Battery powered rooftop AC installed in my sleeper.

Great job! Thanks for sharing.

 

Home made parksmart.

 

I love this thread
Love the experimentation and being able to watch results real time.
I have heard an undersized alternator can actually be a fire hazard when pushed hard for that long so I would get into that 300 amp unit asap
Lithium iron phosphate batteries are actually cheaper in the long run because you can get so many more cycles out of them

How much does the bigger alternator ding your fuel economy I wonder ?
What about putting six solar panels on the trailer?

I hope this thread goes on all summer !

 

And you could easily have purchased junk, there are good cheap ones and bad cheap ones
Good news is that when your agms give up they will probably have worked out even better and cheaper lithiums

 

I just completed my install of 3 x 160W panels on the roof of my truck yesterday. Too soon for anything solid to report. The main thing observed after day 1 is the benefit of having a charger on any time the sun is up. So far:

1. When I got ready to take off at 1pm, truck batteries were at 100% The drive home from the last hard run on the batteries was too short for a full alternator charge. Then I left my Dometic cooler running (2A when the compressor cycles) so I would have cold drinks the 2 days I was working on it. So, in this one case, full battery recharge while parked, engine off.

2. I stopped for fuel and then parked for a 30, engine off hvac on. Not as hot today, hvac was using 500W. Panels were putting back about 350W. Substantially reduced the battery consumption.

3. #2 plus the panels being on even when the truck is running, voltage returned to 14.0V in about 5 min, about 1/3 the time it took without the panels after a 30 min break on a hot day. I'm optimistic this may also prolong the life of my alternator.

I'll be in cooler climate the next 2 days, so will be a while before more stress testing with the solar added on.

 

Which panels and what truck do you have? Also, direct mount to top of sleeper or an airgap to prevent extra temperature gains to soak through the roof of cab/sleeper?

(Truck color may also matter)

 

It's a white Mack Anthem. They are flexible adhesive panels. This was taken right after I finished Wednesday night.

ETA: That surface is a fairing. The actual cab roof is under it, so no heat soak.

 

You will keep killing alternators buy putting the full load of the discharged batteries on it at start , need to find a way to ease into charging until They get a partial charge.