Power in the bush

[Redfin]

I just linked to what other are buying re that battery.

Personally for such an investment I also believe in the "son! cheap tools will cost you dear" philosophy.

I purchase most of my gear, whatever it is, as locally as I can, so in case something does happen, I have a door to knock on, and a face to look at.

A tad more expensive, but worth it for me.

If I was to get a cheap genset, I would go for a Kipor from Bunnings. They have a good refund / exchange policy and have stores everywhere.

 

[slowflow]

Try and keep it as simple as possible.
I have a system with which I can stay in the bush indefinitely, running fridge, chargers, laptops etc. But this comes at a cost.

Most blokes I know do the following, can be charged by alternator when on the move or solar.
Most parts scrounged or from jaycar

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/232/1385785517_bat1.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/232/1385785537_bat2.jpg

i like the fuse block you have there

reminder to anyone doing this YOU CANT HAVE TOO MANY FUSES

a member on this site lost their camper due to an electrical fire

Have to agree with that.
The other thing lots of people neglect is wire size & earth. Look up wire sizing charts on the net.
I use 16mm square twin all the way back to the battery, lots of people say it is overkill but voltage drop to the fridge measures 0.07 and to the 30amp compressor 0.6 volts. for the compressor lower voltage = more amps=more heat and subsequent early failure.
Fuses at the car battery, the house battery and the appliance, cheap insurance.
I have installed 4 c-tek 250 duals,3 systems working well however mine failed and is currently away for warranty.
Solar panels, double the size you think you need.

 

[Nightjar]

Mbasko,
Got my panels from this retailer, up a little in price. Have Anderson plugs so the van or ute set up can be topped up. Ute auxilliary is a 100ah, van 2 X 110 AGM.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/271097398605?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Think I have already posted this pic however here we go. It is a unit I bolt to the back of my ute to charge my detector, Rino batteries and anything else with 12V charger and also run the two Engels.

 

[slowflow]

I have installed 4 c-tek 250 duals,3 systems working well however mine failed and is currently away for warranty.

Update on warranty claim.
New charger provided, total turn around 10 days. I recon that is great service By Bainbridge.

 

[axeman]

I have the ark power pak which is charged while driving or when I'm camped I charge it with the 80w solar panel. The battery is a 120 amp, the fridge I'm using is a 70 ltr evakool. Also charge the phone, comp, detector batterys ect and run the camp lights, haven't had any troubles so far.
Mick

 

[laurie02]

hey all,

i got the ark pac too....charge it from the car, 100ah deep cycle i got that from R&J in ballarat for 200 bucks.....keeps me going for ages...the fridge, lights, phone chargers, water pump on the camper....effing awesome!

cheers

Laurie

 

[Guest]

Update:
I ended up buying, from the local Auto One shop, a Supercharge Allrounder 105ah 760CCA dual purpose deep cycle battery & Haigh powered battery box with built in tester + circuit breaker - $245 all up which I thought was pretty good. Auto One have 20% off Supercharge batteries at the moment. The battery was $175 after discount. Have read some mixed reviews but it appears some people may have been trying to keep charge in them with a normal battery charger which isn't ideal - will be looking at a smart charger that can handle 15v+ for calcium batteries to do a maintenance charge every so often & it should be a good thing.
Good to have a battery that'll turn a diesel 4wd over too just in case - that's why I opted for the dual purpose battery.
I'll let ya's know how I get on with it but at least like Redfin says I can take it back to a physical shop locally if need be.
Will now look to add other gear like a smart charger, dual battery set up or solar etc. as I go.

 

[HeadsUp]

hey all,

i got the ark pac too....charge it from the car, 100ah deep cycle i got that from R&J in ballarat for 200 bucks.....keeps me going for ages...the fridge, lights, phone chargers, water pump on the camper....effing awesome!

cheers

Laurie

I have never seen these before , if the Arc Pak 2 is reliable and does what they claim then its a relatively cheap way to get everything all rolled into one

especially with it taking charge from solar panels as well as the vehicle or 240 volt mains . i emailed the manufacturer to ask what size solar we can run on it

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ark-Corp...=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20dc0a5381

 

[laurie02]

mate, these ark packs are awesome ....make sure you have the anderson plug from your battery and an isolator so you can charge from the car and you're right as rain.

cheers

Laurie

 

[Beagleboy]

They are cheaper from Rays than ebay at the moment.

http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/online-store/products/ArkPak-Battery-Box.aspx?pid=339141#Combo

 

[steveo1]

Hey mate just buy a camper trailer with a battery in it my battery last for a week and runs the fridge phones lights gold detector battery etc

 

[Guest]

It's a great set up you've got mate. After seeing it I've added one to my have to get list. Even thinking about putting the 5000 off for a bit longer & getting a camper trailer first if one comes up at the right price. I honestly thought the weather over there the other day might have put the missus off but she's keener than ever now which is good.

 

[laurie02]

where are you located mbasko?, might be able to help you with a camper trailer

cheers

Laurie

 

[Redfin]

Here is a 2nd hand Sturt, not much it doesn't have at a good price.
http://www.campertrailers.org/camper_trader1317.htm

 

[Keen Ken]

Hi Ag man,

I have one of these GMC 2 stroke.
Was working OK but it was struggling to run the lights and a battery charges so I upped the governor a little to help it cope with the load, I was running 3 60w bulbs (180w) and a 6 amp charger(about 120w) total about 300w.

Told dad "don't turn off any lights before you tell me so I can adjust the geni in just in case".

Big mistake, first thing he did was walk into the van and turn off a light (60w) without telling me, that's when things went bad.
The generator revved a little and blew a second bulb then revved more before I could get to it and blew a third then the expensive battery charger blew.

And that was the 750w unit, That unit is only capable of running a few lights and not suited to run the 750w as suggested in the instructions.

Maybe buy twice the wattage what you think you need.

Secondly, Cree led bulbs are what we have all been waiting for, I have a bar of 12 super bright (manufacturer claims "brightest ever" and they are very bright and only use 0.8watts of power and run way cooler than quartz halogen bulbs .
That's exceptional, and a bulb life of 5000 hours, each bar cost around $25 but in the bush power consumption is a critical factor when managing your battery or generator system.

Hope this helps.

 

[slowflow]

Page with some wiring diagrams & cable recommendations.
I have not used this supplier & am not associated just thought the diagrams are nice & clear.
When trying save a few dollars during installations we sometimes do ourselves a disservice.
http://www.jtsonline.com.au/facts/wiring-diagrams

 

[slowflow]

Page with some wiring diagrams & cable recommendations.
I have not used this supplier & am not associated just thought the diagrams are nice & clear.
When trying save a few dollars during installations we sometimes do ourselves a disservice.
http://www.jtsonline.com.au/facts/wiring-diagrams

http://www.nationalluna.com/Datasheets/Intel Solenoid Instructions.pdf

If you have an EUC controlled alternator try this;
http://www.everybattery.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=D250SDualRelay

 

[Redfin]

I like to keep things simple

 

[Village]

To be honest mbasko I think you were on the right track to start, red arc do a good twin battery isolator, the best on the market, dual battery setup is the simplest and most reliable. If wired up right, the isolator protects your starter battery, so it can never be drained. You can put a simple amp or low voyage alarm on the no two battery, if you use a 950CCA battery on the no 2, or deep cycle, most 50l car fridges won't drain it in 4 days.

 

[Guest]

Yeah the Red Arc isolator does look good. Still on my list of projects to do. Thanks for the reminder :lol: looking to possibly head down to Victoria in April so better start putting some serious thought into it