Electrical help with Complete Campsite

[kris10j0sh]

Heres hoping someone can help us make a little more sense of the electrical differences between the Complete Campsite's soft floor trailers.

We are looking at buying a CC in the next 6mths (after hubby returns from o/s) and are still learning when it comes to the electrical requirments for camper trailers. We are comparing all CC soft floors and looking at price difference, in particular of spec'ing up rather than buying top range straight up.

This is basically our sit - family of 4; currently we camp in our RV4 in caravan parks as we dont have any power; we use power for our ARB fridge, toaster and kettle, IPOD dock for music and occasionally to recharge tent lantern. Dual battery system in Patrol is on hubbys list for modifications before we get CC.

Seems the big differences b/w the CC SF are the electrics and of course the diesel HW and heat in the Kakadu. Hopefully someone could give us a really basic run-down of the differences with CC electrics, as to whether they are nec and what used for. In particular:

1. How long (est) would x2 100 amp bat last unpowered site with our kind of usage?
2. Is it worth swapping 100amp bat for 150amp?
3. What is the diff b/w bat monitors in Jabiru (Braintech LCD) & Uluru/Kakadu (BMV 660 LCD)? Is one a better product than other?
4. What is a DC to DC 12v charge booster (only comes in Kakadu)?

Cheers K&J

[KingBilly]

OK, I'll make a start.  First up, how big is the ARB fridge?  Will help to determine how long your battery/s will last.  Charging an iPod and lantern won't use much power.  The fridge is the big user.

Secondly, if on 12V power, forget the electric kettle and toaster and use the gas cooker for those tasks.  A 12V kettle is next to useless and using an inverter is not very efficient.

Can't comment on the other questions as I have no experience with those monitors.

KB

[briann532]

Not that its how I do it, but if you really do need to run a kettle and or toaster, you may be better for the short burst of power required, just start the car, plug an inverter into the main battery supply and use it like that.
(OK not the best, I'll admit, but its solves a lot of hassles and is quick and cheap)

Alternatively look into a solar panel.
A decent setup with around 200-250 watts will cost around $600.
PM Mandrake or others for some good advice.

Like most things its budget dependant.

Cheers
Brian

[kris10j0sh]

Thanks KB and Brian for your advice.

1stly our ARB fridge is a 47L.

We actually have a gas cook top (which we havent used yet cause it always easier to use park cooking facilities) and we were going to buy a kettle for the cook top but didnt cause figured the elec one was easier for making warm baby formula at night at the moment. We will definately put a cook top kettle on the shopping list for things needed for CT that we dont currently have.

We have seen more and more brands of solar panels at the 4WD shows, and were thinking they might be a 'wish list' thing depending on what cash is left over after the CT purchase. Brian do you run SP and which - the hard panels or the ones that roll up?

KB is the inverter 'not very efficient' in relation to everything you might need to power or just running a kettle?

[kris10j0sh]

Here another though...

Hubby really likes the idea of hot water for showering (being military the idea of a hot shower out bush it at the top of his nec list for the CT). If we did get HW, and its a big 'if' given the cost, hubby prefers the CC diesel HW system. From looking at the Webasto web site it looks like while they run on diesel they need power too?

Can anyone that uses the CC diesel HW system give us an idea of what kind of power draw they have, and how it will effect the run time we'd get from x2 100amp bat?

Cheers K&J

[V8CRSA]

K&J,

We desided to start with a Jabiru and then option up to only include what we wanted,and not the "standard" inclusions offered by CC.
We could of got a Kakadu for what we are spending on our Jabiru,but we have added lots and have also taken a few options off.

We went with the gas hot water system,as it was a third of the price of the diesel system and we didn't want a heater.We only have the 1 tank fitted at this point in time,but Grant did say that another can be added at a later date.
If you start using a kettle and toaster that can be used on the stove in the campers kitchen you will use much less power.With the 2 batteries in the camper as well as the dual batteries in your 4wd you should be able to get through a long weekend with no dramas at all,even longer if you add a good solar set up.

PS is you want a quick and easy way to do baby's bottle and formula goole "jetboil" its what we use.

cheers,  Matt

[KingBilly]

KB is the inverter 'not very efficient' in relation to everything you might need to power or just running a kettle?

Inverters are inefficient simply due to how they function.  For example, don't use an inverter to charge a mobile phone or laptop with a 240V charger.  Instead buy a 12V charger and charge straight off the batteries.  Saves power.

KB

[Silvo]

the webasto diesel sucks a HEAP of power - this is the worst thing about them. they cycle the more the colder it gets and when they start-up, they draw 6 amps for a minute or so. they do this every time they cycle. it annoyed me as they rave how efficient these things are then you get that kind of 12v usage. my next camper i think i will steer clear and head towards gas hot water, no heating.

we use a thermos at night for hot water and mix up with cold water already in the bottle so we don't even leave the tent during the night for baby bottle feeds. actually when we camp we do this all day, so we are prepared before we leave the tent for the day.

at my first opportunity i bumper the batteries in the camper up to 300amps as i wanted to be comfortable in my power usage and not worry about running things. i am lazy and want things on demand, so i used to leave the webasto running all day when i was around the camp. i also used solar panels to combat the continual power draw from the webasto. i never had a problem with 3-4 days camping with this setup (longer with the continual webasto use), before needing to plug into the car or 240v to charge.

[Withy]

We just recently spent 4 nights down the NSW Snowies camping on 3 mile Dam in our Kakadu,  the batteries drained to approx 58%, can't remember the volts.
This was utilising the hot water for the kitchen and shower and obviously the diesel heater and lighting.
Though the fire covered the lighting task for most of the evening.

The heater isn't essential(we would not go without, but we camp in winter alot)  you can save a lot of money or purchase some goodies if you don't purchase the heater. The unit adds alot of weight to the drawer bar also and lessens the front storage capabilities.

We have the DC to DC charger and we charge our camper on the run which charges the batteries nicely.

I agree with the previous comments regarding the solar panels, they'd help with the concern of the batteries during a stay.

Regards

Withy.

[Pete_R]

Definitely get some solar panels to keep the batteries topped up. The DC-DC does come in handy charging the camper on the road but might not give the batteries a full charge. BTW, any of the Complete Campsites can be optioned up with a DC-DC if they don't come with one - we added this to our Uluru

[BigJules]

The Truma has HW system is a fair bit cheaper and better on battery, if you don't need a heater.

I've got two 120W panels on my camper, which is good sunlight will push in 14-16A, more than enough to top up the batteries each day.