6/1/19 Every time I climb into the camper I smile. It’s like a space ship…. beam me up…take me away. A small world where everything is shipshape. In this crazy world it is good to have things at times boiled down to the basics. One never has all under control but the experiences that make you decide to modify the space evolve it into a great place to be. I was definitely concerned before the eight week AK trip that the small space would create ‘marital friction’ but was pleasantly surprised that once the ball was rolling it was like being a crew on a small sailboat… guessing by motion where the other person wants to be and sidestepping. Each has their favorite spot to sit, store their immediate access stuff and a routine settles in. It is actually freeing not to have to worry beyond the space. Life gets easier. There are so many responsibilities and “have to do’s” when living in a house. There seems to be no end in sight. But the limited world of the pop up soft top, keeps it simple.
Part of the latest list of mods was the the battery/solar set up. Since the first trip it has evolved into what I hope to be a long term solution. As maintenance free as possible, ample electricity for our purposes and a long life to the components… I am at the age where a new 35 year roof on the house is seen as “well that will see me out!” I started with one AGM battery and a 90 watt portable solar panel I wired to an exterior wall plug. I had it on the tripod that came with the speaker stand for raising the roof (prior to getting the struts!). Yankee types use everything …squeeze the nickel hard enough you make a dime! Later I added a second AGM battery, and at the time still had the side roll over couch so built a compartment beneath and it was good except I had to lift it out to tighten the turnbuckle through the access door…. I knew that would have to change.
One hundred ten pounds of batteries just seemed to be cutting into my beer allotment weight! Man they are beasts. Two years ago I started reading on WTW, smart people discussing the new electrical technologies and being a woodworking guy …not electric it seemed really cool and though something I had no confidence in myself I started to follow the thread and try to suss out what they were talking about. Being a nudge I asked questions and eventually saw this LiFePo4 Lithium battery as a wonderful solution to a number of problems.
And so others, with the patience of saints, laboriously explained how/why it all worked. Mind you this was on a a basic level but it empowered me to say what have I got to lose but time and money! Most of my learning come through mistakes but I figure those who don’t make mistakes aren’t doing too much are they?! I got a list of stuff needed to begin the project, a tad scary buying things that there is a good chance you will destroy but it was done…the ship had left the dock… I was now committed and going forward was the only direction.
After a year of fits and starts and life’s unexpected events stomping on me I actually had built 120 cells into a battery that only weighed 40 pounds, had more usable energy than two AGM’s and had a life span that “would see me out”! All this was due to the patient tutelage of Rando and others on WTW.
Last week I pulled the 2 behemoths out and installed the battery which has a Victron 100-20 controller. I have a 160 Watt solar panel on the roof as well as a 100 watt (4 pound) flex portable solar panel that plugs in an exterior wall plug if needed. Wow….. it works.
The Victron has bluetooth and an iPhone app so you can see how the energy comes in, is stored and goes out. For a novice electric guy this is very exciting! AND I can take more beer weight!
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