Quote:
Originally Posted by ucsundog
Thanks for info... I'm now talking to Peter at Sportsmobile West to possibly get the upgrade for a "momentary switch" v.s. the old "automatic junction signal". He said he can do it for $320.
Btw, do you have any suggestions on a Solar panel setup? I plan on camping where I'm off the grid for 2-3 days at a time with "average" use if that means anything.
thanks,
Alex
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If you're not having issues with the separator, a simple switch can be cut into the ignition circuit that controls the assist start function. I'm guessing 320 includes pulling the old separator and installing a new model probably made by Blue Sea. If you do purchase a Blue Sea 7622 it has full manual control on the separator itself. I'd check with Blue Sea but if you have easy access to it, there really isn't a need to add a switch at the dash. I mean how many times will you need to jump start your van? If you kill the starting battery system, all you have to do is manually close the switch on the separator. The 7622 is also fully automatic in the normal operation and an addition of solar will charge both battery systems.
I'm with Mike on the solar. In the past many SMB's came standard with a 130 watt panel and a single 220AH 4-D battery. I had that setup and it worked fine with a 4cf fridge and even with Fluorescent Lighting. But more is sometimes better. How far you go depends. If you frequent overcast skies now and then, a larger panel or array might be in order. There really isn't enough roof area to have enough solar to run high amp draw items like a microwave...that's were the batteries come in. I'm running 270 watts of solar and 440AH worth of battery reserve, somewhat an overkill.
If you spec out the system correctly, you can add a single panel for now and add more down the road.
Hope this helps.