|
|
06-18-2019, 05:42 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA
Posts: 864
|
Amp usage
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidmurphy02
I haven't had the chance to weigh our 5.0TA yet but the specs for a basic 5.0TA show a 600 pound pin weight. My total dry weight is 4,300 pounds vs. the basic book weight of 3,885 (options like AC and dual batteries add to the weight) so I figure my pin weight is around 700 pounds. Our truck has an 1,800 pound payload, so with a 700 pound pin weight and 100 pound hitch that still leaves 1,000 pounds for me, Mary, and gear in the truck.
|
We picked up our 5.0 Friday and stayed at the Lynden KOA until Monday. We figured if we needed to go back to Chilliwack we could do that Monday. So far the only issue has been our water pump runs continually. Reace did address that issue on the orientation video as it can be common with new pumps We need to adjust the pump cut off BUT we need a 5/64th allen wrench to do that. At this point we will just shut it off between uses (we were hooked up for water at Lynden and had no leaks).
David, I am wondering where you got the 4300 lbs dry weight, I find the GVWR and the GAWR, but no manufactured gross weight listed. Am I missing that or is it not weighed by the manufacturer?
Also, if anyone can lend some light on battery usage. I have the inverter and dual batteries (225 amps). I believe they were completely charged 24 hrs ago (GoPower read 90% but according to the orientation video that could be interpreted as fully charged). We have now been without hookups for 24 hrsand our GoPower is reading 60% - 12.2 Volts. We have not used the fan, heater, or much other than 2 laptops, 1 extra monitor, charged a couple phones, maybe 12 hrs of 2 or 3 ceiling lights. Most of the time when I check the GoPower we are using less than 1 amp, the extreme I saw was 2.1 amps and that was only once. My thoughts are If I were even averaging 2 amps an hour that would only be 48 amps and yet 40% of 225amps would be 90 amps. We are in Washing with very very heavy cover and a just a sprinkling of sunlight between lots of cloud cover, so I am not that concerned about the solar output. Am I doing my math wrong or do I have a potential problem? Thanks
__________________
The Sweet Suite
Ronn and Colleen
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 05:52 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
You have to turn off the inverter when it is not being used, used meaning operating an appliance. The inverter draws amps while doing nothing, so that maybe your culprit. It is an expensive battery drain option.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 06:38 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronn
David, I am wondering where you got the 4300 lbs dry weight, I find the GVWR and the GAWR, but no manufactured gross weight listed. Am I missing that or is it not weighed by the manufacturer?
Also, if anyone can lend some light on battery usage. I have the inverter and dual batteries (225 amps). I believe they were completely charged 24 hrs ago (GoPower read 90% but according to the orientation video that could be interpreted as fully charged). We have now been without hookups for 24 hrsand our GoPower is reading 60% - 12.2 Volts. We have not used the fan, heater, or much other than 2 laptops, 1 extra monitor, charged a couple phones, maybe 12 hrs of 2 or 3 ceiling lights. Most of the time when I check the GoPower we are using less than 1 amp, the extreme I saw was 2.1 amps and that was only once. My thoughts are If I were even averaging 2 amps an hour that would only be 48 amps and yet 40% of 225amps would be 90 amps. We are in Washing with very very heavy cover and a just a sprinkling of sunlight between lots of cloud cover, so I am not that concerned about the solar output. Am I doing my math wrong or do I have a potential problem? Thanks
|
One of your documents from ETI should be titled Certificate of Origin for a Trailer. Near the top on the right side it will list a shipping weight, this is the dry weight of your trailer.
The GoPower solar controller display is not telling you how many amps are being used, it is telling you how many amps are going from the solar panels into the batteries - and if you are in heavy cover with lots of clouds, those are probably normal readings for solar output. The GoPower display should cycle between three readings - the percentage of charge in the batteries, the current voltage of the batteries, and the number of amps that the solar panel is putting into the batteries. In full sunlight when your batteries are fully charged up, that amp reading will be very low because the batteries don't need any additional charge. Otherwise it will be the max that the solar panels can generate at that moment.
__________________
David, Mary, and the cats
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 07:27 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA
Posts: 864
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidmurphy02
One of your documents from ETI should be titled Certificate of Origin for a Trailer. Near the top on the right side it will list a shipping weight, this is the dry weight of your trailer.
The GoPower solar controller display is not telling you how many amps are being used, it is telling you how many amps are going from the solar panels into the batteries - and if you are in heavy cover with lots of clouds, those are probably normal readings for solar output. The GoPower display should cycle between three readings - the percentage of charge in the batteries, the current voltage of the batteries, and the number of amps that the solar panel is putting into the batteries. In full sunlight when your batteries are fully charged up, that amp reading will be very low because the batteries don't need any additional charge. Otherwise it will be the max that the solar panels can generate at that moment.
|
Thanks David for enlightening me on both items, I found the weight as 4365 lbs I added a Lagun table mount - 11 pounds including hardware and added a convection microwave 43 lbs. for a total of 4419 lbs. Plan to do hitch weight once we get home. My F150 payload is 1733 lbs.
__________________
The Sweet Suite
Ronn and Colleen
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 07:41 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA
Posts: 864
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
You have to turn off the inverter when it is not being used, used meaning operating an appliance. The inverter draws amps while doing nothing, so that maybe your culprit. It is an expensive battery drain option.
|
Thanks Jim, we actually turned on the inverter about 10 hours ago. We have been using the computers steadily since (Colleen is still working and will be on the computer 3 days a week). It was probably good that we had very little solar today as I now have a good idea of what the drain will be. Thanks again for the reminder on turning the inverter off, I knew it but wouldn't have recalled it enough to have turned it off when we were finished.
__________________
The Sweet Suite
Ronn and Colleen
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 08:43 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronn
Thanks David for enlightening me on both items, I found the weight as 4365 lbs I added a Lagun table mount - 11 pounds including hardware and added a convection microwave 43 lbs. for a total of 4419 lbs. Plan to do hitch weight once we get home. My F150 payload is 1733 lbs.
|
What convection microwave did you install, and did you install it in the spot where the microwave would normally go? I'll be curious to hear how it does - was looking into that possibility but concerned about having very little clearance on the sides and top and having enough space for the heat to dissipate.
__________________
David, Mary, and the cats
|
|
|
06-18-2019, 11:20 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Trailer: 2019 5.0 TA
Posts: 864
|
Convection Oven
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidmurphy02
What convection microwave did you install, and did you install it in the spot where the microwave would normally go? I'll be curious to hear how it does - was looking into that possibility but concerned about having very little clearance on the sides and top and having enough space for the heat to dissipate.
|
It is a Contoure, Escape told me which one to order as they will do a custom cabinet - it is mounted below the 2 burner range with a trim kit. Escape does not install them, but it was an easy install. I liked Contoure's customer service, the first one sent from RVupgrades.com was destroyed due to rough handling and the second one had a problem with the door opening, i contacted the manufacturer for warranty and they were great. They said it the latch pin comes off due to rough handling. They had me ship it to them and they shipped the new one before I even sent that one to them. I will look into their products when we need to upgrade home appliances. We used both the microwave and convection quite a few times at home and it worked great. Looks great in the 5.0 as well.
__________________
The Sweet Suite
Ronn and Colleen
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 05:13 AM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Ronn,
You do realize your computers are 12v appliances and that you are converting 12v to 120v which the computers then change back to 12v for their operation? Very inefficient use of 12v. See if you can find 12v USB charging cords, then you can just plug them into one of your USB outlets and bypass the inverter. Your batteries will last you a lot longer and you will only need the inverter when using the convection appliance.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 07:03 AM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
|
Would love to have a big convection microwave, but we boondock a lot and like to be able to run the regular oven on propane - sigh, guess you can't have everything! That looks really nice!
__________________
David, Mary, and the cats
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 11:42 AM
|
#10
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Comox, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 previously 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 24
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Ronn,
You do realize your computers are 12v appliances and that you are converting 12v to 120v which the computers then change back to 12v for their operation? Very inefficient use of 12v. See if you can find 12v USB charging cords, then you can just plug them into one of your USB outlets and bypass the inverter. Your batteries will last you a lot longer and you will only need the inverter when using the convection appliance.
|
I would be very interested in getting a 12v USB charging cord for my laptops. Do you know where to find such a thing?
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 11:48 AM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandpeople
I would be very interested in getting a 12v USB charging cord for my laptops. Do you know where to find such a thing?
|
Try google or amazon or even the manufacturer of the computer, if Apple- try B&H in NY
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:19 PM
|
#12
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Comox, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 previously 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 24
|
I have tried. The only thing I could find is it is possible if you have USB-C on a new laptop.
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:20 PM
|
#13
|
Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,040
|
Try at a truck stop store. Those places are loaded with 12volt products.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:26 PM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandpeople
I have tried. The only thing I could find is it is possible if you have USB-C on a new laptop.
|
What laptop are you talking about? That would be a start.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:29 PM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,543
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandpeople
I would be very interested in getting a 12v USB charging cord for my laptops. Do you know where to find such a thing?
|
Even if you don't have an inverter installed, you can run a laptop and TV at the same time with a very portable one.
I did install a 1500W inverter and use it all the time to power my laptop and have never had an issue.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:35 PM
|
#16
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Comox, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 previously 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 24
|
We have an Acer Aspire & Toshiba Satellite laptops as well as cellphones that we charge through our portable 300w inverter. We have been very successful but Jim said that is not efficient use of power so was trying to follow his suggestion.
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:41 PM
|
#17
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Wenatchee, WA, Washington
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19'
Posts: 179
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandpeople
I have tried. The only thing I could find is it is possible if you have USB-C on a new laptop.
|
The USB cables are very common. One most likely came with your computer.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=usb+charg...f=nb_sb_noss_1
Chuck
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:46 PM
|
#18
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Comox, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 previously 2006 Escape 17B
Posts: 24
|
I have lots of USB cables, but the USB outlets on the laptops are for giving power not receiving power.
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 12:51 PM
|
#19
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Austin, Texas
Trailer: 2019 5.0TA "Junior", 2019 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi
Posts: 1,600
|
Many laptops may not be able to be charged through a USB cable. But running your laptops on battery until their batteries get low, and then running your inverter for just long enough to charge them back up would be more efficient than running your inverter nonstop just to power your laptop chargers.
__________________
David, Mary, and the cats
|
|
|
06-19-2019, 01:03 PM
|
#20
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
|
Here's a 12v charger for the Aspire.
https://www.amazon.com/CAR-Charger-4.../dp/B002TOFK2S
And here's one for a Satellite.
https://www.amazon.com/PA3516U-1ACA-.../dp/B002VANJ4Q
These are NOT usb, you need to use a lighter style 12v socket, if they still put them on the trailers, and I believe they connect to the regular charge port on the computers. Do verify these are correct, there are many styles of Aspire and Satellites, connectors may vary.
Being as how you are a fairly heavy power user I'd suggest you get a decent battery monitor and learn what's really going on.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
|
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|