I set up our boat, to run without the need for a generator. The plan there, was to install a large bank of ' house' batteries to act as a source of power when needed.
Obviously, we cannot run air conditioning on the boat with battery power and the same is true in our motor home. On the boat, for air conditioning, we need to plug in to 120vac land power. The same is true in our motor home...A.C. requires lots of power, so we need to run the generator or plug in.
OTHER THAN THAT, we can get by with this extra set of Group 29 batteries, wired in parallel, to provide TV, coffee pot computer,or minimum microwave time and lighting. The original 'auxiliary' battery was tied in to these extra two with a cutoff switch. I usually keep the switch open so charging and discharge affects all 3 as a bank.
Nothing fancy, but installed( 2) Gr.29 deep cycle batteries ($70 ea. @ Walmart) + $7.50/plastic battery box for each.
Room was available in a space under the aft dinette seat. An outlet was installed on the forward face of lower section(leg area). The 1000 watt inverter ($100 @ Walmart) is inexpensive as it's a modified square wave unit, not sine wave but works fine for our applications. It was installed in the small space available just aft of this seat-under the refrigerator. This size is large enough to power our little microwave or coffee pot when needed and not extensively and our T.V. with DVD player/anytime.A 120 v.a.c. line run was run from the Inverter, forward to the outlet on forward face of aft dinette seat so a short 3' extension cord could be plugged in and allowed to rest near the window on the table, for computer and phone chargers. Another #12 AC line was led back under refrigerator section to next compartment(hanging locker and drawers), then under the floor in an existing run to the galley cabinets.
From there, up into the overhead microwave cabinet. Double outlets where installed in a box there strictly
for plugging in the TV and coffee pot/microwave and amplified RCA TV antenna. An 6 ga. tinned copper wire was run forward and hooked up the the aux. bat. for charging purposes. A time delay fuse installed at the forward/auxilary battery and switch installed between each(actually 'low' on the forward face for the forward dinette seat, where I can just reach down and turn it on or off while I drive, but usually just leave it 'on'.TV running off the Inverter and Batteries. Recieving about 20 HD channels using an RCA 806 amplified antenna installed in one of the aft overhead cabinets above the bed.
Had a friend of mine make a simple TV mount, that attaches near the roof/on the backside of the galley cabinet, and down on the backspash behind the sink. It is a tube within a tube, so the TV can slide up or down the 1" stainless steel pole(TV 5" x 1/8" flat plate is welded to a 13" piece of 1.25" stainless steel
tubing.) The main pole was drilled at 2 points to be able to insert a push pin. This allows the TV to be turned around for viewing in the aft bed and slid up out of the way, completely behind the cabinet.View looking forward // CLICK ON ANY PHOTO FOR ENLARGED UP CLOSE VIEWING.
For viewing TV while we are forward, we lower the TV and rotate it to face forward, then reinsert the pin. The TV can be left in either position. All works well.
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4 comments:
Thank you so much for your postings regarding your motor home. I have a 1989 Class C that has some rot in the overhead bed section. I have been looking on the Internet to see what is involved in replacing the flooring up there. Your posting has given me a wealth of information. I would love to do it myself but have never done anything like it before so I may try to find someone who will do the work for me. Which ever way it goes your site was very informative.
Debbie
Ron,
I enjoyed very much reading of your projects and efforts to repair, restore, improve your Tioga. I have one too, and of course found your blog looking for info on roof and overhead leaks. However, I would like to ask about your extra battery installation under the dinette seat next to the furnace. I would like to do something very similar but have been concerned about venting the batteries to the outside to prevent hydrogen gas accumulation. I did not see how you have done this, and they are next to the furnace. What am I not seeing in your picture, or what were your thoughts on this? Many thanks, and look forward to reading any future posts. Cliff
Hello Mr. Vintage, The dinette seat that the batteries are under has an 8x12" ventilation grating on it facing the carpeted central walk area of the MH. This vents the underseat area to the interior of the MH. I knew from boating experience the questions you raise and they are valid, but in this case I'm making the best of a minimal sutuation. Wet Cell batteries can gas unless you install Hydro-Caps on the cells. The cells normally gas when 'Charging'...when the voltage, temperature of the batteries are being pushed upwards, not while being used. We have added these 2 batteries to boost capacity for short mini-microwave spurts, or warming coffee, cooking an egg in the morning, etc. Otherwise slow draining of batteries while watching TV. Our discharge is minimal but needed at times. The charging cycle is short and usually thru our engines alternator when I turn a switch to connect them to the MH alternate battery for charging while we are tooling down the road.
Under this kind of usage, I am not concerned about the minute gassing potential. The furnace can take warmed air from inside the MH and heat it further, but the flame part of the furnace and the heated air part of the furnace are 2 separate entities. Again, this was considered and understood before I decided to place the 2 deep cycle batteries inside.
I hope this explains what I did a bit better.
Also, we have been using the MH in warm months so far and only needed the furnace part for a couple of nights, I checked the compartment and heat of the ducting and batteries and nothing cause alarm. things were gently warm but nothing above that.
Mr. Vintage,
I know it's a year later but for you and others, I want you to know I have added something.
While our rooftop A.C. was working just fine, I opted for a NEW Carrier heat pump style Air Conditioner...and with an added Heat Strip for really cold weather when plugged in.
Found a good deal online for a Total New System for top unit and inside unit.
Now, besides my extreme comfort level of adding the batteries under our seat, I know I will almost never use the propane fired system. NOTE! this was not done for any safety reasons. Our system is totally safe. I bought the new stuff because it's 2010 and this GREAT stuff is available to make our travels BETTER!
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