Best Of
Re: DC to DC charger input question
I know this is a late reply, but nonetheless...Horigan said:@Maple_Geek
I don't see how that scheme would work. The baseline charging from the tow vehicle is limited by the wire size through the tow vehicle and trailer, and the output capacity of the alternator. A DC to DC charger is looking to see that the source DC power (TV battery ) is being charged (some voltage above 13V, user defined). Once you start drawing current through the tow vehicle the voltage seen by the DC to DC charger will drop and it will stop charging, then the voltage will recover and it will start charging, then the voltage will drop and it will stop charging, etc. Overall you're trying to extract more power (voltage x current) from the tow vehicle than the current system provides, and that's not really possible. If you want more charging power from the two vehicle, upsize the wires running back to the 7-pin in the tow vehicle. You also need to understand how much current the alternator can put out.
Plus, I don't know how the DC to DC charger would respond to having the input and output connected together. It probably would shutdown.
Where DC to DC chargers shine is raising the voltage above the source power to charge at a higher voltage, say to charge a LiFEO4 battery from a lead acid/AGM battery.
The Victron DC-DC is not a voltage regulator, but a buck-boost converter. The 12/12-18 will take an input voltage between 8 and 17V and convert it to an adjustable voltage between 10 and 15V with 87% efficiency. Let's say that in @Maple_Geek case he is sourcing 18A to the battery at voltage of 13.8V while charging (max current for the unit). This is 248Watt which would require an input power of 285W. Let's assume 20' of 14ga from the alternator to the DC-DC. This is 0.05 Ohms wiring resistance. The alternator will be supplying something between say 13.8V and 15V or between 19A and 21A to source 285W. This would be as much as 1.05V drop from the alternator to the DC-DC converter. This is 22W dissipated in the wiring to the DC-DC. If the wire is 12ga from the alternator the voltage drop and power dissipated is halved.
Re: uCamp 2024
We got off the Winkleplek wait-list today so we'll be coming to ucamp this year for the first time. (Hopefully no storms this year.) We'll have to miss the first day because of a family commitment, but are looking forward to the rest of it!
Coming from Minnesota, so a bit of a drive.
Coming from Minnesota, so a bit of a drive.
Re: Completed-Added a 2nd Battery, Victron SmartShunt and 2nd MPPT. 2023 T@B 400
In my opinion, your plan is sound @Robermcm. You should have energy to spare.
As @elbolillo states, the biggest power draw is the fridge. We use about 50 Amps a day, 35 of that being keeping the fridge nice and cold. The rest is used up running the roof fan while cooking, lights to read with at night, etc.
The point of 3 batteries for us is to last 5 days (the expected limit of black tank capacity) in a heavily forested area with no real solar input. Everyone has different needs/usage.
As @elbolillo states, the biggest power draw is the fridge. We use about 50 Amps a day, 35 of that being keeping the fridge nice and cold. The rest is used up running the roof fan while cooking, lights to read with at night, etc.
The point of 3 batteries for us is to last 5 days (the expected limit of black tank capacity) in a heavily forested area with no real solar input. Everyone has different needs/usage.
Re: WFCO 8955-AD jumper
I have also added the 1kOhm between pins 1 & 2 (or 5 & 6 whichever they are numbered. They are labeled GND & SW...which is clearly ground and switch). After resetting by disconnecting the battery from the WFCO (battery disconnect switch) the LED went from green to blue and charging started. My shunt was claiming my battery was at 91% and with the LED green I was getting no current to the battery from the WFCO. When it switch to blue I was getting about 7A charge current and the battery eventually made it to 100% and no current.
Poor picture. There is heat shrink on the resistor obscuring the color code as well.
Poor picture. There is heat shrink on the resistor obscuring the color code as well.
Re: Where do you store your sewer hose?
We used to just stow our hoses in the propane tank cover. But we took a trip recently and hit more than a few bumps on the roads leaving the Berkshires. On the Taconic State Parkway several people came up next to us and drove alongside looking at us. We thought they were just looking at the T@B, which happens a lot. No, it turned out they were trying to get our attention to tell us that half our sewer hose was dragging on the pavement under the trailer. The pavement beat the...stuffing out of it. Now we have it secured with clothesline to the inside of the propane tank cover.
Re: Glycol Tank Cap Will Not Tighten
The threads on the cap look fine. The threads on the tank are not continuous (ie gaps without threads so I think it's not the cap that's the problem but I'll check again.Maxcamp8 said:Check the cap and tank for malformed threads if possible. Common in plastic gas cans and other injection molded items. Measure OD and see if you can transfer a cap from another object- gas can or water tank. I've swapped out caps on gas cans all too often.
When I get the trailer out of storage again, I plan on measuring the tank opening to see if I can fit an End of Pipe Gripper or a Clean Out Plug Gripper or similar:
Re: 2023 400 with the 400 ah Lithium mod. Victron Inverter.
making progress, DC side done and tested, man 4/0 is a real pain to work with... Need to work on the AC side next along with installing the Cerbo Screen etc. @B0atguy how hard was it to get to that Area above the fridge to mount the display ?
Re: wheel bearing repacking
I do my 7x14 construction trailer dual axles every other year (or so...) and they look pretty pristine given fairly low mileage and no winter use.
Water immersion, excessive longterm air moisture, baking sun (Southwest), winter salt etc would be factors arguing for more time-based repack.
Water immersion, excessive longterm air moisture, baking sun (Southwest), winter salt etc would be factors arguing for more time-based repack.
Re: 3d printed lock for TAB 400 shower control
Nice job. Slotting a PVC tee also worked on our 320s to prevent accidental activation.
Re: Glycol questions
Just for my clarification, I marked my 2019 400 expansion tank before doing my last flush. I have stayed with Century and not had any issues. When I did my flush and fill 2 years ago I used tap water (many gallons) followed by distilled water before refilling with fresh Century fluid. I believe my flow is like the diagram above so in my case the hookup has not changed. The small and large drains seem reversed in the diagram but NOT the direction of flow.ScottG said:Here's an image from Alde that shows the intended flow of glycol through the expansion tank. It sounds like nuCamp is now hooking these up in reverse. I'm curious to know if there is a reason for the change, or if it makes any practical difference in the operation of the system. Presumably it was designed this way for a reason, but it's not immediately obvious to me what that might be.
The hose from the port on R returns to the Alde and the hose attached to the larger port on L receives fluid from the last convector in the loop.
So when starting the flush with the 12 V pump in my 2019 the flush water is entering on the R hose and pushing fluid thru the Alde and around the loop and out the L hose. In this picture the old glycol is just starting to come out from the L hose below, that hose being attached to the larger port on the reservoir. In the shop vac method the pull would be on the L hose below to drain the system, and the new fluid would be pumped in the R hose.
And as @AnOldUR said, the larger port coming from the convector loop would be a place for any debris in the system to settle and not return to the Alde boiler
