Running an electric cooler in my van on solar

[Sparkdoctor]

In my work van I currently have a 120 volt to 12 volt inverter that runs my PC and printer etc. I have purchased a 12 volt cooler to put in my van to help keep my water bottles cool. I would guess that plugging the 12 volt connector into the dash would run the cooler well for about 3-4 hours before it kills the battery. The last thing I need to have a dead battery at the end of the day. I saw on Amazon they have a solar kit for an RV "WindyNation 100 Watt Solar Panel Complete Off-Grid RV Boat Kit with LCD PWM Charge Controller + Solar Cable + MC4 Connectors + Mounting Brackets"

My thoughts are to run the cooler off the solar source to avoid the dead battery thing...My question would be a) do I run the cooler off the battery and use the solar to charge the battery, or b) should I try and run the cooler off the solar by itself. The inverter for the PC and such does have a tendency to run the battery down. So if I charge the battery then this would help to run the PC and the cooler.
The cooler runs at about 45 watts. So in your opinion which would work best or is there an option I'm not considering, and does the solar kit have what I need to make this happen? Thoughts?:happyyes:

 

[Sparkdoctor]

Well that turned out to be larger than what I wanted hmy:

 

[Sea-lution]

> Well that turned out to be larger than what I wanted

I have NEVER heard a man say THAT, so I can't resist "helping" you. Especially since the PV forum moderator seems to be busy with happiness hour. Plus I dig your signature.

First of all, if you are "working out of your van" does that mean you are using the van's starting battery for power?? If so, Step One: get any metal tool long enough to reach from the POS and NEG posts on that poor battery, and hold it there until you vaporize or have a brain wave. :blink:

Step Two: (This assumes you either do have a separate deep cycle battery (bank) for your non-starting power needs or had a productive brain wave due to Step One.) My experience with Windy Nation was helpful, so why are you questioning this forum about their product and not W.N.? It has been a while since my (positive) one-time dealing with W.N., but I have much more experience with E-Marine near Ft. Liquordale so maybe you would benefit from contacting E-Marine with your needs/ concerns. https://www.emarineinc.com/

Step Three: I have been living mobile off-grid (including FL and south TX) without air conditioning for 10 years ... your excuse for "cool water bottles" is sooo wimpy. :lol: Ok, so you are a wuss ... I do like living in the Lap of Luxury so I bothered to install a DC fridge ... after years of research I built my own cabinet and chose a drop-in Engel device ... swing compressors are SO cool (literally :thumbsup: ) but Engel has several low-amp DC plug-in coolers that would keep your water (or whatever) "cool". http://www.engelcoolers.com/ BTW, Engel has an office in Jupiter.

PS My fav deep cycle batteries are Trojans, T-105s should do ya good.

 

[dereckbc]

Not a Solar Application

Not a Solar Application

Bit late to the game here but you have no need for Solar in this application as it is the least effective and most expensive solution. This goes for most mobile applications. A 100 watt panel mounted on top of a van pointing straight up assuming you could park it where there is no shade from dawn to dusk, with a PWM controller is not going to generate much useful power. On a good Summer day in July maybe 200 watt hours, and 1/3 that in winter.

There is a much better way to do this. You vehicle alternator can generate more energy in 15-30 minutes than a 100 watt panel can generate in a week out in the blistering Sun. A better approach is to buy an Electronic Battery Isolator and a 12 Volt Deep Cycle Battery or a Hybrid Battery (Marine, RV, Golf Cart are a few marketing names for Hybrid batteries.) In fact I would use a Hybrid battery because they can tolerate the high charge rates your alternator will supply. True Deep Cycles can be damaged is charged too fast.

An Electronic Battery Isolator allows your vehicle alternator to charge both your SLI battery, and House battery, while keeping both Isolated from each other. So when you are parked with engine off using the house battery does not drain your SLI battery. Use your House Battery to run your Inverter and cooler. Your House Battery will be charged up anytime the engine is running. One of the best Electronic Isolators are made by Sure Power. Just select the current, number of ports, and the make of your vehicle. 70 amps is more than enough.

Additionally you will need a House Battery. You want a decent Hybrid Battery, and there are a lot of them on the market. Hybrids are a cross between a SLI (Starting Lighting Ignition) and a Deep Cycle battery. They have catchy marketing names like RV, Leisure, Golf Cart, Marine, Trolling Motor, Wheel Chair, etc...

A SLI battery is made to do one thing, crank an engine with quick burst of high current and be recharged quickly. Place it into cycle service, and you will kill it quickly.

A Deep Cycle Battery is made for deep slow discharges. The plates are much heavier and thicker than SLI batteries. They cannot supply large amounts of currents like a SLI battery. They must also be charged slowly at th e10 hour rate.

A Hybrid tries to be both SLI and Deep Cycle. They cannot deliver as much current as a SLI, but you do not need that. They also do not last as long as a Deep Cycle in terms of cycle life. But with a good Hybrid you can get 2-3 years out of them.

 

[iwire]

I suggest ice, much cheaper proven technology.

 

[kwired]

I suggest ice, much cheaper proven technology.

Is it?

Weigh cost and convenience carefully.

Buying bagged ice adds up over time. Owning and maintaining an ice maker is not cheap either though, water conditions may cause some variance though.

Refrigerator powered from the grid is probably the cheapest cost for owning and maintaining and even cheaper when plugged into someone else's facility and using their energy, but not always convenient for something in a vehicle.

 

[iwire]

Is it?

Weigh cost and convenience carefully.

Buying bagged ice adds up over time. Owning and maintaining an ice maker is not cheap either though, water conditions may cause some variance though.

Refrigerator powered from the grid is probably the cheapest cost for owning and maintaining and even cheaper when plugged into someone else's facility and using their energy, but not always convenient for something in a vehicle.

I am sure the OP has a refrigerator at home which can be used to make ice or cool freezer packs.

But by all means let's act like they would have to use store bought ice. :roll:

 

[Fulthrotl]

Well that turned out to be larger than what I wanted hmy:

i've a solution that works well for me.

http://yeticoolers.com/hopper-20/

it fits on the floorboard behind the passenger seat, stays cold for about three days,
goes into the hotel room with me when i'm on the road, fills easily from hotel ice
dispensers. and *does not leak*. the contents of my home refer ice maker is about
the right amount to keep everything good for three days. fill it with cold sodas and
water, top with ice. hit the road.

fill it up with water, zip it closed, and turn it over. zero leaks.

the problem... it costs twice what i think it should. however, it fits where i need it
to go. i don't need a cooler in the trunk. i need it within reach.

 

[kwired]

I am sure the OP has a refrigerator at home which can be used to make ice or cool freezer packs.

But by all means let's act like they would have to use store bought ice. :roll:

If you want ice for your persosnal 1/2 gallon, maybe even a gallon water jug or ice packs to keep your lunch cool until lunch time, then use your home refrigerator.

If you want ice for larger coolers or large drinking water coolers for more then just one person - you may find it more desirable or even necessary to either have an ice machine or purchase bagged ice.....or a refrigerator in job site office/trailer/truck/etc. if possible.

 

[K8MHZ]

Bit late to the game here but you have no need for Solar in this application as it is the least effective and most expensive solution. This goes for most mobile applications. A 100 watt panel mounted on top of a van pointing straight up assuming you could park it where there is no shade from dawn to dusk, with a PWM controller is not going to generate much useful power. On a good Summer day in July maybe 200 watt hours, and 1/3 that in winter.

There is a much better way to do this. You vehicle alternator can generate more energy in 15-30 minutes than a 100 watt panel can generate in a week out in the blistering Sun. A better approach is to buy an Electronic Battery Isolator and a 12 Volt Deep Cycle Battery or a Hybrid Battery (Marine, RV, Golf Cart are a few marketing names for Hybrid batteries.) In fact I would use a Hybrid battery because they can tolerate the high charge rates your alternator will supply. True Deep Cycles can be damaged is charged too fast.

An Electronic Battery Isolator allows your vehicle alternator to charge both your SLI battery, and House battery, while keeping both Isolated from each other. So when you are parked with engine off using the house battery does not drain your SLI battery. Use your House Battery to run your Inverter and cooler. Your House Battery will be charged up anytime the engine is running. One of the best Electronic Isolators are made by Sure Power. Just select the current, number of ports, and the make of your vehicle. 70 amps is more than enough.

Additionally you will need a House Battery. You want a decent Hybrid Battery, and there are a lot of them on the market. Hybrids are a cross between a SLI (Starting Lighting Ignition) and a Deep Cycle battery. They have catchy marketing names like RV, Leisure, Golf Cart, Marine, Trolling Motor, Wheel Chair, etc...

A SLI battery is made to do one thing, crank an engine with quick burst of high current and be recharged quickly. Place it into cycle service, and you will kill it quickly.

A Deep Cycle Battery is made for deep slow discharges. The plates are much heavier and thicker than SLI batteries. They cannot supply large amounts of currents like a SLI battery. They must also be charged slowly at th e10 hour rate.

A Hybrid tries to be both SLI and Deep Cycle. They cannot deliver as much current as a SLI, but you do not need that. They also do not last as long as a Deep Cycle in terms of cycle life. But with a good Hybrid you can get 2-3 years out of them.

I think this would be the best route. I used to set up isolated systems for snow plows. It's great being able to run one battery set totally dead and still be able to start the vehicle.

 

[mgookin]

On the boat we always take gallons of water and freeze them in the deep freezer. As they are keeping the cooler cold, they are slightly melting. You have ice cold drinking water all day long. 1 gallon per man per day works well in the Florida sun. When you're 50-100 miles offshore it's priceless.

Blocks stay colder much longer than cubes. For long term cooling, buy or make blocks.

Filling 1 or 2 gallon zip locks makes nice cooler packs as well.

 

[kwired]

On the boat we always take gallons of water and freeze them in the deep freezer. As they are keeping the cooler cold, they are slightly melting. You have ice cold drinking water all day long. 1 gallon per man per day works well in the Florida sun. When you're 50-100 miles offshore it's priceless.

Blocks stay colder much longer than cubes. For long term cooling, buy or make blocks.

Filling 1 or 2 gallon zip locks makes nice cooler packs as well.

Blocks will last longer but will they keep other items as cold as cubes might? Seems there is a trade off that needs consideration. Less surface area on a large block then on same volume of smaller cubes so more heat will transfer to the cubes and leave your item to be chilled cooler, but for shorter time.

 

[iwire]

Serious funny, $300-$1,000 solutions to a $20.00 problem.

 

[electrofelon]

Serious funny, $300-$1,000 solutions to a $20.00 problem.

Hey, we are humans: we like tinkering and convoluted complex things. If we didnt, we would still be Troglodytes in that gorge in Africa..

 

[Dennis Alwon]

My supply company is stocking coolers that cost either $200+ or $300. They say it will keep ice for 10 days..... Anyway they have only sold one and that doesn't surprise me.

 

[mgookin]

My supply company is stocking coolers that cost either $200+ or $300. They say it will keep ice for 10 days..... Anyway they have only sold one and that doesn't surprise me.

That would have to be a pretty remote jobsite to need ice to last 10 days.
Lunch time usually works for me.

 

[K8MHZ]

Serious funny, $300-$1,000 solutions to a $20.00 problem.

To me it's no dollar problem. If I want cold water all day long I just fill an old quart size Gatorade bottle 1/3 to 1/2 full and freeze it. In the morning I fill it with cold water that has been in the fridge. For insulating the bottle I use a discarded piece of bubble wrap, the kind with the small bubbles. With proper experimentation of morning ice to water ratio, I was able to have cold water for 10 hours.

Cost: Empty plastic bottle that would have been discarded. $0
One quart of tap water $0
Approx 1 sq. foot of discarded bubble wrap $0

Now, I will hazard to guess that some engineer types will say I was remiss in factoring in the money it cost to bring a quart of water from room temp to below freezing, but I am going to guess that the amount is negligible.

I came up with the above when I was in the beginning of my 2nd apprenticeship year. We were building a school and it was HOT inside and we didn't have access to our lunch boxes until break. The method above worked well because having a small jug of water with us and carrying it around was no issue. That, and I got all the bubble wrap I needed for free. Plus, if I happened to leave my water on the other side of the building at quitting time, it cost me nothing to make a new water storage unit.

 

[iwire]

To me it's no dollar problem. If I want cold water all day long I just fill an old quart size Gatorade bottle 1/3 to 1/2 full and freeze it.

Ice, like I suggested but I was given a long explanation why ice might cost more. :lol:

 

[K8MHZ]

Ice, like I suggested but I was given a long explanation why ice might cost more. :lol:

Shoe me the math.

Given a cost of $0.13 per kWh, how much electricity would it take to freeze all the rain that fell on a 100 x 60 foot flat roof, inclined at 5 degrees, collected in approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of a 946.35 ml plastic bottle at standard temperature and pressure?

:roll:

 

[iwire]

Show me the math.

Ask kwired http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=175548&p=1736898#post1736898