Thinking about putting a leisure battery in my van to power things like a mini fridge, lights, fan, and charge small devices. Would only be for overnight at the most.
Looking for advice from anyone who has installed one. It's a new van so I'm reluctant to drill holes or cut into existing wiring unless absolutely nessesary.
It looks like I have two main options:
1. Liesure battery with DC to DC charger.
2. A portable powerbank like a Jackery.
Option 1 is probably cheaper, and probably overkill for my needs, but I can't find a way to get wires through the firewall. Existing grommets all very solid or too small.
Option 2 is simple and can safely charge from a 12v outlet but very slowly.
Don’t get a cheap absorption fridge, they pull a lot of power, 12v is normally just for driving and short stops before sticking to gas or mains. Get a compressor cool box or fridge, they are much more frugal and better suited to running on batteries
If its only overnight that you're using the battery for then no need to charge a powerbank from the vans 12v - they're perfectly portable so take it indoors and charge it - they charge very quickly from the mains
If that become a chore for whatever reason then once you get over your reticence to drill a hole then the DJI battery and their 12v two way charger is a good combo. Charges the powerbank very quickly from the van when you're driving but will also sense if your van battery gets low and recharge that if need be from the powerbank.
I've set mine up so the diesel heater runs from the vans starter battery (as it draws more power in the startup than most powerbanks can provide from 12v) but the powerbank will top the start battery back up if the heater ever draws too much over a longer period
For overnight bluetti/jackery battery box
Bit of a faff for more length they don't charge too quickly from the cigarette lighter
My last van didn't have a split charge. With solar it's really not needed unless your doing lots of winter.
Powered cool boxes pull about 60w. We don't run ours overnight on the powerbank as the fan is noisy (will be too noisy in a van). You can only turn the fan down when on mains, not 12v. Thats where a compressor coolbox is better. We bought it when tent camping and used ice blocks, then would plug in to mains if we opted for Electric hookup.
We have just done 5 days off grid using our Anker Powerbank and a 100w solar panel. The solar was enough to run the cool box all day. Off at night. Came home with about 25% capacity left.
A compressor coolbox will be on the upgrade list when this one goes caput, otherwise we will stick with it
What size is your Anker Powerbank? The Jackery 1000w looks like a good deal at the moment but might not even need that much. They do a 500w too.
Look at a 12v LiFePo battery. A 50ah one will give you 640wh of power. It weighs under 6kg. Is a fraction of the price of a portable powerbank etc, and will provide all the 12v power you need via an xt60 connector.
Ideally you'll need 230v LiFePo charger too, £20-£30.
I have a 60w compressor portable fridge. It runs the compressor for about 15mins an hour, so in theory the battery should last well over 36 hours. The 100ah version costs a little more, weighs a bit more, but will have double the duration. and still be a lot less than a Bluetti etc.
Do not buy a powered cool box that's wasted money.
I already have a 12v coolbox thats pretty old but works well. Uses about 4watts.
I already have a 12v coolbox thats pretty old but works well. Uses about 4watts.
I feel like that's an order of magnitude out.
4 amps I suspect, nearly 100 amps over 24 hours.
Or 50w, 1200w over 24 hours.
Lol. Yeah I meant 4 amps.
It wouldn't need to be running non stop. Once the contents are cold it stays cold for quite a while if left closed.
It sounds like an LiFePo battery and charger is the cheapest option for the van. And I can add a split charge latter if I can find a suitable route for the cable. I don't need an inverter in there anyway.
My Anker is the 800 one but it's the 'plus' and comes with two torches/lamps ( it does both functions) and a telescopic stand for one of the lamps so great in the tent. I would agree above, for 24 or 48h you don't need a fridge or powered coolbox - a load of ice packs / frozen meals will keep stuff cool.
Can I jump in on this please for similar advice? Son has just bought a house that has a garage some distance from the house with no electric supply. Running a cable from house would involve crossing neighbours land and a footpath so not a first choice.
He is currently thinking of a Jackery, This one. I did suggest solar with leisure battery and invertor as an alternative but I don't know if it would be any better. He wants to run lights and a couple of lightweight mains power tools, nothing big.
That would do the job.
I got this with 100w solar for about 600. Main reason was built in light bar and the two torches/extending pole (good for in a tent/reading etc.)
https://www.ankersolix.com/uk/c800-plus-c800-pps
Did a bit more research and price comparisons etc and unless I'm missing something, a powerbank works out about the same price as a leisure battery after i add on the costs of the charger, cables, outlets, monitor etc. I didn't realise the how quickly ot all adds up.
I have a fairly comprehensive leisure battery set up in my van, but for your usage, I'd go with a power station thingy.
Leisure battery pros: Always ready to go, more capacity for volume, easier to stick in an awkward spot (because you don't need to access them once they're installed, and they come in more sizes), modular components (so you don't have to replace everything if one part fails, or you want to upgrade something)
Cons: They always take up space in the van, even when you're not using them, harder to install, have to worry about battery heaters in winter (if lifepo4)
Bonus advantage of a power station - you can use them as portable power without the van.
