Power convertors in parallel ?

[birol]

I know that the fan is not supposed to exceed 2 amps at 12 volts at max speed. That is what the documentation says on it.

I have no idea how much the bulbs will consume, I have two lights with one bulb each. Someone at PUX mentioned that they will consume around  1.8 amps at 12 volts.

Fan 2 amps

Lights 1.8 X 2 = 3.6 amps

I am at 5.6 amps, if we plug anything into the 12 v jacks, we will be at around 10 or 12 amps. That is what I was assuming when I said a 10 amp or 12 amp sustainable battery charger would be adequate. I understand that I gotta have the 2 amp trickle charger for the kind of battery I need to get for finally. They all sem to have a switch anyways, 2 amps, 10 or 12 or 15  amps and 50 or 75 amps to start the car (remember they are battery chargers hehehe)

So looks like I have a  nice solution here ......

[Gone-Camping]

Yep, sounds like it. I keep forgetting that my new trailer has more lights in it than I do in my house!!! Add to that such things as LP detector, stereo system, tank monitoring equipment, and charge line back to the battery. So guess my needs are way up there.

Sounds like the 10-12 amps will work just fine.

[birol]

I feel so much better now I will see if I can get one which can put out 15 amps or so sustainable ...... Thanks for your help Cliff I will select one tomorrow ....

Yep, sounds like it. I keep forgetting that my new trailer has more lights in it than I do in my house!!! Add to that such things as LP detector, stereo system, tank monitoring equipment, and charge line back to the battery. So guess my needs are way up there.

Sounds like the 10-12 amps will work just fine.

[Gone-Camping]

Sounds good to me. You definately want to be able to sustain more amps than you are going to use. If you run at max load, then it'll wear it down or kill it trying to keep up. Sounds like you've got a good working plan there...

[Firefyter-Emt]

Here's what I would do.
 
Forget the converters. Form separate circuits for everything (lights, fans, outlets, etc.) and run them to an inexpensive fuse panel giving each circuit its own fuse. Allow some extra ones for growth. Connect a group 27 battery to the panel, through a 30 amp fuse, to run all the devices. Buy an automatic battery charger to recharge the battery.
 
The fact is that you'll mainly be using the 12v at night. A group 27 battery will easily handle things for a 12 hour period. For the other 12 hours, the battery charger will re-charge it. Plus, if dry camping, you won't need to ADD a battery!
 
And, don't forget that the battery, wire, fuse panel and charger will all be NEW to go along with the NEW ROOF!

LOL.. Man, do we think alike.. If Briol would ever post the photos you would see that the roof is wired with a 12ga common ground (branches off to seperate grounds 6" after it enters the roof to 16ga grounds) In his roof there are 3 seperate 16 ga circuit's (fan, lights, 12volt - 1/4" plugs) All connections are soldered & heat-shrinked togather. These run down to his countertop in a split loom harness where a round 4 prong trailer wiring plug & socket has been mounted for disconnection. The plug in the countertop is wired to a 6 gang common fed plastic ATC fuse panel with 3 circuit's left for later use. This still needs to be connected to a 10ga main wire thru a circuit breaker off a battery installed at a later time. (a 10ga common ground should also run to a grounding post near the fuse panel for future add-on's too.
 
That being said, Briol.. I sent you some links off e-bay for converters.. I found a few that work for you.. One was a 17 (or was it 13) amp converter for $20 buy it now.. This would be the best way for you to go. I would wire that connected to your shore power if you have a 120v site and later on add the battrey wht a small trickle charger made to just maintain a battery over a long period of time.
 
What I would do now?? Go buy a battrey, hook it up with like 2 feet of wire, place it on a lynx levler right under where we removed your old sink drain, and run the wires to the fuse box.. The battrey is not too expensive and you are putting it in anyway.. If you go the battrey charger method it will be too big to leave on for weeks on end during the winter to maintain the battrey like the one we spoke about.. This will get you out of having to find a place to mount the battrey for now.. (You could also buy one of those plastic battrey boxes to put it in and sit that on the ground.)

[topcat7736]

B,
That's a great buy on the Sears charger. I believe that they are made by Schumaker (which is what Walmart sells), as my Sears one looks suspiciously like the ones at Walmart.

As an automatic charger, it's perfectly fine for a deep cycle battery. You run it in the 2 amp mode and it will shut off the power when the battery is fully charged, which will prevent overcharging and possible explosions of the battery. NEVER buy one which isn't "fully automatic". The charging section of a converter can put a charge onto the battery, but it is not automatic and will not shut off when the battery becomes fully charged.

Just get the charger now & you'll be ok for the weekend. Make sure you attach it through a fuse to your fuse block.

[birol]

I went to a few wallmarts and Canadian Tires (Auto & Home store, much bigger than Napa etc) (Could not go to Sears since all automotive stores in Canada are closed) and puchased a 2 amp (trickle) /12 amp (fast) / 75 amp (staring) rated Battery charger which has 2/12/75 and normal vs deep cycle settings for 78 dollars !

This is within the top limit of what I was willing to spend, but is a very acceptable solution as this is the only one I saw which had a sustainable 12 amp at a reasonable price. I will connect it with an 15 amp auto fuse tomorrow and see what happens when I turn everything on. As it is from WM< I am sure they will accept it back if it is somehow not satisfactory.

I am wondering what is the difference between these and the regulated ones sold elsewhere, which cost a lot more.

[birol]

Awwww, PUX people are saying to not to use the charger as a converter

[birol]

Tested it with mu multimeter, 10 volts at normal battery charge, 2 amps. 12 amp setting brings it up to 12 volts, no 13.8 volts with this charger ! am I safe

[Gone-Camping]

I would think you'd need 13.5v all the time?

[Firefyter-Emt]

Your lights should be ok, But the fan may not be happy with out a "regulated" 12 volts.. The charger may also spike over 13.8 when you turn something on.  I still think you should go with the battrey.. Said that way back when.

[birol]

Maybe I should geta  new battery for the camry, it is due anyways it won't be starting with the current one this winter for sure, 7'th winter for it......

[K-man]

Get a battery operated light, and save your money until you can put a proper inverter in.  If time is of no cost to you then by all means try this and that to see what might work.  Or save your money, put in a proper inverter, and be done with the project.  Electricity is nothing to play with, a little spark and "finally" could be in its final resting place.  You've been tent camping, a little bit longer of the "roughing it" won't hurt.

Just my 2 cents.

[birol]

I gave up the idea of running it directly with the battery charger, but, will keep the battery charger anyways. When I buy a new battery for the camry, I will use it to charge Camry's old battery and connect everything to the battery. That solves the problem. this trip we will use the battery operated lantern as usual

[MommaMia]

If you are going to be camping mostly in places that have electric and water hook-ups, why not just bring a small lamp and plug it into the 110 outlet in the camper and forget the battery for now.  You don't have a fridge or water pump that runs off of 12 volt right?  The only need you have for 12 volt is for the overhead lights right?  So why bother?  And... you can get light fixtures that run off both 12 volt and 110.  Our 67 Skamper had that.  We camped with that camper for several years and never had the use for 12 volt.  

And if you are camping somewhere with no electric, just dry camp.  We did that alot in the SP cg's in CT and never missed a beat!