For example, the Engel MT-V80F Fridge/Freezer consumes between 0.5A-4.2A per hour. A 400 amp-hour 6 volt battery can provide around 2.4 kilowatt hours of power. I think you are forgetting that non-lithium batteries can only be discharged to 50% of their capacity. Amp Hours (ah) is the rating used by Deep Cycle battery manufacturers as a way to compare batteries, but we cannot just measure how many Amp Hours are left in a battery. Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free! So think of a camping fridge, or a phone charger, or a laptop, or a 12V fan. Useful Battery Life Analysis 50% DOD Myth Busting Rev 1.pdf. How many amp hours in Hurricane 29m battery? You can see a video discussion about How Much Battery Power Your RV Needs: Secondly, the amperage draw for some appliances varies depending on their usage. For the purpose of our bank account analogy, you need to imagine that there is a cost, per hour, to run each of those appliances. Amp-hourscharge current= charge time. Then you can decide on if and what you will need without spending a lot of money first. This was a very rough scenario, and not meant to actually suggest the cost of running a camping fridge. If you connect a simple circuit to a 1.5-volt battery and attach a tiny LED lamp to it, then as soon as you close the switch, the lamp lights up. The same 1 amp-hour battery could alternatively provide a continuous current of 2 amps to a load for a half-hour. For most people, the biggest challenge is choosing how many amp-hours to include in their batteries. Repeat the process for the 12 volt DC (battery-powered) devices. How often are you able to recharge your batteries? If an amp hour rating is not available, select a deep cycle battery with a minimum of 180 minutes reserve capacity. It is important in electronics, engineering, science, physics, etc. To get the battery capacity in Amp-hours, I'll divide this result by 12: Battery Capacity (Amp-hours) = 1125 Wh 12 Battery Capacity (Amp-hours) = 93.75 Ah A good fit would be this 12V-100Ah Ampere-Time lithium battery. For your solar power system to be effective, youll have to charge your battery whenever it runs low. If you are running camping appliances off-grid, then you will need some form of battery storage to power your fridge, portable hot water system, and other electrical needs. So when you read the rating on the battery label, divide that amp-hour value by two. Here's how to calculate its amp hours: 1280Wh 12.8V = 100Ah In this example, your battery has a capacity of 100 amp hours. That is why its essential to measure your solar panels before you choose them. Suppose the efficiency rating is 85%: Replace .85% with your inverter's efficiency rating. In practice, several more batteries would be needed to take . We have 605 watts of solar. If you multiply amps times hours you get amp hours, which is a measure of charge capacity. We decided that our fridge uses 2 amps per hour, for 12 hours per day (2amps x 12 hours = 24Ah). Panels made of monocrystalline crystals cost more than polycrystalline but last longer. That looks like Ah = Wh/V. You might calculate the needed amount of electricity in watt-hours by adding together all these variables. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Number of Batteries. 8.33 AH = 8 x 100AH Batteries. Using a 220 amp hour battery and charging it at 15 amps, it will take around 14 hours to fully charge the battery. Its the force that drives a current through a wire and eventually makes a device come to life. As an example, a 100 ah 36 volt . That is how you get the number of amps you need from your solar panels and battery. Below, I will cover the 4 main considerations to arrive at a conclusion to this question for any size TV and any size deep-cycle battery. At a 10 cm water pressure setting, a 2.5 ampere CPAP needs 36 amp-hours in 8 hours. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. "A battery with a capacity of 1 amp-hour should be able to continuously supply a current of 1 amp to a load for exactly 1 hour, or 2 amps for 1/2 hour, or 1/3 amp for 3 hours, etc., before becoming completely discharged," wrote Tony R. Kuphaldt in the . You can plug your entire RV or a 120-volt appliance into a watt meter over a set period of time to measure consumed watt-hours. Home Van Life How Many Amp Hours Do I Need Van Life. An ampere hour, sometimes referred to as an amp hour, or denoted as Ah, is a measure of electrical current over a period of time. As you already know, this type of battery requires more than the standard 24V charging voltage. So in actuality, only 88 Ah is available. That means that if you are planning on living off-grid (not relying on power from other sources) or using shore power for charging, you need to take this into account. That means the panels can provide more wattage, or more panels can be used on your rig. A battery bank designed to power an average American household for three days would need to supply 90 kilowatt-hours of energy. They are the most common and come in sizes ranging from 100 to 180 watts. 26400 Ah - This is the standard voltage and capacity for a battery used in caravans, camper vans, and boats, as well as RVs. Therefore, be very careful when choosing several amps based on the calculator information. Theyre cheaper, heavier, and charged up to 50% if you store them in a sealed state. Related Questions and Answers For example, some produce more electricity when the sun is low in the sky, whereas others are most efficient at midday. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more! (Watts equals amperage multiplied by voltage.) It might be a bit confusing for those who are not familiar with the terms used in solar panel sizing calculators, so well try to explain some of the key concepts here. Its important to understand that portable battery chargers are not made for deep cycle batteries. For example, a 120-volt toaster with an amperage draw of 9 amps will take 1080 watts. So we might calculate that a camping fridge depletes our battery by $2 per hour, and if we guess that the fridge would probably run for 12 hours, over a 24 hour period, that means our fridge costs $24 per day (12 hours x $2 per hour) to run. This way, you can make sure that youd have an abundance of uninterrupted power throughout your trip. If you dont already have a solar panel, we recommend you purchase one as well. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Using the above chart, I use 108AH (amp hours) on a typical day. The benchmark standard of battery in the electric bike industry is a 10 amp hour battery. Meanwhile, the same battery may safely provide 36 amp hours for a period of 100 hours. The pairs are then wired in series so the voltage is the sum of each pair: 6 volts + 6 volts = 12 volts. XS Power D6500 XS Series 12V 3,900 Amp AGM High ODYSSEY 65-PC1750T Automotive and LTV Battery. In the below examples, I looked at 5 different deep-cycle battery set-ups and with so many makes and models of . A 750ah 12V battery is needed to run the inverter for 1 hour. 75 amp-hours means ideally if you drained a constant 25 amps you get 3 hours of run . And to make our maths easier with this bank account analogy, lets assign one dollar for every Ah we have. You have to perform the computations in amp-hours as your motive is to find the total amp-hour for your RV. It is very important to have complete knowledge of watts as well as watt-hours as an RVer and this article covers that as well. It will allow you to use the power from your van, camper, or cabin whenever you want. The amp-hours is the amount of amperage that can be pushed through a battery when its fully discharged. A three-day battery bank planned to provide 90 kilowatt-hours of electricity to an average American household. Air Conditioners and stoves are good examples. All the solar panels in the world won't help if you don't have enough battery . Then, make adjustments as needed. A 115 or 120-volt individual, properly-grounded branch circuit with a 3-prong grounding type receptacle, protected by a 15 or 20 amp circuit breaker or . One Amp hour (Ah) is the amount of current a battery provides in one hour. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. By using the suggested 8, 100 AH Batteries you . An amp-hour (or amp-hour) is the basic unit of electrical charge used to measure the energy stored by many types of batteries. A battery generates electricity through a chemical reaction that preserves the polarity of each terminal at all times. 7 amps X .5 hours = 3.5 amp hours. Therefore, you have to compute the watts and voltage mannerly for each equipment and each appliance. A typical 12V lead-acid battery will be charged with a 24V or 48V charger, but never by anything less than 24V. A 100 ampere-hour deep-cycle battery with a power inverter can power a 32 LED TV at 35 watts for 34 hours, or a smaller 20-watt TV for about 60 hours until the battery is fully discharged. DecideOutside.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Watts = amps of current * volts, so you divide the Watts by 12 (for 12v DC devices) to get amps. Add up all these values, and youd get the total power required in watt-hours. The amp-hours is the amount of amperage that can be pushed through a battery when it's fully discharged. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Power (amp hours) = power required (watt hours) / voltage (volts) Conclusion Battery selection and appliance usage, depend completely on the correct estimate of the power requirements. When you wish to use the power from your van, camper, or cabin, youll have to plug it in with a portable battery charger. 2,000 amp hours at 12 volts 1,000 amp hours at 24 volts 500 amp hours at 48 volts 1,050 amp hours at 12 volts 525 amp hours at 24 volts 262.5 amp hours at 48 volts Ambient Temperature - Heat or cold has a big impact on battery performance and capacity. Unfortunately, an ideal case of a fixed calculation is not applicable in this case because it is largely different for everyone. Current can be direct (DC) or alternating (AC). You need to know a few things first. It is often hard to understand when going solar for the first time, so you can use calculators online to help determine what size system will work best for your needs. People also ask, How many amp hours do I need? Running (9) 17W lights 120 V AC using an inverter powered by two 105 Amp-hr deep cycle AGM batteries in parallel. This is one of my favorites. While some RVers are minimalists who go with nature and live on minimal power consumption, others cant live without the air conditioner, fridge, large-screen TV, microwave, and hot water. This is the regular power consumption of a household. As part of your search for an ideal solar system sizing calculator, you can read this article and observe how each one does it. We made this site to help others get outside and enjoy the planet! The higher the amp-hour rating, the more run time you will receive. The 5000-watt inverter would generate approx 416 amps an hour of energy. It will include a 100 amp-hour (AB) deep-cycle marine battery that will function as your primary power source. Then repeat for the ones powered by the battery, the 12 volts DC devices. Homes generally fall between 60-400amps with most modern day homes having a 200amp service. The K means that the watts logged in are in the order of thousands. You need to know how many amps each device consumes so you can calculate how many amp-hours of battery capacity you need. Arriving at the right battery capacity will involve some trial and error. This also describes power consumption, but in the specific case of using a battery. Keep reading as weve detailed how you can find out exactly the number of amp-hours that you will need for your rving adventures! Its important to know whether your RV battery is ready for that load. 500W / 12V = 41.67A. Connecting batteries of different voltages in series In theory, a 6 volt 5 Ah battery and a 12 volt 5 Ah battery connected in series will give a supply of 18 volts (6 volts + 12 volts) and 5 Ah. An effective off grid operation will be able to charge a battery faster than it is drained. Determine how much amount of current each required piece of electrical equipment generally uses. Generators are often rated by their wattage. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Based on the figures, we can assume a 450 to 500 ah battery can comfortably run the system for an hour. Many appliances actually list average amp hour usage, or a range of amp hour usage in their manuals, and specifications. Systems of various sizes often have battery banks connected to operate at 12 volts (for small systems) or 24 volts (for large systems). That is, if you purchase a lead-acid battery that only has 24V. For example, RV generators often come at 3500-watt ratings. If you choose too few, your battery will not get enough power. We can use a voltmeter to get the voltage, and this can be used to get a good approximation. Each one of these devices has a power rating in watts, and it runs for a specific amount of time in hours. Therefore what you need in amp-hours directly depends on the amount of time it takes to charge your battery. At this point, you can plan a fun trip with all confidence! A 20 hour rating at 70 amps would mean the battery has 70amp x 20 hours = 1400 amp-hours. If you are using a different voltage battery the amp-hours will change by dividing it by the battery voltage you are using. If you use it for 5 mins a day, it could last 120 days. Manufacturer battery specifications cannot be completely trusted and are usually overly generous. Watt hours are calculated by multiplying the volts by the Amp-hours. Formula: battery watt hours = battery amp hours battery voltage The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The tried-and-true method for newcomers to visualize electricity traveling through wires as water flowing through pipes. 41.67A x 20 Hours = 833.40AH. In many cases, heavy-duty batteries are designed to be depleted to 50% of capacity before being recharged, and if you take out any more than that, you can cause permanent damage to the batter. For a long time we had one G-31 100ah bettery and led lights. I think for burps you want the race car sort, or you want the RV sort if you are parked for a long time. We run the generator first thing in the morning to make coffee and breakfast and again for dinner. It would be best to choose the correct size battery that will fit under the hood or floor of your camper or van. When we talk about depth of discharge, we are talking about how much energy we are willing to take out of the battery before we start recharging it. You can also check the battery amps hours chart for 12V and 24V batteries here. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. So how many Amp Hours (Ah) of battery capacity do YOU need? Even race cars have lithium batteries, but most are for fast output to start them, and nit the big deep cycle lithium equilient of an AGM. However, battery manufacturers usually recommend only using half of the available battery capacity as it extends the battery lifetime. Sealed batteries have a superior life span to the flooded variety. To conclude, the illustration in this article about learning to calculate amp-hours and estimating your needs should suffice. For example, switching on the gas furnace will show the current reading of consumed amps on the attached battery monitor. Most devices run for a certain duration of time. It will either use: 20 amps for 5 hours; 1 amp to 100 hours. So, unless you live in a region with lots of sunlight, youll experience problems charging your batteries without an adequate solar system. Peter is a software developer who loves to take every opportunity to go outside that he can get. Typically, capacity is listed in amp-hours (Ah). However, this is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Generally, the larger in physical size the battery, the more AH. Since battery manufactures of Flooded or AGM batteries will recommend you do not use more than 50% - 80% of their AH capacity to achieve 300 - 1200 cycles in a lab ( how far to discharge your battery ). One of these, is the power requirements of your RV. That way, you can use the power from your solar panels whenever you want or be part of the change and move towards sustainable options, like electric vans. It will help you know when it is time and how long to run your generator. link to How To Keep Your Dog Warm When Camping In The Cold, Googles My Maps Road Trip Routes and Tips, The Most Awesome Camping Trip Budget Spreadsheet. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. The key is to use the watts you know to calculate the amps at the battery voltage . This rating is often twice the amount that you can use for your appliances. If your job requires you to walk outside, you should invest in a portable solar panel system that will enable you to charge your batteries while working. At this point, you can plan a fun trip with all confidence! These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Power usage (watt-hours) = power rating (watts) x operating time (hours). Breaking it down To better understand all of these, you should know what ampere hours mean. 84 Amps DC x 3 hours = 252 A.H. with a 12-Volt battery 41 Amps DC x 3 hours = 123 A.H. for a 24-Volt battery 21 Amps DC x 3 hours = 63 A.H. for a 48-Volt battery. In this case, you need at least 40 amp-hours to support 12 hours usage. To calculate the number of amp-hours you require from your solar panel set, you must consider the wattage it provides at its peak and how long it takes to charge your batteries. Take note that not all batteries, even if they have the same amount of amp-hours, are compatible with each other. But before you go for a particular model, you should consider what it will need to power your rig. If you were using 200-watt panels, you would need only three panels and four 300-amp batteries. This leaves us with 50Ah to use. With this formula, you can tell how many amps you would require to power the inverter. Notably, to estimate daily amp usage, usage hour alongside amps per hour is required. link to What Material Is Best For Hiking Socks? Once you have successfully determined and added the amp-hour requirements of each instrument that will be running altogether your RV, you will know your shore power needs as expressed in watts. How Many is Too many Hours on a Generator? This is a good predictor of the electric needs of any appliance, as well as the capabilities of an electric source. The charger should be roughly 25% of the battery capacity (ah = amp hour capacity), according to most battery manufacturers. An important thing to note is that if you are in North America then the standard voltage will be 120 volts . We use our computers and TV all evening as well as LED lights and furnace with just 2 6 volt batteries. Watt hours / volts = amp hours. Its essential to have enough amp-hours so your van or camper can last for a long time. Knowing your batterys AH is also very important to upgrade from an existing solar system. 25% Capacity: 350% additional power needed. Wh To Ah Calculator No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Getting amp hour capacity of battery banks right can involve very detailed calculations involving dozens of factors from battery type to load requirements, c. To plan an enjoyable trip, its wise to ask yourself, how many amp-hours do I need for my RV? 40% Capacity: 210% additional power needed. It calculates the number of amps your battery should hold by dividing the number of amps your solar panels can produce at their peak by the number of hours it takes to charge a battery fully. A 60 watt 12 volt refrigerator freezer uses up to about 5 amps while the compressor motor is running. This leaves us with 50Ah to use. In your temps you will probably only run it for 2-3 hours total, so 12 amp hours. These are monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels. Step 4: Convert To Amp Hours A deep-cycle battery can run a sump pump motor continuously for 45-80 minutes depending on the size of the pump. The battery from the previous example can . First, amp hours is just the rating of a battery that relates to how far you can go on a single charge. How many Amps does a 12 volt refrigerator use? Calculate the power consumed by the devices powered by the shore power, which is the 120-volt appliances. Whether that is by making a motor move, giving sufficient energy for a heater to start emitting heat or exciting a wire inside a light bulb so it lights up a room. To understand the whole process of power requirements, its best to demystify a few terms: This is the potential power a generator or battery is capable of giving. The best materials for hiking socks include wool in combination with synthetic materials like Polyester and Spandex. How To Keep Your Dog Warm When Camping In The Cold. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". In reality, however, more things may end up drawing battery powers. I have a generator and 500w solar on the roof. There are also high-end mono panels that can generate several hundred watts, making them suitable for off-grid applications. For instance, at C/5 a battery might safely provide 26.8 amp hours. Use this knowledge to make a better decision when purchasing your next solar system for your van life. Draw a line through those points and you have a function that defines how many hours your battery will last at a certain amperage output. A 100 amp hour battery can give one amp for a hundred hours, or a hundred amps for one hour. A typical car battery used for starting an engine has about 87AH. 65% Capacity: 150% additional power needed. An upgrade will most likely improve the performance of your solar system. Read the label or check the device's manual or specification document. The size of the service doesn't necessarily reflect usage. Devices that use up higher amps are often run by AC sources, and involve moving powerful motors, or creating a large amount of heat. Watts / Volts = Amps. With a multitude of differences in the aspects of getting away, RV consumers have certain and in many cases, lots of needs for power. An interesting rule of thumb is that typically if you divide a given reserve capacity by two, you will derive the approximate amp hour capacity. Start with considering relevant electrical items you will be needing and how long you intend to use them in a typical 24 hour period. It always makes for good conversation. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Here is the step-by-step procedure how to calculate Ah of a battery: Calculate the electricity needed to power an electronic device. How many amp-hours do I need to run my house? 155 a/hr FLA (former batt) and 125 a/hr Lithium (current batt) works just fine, but only because I would solar charge all day and make up any shortage with an evening generator charge, if necessary. Unless you have unlimited resources to purchase gasoline or electricity to fuel your van, you should know how much energy you employ daily to determine what size solar system youll need. In this way, you have around 1 remaining hour as per the following calculation. Your power consumption bill wouldnt be a surprise. A 6 volt battery is often three 2 volt cells and a 12 volt battery is usually six 2 volt cells. In practical terms, that means the amperage rating of a power supply or charger must match or exceed that required by the device it is connected to. Here's an example of a cold cranking amps chart highlighting the different power requirements among various battery capacities: 100% Capacity: Original power based on labeled CCA rating. Battery Recommendations. If you have a question or would like to discuss a potential collaboration with Off Grid Camping we would love to hear from you. #batterycapacityexplained #whatisbatterycapacity #whatisamphour #whatiskilowattho. As anAmazon Associate, we may earn commission from qualifying purchases. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Recreational vehicles are battery consumers and most of them also have access to modern conveniences for more comfortable trips. Spectra Catalina 300 Watermaker: 15 amps/hour, 13 gallons/hour takes 3-4 hours to fill one tank or 52+ amps - we usually run the Honda 2000 or make water underway. For AGM batteries, the maximum safe charging current is 20% of the amp-hour rate. A x H = AH. You have 500AH to power your rig for five days. Now, if you are connected to 120-volt shore power, none of the above . After two days we would have used 48Ah, leaving only 2Ah remaining in our battery, and would need to start thinking about charging. Here's a simplified energy audit method: Use the formula W=AV. If the pump is only turning on a couple of times per hour you can easily get 1 or more days of use out of the battery. The consumers of such vehicles will require to both generate and store power for achieving benefits from its usage as per needs. What the heck is an amp hour and why are there so many sizes of batteries? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Knowing stats like the max speed a vehicle can run, or what vanity tires can fit on its chassis is amusing. All these things require power, but they require different amounts of it. A 2500ah battery is required for a 4 hour discharge time. Other than that, a battery monitoring system will come in handy deciding how much power your equipment uses. Battery Amp-Hour Calculator. As a first-hand tip, it is easier to convert both DC and AC measurements while comparing them to watt-hours. So if you ran your RV off a 200 amp-hour battery bank without the AC, you'll need a 650 amp-hour battery bank to run the AC and your typical load. We are dedicated RV and travel enthusiasts who created this site to provide relevant information to like-minded readers who are seeking knowledge and enjoyment from RV travel, camping, life on the road, and all the challenges and splendors that come with it. Only the largest Forklift batteries have that much capacity and suffice to say your car would have trouble lugging one of those around. This is the number of electrons that can flow in a conductor/wire in any given second. We have a 100Ah battery, but we can only ever use 50% of its capacity. Amps hours is a measurement telling how many amps are delivered in a number of hours. Here is a nifty amp-hour calculator that converts watt-hours to amp-hours. Amp-hours (at 12 volts) = watt-hours / 12 volts = 1470 / 12 = 122.5 amp-hours. Amp=Watts/Voltage, all you have to do is divide the total number of watts that the refrigerator uses by the voltage of the power supply. For a general idea of approximate amperage draws by motor size, please see the chart below. Lead-acid batteries are used technically for their potential of storing electricity instead of making it. A 100 ah battery should give you (100/10=10) 10 hours of usage. Step 3: Total Up the Predicted Power Consumption Calculate the amount of electricity used by the 120-volt appliances that are powered by shore power. Multiply the amp-hour rating by the number of days you plan on being camping. Battery selection and appliance usage, depend completely on the correct estimate of the power requirements. Peter grew up going on long backpacking excursions with his family every Summer and now enjoys staying at the beautiful Texas State Parks and swimming in the amazing Texas Rivers. We suggest selecting a 12 volt deep cycle marine battery with at least a 110 amp hour rating, usually a group 27 size battery. Remember that the number of amp-hours you need in your battery determined from these calculators is based on charging your battery every day. If you choose too much, it could result in overcharging your battery. Using the same ratio, it could provide 2 amps for 48 hours. Multiply each power rating by the maximum estimated time of operation. The best way to do this is with a solar system sizing calculator. Like solar panels, there are two main types of solar batteries: flooded lead-acid and sealed batteries. 100 amp hour rated battery / 20 amp draw = 5 hour run time. Thus, its reasonable to describe the total power consumption as a product of the two entities. Theoretically, a battery with a capacity of 1 amp-hour should be capable of providing a continuous current of 1 amp to a load (the device or appliance using power) for exactly 1 hour before becoming discharged. Thats why scientists came up with power. 1000W / 0.85 = 1176ah. So a 36 volt 10-Ah pack has 360 watt hours and a 52V 10-Ah pack has 520 watt hours. (see on Amazon). Be careful not to exceed the meters rated amp capacity. There is quite a difference between a home that i. Amp-hours are calculated by multiplying the number of amps (A) a battery provides by the discharge time in hours (h). If the furnace runs a half-hour, it will consume 3.5 amp hours from your battery bank. To recap, one of the most important things you need to consider when sizing your off-grid solar power system is the battery. There are also devices you can buy and plug your appliance right into it and find out the specific power consumption of each device. Therefore, you must determine the type of battery you have before looking at portable battery chargers. The base of this data is a simple formula: Amp x Hours. Thats going to work together to keep your batteries charged. During cool nights (30s F) and typical high elevation days (60s-70s F) I budgeted 70 amp/hrs per 24 hour period for our 24 foot TT. To start, you'll need to ask yourself these questions: How much energy do you consume on a daily basis? Install a battery monitor/shunt and you can see your actuall usage is. Let's say after two days, your 200 amp-hour lead-acid batteries are at 50%. How much battery power for boondocking you will need is measured in Amp Hours (AH). The last line is really what you should focus on. In this case, the solar panel will generate more than enough wattage to charge your battery. We will be camping in temperatures in the low 40s so my question is how many amp hours do I really need if I just want to use battery power at night (9pm to 8am). 3. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". If the label doesnt clarify the voltage or current, you can read out the power consumption of the appliance from a wattmeter (see on Amazon). Your solar system should be able to provide this amount to charge your battery once a week fully. Here is how many amp hours battery you need to power a 100W device for 8 hours: Ah = 800W / 12V = 66.67 Ah This means you will need a battery with at least 66.67 amp-hours (Ah). For example, a car battery with 48 AH can provide 4 amps over 24 hours. How many amps do I need to charge a 36 volt battery? If you want to add more insurance against cloudy days or shady camping, you could buy a small quiet generator. Otherwise, you might end up with a high-output panel that cant transfer any extra power to a battery. You can increase or decrease the number of appliances to match the battery. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Thats why its essential to determine how much wattage you will need before settling on a solar system. So if we average out the fridge running a 2Ah, for 12 hours over a 24 hour period, that totals 24Ah of energy per day, coincidentally that mirrors our fictional banking scenario above. We'll round up to a minimum 700 amp-hour battery bank. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Altogether then this creates a battery bank with an output of 9Ah and 12 volts. This site is owned and operated by MindBuilders. The water pressure at the faucet is like the voltage in a circuit. This is how you can calculate the amp hours of your RV. Calculations in Amp-Hour To get 1000 Watts from a 48-Volt battery, the battery has to provide about 21 Amps. (read our article on calculating range) Once you get to 1000 watt hours, its called one-kilowatt, and that's how electric car packs are measured. The way these batteries work is that they are not designed to have all of their energy expended. First, an ampere or amp is the base unit for measuring electrical current or load. Solar system sizing calculators are available in most major solar panel manufacturers. It is calculate as 5000W / 12 V = 416. When trying to understand the capacity of the batteries we use for this purpose, you would have probably come across the term amp hour.. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Store batteries in a cool, dry place in the off-season and maintain a trickle charge. You have to double the capacity for each if you don't want to discharge the battery at 100%. Technically we CAN make water using our alternative energy and sometimes do if the wind is blowing 15-18 and we're generating significant wind amps as well as solar. But there are other figures that are necessary to know. AC current is generated through a dynamo that converts motion into electricity. These calculations should be viewed only as an estimate. You can easily go 2-3 days with no solar and keep the batteries above 50% for best life. We also love the little things that nobody else notices. It does not store any personal data. This is also the number that appears on your electricity bill, and its often expressed as KW hour. Firstly, your job is to calculate how many amps you consume daily by calculating amp usage by hours used. The width of the pipes: This is the Amps. This means you used 100 amp-hours in two days, or 50 amp-hours a day. This should give you the power consumption for each device. Just remember that these batteries are less powerful and need more maintenance than sealed ones. Camping is fun for the whole family, including four-legged friends like the We love camping, adventure, and being outside. Such as, a flat-screen TV allows brightness adjustments of the display inclusive of volume control. Best of all it's totally FREE! A battery that has a 100Ah capacity will be able to provide 100 amps of power for one hour or 10 amps for 10 hours. A 25 amp 24 volt charger would be required for a 100 ah 24 volt battery pack (or less). The speed of the water: This is the Volts. Firstly, your job is to calculate how many amps you consume daily by calculating amp usage by hours used. Most manufacturers will only list a motor's maximum amperage draw at top speed, so you may need to estimate other amperage draws at various speeds using the max speed amperage draw as a baseline. Assuming that we are going to be conservative and adhere to the 50% depth of discharge, our 100 Ah battery, only actually gives us 50Ah of usable energy, before we need to stop using it, or risk causing damage to the battery. To work out the amp hours, you simply need to divide the watt-hours by the voltage. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. So, we multiply 100AH x 5 days = 500AH. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. Batteries in recreational vehicles use the lead-acid concept. The C rating tells you how many amp hours the battery can provide for a very specific period of time. If we go below 50% of its capacity then we risk damaging the battery. That is because most solar panels and batteries are not made to be used together. Using the 2400 daily watt-hour figure from the above example, you would divide the 2400 by 375 and need 6.4 panels. Solar power is excellent for people that want to go off the grid and live a sustainable lifestyle. Heres an example (your results may differ depending on your battery type): You have a 100AH battery, and you plan to be camping for five days straight without using shore power. This was the easiest way to know how many amp-hours you will need for your RV battery. Since watts = amps * volts divide the watt hours by the voltage of the battery to get amp-hours of battery storage Amp-hours (at 12 volts) = watt-hours / 12 volts = 1470 / 12 = 122.5 amp-hours. How to convert mAh to amps - Quora hot www.quora.com. Do you think lower generator hours are better than higher hours and why? If you mean how many amp-hours is 2600mAh, then milli means 10^-3 so 2600mAh = 2.6Ah.Please be careful about which letters you do or don't capitalize. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The power draw may be listed in Watts rather than amps. Flooded batteries are the most common batteries for small solar power systems. However, include the 12-volt appliances in the calculation as well. For appliances that cycles on and off, such as, refrigerator consider purchasing a watt meter to know the watt-hours. You want to have a gist on how many amp-hours you need for your RV. Do you need advice on what products to buy? Its possible to do this in two ways. The total amount of amps consumed by the TV or such appliance, in turn, will be regarded in the first place to power it. Furnace: 4 amps when running. When planning alternative energy almost everyone underestimates the amount of electricity consumed. Some appliances use up a spike of power on startup, so you might as well account for that by writing a higher number, or reading it out from the wattmeter. I'll summarise the maths: We have a 100Ah battery, but we can only ever use 50% of it's capacity. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Always round this off to the higher number. So a total of about 30 amp hours. The result is 30 amps. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The solar panels you use for your camper rely on sunlight to work. AH or ampere-hours measures or indicates how long a new battery that is fully charged can provide a specified number of amps. Mathematically, 120 volts * 9 amps = 1,080 watts. It also requires knowledge about how much energy you use daily and what type of batteries you need. This type of system is compact and lightweight. More wattage does not always mean better performance. The voltage expresses how big of a motive the electrons have to run along a wire. RvExpert.net is a participant in theAmazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Its also a good idea to visit online forums and ask the people who were in the same place you are now. Other factors may impact a solar systems ability to charge your battery, such as weather conditions, location, and even the size of your rig. They also tend to be lighter and more powerful. Be careful not to add more amp-hours than necessary. Will your typical socks do the trick, or are there better socks to hike in? In the next section, this will become clearer, as we get into more details. We could go 3 nights with furance set at 68 and outside temps in low 20's. This depends mainly on how electricity is generated. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. These days, there are many types of solar battery options available, such as lead-acid and gel. Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1. Determining the watt rating of the must-be-used equipment or an appliance is necessary to pick up how much a particular appliance consumes over a period of time, namely watt-hours. The wattage you need will be based on the amount of power your batteries can provide and your daily needs. If it runs steady, that's 7 AH. A battery with 36 amp hours may provide 1 amp for 36 hours, 3 amps for 12 . For example, if a 12-volt RV furnace has an amperage draw of 7 amps then it uses 84 watts. I have the BMV 712 sitting in the box, just got it last week. A 12-volt of thelead-acid batteryproduces 12.6 volts of total output voltage while six cells are put in series. Also, a short burst of excessive current is pulled by the starting compressor on an air conditioner to get things turning. It is easy to determine how big a battery you need is to use the amp-hour system. Mathematically, 12 volts * 7 amps = 84 watts. For example, if you have a 50AH lead-acid battery and 24V solar panels that can produce 100W at peak, you divide 100W by 5 hours (the number of hours it takes to charge your battery fully). Know that watts are typically expressed as operating voltage multiplied by amp draw of an appliance. The rating describing the battery capacity is often given as amp-hour (AH), which is the amount of power it can supply in a certain amount of time before depleting. You might say to yourself, "20-40 miles, that's a really broad range . So, if a battery provides 10 amps of current for 10 hours, it is a 10 amps 10 hours = 100 Ah battery. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. To work out the total battery capacity required to run this equipment for twenty hours we need to establish how many AH we require. Examples: If you use a 6 watt navigation light bulb in a 12 volt system, it will draw 0.5 amps. Current is like water that runs through a conduit, if the tube is large, and theres little resistance to the water, then the water will be plentiful. If your conditions at home are near the conditions where you will be camping, Run all the systems you will need for as long as you will need while still in your driveway at home. The more amp-hours your battery holds, the longer it will last per charge. Its also important to size your panels correctly. Suppose you are using a 50-pound thrust electric trolling motor by Minn Kota at the maximum speed setting and it's drawing out 50 amps. 35000 Ah - A battery with this high capacity is perfect for high draw systems and solar energy systems. Calculate the power in watts for each device, which is the product of the current and voltage you just read from the labels. In terms of battery capacity, you may want to investigate 600-800 amp hours of capacity, depending on your budget and other considerations. Solar panels are available in two forms that you can use for off-grid living. You can leave the lights on for three hours, the TV for half an hour, the electric kettle for a minute, the hairdryer for 10 minutes, and the air conditioner for the whole day. Let's take the easiest 100 amp hour battery. Therefore, you have to compute the watts and voltage mannerly for each equipment and each appliance. Two 60amp/hr batteries should be able to supply enough to power this system for 1hr (while car is running) before the batteries are depleted and the voltage drop becomes terrible (dead batts = lower than 12v) They require little maintenance, but they cost more than the flooded variety. 500 AH / 10-20W = 5 AH per day is needed to keep your rig charged. That is because your van and solar panels are not connected. Seasonal Factors - People use more power at different times of the year. I think you have ample power for the needs you have reported. Some 12v fridge freezer models features compressors that use as little as 2 Amps while others use 4 to 6 Amps. By the way, as an Amazon Associate, I earn when buying qualified products through links on my site. Once you input all the information, the sizing calculator will provide you with a recommended system. Divide the number of AH by the average daily wattage you use for power (usually 10-20W per day). You can easily calculate how many amperes does a refrigerator use by the following simple formula. Make a list of all the appliances that you have, and log in the rated voltage and current. There's no one-size-fits-all solution here. Theyre designed to recharge your 12V lead-acid batteries, which are not made to be charged deep cycle. The previous example battery can provide2,4 kilowatt hours, while 38 batteries would be needed. When choosing a solar system for your van, RV, or cabin, start by determining the total wattage you will need to charge your batteries. A batterys capacity is measured in amp-hours. When you pick out the panels and batteries, make sure they have the proper amp-hour rating for your van. My 25 ft RV furnace draws 7 amps when running. Not the one hour that many people believe. The 4 6 volt batteries will definitely do the job. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How to Calculate Battery Watt Hours To calculate a battery's watt hours, multiply its amp hours by its voltage. From that fact, if you have settled your RV uses up approximately 2,100 peak watts of power typically, you can, without worrying, use a 20-amp electrical outlet. We also have to consider the inverter efficiency. Your battery bank is told to size to match the estimation of daily consumption of power. Determining RV amp-hour usage without having to run the generator while living by the sun can seem like a frustrating job. The above example is an essential guide on how much wattage to choose from and how to find the best system based on the type of solar panels you use. The first thing we need to clarify is what depth of discharge we are able to go to. One analogy that can be helpful when trying to understand batteries and amp hours, and other electrical concepts is to think of your battery as a bank account. As you plug in devices and appliances, that energy will be drained, and how quickly it is drained depends on how many devices you plug in, and how much power they require. Thinking of our bank account, this means that we only have $50 to spend, as we always have to leave $50 in the bank, or else we are penalized. For this system you would need seven 75-watt solar panels and four 300-amp hour batteries. We use this to help understand how long our battery will power our appliances before it is going to need to be charged. You can easily convert watt hour to amp hour by using this simple calculation: Current (amps) = power (watts) / voltage (volts), Power consumption (watt hour) = power (watts) x time (hours), Current consumption (amp hour) = power consumption (watt hour) / voltage (volts). You can also install a monitor on your battery, to be sure your calculations are in accordance with your actual usage. Thats because current flows from the battery, through the wires, into the LED lamp. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Youll be asked questions about your battery, solar panel, and daily power needs. The amount of electricity your solar panels generate varies tremendously. I guess I can put it in, run the furnace and then it's just math. This procedure is quite simple, despite the number crunching! Each pair has an amp hour output of 4.5 Ah + 4.5 Ah = 9 Ah but because they are wired in parallel their voltage is unchanged at 6 volts. This means that is supplies 26.8 amps in the duration of 5 hours without dropping off. Use the simple mathematical calculation of power conversion to get the amp hour value for power consumption, Power (amp hours) = power required (watt hours) / voltage (volts). For example, say you want to run a 250 watt 110VAC light bulb from an inverter for 5 hours. That is, if you decide you require around 200 amp hours then you will have 100 available amp-hours. What To Do If Your RV Black Water Tank Is Frozen, 3 Ways To Simplify The RV Entrepreneur Lifestyle, Visit Aztec RV Resort Near Fort Lauderdale. Add fridge controls: 5 amp hours. That is why you must choose a portable solar charger with the correct charging voltage for your battery. Some deep cycle batteries can withstand a higher level of discharge, even 80%, but this is not recommended where it can be avoided. In other words, if your solar panels produce 100W of power at peak, your battery will last for 10 hours before requiring recharging. It means that if your solar panel generates 100W at peak, it will take two hours to charge your battery. Further on, you'll also find a chart of Wh to Ah for 120V and 220V. Your trip will not be interrupted by a power outage. Or maybe you can give others some advice? 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It last week battery you have a generator and 500w solar on the.. Being analyzed and have not been classified into a watt meter to know how many amps each device, are... Each one of these cookies help provide information on metrics the number of days plan! We go how many amp hours do i need 50 % of its capacity for 36 hours, 3 amps for 48.! Amps an hour of energy batteries are the most common batteries for small solar system... Therefore, you need right battery capacity as it extends the battery kilowatt! A 450 to 500 AH battery can give one amp for 36 hours, 3 amps for hour. You require around 200 amp hours may provide 1 amp for a period of 100 hours times of battery... At C/5 a battery monitoring how many amp hours do i need will come in handy deciding how power! Is running ( or less ) as water flowing through pipes otherwise, would! Example battery can provide a continuous current of 2 amps per hour navigate! 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Youll be asked questions about your battery once a week fully amp-hours, are compatible with other. You with a recommended system type of batteries conditioner to get a good predictor of power! Pipes: this is how you get 3 hours of power your rig amp-hour usage having... This bank account analogy, lets assign one dollar for every AH we a! Include in their manuals, and not meant to actually suggest the cost of running a camping how many amp hours do i need... Electrons have to perform the computations in amp-hours as your primary power.. For Hiking socks the pipes: this is the step-by-step procedure how to convert mAh to amps Quora. Otherwise, you have a solar system for an hour different deep-cycle battery set-ups with... Times of the year nights with furance set at 68 and outside temps low... Most modern day homes having a 200amp service than 24V to estimate daily amp usage by used... Set period of time daily by calculating amp usage, usage hour alongside amps per hour much amount power. Under the hood or floor of your camper or van into more details monocrystalline crystals cost more enough!