Who needs a powered site...

[ROnEM]

After repeatedly asking my wife for dates to book the caravan park for Christmas/New Year, when I was finally given them, the only site left was un-powered and no generators allowed.

Given the thought of not being able to provide her with the morning heart starter - a latte, some planning was required...

Solution:- a 200W (10.5A) fold out solar panel and a 2,500W (5,000W peak) DC-AC pure sine wave inverter.

The solar panel cost $369 & the inverter $269 - both from eBay sellers in Melbourne.

Other than not being able to run the air-con or microwave (it will, but is a bit close to inverter limit) all the other 240v appliances have not had a problem and the dual 100AH batteries are still full.

Yesterday was the heaviest power use day so far, with the espresso machine used throughout the day, external stereo most ofthe day and evening, toaster and the washing maching doing six loads (a weeks worth) using a 15min wash and another 15min rince cycle per load. Yes, it would have been faster to go to a aundry and do one wash, but you have to play with the new toys!

Care has to be taken sizing the inverter to cater for both the types of power loads:
- inductive (kettle, toaster, espresso machine, stereo) is just the peak wattage listed on the appliance)
- reactive (basically anything with a motor like a washing machine, hair dryer) is the wattage multiplied by 7 or 9, dependent on which inverter manufacturer's manual you read. I chose to be conservative and used a factor of 9. As the washing machine is 170W, this is a reactive load of up to 1,530W, so well within limits.

An extension cord and powerboard run from the inverter is all that is needed.

Don't forget that the inverter also has a base load of up to 1.4 amps per hour to have it powered on and for its cooling fans.

Have to say the cost and about an hour of my time to put the inverter in has been a great investment

Happy Holidays,

Rohan

 

[macca]

Hi Rohan, Any chance of some photos of your set up. I have been thinking of doing a folding panel set up.

Thanks Geoff

 

[relgate]

Can you link the eBay seller Ro? Thanks

 

[jdonly1]

Pics would be great mate:wave:

 

[POD]

Got any beers going Rohan?

Maybe a pizza or two?

 

[expanda]

Which washing machine do you have?

 

[ROnEM]

Pics - will be posted as soon as I can get a moment to take some tomorrow of the full setup in use at the camp site.

Decided to test the microwave on it today - no problems. No over voltage alarms or cut outs from the inverter.

POD - Reheated the pizza in the microwave and washed it down with cold beers for lunch today. Sorry, only cold beers left.

Links:
- Solar Panel - Low Energy Developments. They are out of stock of the 200W folding panels, so no list on eBay at the minute, but keep an eye out for them. Link to their own website is here.
- Inverter - Bit Deals here.
- Washing Machine - Companion Easywash Portable Wasking Machine (COMP423)

Cheers,

Rohan

 

[achjimmy]

That's a kick arse invertor. Is it definetly safe for laptops etc, how do you check as I have heard some dodgy stories about eBay invertors.

 

[ROnEM]

Jim,

It is a pure sine wave inverter - not a modified sine wave that can have issues with tech.

With the panel and inverter I made sure the eBay sellers had a Melbourne pickup I could go to. Both had warehouse facilities, and I research the make of product they are selling along with researching the seller.

I also don't buy the first and cheapest thing I see. Key is research, research, research.

Have been buying this way from eBay for many, many years and have not had a single issue (yet)

Rohan

 

[achjimmy]

Thanks Ro I might give one a go.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

my solar panel came from Low Energy Developments great mob to deal with

 

[ROnEM]

Pics would be great mate:wave:

Solar Panel


Solar Regulator & Battery Charger at rear of panel. I am about to remove this and put in two blocking diodes to drop the voltage from the solar panel to below 22v for connection directly to the MPPT solar input on the CTEK 250S Dual.


Solar Panel placed (and moved twice a day) in front of the Panda. It is secured by a 10m plastic coated stainless steel cable and padlocks.


Inverter placed under the seat with the batteries & CTEK.


Washing Machine - Companion 2Kg Single Tub


Wiring Diagram - without changes that will be made to connect solar panel to CTEK.


Cheers,

Rohan

 

[Robert.Smith]

That is a really nice setup. I have a challenge, and this thread leads me to think it may be able ot be overcome. We're moving from a Camper to an Expanda. We have a baby (<1 year old) and will have another within 2 years. I want to free camp a lot, and one of my favorite places is by the river in Clarencetown, IN WINTER! the 2 issues I have are the need to heat a bottle during the night (Can possibly be overcome with thermos's etc) and also maintaining a temperature in the van for sleeping. As the kids grow it will be less of an issue but my wife doesn't trust just rugging them up.

Are you suggesting this setup, or a slight extension may allow for a rooftop aircon to be run off a battery (Please forgive my electronic ignorance ). I think this would take care of my microwave issue at least!

 

[ROnEM]

Robert,

Congrats on the move to an Expanda.

The microwave we have is a 1,400 Watt unit, and the microwave itself uses 900 Watts, so it works very happily with the 2,500W inverter and 2 x 100AH batteries. This would solve heating bottles, etc.

You would need a big set of batteries and a bigger inverter than I have used to run a roof top air-con, or any air-con unit most likely.

If heating is a big issue, I would suggest:
- If you are able to use a generator to power the air-con unit (not all state/national parks allow this);
- looking at some of the diesel heaters that are available, but I think they can get a bit pricey;
- or there might be some 12V fan/heaters available.

As it is winter, you will also have to think about how much sunlight you have available to recharge the batteries.

We have just returned from 2 weeks of un-powered site camping. There was plenty of sunshine on most days (> 8 hours), but the solar regulator/battery charger could only get the batteries back to about 80%. Hence why I am going to connect the solar panel directly to the CTEK as this will make sure the batteries charge to almost 100%.

Hope this helps.

Rohan

 

[cruza driver]

Sorry to be a little bit off topic, but Robert have you considered a diesel heater for the free winter camps to keep the Expanda warm

:focus:

Love your work Rohan :thumb:

 

[Robert.Smith]

Sorry to be a little bit off topic, but Robert have you considered a diesel heater for the free winter camps to keep the Expanda warm

:focus:

Love your work Rohan :thumb:

Thanks guys - I think the Diesel heater is definitely something we'll need to consider. We are planning a 3 - 4 week trip at some stage in around 2 years as well so I think we'll work up to a resolution to also meet the needs of our planned destinations.

Ironically I was looking back at photo's of myself as a kid - there wasn't even a caravan in site - it was tents + jackets(s) + Beanie's + gloves fires!

 

[ROnEM]

Ironically I was looking back at photo's of myself as a kid - there wasn't even a caravan in site - it was tents + jackets(s) + Beanie's + gloves fires!

Yep - we have all become soft. As a kid, I remember travelling for up to 10 hrs over summer is a vinyl clad back seat of the non-air conditioned Valiant to get to the camp grounds, or even in winter, arriving after dark in the driving wind and rain. Mum, dad nor us kids ever complained if it was too cold or hot back then! These are still some of the most vivid memories I have of our camping trips as a kid.

 

[relgate]

Yep - we have all become soft. As a kid, I remember travelling for up to 10 hrs over summer is a vinyl clad back seat of the non-air conditioned Valiant to get to the camp grounds, or even in winter, arriving after dark in the driving wind and rain. Mum, dad nor us kids ever complained if it was too cold or hot back then! These are still some of the most vivid memories I have of our camping trips as a kid.

Did you also walk to school barefoot in the snow?

 

[ROnEM]

Did you also walk to school barefoot in the snow?

I think the Four Yorkshiremen summed it up nicely....

MP: You were lucky. We lived for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank. We used to have to get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. When we got home, out Dad would thrash us to sleep with his belt!

GC: Luxury. We used to have to get out of the lake at three o'clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, go to work at the mill every day for tuppence a month, come home, and Dad would beat us around the head and neck with a broken bottle, if we were LUCKY!

TG: Well we had it tough. We used to have to get up out of the shoebox at twelve o'clock at night, and LICK the road clean with our tongues. We had half a handful of freezing cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at the mill for fourpence every six years, and when we got home, our Dad would slice us in two with a bread knife.

EI: Right. I had to get up in the morning at ten o'clock at night, half an hour before I went to bed, eat a lump of cold poison, work twenty-nine hours a day down mill, and pay mill owner for permission to come to work, and when we got home, our Dad would kill us, and dance about on our graves singing "Hallelujah."

MP: But you try and tell the young people today that... and they won't believe ya'.

[video=youtube_share;Xe1a1wHxTyo]http://youtu.be/Xe1a1wHxTyo[/video]

 

[chartrock]

G'day Ro, I am a Monty Python fan too. :loco: