost.
Most likely 1 or 2 "Desk size" fans. I might opt for more 12V stuff though to eliminate inverter losses.
LED lighting in the camper
Water pump

There are NO immediate plans for a fridge, I have a high performance cooler, I MAY swap to a fridge down the road, but at this point, I have no plans on being off grid for more than a week at a time, so not worried about the cooler not being sufficient.

The added stuff that will run / charge off the generator or shore power would be...
Laptop (HP Envy 15.6"). It will run off its own battery, but will need to recharge from generator power when possible.
PS4 thin
LG 6.5K BTU window unit AC with retrofitted soft start. 6 amp max draw theoretically.

Any advice that you can give me to getting the design finalized would really be helpful in me taking my next steps toward the build. Thanks!

 

[RonapRhys]

This won't help with the wiring, but I'd suggest having the batteries somewhat accessible. I've got an RV and live in the north, so I've got to winterproof the thing every year. My batteries (four rather large wet batteries) sit in a tray in front of the engine (Class A diesel, but the engine is up front - Freighliner Chassis), but down low. So I've got to reach in and pull them up and over support beams and the attachment system for the front grill cover. Absolute pain in the ********.

If you can make it so the batteries are on a slider so you can pull them out and access them, it may make your life easier.

 

[dbhost]

I always suggest both.
Negative connections wired all together at common location(s).
As well negative battery lead connected to chassis/metallic structure.
In your context. Extra points and thank you for using the correct term ”appliances”. That alone puts you ahead of many.

Meh, I figured appliances was a better term than thingies that suck power.

 

[dbhost]

This won't help with the wiring, but I'd suggest having the batteries somewhat accessible. I've got an RV and live in the north, so I've got to winterproof the thing every year. My batteries (four rather large wet batteries) sit in a tray in front of the engine (Class A diesel, but the engine is up front - Freighliner Chassis), but down low. So I've got to reach in and pull them up and over support beams and the attachment system for the front grill cover. Absolute pain in the ********.

If you can make it so the batteries are on a slider so you can pull them out and access them, it may make your life easier.

Well, just as a note. This camper build is going to be EITHER a slide in truck camper, OR a flatbed camper depending on if I can convince my wife to let me pull the OE truck bed. IF a flatbed camper is to be, I will build a box just below the bed floor. It's an '04 F150 4x4 with a 4" lift and 35s, so for me that would put the batteries at, well, crotch height so lifting would be minimized...

FWIW, winterized isn't typically a thing here, however February proved me horribly wrong. At this time we travel to parks, beaches, etc.... day trip from me on a once a week or more basis. WIth the camper build done if I can figure out how to boondock legally which here typically means beaches, I will likely be wearing the camper out.

 

[LilKJ]

Buy this, an AC charger for shore power, and some good batteries... that will solve 90% of your issues and leave you room to install solar.

DCC50S 12V 50A DC-DC On-Board Battery Charger with MPPT

Make sure your service battery has all the juice it needs with Renogy's DCC50S DC-DC MPPT On-Board Battery Charger. 10% off: Renogy10off. Free shipping

www.renogy.com

 

[Teardropper]

I too am a CPAP user.

I use a Philips DreamStation and plug it into my 12-volt system with a DC inverter cord. (Those that run these things through an inverter are kinda nuts I think.)

It comes with a heated hose. When I run it with the heated hose, it chews up 27 amps per night. That's a lot for my Group 24 AGM which has about 35 usable amps in it. My solar system could recover that in about six hours –but that kind of daily cycling will greatly shorten the battery's life.

If I run it without the heated hose, I'll burn about 8 amps per night. I can live with that just fine. It's all recovered by noon through a 130-watt solar system.

No generator needed, fortunately.

Tony

 

[dbhost]

I too am a CPAP user.

I use a Philips DreamStation and plug it into my 12-volt system with a DC inverter cord. (Those that run these things through an inverter are kinda nuts I think.)

It comes with a heated hose. When I run it with the heated hose, it chews up 27 amps per night. That's a lot for my Group 24 AGM which has about 35 usable amps in it. My solar system could recover that in about six hours –but that kind of daily cycling will greatly shorten the battery's life.

If I run it without the heated hose, I'll burn about 8 amps per night. I can live with that just fine. It's all recovered by noon through a 130-watt solar system.

No generator needed, fortunately.

Tony

I had FSA funds to burn at the end of 2019, so I stocked up on CPAP supplies, and bought myself a travel dedicated CPAP. I do have the AirSense 10 for home, but the Z2 with the I think they call it a rebreather or whatever, it captures your own humidity and puts it right back in, so no humidifier needed, no heated tube etc... Before the Everstart pack died on me, I was able to run 3 days iwth the Airsense 10, or 6 with the Z2, Unfortunately it picked a lousy time to die, and I just wanted better perofrmance.

BTW, awesome looking teardrop!

 

[dbhost]

Buy this, an AC charger for shore power, and some good batteries... that will solve 90% of your issues and leave you room to install solar.

DCC50S 12V 50A DC-DC On-Board Battery Charger with MPPT

Make sure your service battery has all the juice it needs with Renogy's DCC50S DC-DC MPPT On-Board Battery Charger. 10% off: Renogy10off. Free shipping

www.renogy.com

I was planning on a solar install at some point, sort of toward the end. Do they offer charge controllers that would allow 110v AC to 12v DC charging of the batteries as well as solar inputs?

 

[LilKJ]

I was planning on a solar install at some point, sort of toward the end. Do they offer charge controllers that would allow 110v AC to 12v DC charging of the batteries as well as solar inputs?

Just buy a basic automatic battery charger in addition to the charge controller. They are cheap, no need to combine.

 

[andytruck]

There is a lot here so i wont even attempt to get too into it...
You really should get solar asap. Esp in TX where u are far enough south and in an airid climate with lots of sun. 200 watts min. I would go 300 watts. Your batts will get depleted overnight, so you will not be a guy who has the same batt for years, but a walmart batt can be replaced at a pro-rated price.
I would get li-ion batts. Several companies make these that have batts, inverter, charger, solar connections, DC outlets all built in. Lighter and the li ion batts can be discharged and charged without killing them so fast. $500 and up but well worth it for your situation.
For charging lead batts an MPPT solar controller is the best option. on ebay everything is cheap, I bet for a 300 watt panels and the controller you would be under $300.
Keep the gen you have, it is cheaper to run it than buying another one. You do not need a honda. I have a ryobi that was less than half the price and it runs perfect. 2200 inv gen and it will run a 9200 btu roof ac just fine. anything you find will prob be fine.

 

[dbhost]

Okay so so here we go. I think I have it down.

So The group 27 marine deep cycle battery has a standard automotive terminal, and a threaded terminal on each side of the battery. This will be key here. The charging circuits will be on the automotive top post terminals

Supplies in progress or already here.

#1. Camco group 27 battery box. Need to double check measurements but I believe this would have enough room under the lid, assuming it straps the battery down IN the box that is...
#2. 8amp 12v smart battery charger.
#3. Currently, Exide Group 27 RV / Marine deep cycle lead acid battery. Upgrade at some point down the road.
#4. Deyooxi 3 in 1, 2 USB charger, 1 battery monitor, 1 12v outlet, and 1 power switch panel, marine sealed.
#5. 12 ga ATO waterproof inline fuse holder, replace the non materproof inline glass fuse holder. Heat shrink.
#6. 3/8" ring terminals for 12 ga wire.
#7. Bestek 500w Pure Sine inverter
#8. Stainless steel wing nuts for threaded terminals on battery.
#9. Schumacher coated marine terminal ends. These convert the top post to threaded terminals, and are color coded / coated with anti corrosion pads.
#10. And at some budget point I am not ready for down the road, add a 300w folding solar panel kit with charge controller.

The concept should be somewhat straightforward.

#1. Mount the marine terminal ends to the proper sides of the battery.
#2. Mount the charger to the outside of the box with nothing but screw heads INSIDE the box. Route the cabling and secure.
#3. Replace inline fuse holder with marine grade, heat shrink, upsize the ring terminals etc... mount the 3 in 1 USB charger blah blah panel to the lid of the box. This is where measurements are critical. Insure no interference with battery etc... Seal gap between lid and panel with RTV. So this is where the 12V outlet, 2 USB chargers, and battery monitor will come from.
#4. Convert inverter to ring terminal connection, mount to outside of box same way as charger, route cables.
#5. Install battery into box and secure.
#6. Make connections. Charging circuit to marine terminal ends, output circuits, stack ring terminals to threaded studs
#7. Do final valildation of all fit and mechanical operation.
#8. Close lid, and perform functional test / operation. I.E. try it out.

I am pretty sure I am going to need to set up some sort of handle on this thing to move it around until it gets its final place in the not yet here camper. I have nylon webbing material and a sewing machine. Probably make a sling for it...

Add on at a later point would be...

#1. Dokio 300w folding solar panel kit with charge controller.
#2. 2KW Inverter Generator.

While I agree with use what ya got. And I do plan on wearing out the little HF Tailgator, it is 2 stroke, and goes through gas pretty quick for the power it makes. There is a break over point where it will cost more to operate it than it would to replace it. I do not know where that point is yet.

While it struggles to do it, the little HF generator does indeed start, and run a 6500BTU Window unit Air Conditioner. A soft start capacitor would certainly help but they are expensive, and this particular AC is already 15 years old and needs to be replaced...

 

[andytruck]

Agree on generator if yours is a gas hog. $600 not a big deal for an inverter gen.
Check this guy out, he does a good and through job reviewing battery systems and explains a lot, more than you want to know...

https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse/videos

I think you got it down, but might be going to the extreme, you will have a solid system, but a lot of this perfection is just not needed. Yes, you do need to coat and protect the wires and ring terminals that actually connect and are inside the battery box. After the wire is run outside the box then those outside wires will not be corroding because there is no battery gassing to harm them. You should have your batt box vented to the outside...

I would suck it up now and get two 6-volt golf cart batts (or similar, or one real deep cycle batt, not a marine batt) and maybe just use the marine as an extra battery. Marine batts are not meant to be used for RVs, they are meant to start a boat motor and run a trolling electric motor, then start the boat motor. A starting batt would be bad for trolling, and a real deep cycle batt would be bad for starting a motor, but the marine batt is in the middle, and not good at either, only good for having one battery that does both.

If the wires are correctly connected and secure then it is good, but nothing wrong with going the extra mile.
I would use those portable panels as a last resort. Mounting panels will be much much better, and you pay a huge premium for the portable "name brand" ones that do nothing that an ebay panel would not do.
The plus is to park rig in the shade and put panels in the sun, pointing at the sun, but the reality is that panels still work in the shade, and adding an extra panel might be all you need to make up for the loss of sun that a tree makes. I have never lacked for solar power even parked in the shade, but I am not maxing out the wattage use either.
The reality is you will be spending a lot of time and effort every time to move panels around. Maybe you want to go off for the day and maybe you dont feel safe just leaving the panels sitting out, so maybe they dont get deployed so provide zero power that day...
Mount them on the roof and forget about them. Literally, they will need no attention except for washing the dust off occasionally.
Solar review guy

 

[Teardropper]

Bestek 500w Pure Sine inverter

What will you power with that?

Tony

 

[dbhost]

What will you power with that?

Tony

Laptop + Monitor, most importantly I already have it.

 

[dbhost]

Agree on generator if yours is a gas hog. $600 not a big deal for an inverter gen.
Check this guy out, he does a good and through job reviewing battery systems and explains a lot, more than you want to know...

https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse/videos

I think you got it down, but might be going to the extreme, you will have a solid system, but a lot of this perfection is just not needed. Yes, you do need to coat and protect the wires and ring terminals that actually connect and are inside the battery box. After the wire is run outside the box then those outside wires will not be corroding because there is no battery gassing to harm them. You should have your batt box vented to the outside...

I would suck it up now and get two 6-volt golf cart batts (or similar, or one real deep cycle batt, not a marine batt) and maybe just use the marine as an extra battery. Marine batts are not meant to be used for RVs, they are meant to start a boat motor and run a trolling electric motor, then start the boat motor. A starting batt would be bad for trolling, and a real deep cycle batt would be bad for starting a motor, but the marine batt is in the middle, and not good at either, only good for having one battery that does both.

If the wires are correctly connected and secure then it is good, but nothing wrong with going the extra mile.
I would use those portable panels as a last resort. Mounting panels will be much much better, and you pay a huge premium for the portable "name brand" ones that do nothing that an ebay panel would not do.
The plus is to park rig in the shade and put panels in the sun, pointing at the sun, but the reality is that panels still work in the shade, and adding an extra panel might be all you need to make up for the loss of sun that a tree makes. I have never lacked for solar power even parked in the shade, but I am not maxing out the wattage use either.
The reality is you will be spending a lot of time and effort every time to move panels around. Maybe you want to go off for the day and maybe you dont feel safe just leaving the panels sitting out, so maybe they dont get deployed so provide zero power that day...
Mount them on the roof and forget about them. Literally, they will need no attention except for washing the dust off occasionally.
Solar review guy

I love Will Prowse's stuff...

I work in IT and am the guy that gets OCD about network cable routing. It comes with the territory. I am aiming for reliability, not absolute ease of throwing it together... So yeah I am going to overbuild it a bit where I can.

The 2KW Inverter generator I am looking at is going to run just over $400.00 after taxes. And given it used half the gas with no oil mixture means at $3.00 a gallon it would pay for itself within a year assuming it lasts 3 years or so...

The battery I have is labelled RV / Marine Deep Cycle Group 27. I am planning on running it until it is no longer useful, and then replacing it as needed and upgrading at that time. Most likely AGM, but Lithium is a possibility if money makes itself avaiable... Budget is always important...

And considering I am at least at this time camping out of a vehicle and tent. Nowhere to permanently mount solar panels. I am not sold of the folding panels and may rig something to make mountable panels portable until the camper build gets, well... a roof... However I am considering at least 300w, the more the merrier until I have to pay for it or haul it though....

Any exposed connections inside the box would end up being sprayed with battery protective / anti corrosion spray, once the wires leave the box, not such a big problem. I do need to keep it away from being rained on.