New Heaters and fridge

[silverstriketim]

Hello, I am an old member but have not been on the site for some time, in 2007 I purchased a hawk, I had it for 10 years, then bought a Travel Trailer, used it for a couple of years and just sold it, I am looking at ordering a new Hawk, does anyone know if the heaters in the new units are any quieter then the ones from way back in 07? Also any info (likes or dislikes) on the new Hawks, your input would be appreciated.

Oh and the new fridges, how long can the fridge (2 way compressor type) run without being plugged in on 12 volt? no solar, without the truck being started, I need to get 5 days.

 

[Vic Harder]

5 days without charging in any way? That is possible, but you need to invest in expensive batteries. The stock (new) systems are not up to that. The new gen of fridges use about 400w in 24 hours or about 30AH/day. 5 days = 150AH. With Flooded or AGM lead acid batteries, you want 2x that so the batteries don't discharge below 50% = 300AH. You can reduce weight by going with LiFePo batteries, but that's also expensive.

CarlG just posted his results with LiFePo batteries
http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/12997-hawk-flatbed-build-thread/page-6#entry214137

I sized my rig to run 2.5 days without charging, and have 250AH. So far my batteries have been very under-stressed, but I don't do much else with my batteries. What else are you going to run besides a fridge?

 

[BillTheHiker]

Since you are ordering new, may I ask why not get solar? Agree with Vic on battery issue. Adding solar to run my fridge was best thing I have done to my FWC.

 

[silverstriketim]

Thanks for your quick responses, I should have elaborated, I am using it on weekends mostly, where I park I do not have power, I also rarely drive my truck during the week, I want to leave the refrigerator on during the weekdays and keep it stocked, I didn’t have solar on my past rig and was hoping to not have to if I didn’t need to, The only thing that would be running during those days would be the refrigerator, Sounds like I need the solar set up, any recommendations with what they offer from the factory?

 

[rando]

Your usage pattern would be really hard on batteries (even if you had enough) with a deep cycle on the batteries every week. As long as you are parked in the sun it is also the perfect scenario for solar, you get the most power from the solar while the fridge is working the hardest, so the batteries get taxed a lot less.

The current factory system seems to be a pretty decent system and in NV 160W will likely be able to keep the battery topped up with the fridge running. It is a bit expensive for what it is, so if you are handy and like projects you could install something even better for half the price. If you are going DIY, you may want to go with 200W to be on the safe side. But if that sort of project is not your thing, then just get the factory system.

 

[strayDog]

You just might be able to squeak by with two days plus a little with the proper batteries (enough amp hours). During the week just plug it into shore power. I've got a 260 watt Zamp portable (7 to 9 amps/hr) plus 100 watt (3/5 amps/hr) on the roof which would probably be over kill for you, but down the road if you need it you could pick up maybe a 80 or 120 amp Zamp portable. Personally as much as I like the quiet of solar, a small generator an hour or two run time during your week end would probably keep everything happy! As rando stated though I also have found with solar even if your only making 1to1.5 amps/hr it stresses the battery less which is nice! I would seriously consider evaluating the pros and cons of a good propane fridge. If you get batteries here's a state of charge chart it's recommended to keep the charge in the green:https://modernsurvivalblog.com/download/battery-state-of-charge-chart.pdf

 

[Vic Harder]

If you get batteries here's a state of charge chart it's recommended to keep the charge in the green:https://modernsurvivalblog.com/download/battery-state-of-charge-chart.pdf

Tables like this can be misleading. You have to measure the voltage when the batteries have been resting for a while, meaning:
1) Not charging
2) No load.

That is a rare condition on a camper... it is usually doing one or the other. A battery monitor that uses a shunt, like the Trimetric/Bogart or the Victron BMV is about the only good way to get an accurate read on SOC.

 

[strayDog]

Thank you Vic, will do my homework on the Trimetric/Bogart and Victron BMV.

 

[Vic Harder]

i vote VICtron ;-)

 

[strayDog]

Thank you

 

[silverstriketim]

Thanks all,
I did go in and order the new camper yesterday, I decided to got with the 2 way fridge and no solar, I am going to do what I did in the old FWC and take the goodies out of the fridge each week and put it back on the weekends and possibly adding solar later if I feel I need it, while at Woodland they said 4-5 ish hours for the compressor type fridge to get cold on 12v, anyone experience cooling this fast?

I did go with a new Hawk, front dinette, Silver Spur interior, smooth aluminum exterior metallic grey, awning, water heater, shower, heater, I will post pics in 3 months when I pick it up. It will be a LONG 3 months!!!

 

[JaSAn]

. . . I am using it on weekends mostly, where I park I do not have power, I also rarely drive my truck during the week . . .





. . . while at Woodland they said 4-5 ish hours for the compressor type fridge to get cold on 12v, anyone experience cooling this fast?


Congrats on the new camper.

Questions:
How are you going to recharge the batteries during the week?
Do you plan on the truck recharging the batteries on the trips?
How many hours do you drive?
It takes at least 2 hours to get batteries from 80% to full. How long getting them to 80% with a truck alternator depends on how much the alternator can put out and how big the wiring is to your house battery(s).

To help cooling the refrigerator down I use pre-frozen 2 liter pop bottles of ice; as many as I can jam into the fridge.
The amount of time it takes to cool the fridge down depends on outside temperature.

My fridge hardly runs at 40ºF outside temp, about 30% of the time at 70ºF, and about 60% of the time at 90º, so how long your batteries last is dependent on what temperatures you camp in.

jim

 

[klahanie]

If you do try to keep the fridge running during the week, further to what Jim wrote above, parking in shade or with the fridge vents out of the sun will lessen the fridge power consumption.

 

[silverstriketim]

jaSAn,
I will not be powering anything on during the week, I will be testing my power and possibly going with a portable solar panel, I also carry a small Genny, in my old FWC I camped in cold weather and in hot weather, I live in Reno and camp mostly in the eastern sierras, I have an extra freezer at home so I will put a few 2L bottles in and try that, great tip.

 

[nevaska]

For what it's worth, I live in Nevada as well and 100w of solar plus 120ah battery keeps my fridge running continuously in the summer.

 

[So Cal Adventurer]

If i was doing it all over again, i would of NOT got the furnace they provide and installed a Propex.

Many (myself included) have had a ton of problems with the heater/furnace in the new FWC's

My .02

 

[Andy Douglass]

We have a 2018 Hawk with the Overland Solar panel/controller that they had just started using, and we have the biggest fridge they offer. We also got dual 6v batteries. When we were planning out purchase, I think they were using Zamp solar equipment which got mixed reviews and was heavier. I planned on installing solar on my own to save some money, since the FWC pricetag is a little steep. But when we were at the showroom, they told us they had switched to Overland Solar, and that the panels performed better and were lighter. We decided to just pay for the solar to make things easy.

I have been really impressed with the overall power system, and we have camped in four seasons now, from a smoky summer trip to Idaho, to freezing night in Great Basin, to a night in a snowstorm on top of Mesa Verde, to a 24 hour rainfest in Humboldt Redwood SP during The Norcal Storm of 2019, and everywhere in between. We were at Lake Pilsbury a few weeks ago. It was somewhat warm, but overcast for the first two days. I was worried that with all the "hydration" we were doing, and the sun being absent, that the fridge would have sucked the batteries down. At the end of day 2, all four lights for the charge level still came on. Even though you didn't order solar, you will probably want to add it at some point.

As for the furnace (I think it's an Atwood? Whatever they were installing in 2018), we have been pretty happy with it. We have done a lot of cold weather camping and have used it a lot. We have spent quite a few evenings in the camper listening to audio books or podcasts and can do so comfortably with the furnace on. It does make some noise, but it is completely tolerable. Have not had any problems with the function of our furnace, and I have been surprised at how long the propane lasts when using it a lot. We will run the furnace all night and not have any trouble with the noise. I try to be conscious of the exterior noise, but I would only be concerned if there was a neighbor on that side of us in a tent. It probably makes about 1/10th the noise of all these generators that people feel like running all the time.

 

[gullrock]

I am a newbie here and proud owner of 07 Hawk . My unit has two 160 watt roof mount solar panels which keep batteries up with the 130L Isotherm fridge running day and night . Quite happy so far.

The other question silverstrike asked was are the new furnace units quieter than previous models? Because ya when furnace fan kicks in and out you hear it . Has anyone upgraded to newer model furnace for that reason ?

Might be a question for the folks at FWC .

 

[silverstriketim]

Well after all the responses I called FWC and had them add the 160 watt solar, I decided that this would be the way to go and with the input here it seems the setup I will have I can run the fridge, as for the heater, when we went to the FWC showroom the new heater was quite a bit quieter than the one in our "07" Hawk, good news only 8ish more weeks till it is ready!!

 

[MountainSufi]

Just had Jackson Hole FWC put on a 160 watt Overland panel with VICtron, and 2 new gel 6 volt batteries. Never got below 90% battery power with the 2 way fridge set at "2", and a Cpap all night, and furnace set at 60 during the night.

Of course, YMMV because we did this trip in sunny Southern Utah. Gawd how I love seeing my VICtron register 100% so consistently!