I recently bought a 148" Transit and am in the research phase for my camper conversion. I've watched all your videos and they've been very helpful. I love your approach to sharing your perspective and knowledge, and to be honest I'm inclined to copy a lot of what you've done. I have ZERO experience with setting up electrical systems so I'm particularly grateful for your recent videos related to that topic, which I'm sure many besides me find somewhat intimidating. If we weren't in the middle of a national lockdown I'd be asking if I could pay you to help me set up the electrical system in my transit!
Good job young man, very informative and most important, it's an easy listening. That's important when listening to a few hours of videos, some are good ones but annoying after awhile.
I went with 320 ah lithium and was suprised that I seldom use 20% in summer - its good to know that we could 4ride out bad weather for almost a week without out 280watts solar
Thanks. Nice overview. Since batteries are the most expensive part of a solar system, I limit my high power usage to sunny days to minimize the batteries I need. As you mentioned, the power used during a sunny day can be excess solar power. If I need to run something really high current, I can also start the truck to use its alternator to supplement the camper battery and solar.
Thank you, Sam. Your videos are all very thoughtful , but these covering electrical issues are absolutely invaluable for those of us who are electrically challenged. Excellent explanation!
I would really love a video about what solar capacity you need and how you came to that decision. Do you want enough solar to (on average) cover your entire "always on" energy usage (ie: fridge, pump, lights), while also providing a trickle charge? Do you go for significantly more solar than your usage so that you can effectively charge while it's sunny, and could conceivably never need to drive to charge? Haha sorry, so many questions! But you're really the best and most clear educator when it comes to these things.
That was exactly the explanation I needed. Thank you so much. I’ve learned a lot here and other channels. I really appreciation people like you who are willing to share your considerable knowledge.
Hey Sam, you saved me. I am currently trying to figure this exact issue out before I buy my batteries. I was attempting to set up an excel doc, but got so lost. Thanks for laying out the calculations and noting how the reverse calculations would work. You just saved me so much time explaining it all. THANK YOU!
This video, and the last one, are a great resource for a new van builder (me!). Thanks so much for the helpful info and especially the spreadsheet. I have definitely moved into the LiFePO4 and maximum solar camp. Good job.
Yes, I agree with all aspects of this video for your application. Sometimes, the limiting factor for system power capacity is the ability to recharge. For example, a 12v AGM deep-cycle battery manufacturer might recommend a bulk charge of at least (amps = 1/10 Capacity) so a 100 Ah battery should be initially charged at 10 amps _minimum_ current. This might require 200 watts of solar output for four hours of the day. If I design for 30 Amp recharge capacity, I could support 300 Ah of batteries (20 hour rating). As you stated, this would provide about 150 Ah (or 1800 watt-hours) of load capacity, in order to conserve battery cycle life. Charging requirements would look like 500 Watts of rated solar output capacity for 4 hours a day; 30 Amps draw from a vehicle alternator running for a longer time; or 420 watts from a small (900w) generator. Charging batteries takes time, and using less than 500 watts from a 7,200 watt generator for hours would not be very fuel-efficient. I also agree that batteries should be recharged to 'full' as soon as possible, and should also be _fully_ charged once a month with a smart charger for longest life. Vehicle alternators and charging systems do not provide this type of full charge by themselves. Also, many of the above parameters change with different manufacturers. Lithium technology is a completely different animal. *Follow the specific manufacturers recommendations* Thanks again for the excellent presentation!
Kudos! it's very informative and easy to listen and to keep pace with. I've been watching your videos and so far they are the best I've seen. I like they are objective and keeps the Instagram part of it out.
You are an absolute legend mate. Your videos are top notch. You are a very wise young man and truly generous sharing your knowledge for free. Unlike many others who are driven purely for the dollar. Thankyou so much. You are inspirational.
I am in the process of trying to understand van life and the electical side has been a complete mystery to me - this series on battery and solar electrics has been a complete eye-opener - finally starting to make sense of it all - many thanks for your clear input into what has been for me a completely unfathomable puzzle- cheers - much appreciated
Brilliant and a big thanks for the spreadsheet, just what I was looking for and takes the headache out of calculations and decisions on what batteries to buy. Paul from England
Awesome delivery of great information. One thing people should greatly consider for sizing if solar is their only charge method is consecutive days in a row of no sun. 4 days of no sun can cripple you. Lol. It happens more often then you'd imagine taking into consideration your geo location. I upgraded from 200Ah to 300Ah to boost my capacity to help push through stints of bad weather low light conditions. Hoping the extra amp hours does the trick.
Good job Sam, we really appreciate your videos along with the comments and the provided technical details which are helping us a lot since we have zero knowledge in the area. Keep up building interesting stuff and thank you very much !
Nice, easy to follow details in the video. However I don't find anyone talking about SLA-AGM battery derating for colder temperatures, which takes battery sizing calculations to another level. For example: Whats the usable charge on a new battery, operating at 32ºF (0ºC). Note: Not everyone puts their batteries in side with them in the comfort of the heated RV. For some reason I recall the usable charge at freezing is reduced by almost 50%. Could follow up with a video talking about that? Thank you
Awesome video, I've watched way too many videos just hoping to find an estimate on how much capacity I'll need. This was extremely helpful and solved my issue. Thank you!
Hi Max. Hope you are well. First of all, I want to heap praise on you for the time, effort and depth of detail you have provided in these videos. They are excellent. It is a little off topic but can I ask you how you put this video together? Obviously you have screen recorded your iPad an then somehow synced that video over a recording of yourself.. What did I you use to do this? Keep it up and thank you so much for sharing!
Your videos is very informative and right on point! Your presentations is very well made. I see you uses Mac, but can I ask which software you use for your presentations?
I buy used golf cart batteries, I have 2 220 AH 6 volt AGM batteries I paid $40 each for, I've been using them full time for over 2 years with no problems at all. They are rated for a 5 to 6 years life span, they were used for 1 year before I bought them. They should go another 2 years possibly 3. They cost about $280 each new. They will cost me about $20 a year, best bang for the buck I have found ! I hope this helps my nomad friends save some money.
Hi Sam. Your van build series videos are so packed with information. Great job. I have a basic question. Pardon my ignorance. How can I determine what size battery I would need, if I only knew the wattage of the appliances? Say, a Nutribullet (600W) or a Toaster (850W) or a Hair dryer (1600W)? I might be using them only for 5 minutes at a time (and to keep it simple, not all of them simultaneously). Thanks so much.
The _system_ size is determined by the highest draw regardless of the duration used. The Hair dryer at 1600 watts is a chunky load in a vehicle. The inverter would be sized at 2000 watts (1600 * 1.2 = 1920) . you might need 145-150 Amps at nominal 12V DC (1600W / 11V). I would want at least 300 ah of batteries to support that while conserving battery cycle life. You could probably get way with it on a 30 A.h. lead acid battery, but causing a very short life-span. LiFePo4 technology might be better suited for this application, but is much more expensive. YMMV
Hello Sam, You have a great presentation in all the videos of yours I've seen of yours! They are clear ,concise and easy to understand. I have a few questions for you with regards to the battery you are currently using (Renogy 200ah). How long have you had it and and how well has it performed? Has it met your expectations? I'm currently building a van conversion and are looking for a battery manufacturer that has a good reputation for producing a quality product. I've been looking at several types of batteries and the ratings. For the battery you have a good deal of the ratings on Amazon I have seen have not been very favorable. I'm seriously considering purchasing the same battery your using, but are concerned about quality assurance. Your thoughts on this matter would be very welcome. Once again, what a great contribution you have made to the van camper community! Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the detailed explanation of all this relevant stuff. It's by far the best video of the sort on youtube. I have a question, though. You list your fridge with 1.8A current whereas the ones I am finding in the market (such as Dometic CRX 50S) are around 5A. What fridge are you considering ? Is it 1.8 because you don't set it for low temperatures? Keep up the great work! it's really appreciated!
There will be a difference between measured current and nameplate current, which is mainly due to inrush current on starting. Components such as fuses and wiring should be sized for the nameplate. Ampere-Hours in continuous use will be much less (measured). There will also be a difference between compressor-based equipment and piezo-electric coolers.
Hi Sam. First I have to thank you for you informational videos. I've learned more from you than anyone else. Your use of layman's terms is valuable as I have zero knowledge of electronics. Now I can hold a conversation with an electrician at least LOL. OK. I use a CPAP at night which uses approx 60 ah. Can I copy your elec layout/wire guage with a 300ah?
How do these van builds.....get electricity to run everything? A.C., heat, a microwave, juice to run a laptop, etc. all take electricity. Where does it come from? I am aware this is an ultra novice question, but how do I find out? I know solar panels can make some juice, but only if you live where it's sunny a lot. When I live in a van, I will need a roof fan, some lights, a water pump, and the other things I listed earlier. Do people have to plug in to someone's house a lot? Or stay in full hookup camp spots a lot? Not being anchored is the appeal of van life, so how does relying on shore power a lot get you the freedom? I know they can have big battery banks, but....how do those batteries get charged? And how do we estimate ahead of time how long a battery will last if we use a microwave in a van? It seems that a lot of these van life channels don't start from square one. Are there any that have basic education for how to even make electricity in a van, how much you need, how batteries even work for powering A.C., etc.?
yes, all very good questions for your research.. A device called an inverter provides 120 VAC power from batteries. recharging batteries can be by: * Shore power * Solar Power (climate dependent) * Vehicle Alternator * Small generator Many people use all of the above, depending on availability. A smart charger or (charge controller) is essential in all cases. Sometimes, you have to look at the $$$ budget first. Shore power / generator may be the least cost first investment.
Thanks for sharing your expertise and knowledge. Please comment on '3 to 4 months storage' when the Lithium battery is idle and not connected to shore power. Would this adversely impact battery life or have other negaitve consequences? There will be solar connected, however, there is very little direct sunlight during winter storage. Can the Lithium battery simply be recharged / topped-up) when ready to use again? Thank you kindly.
Lithium technology is a different animal, and self-discharge is a minor issue, compared to lead-acid. A little Solar power is wonderful, if using a smart charger. Do a 'full' charge before storing, solar during the winter (smart so charging stops), and another full charge before deploying. Things should be fine overall. Do consult the battery manufacturers specific recommendations. Some may say 80% of full charge is recommended for long cycle life, but I do not understand this. YMMV.
The question for a battery novice like me is: Well, then how does the energy get into the battery in the first place? Or how does it get recharged? Do I have to plug in to shore power every couple of days? So, I have to have family and friends to mooch off of? I might as well just keep my apartment then, because I don't want to be reliant on plugging in to my family and friends houses with an extension chord every few days. Am I missing something? I don't think I'd get much power from solar living in a very cloudy climate like I do. And I really don't want to find an RV park with full hookups every few days. So how do people charge those batteries? I am confused. Thank you for your time!
energy gets into the battery by chemistry (almost like magic) You could set up a smart DC-DC charger and run your engine at idle. Or buy a small Generator.
So with 4 - 100 Amp AGM , 400watt solar , 2 hrs daily driving powering 5000BTU 5amp 450watt window A/C. 9 hours nightly would not be a Major issue 6mths a year 😳 Thanks 4 info
Yeah it's a lot isn't it, im looking into the same usage. Didn't know i would have to be an electrical engineer to figure running a few things on solar, and an ac unit to go off grid camping without dealing with ice runs and gas for a generator. He explains it better than any I've watched though, did you get a electric system figured out? Im curious if you did, what batteries and how many and how much solar it took to keep it running smoothly.
@@checkingoutgypsymike2075 I've tested a 5k BTU unit in my E350 at night a number of times recently . My draws usage at night have me going with 2 - 280ah lipo4 DIY batteries with 400 - 600w total panels for extra charge . Here in SE Tx summer sun provides plenty of charging except today - Rain all-day 6 inches so far . I keep a/c at 76 night with Low fan as in small area that's plenty of wind .
What is a good/reputable brand for lithium batteries? I searched on Amazon and before I order anything I’d like to know I’ll be getting something worth the buck
The key to this answer is Watts. Once you get comfortable with the math, you can see that 12 VDC is 1/10 the volts of 120 VAC, but _ten times_ the Amperes for the same power in Watts (W). Watts is also the constant with loads. An 1800 Watt heater _will draw_ 129 Amps at 14 VDC; and 164 Amps at 11VDC. Wire size and other components will necessarily get big. An inverter is not 100% efficient - it will draw some power of it's own just being turned on; you have to take into account the power factor of some loads and calculate on Volt-Amps (VA), so overall you have to de-rate available power when powering 120V loads. 25% might be a good rule of thumb.
I am putting a leisure battery in my 2009 Volkswagen van. Coming from my split charger for my secondary battery, can I use a lithium battery? Even though the battery that starts my engine is not lithium?
I'm in my planning stage of van life and still learning about the electric system. Is it better to have one strong 300AH lithium battery or 3 smaller 100AH lithium batteries wired together?
Both are good options but there are some trade offs. Having only one is easier to setup because there are less wiring connections than 3 in parallel. One large one is also often more space efficient. The thing to watch out for is the max current output of only using one battery. Depending on the battery, three batteries in parallel sometimes have a higher max current output than a single large battery. This becomes more of an issue when you have systems with large inverters. But if either configuration can meet your max current requirements than you can go either way.
what do you consider your total amp hours usage per day? i know there is the figures you presented here. but i am trying to figure a persons usage per day. that i think will simplify my life. soe example i need $1000.00 a month to live at the standard i am at now. some people need more some can live on less. i want to get a baseline for electricity consumption simulare to monetary income. then it could be applied to living in a van or camper or a house.
too many variables left out. does not compute. you might be able to tell in real time each day using a battery monitor (shunt) and learn the characteristics of _your system_. But I will call it 4 hours. I am taking bets.
Hi, I was wondering, if the fan is running at 9.6W and I let it run for 10h, the outcome is a total of 96 watts in the span of the 10 hours, so actually the per hour wattage is 9.6, isn't it? correct me please
discharge / charge life cycles will be diminished on lead-acid batteries. you can take more on occasion, but if you deeply discharge regularly you will kill the battery and have to buy a new one sooner.
A little extra help required please. I only think in terms of big electricity (kills) and little electricity - as soon as I try to understand watts, amps and volts my brain dies - I am a mathematician but practical electricity defeats me. I understand a 60 watt light bulb compared to an 80 watt in terms of brightness, For heating I have a similar intuition. I do not even understand why people think about charging mobile phones from car batteries when a little power bank will charge my phone from empty for nearly a week. Can you provide a very concrete example for system sizing for example - a small fridge that I want to run for a weekend at a beach stop-off, running a crock pot which cooks a curry while I am driving and then use a rice cooker followed by sleeping with run a fan and dehumidifier running. For frying food, boiling water for coffee or washing etc it seems to make more sense to use gas. Given my very simple example what size battery and how many solar panels are required given that the alternator will provide some continuous charge. Sorry to be so dense.
