New Generator & electrical layout

[Xbird]

Good morning, this seemed the most apt section to put this in. I'm well underway on a full gut and rebuild of  a 75 Minnie Winnie. FB users will have seen the mess i have my hands on    Space in this little beast is very tight. the intent is to build a very easy to use home away from home for my daughter while she attends college (her idea). She will be staying at a year round campground with elec and water.

There was no generator and what looked to be a very old school charger/inverter with a battery under the rear seat next to the water tank. I've gotten a much better refrigerator, and will be relocating the propane system from under the counter (paired grille tanks) to a fixed RV tank on the rear frame. Likewise, It will get an electric heater and electric hot water heater, both 120V.

My plan is to add a modern dual fuel generator outside where it has a non-factory, very robust frame extension that held 2 spare tires and has a towing hitch. I have 2 spare charger/convertors (1 has already had the main board "used")

For simplicity's sake, I was going to forgo an inverter and install the good charger/convertor--with a deep cycle battery-- as the 12v source.

Is there really any reason for an inverter for someone who won't be off the grid?

Would you stick with a mix of 12v and 120v lighting?

Any recommendations for a charger controller/monitor that wont' break the bank?



   

[David.lgtwks]

The only input I can think of is the mini winne are rare and can be valuable. The living situation is probably going to change in a couple years, so keep that in mind. Use the mix of 120v and 12v for lighting, and use lightweight materials in building. I used plastic panels to cover my old paneling,(lightweight) with led 12v lightning and 12v led fixtures and Looks amazing. nice and bright!   I found a RV refrigerator, but use Electric heat, and the gas stove.

[Mlw]

As for the charger: I bought this one, and then the 30 Amp version

https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip22-charger

With this charger you can extract the old inverter that may have been enough in the seventees (even then doubtfull) but in this era will totally not be up to the job.

The old inverter works as follow. No shore power: The energy for the 12 volt system comes from the battery.
                                                     Shore power: The energy for the 12 volt system comes from the inverter.

Now with this charger you have max 30 amps (at 12 volt) to use and the batteries will always be feeding your 12 volt system and as long as you stay under 30 amps the charger will charge the batteries. The big advantage of this is that the the power to your 12 volt system will stay at max. With the old inverter your power will drop with every light you turn on.

The lights in your RV are originally all 12 volt. I would keep it that way so you will have maximum lighting in case you are off the grid.

Now if you also want an inverter (which really isn't necessary when you on the grid) Victron Also sells combo deals but then you are not talking budget anymore.

https://www.victronenergy.com/inverters-chargers


Now as for your boiler, when you go electric I would advise you to buy a boat boiler. These boilers you can also connect to your coolant system, so free hot water when you are driving which can be an enormous advantage when you are boondocking.

https://webshop.vetus.com/en/product/wht050twin-coil-calorifier-50lt