Unsealed 4x4 Australia's Dometic PLB-40 Review.

[condor22]

RR- My current batteries are;

Caravan - 100AH LI-ion - 200W Solar
Car 100AH AGM - 110W Solar
Portable - 40AH Companion Rover - 120W Solar Blanket

Plus I also have the 130AH AGM from the van, only 5 years old. In the next vehicle I buy, I'm going to put another 100AH Li-ion, which will also give me another spare 100AH AGM.

I'm going to set up the ability to add the 120W solar blanket, if needed, to the caravan solar on bad weather days (Anderson Plug). This will give me a total of 320W. Although this exceeds the 15A Victron controller at max, on a bad day I only get around 3 amps from the 200W, so adding the 120W won't overload and will give a 50% increase in charge.

On a good day, it won't need adding.

 

[Ridge Runner]

RR- My current batteries are;

Caravan - 100AH LI-ion - 200W Solar
Car 100AH AGM - 110W Solar
Portable - 40AH Companion Rover - 120W Solar Blanket

Plus I also have the 130AH AGM from the van, only 5 years old. In the next vehicle I buy, I'm going to put another 100AH Li-ion, which will also give me another spare 100AH AGM.

I'm going to set up the ability to add the 120W solar blanket, if needed, to the caravan solar on bad weather days (Anderson Plug). This will give me a total of 320W. Although this exceeds the 15A Victron controller at max, on a bad day I only get around 3 amps from the 200W, so adding the 120W won't overload and will give a 50% increase in charge.

On a good day, it won't need adding.

Don't get me wrong AGM's and Deep Cycle batteries are good and work well but when sunlight is limited as you pointed out you need 3 to 4X the amount of solar to keep them topped up, for me that it is not an option, The conspiracy theory that the UK has a Summer is impacting the Solar properties of my setup So using Lithium I can manage to collect all the power the PLB's need where as Sun Vs Time is the real killer for me,

I'd love to put all the batteries in the Van and they would run the fridge for 3 or 4 weeks but it is putting the power back is the hard part, I have the solar power but deploying them because of their size is a real PIA,

Idealy I would like to do what you did and add a 100Ah Lithium as the main power source and use the PLBs to power the little Dometic because it only uses about 0.52Ah on average and that can go up and down varying on the Ambient temps,

I have a Victron Smart Solar 100/20 and I was wondering if I could take the input power from the Van Battery/Alternator and use it as a DC to DC charger to charge the 2nd 80Ah AGM or one or two of the 115Ah batteries, I looked at getting Redarc but they cost well over 300 here from some of the prices I have seen, So maybe I could use the Victron to do the same job ??

 

[condor22]

Your comment only go to support my mantra of having more than one option of charging. According to the Bureau of Met. Adelaide and the Golden Triangle get around 8 sun hours/day in Summer and 4-5 in winter. Which gives a rough calculation of expected output.

Summer per 100W = 40 AH/day - Winter around half that. But these figures are in good sunshine, partial cloud reduces this and heavy overcast much, much more. As I mentioned in other threads, most mono panels only work on visible light. Panels made with cells like the Sun Solar Cells from the U.S. also work from the UV and IR spectrums and we all know UV is still ever present on dull days.

I've noticed the difference between the van panels and the car panel, taking into account the 200W to 110W power difference. I get far more from the van than the car panel.
The van has Sun Solar cells (not cheap) the car a Supercheap Auto mono panel. In the same good conditions I've seen 13+ amps out of the 200W and around 5+ out of the 110W. I should note both on MPPT controllers at the time. (the concertina I just dumped had the UV cells and I've recorded 6.8 amps from it on a good day with a PWM controller)

I use around 37AH avg. in the van and will recharge that by mid afternoon most winter days. I might use half that in the car and, on occasion, needed to run the engine to bring the battery too full. I guess the pommy sun spends a lot more time hiding and that creates your problem. You need far more solar wattage to produce a similar result. A DC-DC charger is cheaper in the long run and takes up far less space, lol.

The way I look at solar is - If it replaces all you use, great. If it extends the length of run time of a battery, good. If the weather is so bad or the use higher that it adds little to the charge, you need an alternative. The first option to look at is DC-DC when driving. Failing that a generator. I normally trip off grid for 2 months at a time, not a weekend away, so I use all 3 as needed.

I carry a 2kVA as I use it for microwave and hot water heating. But if I didn't and only needed to drive a 240VAC smart charger, a 700W to 1,000 will do. But I'd be buying a lot more LPG a lot more often.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Your comment only go to support my mantra of having more than one option of charging. According to the Bureau of Met. Adelaide and the Golden Triangle get around 8 sun hours/day in Summer and 4-5 in winter. Which gives a rough calculation of expected output.

Summer per 100W = 40 AH/day - Winter around half that. But these figures are in good sunshine, partial cloud reduces this and heavy overcast much, much more. As I mentioned in other threads, most mono panels only work on visible light. Panels made with cells like the Sun Solar Cells from the U.S. also work from the UV and IR spectrums and we all know UV is still ever present on dull days.

I've noticed the difference between the van panels and the car panel, taking into account the 200W to 110W power difference. I get far more from the van than the car panel.
The van has Sun Solar cells (not cheap) the car a Supercheap Auto mono panel. In the same good conditions I've seen 13+ amps out of the 200W and around 5+ out of the 110W. I should note both on MPPT controllers at the time. (the concertina I just dumped had the UV cells and I've recorded 6.8 amps from it on a good day with a PWM controller)

I use around 37AH avg. in the van and will recharge that by mid afternoon most winter days. I might use half that in the car and, on occasion, needed to run the engine to bring the battery too full. I guess the pommy sun spends a lot more time hiding and that creates your problem. You need far more solar wattage to produce a similar result. A DC-DC charger is cheaper in the long run and takes up far less space, lol.

The way I look at solar is - If it replaces all you use, great. If it extends the length of run time of a battery, good. If the weather is so bad or the use higher that it adds little to the charge, you need an alternative. The first option to look at is DC-DC when driving. Failing that a generator. I normally trip off grid for 2 months at a time, not a weekend away, so I use all 3 as needed.

I carry a 2kVA as I use it for microwave and hot water heating. But if I didn't and only needed to drive a 240VAC smart charger, a 700W to 1,000 will do. But I'd be buying a lot more LPG a lot more often.

The Only big power draw unit I have is a small 750w/1500w heater which I plan on using in the winter If needed but seeing as the van is quite small I think the heat from cooking or making Coffee would supply enough heat most times Plus I have that 12" 45w greenhouse heater which has it's own thermostat, All my lights are Solar and run for over 12h each and I have 8 of them,

My Generator is pure sinewave 2KVA and has a 12v 8Ah outlet which is meant for charging Only, but I thought if I took the 12A charger I could charge the batteries once ever 3 or 4 days, Then I saw a smaller Generator that puts out 700/800w but it runs for over 10 hours on 2.1 Litres of fuel in eco mode and it weighs less than half of what my 2Kva one weighs @ 9.8kgs vs 24kgs and has a much smaller footprintand it will run quite a large 240v charger, The Down side is it won't run the 750/1500w heater, But due to fuel economy and size and weight the smaller generator makes more sense,

Notice I have not mentioned solar yet ? Solar here in winter has limited use where it gets light around 07:30-07:45 and dark by 15:30 and if it is overcast then it's a non event or worse if it is raining, and unless I can run at leased 2 of my 150w panels in series then I will never get the required voltage although the Mobile Home type RV's do manage to use a couple of hundred watts of solar and their DC to DC chargers to make enough power to get by, At this point is where the Lithium packs just work so well where as all my other options are not without problems,

I own the bigger generator but buying another smaller one is more money wasted and for the amount of time I would use it I am not sure it is worth buying a smaller one and if I want to use the heater then I need the bigger one, So that answers that, A small wind generator was another option But that only works if your in one place for more than a few days at a time and setting it up only works if your in remote areas,

Buying a bigger Vehicle would of been good when it comes to mounting big panels but the down side is parking and access so that was not an option,

So far these medium Lithium packs are the best option when it comes to charging options and Time and Available Solar hours, Anything much bigger would have to have a panel hooked up 24/7 Which means buying a roof rack and fitting a panel to it which might have to be the next step, :Y:

 

[condor22]

Looking at my 18VDC power tools charger, the specs are input 240VAC 60W - output 18VDC 2A. (shows the efficiency loss of these mains chargers 60W in 36W out.)
Although I don't draw that low my 4AH battery would take a bit over 2 hours to charge from flat.

Which means my 150 W inverter will provide enough to run the charger @ about 6AH = 12AH total (in round figures).

I carry a portable drill and a small dust buster type vacuum in the caravan, sometimes the angle grinder.
The drill kit has 2 x 2.5AH 18V batteries which with occasional use, I think, means less than 1AH average use.

Which equals a small impost on the van battery to recharge and well within the the Rover 40s capacity to also charge from.

Another option for a PLB/Rover use.......

When I move, I won't have 240VAC mains nearby the caravan, so between the Honda, if needed, and the Lithiums to recharge power tools, I'll be able to any work on the van I need to do.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Looking at my 18VDC power tools charger, the specs are input 240VAC 60W - output 18VDC 2A. (shows the efficiency loss of these mains chargers 60W in 36W out.)
Although I don't draw that low my 4AH battery would take a bit over 2 hours to charge from flat.

Which means my 150 W inverter will provide enough to run the charger @ about 6AH = 12AH total (in round figures).

I carry a portable drill and a small dust buster type vacuum in the caravan, sometimes the angle grinder.
The drill kit has 2 x 2.5AH 18V batteries which with occasional use, I think, means less than 1AH average use.

Which equals a small impost on the van battery to recharge and well within the the Rover 40s capacity to also charge from.

Another option for a PLB/Rover use.......

When I move, I won't have 240VAC mains nearby the caravan, so between the Honda, if needed, and the Lithiums to recharge power tools, I'll be able to any work on the van I need to do.

The bit thats hard to take in when people see or talk about these things is that they can do so much, many of us have got out fingers burnt buying those lead Acid Jump packs that were meant to be the be all and end all when it comes to portable power, But people should not class the Rover/PLB/PowerOak etc even in the same room as those old jump pack type power packs, Which is why We have had 100% success rate at what we have atempted so far using these Rover/PLB type packs,

You have used yours for running a Fridge and as a source for charging various things, I have used mine to run a fridge and run a freezer, I have used mine for emergancy power during a power out and I have used it for powering the fridge when I went away for 4 days/nights and not once did I run out of power, People will not believe how either of these packs will simplify doing all of the above around the home or out camping or prospecting or even having to drive a few hundred Ks to go shopping.

I am going to head out in the next day or so and give it another test in true camping conditions, :inlove: :inlove: :Y:

 

[saau]

G'Day Condor

Sorry mate, I have got you confused with someone else S O R R Y !!!

I worked at DoD and DVA so I know what you are talking about.

I'm the 1 having the grey moment. not you

Hope you get the house move behind you in the near future, I moved back to SA from ACT approx. 10 years ago and I still have boxes in the attic that I cant face

What I learnt was to pack and deliver your most precious items to a storage shed in the town you are thinking about moving to, anything you don't trust the removalists with, I would recommend.

https://gawlerselfstorage.com.au/

Then you can break the move up over months, instead of one day.

BTW - If you fill up a trailer, I have a rolux and would be happy to collect it and drive it to gawler and help you unpack it into a storage shed ?

 

[Ridge Runner]

I started this thread about 2 and a half years ago and it is now 3 years and 3 months since I first ordered my two PLB's and they are still working well and are still the best for all round use that I have tested, between me and my brother we have about $10,000 worth of these things and the PLB's are still the best usable units I've used and by far the best when it comes to charging,

Most of the others will charge fast for the first 80% and then the last/final 20% can take up to 2.8 hours for it to finish charging for a 500wh/40Ah SoGen taking up to 7.6 to 7.8 hours to charge from a SOC of 20% where as the PLB 40 takes around 4.6 hours from a 20% SOC being slightly bigger at 512Wh / 40Ah, where the final 20% charges just as fast as the first 20%,

Other things that make life good is the Normal 12v ciggy socket rated at 15A and a Engel 2-pin type socket also rated at 15A which means I could run up to 4 fridges from these two outputs and to top it off the Charging Socket for the ciggy lead or Solar lead is one of the big Anderson Sockets and is supplied with the matching leads. Having the Engel Type 2-pin socket means the fridge never comes unplugged which is something else that you don't have to stop and pull up to check it's still working,

I've bought a few more toys since I got the PLB's but the PLB's are still at the top of my "Must Have " List, I have travelled way up North in Winter and stayed for a few days and never run out of power or had a single issue, I also have bigger SoGen 4x the size/power and still I have not needed to use them even going away at a week at a time, Where as with the bigger SoGens I have had to buy other factory Chargers and factory Charge Enhancer's, which added a good few quid on top of the purchase price, and because of the PLB's willingness to Charge and having the everyday features we have all grown to love I still think the PLB-40 is the best all rounder.

J.