[Fritzenheimer]

Ok, so new here and I am seeking some advice on electrical power. My company has purchased a Promaster 3500 and has put me in charge of the load out. Our needs are going to need some minor electrical access in the cargo area as the van will require us to camp out in certain demo areas. Probably about 20 times per year. It's a black, wrapped van and we are looking at having a ventilation fan installed to help with some hot summer nights we will encounter. In addition to that, we will be installing a 1000w inverter to power ipads, phones, periodic use of a 1 gallon .6HP air compressor.

I've done some reading, but am in search of some specific advice from you fine people. Here's where I'm at:

Most van owners I've talked to stated that an auxiliary battery should be installed to run the fan. Now, if I do that, should I also purchase a battery charger for the auxiliary battery? If I do so, should I run the inverter off of the aux battery or main battery? Or could I sort of daisy chain the whole works like- run the charger off of the main battery to the aux battery, and then run the inverter off of the aux battery. My thoughts are that I could have the charger automatically charge the aux battery when needed, and just use the aux battery for all my non-engine power needs.

Do chargers have an automatic shut off so I could theoretically charge the aux battery when the engine is on? Or am I totally lost?

 

[keeponvaning]

Considering the fact it’s a company vehicle I would suggest a separate AGM battery also connect to the alternator/starting battery by a simple isolator switch and a 200 w solar panel set up to actually recharge the house battery.it is a business expense and therefor tax deduction.

RD has done an excellent job of documenting this recently and it should be easy for you to find using the search button on the top right of the site. You could easily do it for $600 and never gave to think about it again - it will just always work.

I’m sure RD will step in either more info for you.

 

[Fritzenheimer]

Thank you keeponvanning, I'll do some digging. It sounds like this is exactly what I am looking for.

 

[beewill]

Another option if you want a simple solution, but more expensive - a "solar generator" like the Goal Zero Yeti or Inergy Kodiak. They would have a built in inverter, and you could charge it up ahead of time and grab to bring to the demos. Multi day camping maybe add a solar panel.

 

[Fritzenheimer]

beewill, I was literally JUST looking at those. One thought I had was to mount a solar panel on the roof, and charge the system internally. Still though there's the problem of the vent fan. you can't run a 12v vent fan off of one of the Goal Zeros, right?

 

[keeponvaning]

I think if you do your homework you will discover the Yeti, while it seems too good to be true, is not your best option.

 

[Skaggydog]

I don't think there are a whole lot of Yeti fans around here unless you were talking about ice chests or bicycles.
I would just want to add that the two most common ventilation fans we see are the Fan-Tastic Vent and the Maxxair Maxx Fan. I have one of each and to me the Maxxair is so far superior that I can't wait to swap the F Fan for another Maxxair.
I also recommend not skipping the frame for the vent install screws and some added stiffening and liner support. A wooden one pictured