A Soggy Situation

Terence called us because the batteries in his trailer were due for replacement. There was no solar power keeping them trickle charged and keeping his fridge cold. How could he possibly take the family camping without a cold fridge? He also wanted to be able to charge the batteries while running his vehicle’s engine. Last but not least, the trailer was having issues with condensation. Quick temperature swings and a lack of airflow caused puddles to form at the bottom of the trailer’s compartment, flooding the batteries and electronics (yikes!).

The Solution

We selected 2 x 100ah lithium batteries and a 250W solar panel that fit the camper like a glove. We ran alternator charge wires back from the truck, flush mounting an Anderson plug near the 7-pin plug and installed a Victron Orion 30A DC to DC charger. That way, if the power ever gets close to running out, all he has to do is start the engine! We also installed a BMV-712 battery monitor which acts like a fuel gauge, displaying the remaining battery percentage. To keep an eye on the system, we installed a Global Link 520. This sends a data point to our VRM (Victron Remote Monitoring) portal every 15 minutes. This uses cell service - no wifi is needed for this off-grid camping beast! To keep the space dry, we installed an intake/exhaust fan, as well as a dehumidifier with a permanent drain line. Both are triggered automatically, running anytime there is excess battery/solar power available.