Author Topic: Mikemike’s shanty  (Read 80993 times)

cracker

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #60 on: September 29, 2025, 02:57:44 PM »
must be a slide-in truck camper issue.. never had similar issues with my horse trailer campers or RV... hmm..

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #61 on: October 04, 2025, 04:54:52 PM »
wind pattern might be different on a truck camper but this is a large RV fridge as big as anything in the 90s and 2000s. could be a big difference being on a slide and not having a roof vent, but a wall vent.
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cracker

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #62 on: October 07, 2025, 03:27:21 PM »
Starlink mini went on sale last week, so I ordered one.. will be trying it out this weekend,  I also bought this adapter to run directly from a battery https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9W5YR2K
I am no electrical engineer, so I have no idea how long I can expect to run off my batteries, but I have a generator and a solar panel that I can use to help keep them charged.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2025, 03:30:33 PM by cracker »

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #63 on: October 07, 2025, 05:38:47 PM »
if you're still on lead-acid batteries, put a couple hundred bucks aside for lithiums and a charger for them (need slightly higher voltage to charge fully), it'll be the best upgrade you'll do if you camp without hookups often. With 2x deep cycle lead-acid group 34 batteries, I could make it through the night - and only mostly if the furnace was running (had to leave everything shut down for 15 minutes to recover enough to crank and start the generator). Now I can go for DAYS with the same weight and not much more space in Lithium. Probably 6x the capacity. I never have to think about power if I'm not running the air conditioning. which I CAN DO overnight!

I haven't used a Mini. I know they draw a lot less, will probably work well 🤞🏻
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cracker

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #64 on: October 14, 2025, 09:18:34 AM »
The Starlink mini worked great all weekend.  I had it wired to a separate battery and it would run almost 24 hours before killing the battery.  Hooked the battery to my generator 12v DC built-in charger for a few hours and the battery was recharged.

I would definitely like more info on your lithium batteries & charger as the the 2 lead acid group 29's I have would barely run the furnace all night.  I also found that my solar panel does not work so that was no help either.

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #65 on: October 14, 2025, 11:05:44 AM »
the furnace was what immediately pushed me to upgrade too.
a diesel heater is WAY more power efficient, but I probaly could have skipped that entirely with the capacity.

There's only a couple things you need to keep in mind with lithium batteries
- they want to be warm. the lead-acid battery compartment will be well vented to the exterior due to the offgassing they do, that needs to be insulated and possibly flipped to being part of the interior. They must not charge below freezing. Most have onboard battery management that'll prevent that.
- they run at a slightly higher voltage, so the charger should be switched to lithium mode if it has it, or changed out out for one that does. Otherwise they'll only charge to about 80%.

I went with all Victron stuff, which is relatively top tier. I think I have more $ in chargers and controllers than in batteries.

a tiny little factory solar is only good enough to keep things topped up when sitting idle, it's likely not going to do much for actual use.
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mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #66 on: October 27, 2025, 03:19:05 PM »
1.8 gallons is the tank capacity on the diesel heater. it was left on during the day once, and ran out during the last night of this trip. If I pretend those are equivalent, it's about 3 nights at around freezing without the ability to actually cycle the heater.

I did get another diesel heater controller to see if I can get on/off working, but I apparently didn't leave the wiring free on the backside of the cabinet to be able to pull it out and plug it in.

two showers and 4 days, had plenty of water left when we got home.

Left propane on the same tank as the second half of the 10 day trip, still have some left. ran propane furnace for a couple hours too. Will be interesting to see how much I put in those tanks when I get them filled.

Ran an 18qt cooker on inverter all day cooking chili, that is almost as much draw as airconditioning. it would draw about 115 amps from the batteries when heating. No issues, and I think I was at 35% at the end of the day. Didn't get out the IR camera to look at all connections but I might use that cooker for a load test. I did heat up something in the microwave for a minute at the same time - worked fine, saw 140s. I am wired to handle 400 amps, I think the batteries will supply 100 or 150 each.

If the remote start on the truck worked so I could fire it from the camper if needed, I would list the generator for sale. I would add more solar (800w) before I would add more battery (450ah). IIRC I was able to pull about 1.8 - 1.9 kwh per day, with no shading and sunny mornings and partly to mostly cloudy afternoons. I'll have to check the graphs and and see if I was clipping with the single charge controller. Midsummer it would clip a bit, not sure if I should in late October. I think the Victron stores those logs for quite a while so I can look later.

The Renogy battery shunt gave good numbers under heavy load on the way down, but the next day when charging it fell behind and read well below what the BMS were telling me. It did the same sitting in the shop for a month, Renogy was showing 60ish but batteries were above 80%. Bus cabling is working perfectly, batteries always read within a percent of each other by BMS.

I think for the winter I may try to discharge to 80% and hit the battery disconnect. I would solicit opinions on that if anyone has any...

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mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #67 on: November 02, 2025, 09:13:20 PM »
Swapped on better diesel heater controller. Settings are awesome. Doesn’t seem to work with my heater though.

Camped last night out towards Albion after a wedding. Cooked me out overnight, head to crack a window.

Might head back to the same spot at a marina next weekend and do some fishing. Wanted to set the heater on low overnight to not worry about freezing and not have to R&R the camper.

I really want a taller shop bay!
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etk300ex

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #68 on: November 03, 2025, 08:11:31 AM »
Point Breeze?

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #69 on: November 03, 2025, 08:43:29 AM »
Yes! couldn't think of it.
Harvest Host just a bit up the river at Captain's Cove.
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etk300ex

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #70 on: November 03, 2025, 09:43:46 AM »
I grew up right down the road

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #71 on: November 03, 2025, 05:36:10 PM »
Sarah wants to know if you have thoughts about the fishin’
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etk300ex

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #72 on: November 04, 2025, 10:00:36 AM »
In the lake or in the river?

mr.mindless

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #73 on: November 04, 2025, 12:29:37 PM »
River. Sounded like this fall was not a good salmon run at all.
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etk300ex

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Re: Mikemike’s shanty
« Reply #74 on: November 04, 2025, 01:58:54 PM »
Hmm, it's suppose to be "world class."  I did it a little bit in my early teens but too many people for my liking. 

Good pike fishing anywhere between Captain's Cove and the lake.  Especially around the piers underneath the Parkway.  Use spinner baits.