{"id":8304,"date":"2021-08-16T16:39:31","date_gmt":"2021-08-16T06:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/?p=8304"},"modified":"2021-08-16T16:40:16","modified_gmt":"2021-08-16T06:40:16","slug":"simple-camping-battery-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/simple-camping-battery-setup\/","title":{"rendered":"SIMPLE CAMPING BATTERY SETUP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you want a simple and affordable way to run your fridge, camp lights and charge your devices then good news! There\u2019s a basic setup<\/strong><\/a> you can use that you can put in or take out of your vehicle when you need it. So the next time you\u2019re planning a weekend away, here\u2019s a guide with some simple steps to follow! Just a note before we start\u00a0 <\/span>– an ideal setup would be to permanently mount the second battery<\/a> somewhere in your vehicle and then use a DC-DC charger<\/a> to connect the two batteries and provide the isolating and charging functions. But that ideal setup can be too involved for some people – particularly if you need to use your car through the week to get to work, do the shopping or picking up the kids. Adding all that extra gear can take up valuable cargo space, or if you\u2019re not going camping every weekend you may not want to invest the time and money to set it all up\u2026 so instead you\u2019re going to focus on the basics – you\u2019ll need a deep cycle battery<\/a>, a method of connecting up your accessories and some way of charging that battery!<\/p>\n

Step one is that you\u2019re going to need a second battery<\/a>. The most commonly used type of second battery is an AGM deep cycle battery<\/a> \u2013 AGM batteries<\/a> are sealed so they\u2019re safe to use inside your vehicle and being deep cycle they are able to be discharged down further than a normal battery and be cycled more times from fully charged to empty. But don\u2019t make the mistake of getting one that\u2019s too small \u2013 AGM batteries<\/strong><\/a> should only be used down to around 50% capacity so aim for one rated at around 100AH<\/a><\/strong>. That should give you around 48 hours of running a camping fridge<\/a> in normal conditions. It\u2019s a good idea to put your battery in a battery box<\/a> and there are a couple of reasons for this. Number one is it just makes things so easy \u2013 you\u2019ve got all the sockets and connections you need right on hand to plug in your portable fridge<\/a>, or charge for phone or even plug a solar panel<\/a> with regulator directly in. Secondly it\u2019s going to protect the battery and your vehicle \u2013 with much less chance of an accidental short circuit where the battery can arc out and spark. Plus with handles and the recessed lid you can pick it up and strap it down easily.<\/p>\n

Step two is to prep your gear in days leading up to your trip. If you have a portable solar panel<\/a>, plug it in to your battery and let it charge up \u2013 this might take a day or two of full sun to charge completely depending on your panel and the conditions \u2013 and if you want the most effective charge aim for a solar setup<\/a> with an MPPT regulator \u2013 it a more modern technology that can output more power than other types. Alternatively a great back up option is to use a 240V charger. You might already have one sitting in the garage or shed, but ideally use one that suits the type of battery you have for the best results and to prolong the life of your battery. At the same time, plug your fridge into the powerpoint and bring it down to temperature \u2013 once it\u2019s cold, you can put your food and drinks inside so they\u2019re ready to go too. Camping fridges<\/a> work most effectively when they\u2019re full \u2013 because the large amount of cold items inside help to regulate the temperature and prevent it from warming up quickly. So even if you\u2019re only using half your fridge, fill the rest with drinks or water bottles!<\/p>\n

Step four is to switch your power source from vehicle to battery box<\/a>. When you\u2019re ready to get on the road, pack everything in your car \u2013 strap your gear down so it\u2019s safe and then plug your portable fridge<\/a> into your vehicle\u2019s 12V socket. That way while you\u2019re driving you\u2019re not using your second batteries power and saving it for when you actually get to camp. Once you arrive at camp, transfer your fridge cord to the battery box<\/a> \u2013 now your fridge is being powered separately from your car so there\u2019s no chance of flattening the car battery! Make sure you put your camping fridge<\/a> somewhere out of direct sun and where it has ample ventilation. So take it out of your car if need be, or park in the shade and leave the windows down for air to circulate! This way you maximise the efficiency of your setup, ensuring your fridge is running cool without using too much power. Once you\u2019re at camp set up a portable solar panel<\/a> and plug it in to your battery box<\/a>, this way your battery is being constantly charged so long as the sun is out. Batteries prefer to be topped up rather than flat so you\u2019ll not only extend the run time and performance for your weekend camping trip but you\u2019ll also be helping the battery live a long life<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re ready to head home, step seven is to again plug your fridge back into your car\u2019s 12V socket to save having to use any more of your battery power. This will just stop the level of charge from dipping down too low and again extend the battery life long term. Finally when you get home and you\u2019re unpacking, step 8 is to put your battery back on charge! If you have your solar panel<\/a>, set it up in the backyard or use your wall charger. Batteries like to be charged up before they\u2019re stored \u2013 because they will slowly discharge over time. Even charging it up to full means that if your next camping trip isn\u2019t for a few weeks you will need to give it a top up before your next trip, but at least you\u2019ll keep your battery happy in the meantime. Remember – batteries<\/a> are happiest when they\u2019re fully charged! Well, there you go! now you know how easy it is to run your fridge, camp lights and other camping gear on your next weekend away \u2013 so long as you look after your battery and keep it topped up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you want a simple and affordable way to run your fridge, camp lights and charge your devices then good news! There\u2019s a basic setup you can use that you can put in or take out of your vehicle when you need it. So the next time you\u2019re planning a weekend away, here\u2019s a guide…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":5075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8305,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8304\/revisions\/8305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}