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Old 11-26-2018, 01:52 PM   #1
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Battery Bank Sizing Review

Hey guys,

me and the wife are getting the interior spec'd out and need to look at daily power consumption numbers to size our system. I attached an image of my excel sheet calculating Winter/Summer loads and i am designing the system off the Winter load of course. I just wanted to see if you all could lend a hand and look over some of my estimates for my Winter/Summer daily power consumption and battery bank sizing. I just want a second set of eyes to tell me if im missing an appliance on my daily demand and to make sure the power consumption numbers im using look right!

Fridge*: manufacturer claims .85 A/hr w/ Ambient@90F, Internal@41F

LED Lights**: .18 A/hr per light, 8 lights @ 80% intensity for Summer and 70% intensity for Winter

Vent***: estimate at setting 4 (.8 A/hr) for summer and setting 2 (.4 A/hr) for Winter.

The main things i wanted reality checked are the fridge (Dometic CFX 65W) and the Heater (Planar 2d Diesel). The heater numbers are a bit of a one-eye estimate so i have no clue if that is over or under.

let me know if you think i am forgetting something or have power consumption numbers wrong.

just an fyi, this system is being designed to only charge from an isolator when the truck is running and shore power if available where ever we are, down the road we may add panels but i don't see a point right now for Winter.
Attached Thumbnails
Power consumption estimates.jpg  

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Old 11-26-2018, 09:07 PM   #2
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Is this going to be a full-time live in rig?
If yes, get solar now. 100wt / 100ah of house battery.
To keep up with your power consumption you'd be driving (not idling) just to keep the batteries alive.

What about a water pump for on board.
Charging electronic devices (phones/tablets/gps.
Charging laptops.
Personal hygiene (shave/toothbrush...)
Radio or TV.
Exterior lighting.

Btw forget the old school though process, BS ACR 7622.
It hardly uses any power ang ability to jump start your own rig.
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Old 11-26-2018, 09:40 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bbasso View Post
Is this going to be a full-time live in rig?
If yes, get solar now. 100wt / 100ah of house battery.
To keep up with your power consumption you'd be driving (not idling) just to keep the batteries alive.

What about a water pump for on board.
Charging electronic devices (phones/tablets/gps.
Charging laptops.
Personal hygiene (shave/toothbrush...)
Radio or TV.
Exterior lighting.

Btw forget the old school though process, BS ACR 7622.
It hardly uses any power ang ability to jump start your own rig.
Hi Bbasso,

we will not be living in this full time, it will be weekend trips to the ski resorts, camping in the summer. I will putting on solar panels this summer, but i don't see the point for winter.

- I thought about an electric pump but will most likely install a foot pump instead, what does normal daily power consumption for an electric pump look like?
- i have power requirements for charging each of our cell phones once a day and i put in the power requirement to do one full laptop charge a day, but decided against it cause we work all week anyways!
- I dont shave when im camping and, dont use electric toothbrushes, etc.
- I only put 1 amp per day for music, we have quite a few bluetooth speakers for music,
- Exterior lighting, i didnt even think about this so thank you. now i need to figure what to do here.
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Old 11-26-2018, 10:52 PM   #4
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The sun still shines in winter, especially here in CO.
Solar-100/200W
House battery-200amp/hrs
(1 4D AGM)
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Old 11-27-2018, 08:03 AM   #5
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The sun still shines in winter, especially here in CO.
Solar-100/200W
House battery-200amp/hrs
(1 4D AGM)
While that is true i would rather get a base electrical system up and running first which can support me and the wife for 3 days without relying on solar or shore or the engine. seeing as you can get socked in with little to no solar available for more then 3-days in the mountains. I am going to eventually put solar on and am speccing it out but i need to get this thing ready ASAP so me the wife and out 2 dogs can stay up at a resort without freezing to death for a weekend seeing as the boarding season is upon us!

thats why i am trying to get my power consumption numbers proofed, so i know i am accurately reflecting how much power i have allotted for 1-day in the mountains during the winter.

and btw i am really digging your build! van interior looks awesome!
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Old 12-06-2018, 10:21 AM   #6
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We use a similar setup. Major differences: Fridge - Norcold NR751 (3 cu ft) and a solenoid attached to the propane/CO detector that consumes .5A as long as the propane is on. The dominating factors are the fridge, the furnace and occasional use of 2000W inverter for laptop charging. Based on real world usage, I'd say your estimates are very good, if a little bit high.
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:05 PM   #7
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All I can tell you is that we have 200 amp/hours worth of AGM batteries plus 2 solar panels on the roof, and we've never had an issue with power unless we were parked for more than 2 days in a very shady or cloudy location. We have a refrigerator running 24/7, heater now and then, microwave for 5-10 minutes per day, and LED lighting.
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Old 12-07-2018, 02:15 PM   #8
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Thanks for all your input!
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Old 12-07-2018, 03:54 PM   #9
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I'd say your consumption for the D2 is a little high and fridge might be a little low depending on ambient temp in the van.


If it was me, I'd want to limit my DOD to 50%. Looks like you'll be ok for the first two days out, but I'd start the van and let the batteries charge if going into the third day. Another consideration is battery location - if you are mounting outside then you'll get a little less cold weather performance as well.


Regardless of your choice, consider investing in a good monitor so you can see how much draw each item is using and keep track of actual power usage as well.
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Old 12-07-2018, 04:05 PM   #10
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I started with a single 4D 210ah battery. Later I was able to increase the size of the box to hold a second 4D battery. Being able to expand your battery system by making room for an extra battery in the future might be something to think about during the final build. Everybody has different loads so it's hard to pin down what you will really need. You also have to factor in how temps affect the batteries. Other than the weight, I've been happy with the 420ah setup and as the batteries age I'm still way ahead of a single 4D. 8 years now and I suspect my Lifeline's on on the downhill side of life but I still have enough for normal camping.
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