Battery Packs and Inverters

[DanKerr10]

Anyone got any tips on which brands to stay away from and which to look at?

[Raddy69]

What type of battery packs you looking at??? and also what are you looking at running from it??

[DanKerr10]

Looking at the ARK setup at the moment through the dealer I am buying the trailer from but I think it would be cheaper and better to set it up myself.

Just looking to run lights, fridge, water pump and maybe some kitchen type appliances from the battery

[Raddy69]

Hey Dan. I am new to all this too, but can tell you what I have and set up at the moment and sure it will help you. I bought a 240W watt solar panel (it is 2x120W) joined. The controller on it was stuffed, so spent the extra $150 to get a decent one put on, real easy, even I could do that! And the 5m cable was also pretty cheap and nasty, so just had a new 11m one made up with better quality cable. This now lets me move the solar panels around the camp a bit more and easily, without the 5m one. These are hooked up to my 130amp hour deep cycle battery (I think 130Ah, will check that for you). Cost me around $400 (well spent I might add). From the battery I am running my 80Ltr Engel (turned down at night and no probs), all my lighting around the camp, and when I needed to use my laptop, I just plugged in my 1000W inverter (but this is prob overkill, a 300-600W would prob do, I am sure some more in the know will even let me know further on this!). I might add, I have the Deep Cycle housed in an ARK Powerpack, allowing it to be powered from an outside source, ie the solar panels. Before I head off on my next trip in a months time, what I am doing as far as my trailer goes, is have a bracket made up on the side of the trailer that will house the battery in its case. From this, I hope an auto lec can make me up a panel to be able to plug the 12 v appliances in etc on the back of my trailer. Anyway, I hope some of this helps mate. 

[Maîneÿ . . .]

Anyone got any tips on which brands to stay away from and which to look at?

Just looking to run lights, fridge, water pump and maybe some kitchen type appliances from the battery

for the battery system:
A problem I see is the recharging of the battery, so with that in mind you will need the biggest capacity battery system you can fit or afford


2 x 100ah batteries in 2 x black battery boxes, wired to give you 200ah @12v

Add a voltage gauge and an amperage gauge, so you can see at an instant the capacity of the battery, so you know if it will need charging soon if you don't have solar power to charge it.

Add an extension cable with an Anderson plug on the end for the fridge and another extension cable with a fused 'power board' attached for all the other accessories you want to add.

For the inverter:
you need an efficient Pure Sine Wave inverter
that said it should be at least 90% efficient and if you can get one close to 92% that would be better 

[Raddy69]

Thanks for the info Mainey.
Just to add for Dan, the battery place also advised of a meter, I did get that, and it is on the battery. Yes, very very good $40 investment to tell what charge the battery is at. I found what I have now, really powered my needs easily, but thanks for the heads up on the anderson plug etc. Yes agree, a sine wave inverter is best by far... bit dearer, but well worth.