Thought you might be interested in what I am doing to our van soon and what I have learned .Many forums discuss the pro cons of such a expensive power supply and I fall in to the try it and see bracket as we are now full time and having invested a lot in to our (new to us) Hymer Starline I want bells and whistles.
The cons say stick with conventional batteries as the technology will get cheaper as time goes and the pro say its the best thing they have had fitted to their vans.
We had Road Pro install the inverter some months back to allow use of 240v items such as kettle,hotplate,microwave,etc but soon learned that our expectations were high.The batteries ( 3x100 amp gel -usable 150 amp ) soon flattened and we found more experienced motorhomers only used their invertors sparingly.
The problem is that the batteries are not designed to supply large lumps of power but a smaller steady 12v supply.Along with that they take quite a while to charge again despite having 3x100 amp solar roof panels and a 180 amp “smart” alternator.
My research brings us to the LiFe04 technology and a better understanding of what is going on in the power supply presently on the van.
1 The expensive single NDS 150 amp LiFe04 battery can discharge down to 10% and the standard batteries down to 50% .The NDS weighs 21 kg and the three older ones weigh 60kg + .
The NDS can charge much quicker so replacing 30 % lost power even when just tick over on the engine for half hour,the old would require more to achieve that.
It works better with a inverter than standard due to its ability to give larger output without any detrimental harm to the cells ,unlike standard.
“IF” it works as promised it will have a long life 12 to 20 years and pay itself back by avoiding campsite electric charges typically £3.00 per day and can be transferred to any new van we may purchase in the future.
2 I now understand that the regulator for my solar panels could provide more power to the battery if it was a MPPT type .This boosts the input when needed for a quicker charge .
3 I now understand that a battery to battery charger will also provide a much quicker charge from the engine and that the standard item probably does not allow for the fact that this vans Euro 6 engine has a “smart” alternator.This has regenarative braking and provides peaks and troughs that can damage batteries.
The Sterling Power video on B to B for smart inverters would be interesting to any Euro 6 owners.Perhaps all new vans should have a similar device fitted as standard for battery protection.
So there we have it ,best part of three grand with fitting to get the best 12v power supply presently available .All change in a few years time maybe but then you can constantly put off buying the newest tech .
Work will be carried out by Road Pro and fitted to a forward locker instead of in the rear garage as we have rear axle load issue.
The cons say stick with conventional batteries as the technology will get cheaper as time goes and the pro say its the best thing they have had fitted to their vans.
We had Road Pro install the inverter some months back to allow use of 240v items such as kettle,hotplate,microwave,etc but soon learned that our expectations were high.The batteries ( 3x100 amp gel -usable 150 amp ) soon flattened and we found more experienced motorhomers only used their invertors sparingly.
The problem is that the batteries are not designed to supply large lumps of power but a smaller steady 12v supply.Along with that they take quite a while to charge again despite having 3x100 amp solar roof panels and a 180 amp “smart” alternator.
My research brings us to the LiFe04 technology and a better understanding of what is going on in the power supply presently on the van.
1 The expensive single NDS 150 amp LiFe04 battery can discharge down to 10% and the standard batteries down to 50% .The NDS weighs 21 kg and the three older ones weigh 60kg + .
The NDS can charge much quicker so replacing 30 % lost power even when just tick over on the engine for half hour,the old would require more to achieve that.
It works better with a inverter than standard due to its ability to give larger output without any detrimental harm to the cells ,unlike standard.
“IF” it works as promised it will have a long life 12 to 20 years and pay itself back by avoiding campsite electric charges typically £3.00 per day and can be transferred to any new van we may purchase in the future.
2 I now understand that the regulator for my solar panels could provide more power to the battery if it was a MPPT type .This boosts the input when needed for a quicker charge .
3 I now understand that a battery to battery charger will also provide a much quicker charge from the engine and that the standard item probably does not allow for the fact that this vans Euro 6 engine has a “smart” alternator.This has regenarative braking and provides peaks and troughs that can damage batteries.
The Sterling Power video on B to B for smart inverters would be interesting to any Euro 6 owners.Perhaps all new vans should have a similar device fitted as standard for battery protection.
So there we have it ,best part of three grand with fitting to get the best 12v power supply presently available .All change in a few years time maybe but then you can constantly put off buying the newest tech .
Work will be carried out by Road Pro and fitted to a forward locker instead of in the rear garage as we have rear axle load issue.
