Battery Drain
- Thread starter emjga
- Start date
Thanks
I guess I am going to have to take out a 2nd mortgage.
Oh well for the love of my VW transporter
Getting my self a bit confused on which Victron charger to replace the CB516-3
The CB516-3 has a output of 16A Max
Will need to double check the wiring to see what size it is.
I have a 325 Watt Solar which is the main supply of my electric along with DC / DC Charger
90% of my trips are off Grid , however I tend to plug in at home and then turn the fridge on full , for a few hrs to get it cold before start of a trip.
As for the battery , thinking of Fogstar Drift 12V 300Ah Lithium Leisure Battery
I know it is a lot of money but would fit in , and would add a extra 100Ah to my set up
The other option would be Fogstar Drift 12V 105Ah Lithium Leisure Battery X 2
Would be sliglty cheeper and would be easer to get in due to weight
However would still give me 200Ah which is my current setup.
The downside of having 300Ah is that the solar pannel is not going to keep up
Therefore I was thinking of getting Victron Energy Blue Smart IP22 Bluetooth Battery Charger - 12V 15A, 1 output
Which is not a bad price
However it does have a Near-silent fan
Someone mentioned IP65 charger @ginkster
Maybe Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger - 12V 15A
It is more expensive than the IP22
Does not have a fan , so will run silent
The other option but I think this is a overkill and would have to replace the wiring I suspect.
Victron Energy Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger 12V 30A
At nearly £300 makes it a very expensive option.
I think most UK campsites have 10A or 16A supply so dont think the IP43 makes any sense
Sorry for so many questions , I realy do appreciate people's time and thoughts.
The CB516-3 has a output of 16A Max
Will need to double check the wiring to see what size it is.
I have a 325 Watt Solar which is the main supply of my electric along with DC / DC Charger
90% of my trips are off Grid , however I tend to plug in at home and then turn the fridge on full , for a few hrs to get it cold before start of a trip.
As for the battery , thinking of Fogstar Drift 12V 300Ah Lithium Leisure Battery
I know it is a lot of money but would fit in , and would add a extra 100Ah to my set up
The other option would be Fogstar Drift 12V 105Ah Lithium Leisure Battery X 2
Would be sliglty cheeper and would be easer to get in due to weight
However would still give me 200Ah which is my current setup.
The downside of having 300Ah is that the solar pannel is not going to keep up
Therefore I was thinking of getting Victron Energy Blue Smart IP22 Bluetooth Battery Charger - 12V 15A, 1 output
Which is not a bad price
However it does have a Near-silent fan
Someone mentioned IP65 charger @ginkster
Maybe Victron Energy Blue Smart IP65 Charger - 12V 15A
It is more expensive than the IP22
Does not have a fan , so will run silent
The other option but I think this is a overkill and would have to replace the wiring I suspect.
Victron Energy Phoenix Smart IP43 Charger 12V 30A
At nearly £300 makes it a very expensive option.
I think most UK campsites have 10A or 16A supply so dont think the IP43 makes any sense
Sorry for so many questions , I realy do appreciate people's time and thoughts.
Ignore the campsite ampage, that's a red herring.
15A is the 12v output, at 240v the mains input will be less than 1 amp.
The IP22 and IP65 are essentially the same, just different liquid resistance ratings. Go for the cheaper one if it is going to be secure and protected from water.
I was recommended the 30A based on having 230Ah of Fogstar, but the 15A will work fine.
The Victron IP22 15A is also fanless and silent, I have one.
The panel size v battery size is also a red herring. The panels only have to replace what you use, if they cope now, they'll cope with a bigger battery.
I accidentally bought the 5a charger (don't ask... miscommunication with the wife).
It works for me, granted probably slower than other models.
It works for me, granted probably slower than other models.
Re. DC-DC Amps v Mains Amps
“Generally” you’re going to be driving for a couple of hours or so to your campsite, so you want as many Ah going into your battery as you can, in the short time that the engine is running, so a DC-DC charger with the highest output for your battery is a good choice. The optimum charging current for lithium is C/3 Amps, where C= the capacity of the battery, e.g. a 100Ah battery would be 100/3=33.333 A or thereabouts.
When you get to your campsite & plug into the EHU, chances are you’ll be there a while, at least overnight. So your mains charger has longer to do its stuff, so no need for a huge mains charger, 15A is usually plenty, unless you're a power user.
There is an IP22 12V 30A charger too.
I've just bought one and the single output version can be had for around £140.
Thanks folks for all the replies.
I do learn a lot from you folks.
Had a look at the wiring on the cb516
The 12 volt cables have a outside diameter of 5m.
Don't really want to snip the cable until I have all the parts
Would I be correct in saying it is a 4mm cable and could take the 30amp charger
Cable length is properly half a meter
Depending on how it is routed , say 1m
Or stick with the 15 amp to be on the safe side
I do learn a lot from you folks.
Had a look at the wiring on the cb516
The 12 volt cables have a outside diameter of 5m.
Don't really want to snip the cable until I have all the parts
Would I be correct in saying it is a 4mm cable and could take the 30amp charger
Cable length is properly half a meter
Depending on how it is routed , say 1m
Or stick with the 15 amp to be on the safe side
The insulation thickness can vary between brands and materials used. Unfortunately, it's not an accurate gauge of cable cross section.
Have a look along it's length. You may get lucky and find information printed or etched into it.
Have a look along it's length. You may get lucky and find information printed or etched into it.
Do you even need a mains charger? Unless your fridge is massively inefficient (I mean massively!) then any power it uses for the few hours to cool down will be easily replaced by solar and/or the DC-DC charger as you drive to camp. If you’re mostly offgrid then a mains charger is just a waste of money and space.
The main advantage of the ip65 over the ip22 is that it is easily portable. If it’s installed with a QR cable you can take it out to use on other vehicles or if you don’t need to take it with you. You can also remove it and replace with the CBE when you sell the van (just don’t tell the buyer
).As mentioned by others the solar will be fine unless you are massively increasing your draw somehow. Also don’t confuse 240v amps with 12v amps.
Are you planning to use more power than you do now? If not don’t forget a lithium battery essentially gives you twice the useable capacity for a given Ah (e.g. a 100ah lifepo4 gives the same useable capacity as 200ah of AGM/LA), so do you really need the 300ah Fogstar? Would a 105 or 230 not be more than sufficient and save a chunk of money and space?
Just a quick update
Frogstar 280Ah battery arrived and fitted
Get the old AGM batteries out was fun
Each one weighed the same as the new battery
300Ah was not in stock
The Frogstar BMS report 381Ah
A big note says the underspend there batteries
So I am happy
Victron ip22 15amp charger fitted
The 12volt cables where 4mm2 but went for the 15amp
So far looks good but early days
Frogstar 280Ah battery arrived and fitted
Get the old AGM batteries out was fun
Each one weighed the same as the new battery
300Ah was not in stock
The Frogstar BMS report 381Ah
A big note says the underspend there batteries
So I am happy
Victron ip22 15amp charger fitted
The 12volt cables where 4mm2 but went for the 15amp
So far looks good but early days
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