I am buying a Ford Econolone (early to mid 90s) to take a road trip. The van is an old work van, but it is empty inside. I want to put a carpet and sofa in there. The question I have is: i also want to put a TV, X Box, a lamp, and maybe a mini fridge. Will I need to install a second battery to power all this? Keep in mind the mini fridge is not necessary, because i know they use a lot of power. If i need to install a second battery, how hard is it to do? Are there any alternatives?
Thanks.
well what you really need to do is upgrade your charging system with a highoutput alternator. a sencond battery really will not do anything but put more strain on the alt. you already have, because it will need to charge the second battery also. if you really want the fridge i would go with a stand alone secondary charging system w/battery. but is very involved for a diy and pricy. not really the road you should take!!!
what i would do seeing it is an older van and not really worthy of a big overhaul. is upgrade the big three and your alt. that will give you all the power you need minus the fridge.
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JUST ONE MORE AMP!!!
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There are 12v minifridges out there as well... as little on the pricy side for their size, but well worth the investment if you plan on keeping the van around a long time as they don't take in that much power (relative to their 110v cousins). Also consider getting a solar charger or two mounted on the roof to help maintain the electrical while in park or storage for long periods. We've (the shop I work at) have done a couple of conversions like this.
Get the Big 3 upgrade and upgrade the alternator first to make sure your power consumption doens't brown the vehicle out, then get the 2nd batt to give an extra buffer for the times you need that little bit of extra power.
If you decide to install the fridge here is a little tip to help keep the energy consumption low. Keep the fridge about 2/3 to 3/4 full of something, preferably water or something that holds the cold well. This will reduce the strain on the fridge's pump by half and help conserve energy.
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The extra battery would be good for the times you're sitting with the engine off.. other then that, the alternator is running the show when the engine is running. Keep an eye on charging system voltage to determine if you need to go with a high output alternator.
Jim