Off-grid Power Options

StormUk

StormUk

Senior Member
T6 Pro
Hi,

I'm heading for the British F1 in a few months and will be staying in the van. I was unable to get EHU so am looking at off-grid solutions to keep my fridge going for a couple of days. The last thing I need when I'm away is warm beer!!! So, what would be my best option? Solar? Mobile Power pack? etc.

Thanks all :cool:
 
A mobile battery setup like one of @Dellmassive maybe? Batteries in a toolbox.

Or if you want to splash out, Clayton Power unit but you'd have to really really want cold beer to spend that much ha ha
 
StormUk said:
just the leisure battery or EHU
Click to expand...
What battery do you have? And is it AGM or have you upgraded to lithium?

You've got 2 things you need to look at - your capacity, and putting energy back in that the fridge and other things have taken out.

What's your fridge model, also?

Generally, worse case in blazing summer heat (ha!) you're looking at 1-1.5Ah per hour usage for a typical CRX50 type fridge.

If you've got a std 75Ah aux battery and split charge, then that's usable capacity of about 22.5Ah (80% of 75Ah is 60Ah, and 50% SOC is 37.5Ah = 22.5Ah) which would see you through 24hrs or so. So you need to either have a bigger capacity battery to last longer, or you need to put back in whatever the fridge is taking out.

A mobile solar panel would be the easiest and cheapest option, a 200w at full power should see about 50-60Ah being put back in, so if it's full sun then a 100-200w panel should fit the job. If it's cloudy or raining, you'll not get much and might struggle to put back in what the fridge is taking out.

2nd option is to add additional battery power, there's a few ways to do that, depending on what your current set up is. Ie replacing your current with lithium, or a Dellmassive special battery box, or an additional battery in the van, etc...
 
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TallPaul_S said:
What battery do you have? And is it AGM or have you upgraded to lithium?

You've got 2 things you need to look at - your capacity, and putting energy back in that the fridge and other things have taken out.

What's your fridge model, also?

Generally, worse case in blazing summer heat (ha!) you're looking at 1-1.5Ah per hour usage for a typical CRX50 type fridge.

If you've got a std 75Ah aux battery and split charge, then that's usable capacity of about 22.5Ah (80% of 75Ah is 60Ah, and 50% SOC is 37.5Ah = 22.5Ah) which would see you through 24hrs or so. So you need to either have a bigger capacity battery to last longer, or you need to put back in whatever the fridge is taking out.

A mobile solar panel would be the easiest and cheapest option, a 200w at full power should see about 50-60Ah being put back in, so if it's full sun then a 100-200w panel should fit the job. If it's cloudy or raining, you'll not get much and might struggle to put back in what the fridge is taking out.

2nd option is to add additional battery power, there's a few ways to do that, depending on what your current set up is. Ie replacing your current with lithium, or a Dellmassive special battery box, or an additional battery in the van, etc...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. Going off memory, as I am not home with the van at present. I have an AGM leisure battery. I cannot remember if it is 70ah or 100ah but around that. My fridge is a CRX50 type I believe.
So, a 200w solar kit sounds like a viable option depending on what this Dellmassive special battery box is of course!
 
StormUk said:
Thanks for the reply. Going off memory, as I am not home with the van at present. I have an AGM leisure battery. I cannot remember if it is 70ah or 100ah but around that. My fridge is a CRX50 type I believe.
So, a 200w solar kit sounds like a viable option depending on what this Dellmassive special battery box is of course!
Click to expand...

Yeah something like this would work - but it is reliant on having sun!

uk.renogy.com

200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase

The Renogy 200W 12V Folding Suitcase is perfect for the adventurous traveler, providing both convenience and dependability when venturing off the grid.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

You need something with an inbuilt MPPT or pwm controller.

The 'battery in a box' is exactly as it sounds! :rofl:

www.t6forum.com

200Ah, 2000W, LifePo4 Leisure Battery Box -- How I Done It --

200Ah, 2000W, LifePo4 Leisure Battery Box -- How I Done It -- Its Spring 2022 and time to look ahead at the summer camping season. having a look over the new products that have come to market over the last 12mnths, especially the Lithium based battery boxes i was liking what i was seeing...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com


Cheap 100Ah LiFePO4 battery - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32527375776

which would probably give you 3 days off grid on its own, so no solar required. If you wanted you could add a 100w portable panel to top it up a little.

You'd need to find a way to route it to the fridge, depending how yours is wired you could add quick connections to let you flip the fridge from being powered by the battery box.

Oh and not forgetting the more basic option of running the engine with a heated seat or headlights on for a bit when you're running low - but you might need to do that several times and you probably won't want to do that at 11pm when you find your beer going warm!!
 
Last edited:
When deciding our build specifications we selected the 150w Flexi Solar Panel. That was before I came to the forum and since have read a few posts that indicate issues encountered.
 
I’m going too and used it as an excuse to upgrade my leisure power setup to get at least 4 days off-grid. I’ve gone for a lifepo4 battery (Fogstar Drift 105ah) which is a massive step up from LA/AGM - twice the power, third the weight, charges faster, BMS to protect it…. But you need a suitable charger for it so it’s potentially not a simple plug and play.

What charger do you have - split or DC-DC? If it’s a split charger then that will need replacing and potentially the cabling so cost/complexity increase. It’s worth it though if you are going to use it for more than the GP. I have been running my fridge (Webasto 40L chest) constantly since Sunday afternoon as a bit of a test and am only down to 60% SOC on the shunt (and BMS) so anticipate I’ll get 5-6 days depending how accurate the SOC is given it’s a newish setup. That’s before I add a 200w solar panel which should make it pretty much self-sustaining with a bit of sunshine (certainly not guaranteed over a British GP weekend!).

Simplest and cheapest, but far from ideal, option for you is to run the engine for a bit to top up. Or get/borrow a second LB and swap over after a day or two. If you will get long term use out of any upgrade then I’d say go lithium and upgrade the charger if required. Solar only is risky as sun cannot be guaranteed!
 
As a graduation present, we bought Son1 a Anker PowerHouse 757 - 1229Wh portable battery. He needed it for his Bose Portable PA System as many venues did not have power that was reliable or nearby. We had a power outage at home before he received it so were able to test it. Son2 was quite impressed that he could run his gaming computer and the Ethernet/WiFi and we also watched TV downstairs. It did not like a rapid boil kettle though and I was amazed at the sharp drain those pull.
 
ginkster said:
I’m going too and used it as an excuse to upgrade my leisure power setup to get at least 4 days off-grid. I’ve gone for a lifepo4 battery (Fogstar Drift 105ah) which is a massive step up from LA/AGM - twice the power, third the weight, charges faster, BMS to protect it…. But you need a suitable charger for it so it’s potentially not a simple plug and play.

What charger do you have - split or DC-DC? If it’s a split charger then that will need replacing and potentially the cabling so cost/complexity increase. It’s worth it though if you are going to use it for more than the GP. I have been running my fridge (Webasto 40L chest) constantly since Sunday afternoon as a bit of a test and am only down to 60% SOC on the shunt (and BMS) so anticipate I’ll get 5-6 days depending how accurate the SOC is given it’s a newish setup. That’s before I add a 200w solar panel which should make it pretty much self-sustaining with a bit of sunshine (certainly not guaranteed over a British GP weekend!).

Simplest and cheapest, but far from ideal, option for you is to run the engine for a bit to top up. Or get/borrow a second LB and swap over after a day or two. If you will get long term use out of any upgrade then I’d say go lithium and upgrade the charger if required. Solar only is risky as sun cannot be guaranteed!
Click to expand...
I have a split charger presently :( what charger would I require if I upgraded to lifepo4? @ginkster thx
 
Last edited:
StormUk said:
I have a split charger presently :( what charger would I require if I upgraded to lifepo4? @ginkster thx
Click to expand...
Ah. A DC-DC with lithium profile, so something like a Victron Orion or Renogy equivalent. Some have a built in MPPT so you could future proof that option too if you wanted. I went down the Victron route.

As mentioned above a split charger will only be giving you about 80% charge in your LB due to the smart alternator so your useable power is further reduced (80 to 50% - below 50% is not good for the battery). However, a DC-DC will give the LB a full charge and a lifepo4 can essentially be used to zero (some say 10%ish) so you will get nigh on 3x the available power from a smaller and lighter battery of the same quoted amperage.
 
@ginkster so something like this should work?

uk.renogy.com

DCC30S 12V 30A Dual Input DC-DC On-Board Battery Charger with MPPT

Explore the Renogy DCC30S 12V 30A DC to DC charger with MPPT for efficient and reliable power management in all conditions.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com
with

uk.renogy.com

Core-12V 24V 48V 100Ah Deep Cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

Meet Renogy 12V 100Ah Core Series Battery, 5000+ Cycles your trusted, one-stop solution for upgrading from Lead to Lithium. Deep Cycle Battery for Trolling Motor, RV, Solar, Marine, Camping and Off Grid Applications
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

and maybe connect this to help top it up

uk.renogy.com

200 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel, bendable up to 240° for versatile use, maintains 80% efficiency over 25 years and resists hotspots with bypass diodes and half-cut technology.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

I will then need to check what I already have in the van for the inverter side of things etc.

Anything else I would need?
 
Hopefully the link works. It’s been sat in my inbox for a year. But when I bought mine I used a link that Deaky I think had posted on here that had been on for ages.
 
StormUk said:
@ginkster so something like this should work?

uk.renogy.com

DCC30S 12V 30A Dual Input DC-DC On-Board Battery Charger with MPPT

Explore the Renogy DCC30S 12V 30A DC to DC charger with MPPT for efficient and reliable power management in all conditions.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com
with

uk.renogy.com

Core-12V 24V 48V 100Ah Deep Cycle Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery

Meet Renogy 12V 100Ah Core Series Battery, 5000+ Cycles your trusted, one-stop solution for upgrading from Lead to Lithium. Deep Cycle Battery for Trolling Motor, RV, Solar, Marine, Camping and Off Grid Applications
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

and maybe connect this to help top it up

uk.renogy.com

200 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel, bendable up to 240° for versatile use, maintains 80% efficiency over 25 years and resists hotspots with bypass diodes and half-cut technology.
uk.renogy.com uk.renogy.com

I will then need to check what I already have in the van for the inverter side of things etc.

Anything else I would need?
Click to expand...
Yep, that’s the sort of kit. I’m not very familiar with the Renogy stuff so someone who is may be able to recommend the best combo. I’ve got that solar panel but not fitted it yet so can’t comment on how good it is.

Things to think about:

Are your cables and fuses suitable?

Does the battery have low temperature protection? Lifepo4 must not be charged when frozen so built in protection is wise but not always there.

Will you ever want to charge in the depths of winter? Some batteries have built in heaters so will warm themselves to allow charging in freezing conditions.

How do you want to monitor the system? Bluetooth is good but a pain if you have multiple apps. A display is useful but maybe not essential. A shunt is the most accurate.

What is your current setup? Some systems may need bypassing or removing as they are not lithium compatible (CBE DS300 is an example).

Is your mains charger (via EHU) lithium compatible?

Do you want the starter battery to be trickle charged from the LB, solar and EHU?

I had CBE kit which was not compatible with lithium or the smart alternator, so going lifepo4 meant lots of changes - new DC-DC, larger cabling, new fuses, new mains charger etc.

I’d recommend putting up a few pics of your current setup (all the various boxes, split charger, leisure battery and starter battery, fuse box and switches etc) so people can provide advice. There are also some great recent threads covering the same issues so a trawl through them will help. Also, Explorist.life and Climbingvan.co.uk are great resources for campervan electrical info.
 
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