Off-Grid'ers or Full-Timers - what's your Leisure Battery Amp Hours and types ? TIA

RAW

Forum Member
Just curious as to what the folk that spend a lot, or all the time in their Van(s) have as battery set-up and if any like me and @Geeky Philip have paid work in the ICT / Web fields that require possible higher usage with laptops and mobiles and other tech kit ?
Thanks in Advance
 

wildebus

Forum Member
Ref the last bit ... This is one reason why I opted for a large battery bank and a gasless setup.

You can't run laptops, monitors, printers etc on gas, just like you cannot run power tools on gas (maybe needed if doing any kind of mobile conversion work), so you end up with a sizeable battery bank (in my case 645Ah of AGM battery, upgraded from the initial 440/380Ah AGM bank due to opportunity).
And as that battery bank is always there in order to provide on-demand ad-hoc use, may as well take advantage of it to provide cooking, (water) heating and (food) cooling for the 90%+ time it is not needed for work use.

I have a generator for 'emergency' use also. I used it yesterday as it happens (run it once a month just to exercise it). Ran it for 2 hours, consumed - I am estimating - around £1.50 worth of petrol and put 175Ah of energy back into the battery bank in that time (took it from 55% to 81%). Whilst that £1.50 is expensive compared to plugging into a domestic socket, it is more cost effective than having a massive solar panel bank so as to get a charge in the wintertime or having to go to a campsite purely to get access to a hookup.
 

RAW

Forum Member
Thanks as always @wildebus for your informative replies, however...

having to go to a campsite purely to get access to a hookup.
Hopefully a lot of people have friends and family where they can pull up and plug there Van in overnight, I think I would be able to do that if I were to become a Full-Timer.
Think I am a bit low at the moment at only 230AH and therefore thinking of getting another 120AH (probably all I can afford) to throw in the Mix but going to wait until potentially the New Van comes on the Horizon which would give me more scope for self-build and modifications than I have with Sylvia at the moment.
 

wildebus

Forum Member
a fair point :)

If you are looking for a lot of battery, on a budget (aren't we all! :( ) and want a bit of a tinker, I would have a look at Dave/Wissels video on his own van build and the lithium bank he built in it.
It is still not cheap (no lithium batteries are) but looks very nifty and good value. When (if!) I do another build for myself I would look into doing similar.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RAW

RAW

Forum Member
If you are looking for a lot of battery, on a budget (aren't we all! :( ) and want a bit of a tinker, I would have a look at Dave/Wissels video on his own van build and the lithium bank he built in it.
It is still not cheap (no lithium batteries are) but looks very nifty and good value. When (if!) I do another build for myself I would look into doing similar.
Will look at the video, I have watched BigClive get the occasional smaller Lithium Batteries from Poundland products at rock-bottom prices, his latest video is YT unlisted as he has a Patreon Channel too, but will be out soon no doubt for Public consumption.
Also have read that you can get bigger lithium cells from retired Hospital Equipment and the like but no idea how good they would be.
It's all a learning curve for me !!
Raspberry pi will be up in next couple of weeks with Venus OS hopefully. (y)
 

wildebus

Forum Member
Daves setup is a Build-your-own setup bought in from (I think?) Czech Republic.

Ref poundland batteries, I have seen those setups based on massive arrays of small lithium battery cells (which I think is the kind of thing you are referring to?) - I kinda like the idea but I am not fully convinced, especially in the earthquake-like environment of a motorhome.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RAW

RAW

Forum Member
a fair point :)

If you are looking for a lot of battery, on a budget (aren't we all! :( ) and want a bit of a tinker, I would have a look at Dave/Wissels video on his own van build and the lithium bank he built in it.
It is still not cheap (no lithium batteries are) but looks very nifty and good value. When (if!) I do another build for myself I would look into doing similar.
have you got link for specific video, there are quite a few on his channel and CBA to watch em all :oops:
 

RAW

Forum Member
I have seen those setups based on massive arrays of small lithium battery cells (which I think is the kind of thing you are referring to?)
Here's the Video Clive Did a bit early than Published on YT - hopefully BC won't mind me sharing it before he changes it to a Published Video


especially in the earthquake-like environment of a motorhome
I guess with enough tape and packing you could probably get an Array of Lithium Cells to not move about too much....
 

Alec

Forum Member
Current van, since 2013, used year around has two 6 volt T105 Trojans, now six years old and good as new.
In build van will have four T105 Trojans suplied by Sterling 60 Amp B2B and 480 Watt Solar through MPPT controller.
Reason for much larger set up is much larger compressor fridge and better winter use, not that I have ever been as low as 50%.
Alec.
 

Floydster

Forum Member
I've got a system inspired by Wissels set up. Expensive but hopefully the longevity of the cells will even out the cost over time.

20190709_183253.jpg
 

wildebus

Forum Member
have you got link for specific video, there are quite a few on his channel and CBA to watch em all :oops:
This reply to Geeky Phil has a little writeup and a link to the video where he discusses it.

Not watched it recently (if I do I will probably buy the batteries as I liked the setup so much so daren't risk it!)

PS. The video in the link above is Part 2; I think this is part 1?
 
Last edited:
  • Thank You
Reactions: RAW

wildebus

Forum Member
Robert, if you are thinking of making an Inverter a significant part of a future build (likely if thinking of powerful IT kit, not just a laptop), you should consider maybe having a 24V battery system rather than 12V one. More efficient use of batteries and converting 24V DC to 12V DC is a simple process to have a circuit for those items that run on 12V.
(should be setting up a system like this at the start of next month in fact)
 
  • Like
Reactions: RAW

RAW

Forum Member
Robert, if you are thinking of making an Inverter a significant part of a future build (likely if thinking of powerful IT kit, not just a laptop), you should consider maybe having a 24V battery system rather than 12V one. More efficient use of batteries and converting 24V DC to 12V DC is a simple process to have a circuit for those items that run on 12V.
(should be setting up a system like this at the start of next month in fact)
Yes I would be interested in a 24V System and how you integrate it into a Van that was built with 12V System. Cheers
 

MarkJ

Forum Member
Yes I would be interested in a 24V System and how you integrate it into a Van that was built with 12V System. Cheers
Me too!

I presume you something like this:


They’re not cheap if you need lots of power, but obviously that depends on your setup.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RAW

RAW

Forum Member
I mean more having 24V for habitation charged via solar and Split Charge then occasionally charged on hook up. Plus having a 12V system existing for engine and driving in the self-build base vehicle.
 

MarkJ

Forum Member
I mean more having 24V for habitation charged via solar and Split Charge then occasionally charged on hook up. Plus having a 12V system existing for engine and driving in the self-build base vehicle.
I see. I’m getting out of my depth here, but I think the benefit of 24v is to do with feeding an inverter. You could get reduced volt drop, hence an efficiency gain. I’m not sure of the benefit in having 24v devices in the hab space but I’m sure someone wiser than me could comment.
 

wildebus

Forum Member
I see. I’m getting out of my depth here, but I think the benefit of 24v is to do with feeding an inverter. You could get reduced volt drop, hence an efficiency gain. I’m not sure of the benefit in having 24v devices in the hab space but I’m sure someone wiser than me could comment.
I added a comment to Squirrel Cooks thread with my thoughts ...
 

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Top