Power, battery T@G 2020 Edge 5’

laurabe

A few Qs, a newbie here: (if you could please respond with easy to understand language that would be helpful-I am learning) :-)

1. is this a good / easy idea for basically powering a small new laptop, maybe TV and lights: Plug a Jackery 880 into the shore power outlet, attach a 100 Watt solar panel to it while boondocked? I am guessing this configuration will power the 110 outlets inside.
2. do I need more solar power?
3. if I want to add a 12 volt Nucold30 how much more power would I need for 5 days in moderate temperature? Hot temps?
4. re: stock 12 volt Is it better (significantly) to use 2 deep cycle 6 volts?
5. how far do you need to drive to recharge 1000 watts? That’s the size of the Jackery. And would I just use my tow vehicle’s 12 volt port?
6. How far do you need to drive to recharge a camper’s battery that’s at 50%?

Thanks for being an awesome forum. I know these are a lot of Qs, any help is much appreciated.

JamesDow

     Welcome to the Forum.
I will take a stab at answering some of your questions.
I own a 2018 5-wide standard tag. I believe it has much the same equipment as yours does, but my 2018 came with a Norcold NRF-30 Portable Refrigerator/Freezer.
Some of the additions I have incorporated into my unit are the following:
■    700/900 Watt Propane Powered Inverter Generator.
■    Replaced 30 Amp cord with two Heavy Duty 25 ft. Outdoor Extension Cords.
■    ABN 15A to 30A RV power Cord Male to Female 3-Prong Cable Adapter Electrical Converter Plug.
■    Electrical Adapter 30 Amp male to 15 Amp female.
■    OPOLAR Battery Powered Rechargeable (6,700Mah) 9 Inch Fan
■    Replaced the built in USB ports with Quick Charge 3.0 Charger Socket, switched with LED Voltmeter.
■    100Ah Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery (Renogy).
■    100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase (Renogy).

1. The Jackery 880 along with 100-Watt solar should be sufficient to meet your camping needs (assuming sun). The concept of using the Jackery as shore power to power 12 Volt accessories or equipment may need some thought. When you plug into shore power/generator/Jackery Power station, you are running through the T@G converter (below to the right of the AC unit). The converter with no draw whatsoever will pull around 15 watts of power. That would be wasted power if using only 12-volt items such as lights, TV, Fan or USB charging. A better use of the Jackery may be to recharge things, to supplement the existing T@G battery or to power 110-volt low wattage accessories (laptop computer).

2. The need for more solar power is a hard call. My short answer would be no, but if you are not recharging the T@B batteries while boondocking that would be an issue after a day or two. I use my 100-Watt panel to charge the T@G Battery. The game change for my camping style was going from the standard deep cycle RV battery to a Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery. Boondocking for four days even without solar is not an issue. That is always being mindful not to waste electrical power. I recently got a Phoenix 300 Power Station (Renogy) along with a folding 50-watt E Flex50 solar panel (Renogy). My camping outings do involve both tent camping and T@G trailer camping. Those two items (power station and solar panel) will mainly be used to recharge things like batteries for phone, camera, fans, flashlights and occasionally power for my movie projector. The 50-watt panel will mainly be used for the power station, but could also be used to recharge the T@G. Note, I can directly charge my Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Laptop from my E Flex50 even without the power station. Very easy and quick.

3. Adding a Norcold NRF-30 or something of similar type is nearly a must in my mind. I camp in hot desert areas and not having to depend on an ice cooler is great. I still use an ice cooler for excess drinks and just move things into the Norcold as needed. Do not have to worry about food spoilage.
4. As for battery replacement, I initially replaced my aging stock T@G battery with an Interstate 24DC Marine/RV Battery purchased from CostCo for $78.99. That change made a significant improvement, but I soon felt that more was needed for extended boondock camping. I replace my second battery with a 100Ah Smart Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery. That change made a significant improvement in both the usability side along with the charging side.
5. I have no clue how well the Jackery actually recharges from a vehicle 12-volt port. The Jackery advertisement indicates "Recharged by 12V car outlet within 12.5 hours". The data that I have collected myself is that my 100Ah lithium battery will recharge about 11% per 200 highway miles. I never got anywhere near to a low power concern traveling 6,600 miles last summer. I tow with a 2012 Rav4 4cyln vehicle and I do have some concerns of overtaxing my alternator. I would not recharge my trailer and power station at the same time with my tow vehicle.
6. How far do you need to drive to recharge a camper’s battery that’s at 50% depends on the battery, tow vehicle alternator type and other conditions such as day travel verses night driving. From my experience, I would have to drive around 900 highway miles to go from 50% to 100% with my lithium battery. My battery rarely gets down to 50%.

Feel free to search this Forum for many of your questions. You will find answers for many of those you have and even many you never thought of.
Good Luck in your travels.

---

laurabe

@JamesDow you are an amazing wealth of information. Thank you for explaining how using the Jackery for shore power is not a great idea. I like the idea of getting a lithium battery a lot, and of course a fridge. I wonder if I need to modify the tray to fit it in, and will search the forum for more info. You are so helpful, really appreciate it (and the kind welcome to the forum).