After a two-month trip in the SW Deserts (
http://lugnutlife.wordpress.com) a compressor was high on my list of mods, so I drank the Kool-Aid and went for the rather expensive ARB CKMTA12. Unfortunately, I was not able to find one on eBay for a great price. Since I am stubbornly resisting going to 4x4 unless it appears absolutely necessary, I still have some change for things like this. I also got the ARB 1 gal aluminum tank. It was clear from researching this compressor that if you connect a hose directly to the compressor, it has to withstand high temperatures, so I copied what ARB does in a kit they sell that includes a manifold on which relays to pneumatic lockers are mounted and connected the compressor to the tank with stainless steel braided tubing. According to ARB the tank is recommended for extended use filling tires and for using pneumatic tools. I am not planning to use compressor for lockers.
I was able to squeeze the compressor and tank into space remaining in the battery cabinet after moving the battery isolator from the floor to the wall and shifting the position of the solar controller's shunt. There was even room for hose storage, so the entire system utilizes zero additional space outside that cabinet! That was the primary reason for NOT going with a standard 110V AC compressor. Although I have two such compressors for tools---one has too small of a capacity to be very useful even on small car tires and the other is a Hitachi monster with a 3-gal tank. So if I wanted a compressor for the van, I was going to have to buy one.
The system works off of the house batteries, and I used the wiring harness provided although it is a do-everything harness for up to two lockers. It came with a pair of 40 A Maxi fuses and holders (one holder opened in the photo above showing an orange fuse), one for each compressor. I did not use the ARB switch, which was designed more for dash mounting and instead went with a simple LED rocker switch. I added a 10 A fuse between the battery and the switch as the installation instructions calls for at least 8 A. That fuse can be seen attached to the rear battery. The switch just controls the relay, and the pair of compressors gets power through the 40 A fuses. I got all the hoses and fittings between the compressor and quick disconnect from Fittings, Inc.. a local outfit in Seattle. The universal quick disconnect for the hose was mounted on the rear wall of the battery cabinet and is connected to the tank with standard rubber pneumatic hose. By mounting it this way, connecting/disconnecting is very convenient, but in retrospect I probably could have just laid it loose with a foot or two of slack in the cabinet for a prettier installation. Also mounted where it is with a hose connected prevents the door from being closed as far as it could compared to the alternate way.
Unlike most compressor tanks, the ARB does not have a bleed valve to open for draining water which can cause problems with steel tanks for which it is usually recommended to drain at the end of each day such compressors are used. Since this tank is aluminum it should not corrode, but what about water continually collecting inside? In my case I could not mount it any other way but vertically, which puts the outlet at the bottom, so this is not an issue to worry about.
After this install, the battery compartment bristles with fuses going from zero as delivered by SMB to seven! Yes, SMB installed a nice 200A circuit breaker before the inverter which is convenient to use to shut down the inverter and house 12V circuits, but it is too far away from the batteries to be smart, especially with that 1/0 cable going right next to the mechanism that turns the bench seat into a bed that often carries 150A---chop chop! The seven are:
* 250A at the battery bank for 1/0 cable going to SMB's 200A breaker and then to the inverter.
* 125A at the battery bank for the #4 cable going to the battery isolator
* 50A between solar panel and controller
* 50A between controller and battery bank
* 40A x 2 for the compressors
* 10A for the compressor switch circuit
Except for the three associated with the compressor, SMB should have done the other four as part of the build IMHO.
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2008 E-350 6.0L diesel: Bought new in 2010, 4x2, 4.10 LSD, HD spring-lift all 'round,
Cruiser II Top, 6'7" inside, full-time upper bed w/ kind'a EB50 layout, cozy 4-season rig
Solar: 540 W of Kyrocera w/ Blue Sky 3024iL, 3x100 AmpHr AGM's
Electrical: 4 cf fridge, nuker, water heater, compressor
Propane: stove top, furnace
Travel: https://www.lugnutlife.wordpress.com