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Measured FWC power use


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#1 DrJ

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 10:44 PM

I installed a trimetric 2030 in my Hawk earlier this summer. It is a highly useful piece of equipment for monitoring your battery useage. It provides real time data about your camper's power. I've had several other monitors and even a volt meter, but until I installed this I really didn't know for sure about my battery's actual status.

I've taken several measurements over the summer and here is what I found. I'm hopefully that this is helpful to someone else.

110 liter Compressor fridge 4.2-4.8 amps per hour
(That's the big one that FWC uses)
Heater 2.5-3 amps per hour
Water pump 2.6-3.2 amps per hour
(depending on volume of water)
Old incandescent overhead lights 2.8 amps per side or 5.6 amps for both sides
New LED overhead lights 0.4 amps per side or 0.8 amps for both sides
LED floor lights 0.1 amps
LED flood lights 2.8 amps
Porch light 0.2 amps
(Replaced with LED)
Fantastic Fan
0.2 amps at 10% fan speed
0.5 amps at 50% fan speed
1.5 amps at 100% fan speed
FWC battery sensor, IOTA IQ4 smart charger less than 0.1 amps - not measureable.

A couple of take home points for me.
LED light replacement is the best and cheapest way to decrease battery useage. The new ones use 1/7 of the power of the old ones.
Furnance uses less amp hours than I suspected.
I would have guessed 5-6 amps per hour.

Edited by DrJ, 27 August 2014 - 10:46 PM.

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#2 kmcintyre

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 11:05 PM

Nice info!  Thanks!  I replaced all my lighting with LEDs (and complete LED fixtures over the sink and bed; not just bulbs).


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#3 ski3pin

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 11:11 PM

DrJ, great info and thanks for posting this. Can your trimetric give you information as to, in a typical summer day with the power draws you have listed, want is your daily (24 hrs) power usage in amp hours? Thanks.


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#4 DrJ

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 11:33 PM

It does give you daily amp hour total.

My summer days have used 50-75 amp hours per day with camping. The average is probably 60 amps per day. My highest day was 84 amp hours.
The vast majority of that is from the fridge. On days where the outside temperature is greater than 80 degrees, the fridge probably runs 50-70% of the time.
The food is nice and cold. Ice cream stays frozen.
This also includes my kids who are always checking out the fridge for more ice cream! So you might have a more efficient setup than me.

My solar system easily charges the battery and runs the fridge during the day light hours.
I'm not sure how I could have the compressor fridge without solar.

If you are considering this setup or solar, you need to size a system that can not only run your fridge during the day but also have enough power to charge your battery before dark as well. Otherwise you still slowly drain the battery each day.

Edited by DrJ, 27 August 2014 - 11:35 PM.

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#5 orion

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 11:58 PM

DrJ, what is your solar set up like? How many watts and Ah are you pulling from it?

 

I have a similar set up as you, and drawing about 50-55 Ah /day average, with a 160 Ah dual battery bank, but my 100w solar can't keep up after 3-4 days. I am thinking about adding a 2nd solar plug to the exterior and having a mobile panel that I can set up in the direct sun for additional charging.


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#6 ski3pin

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 11:59 PM

Thanks DrJ, good information. Our 51 litter chest fridge uses around 12 amp hours per day from my measurements with a watts up meter - 80° outside temperature. Those larger front opening units appear to use much more power. My 100W panel handles our power needs fine - mostly fridge and furnace. I want to do some data collection this winter and capture some real usage numbers for the furnace.


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#7 Casa Escarlata Robles Too

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 12:32 AM

Yes thanks for the info.

My "new" up grade to 100w from 45w should keep my needs under control.

I only have a Truckfridge cooler like Ski that is using power. My lights are all LED and I don't use the water pump.

I haven't been out camping yet with the increased solar to see what my system will do.

Although I am sure I will have enough battery to not have any problems with the power usage I will need in the cold mornings. Using the heater is the important thing that I don't want to not have enough power to use.

 

It's nice to have an idea as to what uses the power and how much.

Thanks

Frank


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#8 craig333

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 03:07 AM

I'm starting to think ski is correct about the the front opening units. Mine does seem to take more energy than I anticipated. I took but didn't use my portable panel this past weekend. No trees in the way but while it seemed to get a good charge in the day I was lower than I expected in the morning. I'm starting to think I should break down and get a meter to see whats really going on. Guessing isn't working so well.


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#9 DrJ

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 03:50 AM

DrJ, what is your solar set up like? How many watts and Ah are you pulling from it?

I have a similar set up as you, and drawing about 50-55 Ah /day average, with a 160 Ah dual battery bank, but my 100w solar can't keep up after 3-4 days. I am thinking about adding a 2nd solar plug to the exterior and having a mobile panel that I can set up in the direct sun for additional charging.


I have 340 watts of solar and a 200 amp hour battery bank.
That is probably more solar than most people would ever need. I sometimes camp using a 63 quart ARB fridge in addition to my 110 litter fridge. Those two use quite a bit of power and need a lot of solar to make it all work.

I think if you are using the larger compressor fridge you need 150 watts of solar to make it work. 200 watts would be about right. Or you would need to recharge more with a generator, driving, etc. It may not be a problem at all if you drive around and don't stay in one spot for very long.

When you drive your truck can charge up to 30 amps per hour, at least by my measurements. So driving a couple of hours to your next destination does make a big difference.

If you have the smaller fridge, you can obviously get by with much less battery and solar.
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#10 Smokecreek1

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Posted 28 August 2014 - 03:59 AM

Wow, we need to keep doing this stuff--, been trying  figure out what my new set up produces (100 w panel/30 amp comptroller and 2 blue top batteries(110 ah) produces) and my system needs. Been up in the sun at the lake(Eagle) and all the gages say things, but the other night-watching the Giants on my tv, the comptroller reads 12.1 to 11.9-and the gage reads yellow, the converter changes tone and the comptroller reads 12.1 again and the gauge goes to green and 15 minutes later the system shuts the tv and vcr off and will not let me re boot  the game-but the gages read good. Okay, i'm up there to figure out how to use this set up so i can watch my 49ers while out and about. In the morning turned on the stuff , no work, started the truck up, all systems go. Its sort of learning how to add and subtract all over again. Anyway i can watch tv in the day time on solar, think i may need another 100wt solar pane to do it all the time-just learning and reading the books. more old dogs learning new trips on my learning curve. If i was a full time camper i guess i could add lots of things to make things go, but not there yet. Thanks keep up the info

 

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