Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 11:01
I know what I'll say will be unpopular with some..but however.
Many of these portable power packs seem to be overpriced and underperforming....and ya still have to buy a battery.
The ARK is a nicely finished retail product, that appeals to many buyers.
BUT the problem is that bothe the battery charger and the inverter are underpowered.
If you want a battery charger........go buy yourself one bassed on you needs.....you can then use it with any battery including the one you keep in a box.
On the matter of
inverters.....I have made my
views plain in the past......the real need for
inverters is rapidly deminishing.....most electrical items that are practical, safe and reasonable to run on the
camp site come 12 volt native these days and are far more efficient than running thru a 240v stage.
Secondly...you wont run much of an inverter for very long off an unsupported battery......the general advice is that if you run an inverter..you need to be running the engine to deliver the load.
A 300VA inverter will draw in the vacinity of 25 to 30 amps at full load.
Third and most important.
There are
well documented and proven safety issues with portable
inverters....these are in practice from the point of view of electric shock, totally unprotected sources of 240v electrical supply. Arguable portable little boxes of death, if not treated with proper care.
AND ya still have to buy a battery.
SO the alternatives.
If you are handy and capable with 12 volt electrics.
go buy yaself a standard marine battery box for $20, screw a plastic project box to the top with all the connections YOU need in it...hell $100 and an afternoons work should pull it up.
OR
you can go and buy one of the more modest and more practical items that others sell......
There are a couple of members here that have such items.
OH.
and don't forget the safety issues of carrying a 30 odd KG lump of lead in your vehicle.....give some thaught about how you will tie it down...and don't forget ALL batteries need to be adequately vented to the outside air whne being charged.
cheers
AnswerID:
523805
Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 11:06
Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 11:06
OH..on the matter of
inverters.
If you have decided you need an inverter AND you have decided you can manage it safely.
Go buy one bassed on your needs, house it seperately.....
I don't see the advantage of screwing an inverter to the top of a battery...particularly an undersized one.
Ya 100ish AH battery will be heavy enough, without screwing a charger and an inverter to it.
OH
and think about that handle.
That 100ish AH battery will be in the vacinity of 30KG.....that makes it a 2 handed lift.......
cheers
FollowupID:
805360
Follow Up By: Member - Frank P (NSW) - Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 12:59
Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 12:59
Tie-downs....
In my camper I once had the manufacturer or agent installed a 100Ah marine battery, 30ish kg, in a plastic battery box ... wait for it... strapped down with a fabric strap screwed with wood screws to the plywood floor.
Two 8 gauge countersunk screws, no washers, fabric strap, plastic buckle.
Something more substantial is clearly in order.
Off-topic; I also think the caravan/camper/RV industry needs a ginourmous shake-up.
Cheers
FollowupID:
805371
Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 17:19
Friday, Jan 03, 2014 at 17:19
Yeh those marine battery boxes mostly come with a fabric strap with plastic buckles...
that is all fine and beaut when they are straped into the transom of a tinnie...um maybe.
but boats dont stop real fast and if they roll over, it generally does not happen at 80pluss Kmh on a hard surface.....if ya in a boat and it does ..
well getting ya head caved in by a flying battery spewing acid is the least of ya troubles.
Damn straight the whole caravan/camper/RV industry and the public needs A ginormous shake up.
Perhaps then we would not have batteries installed under beds without ventilation and gass & fuel carried in either impact exposed or enclosed
places.
As it stands..you are lucky if ya camper was migged up by someone with a formal welding qualification and it was wired by someone who had a vague ide of the electrical safety regs.
From what I see, a great many products and installations where not done by those who understood either the safety issues nor the regfulations.
remember folks, a batteey is a plastic box full of lead and acid, they do fail, the cases do split and they do generate explosive gasses.....all of them.....AND there is no such thing as a completely sealed battery.
cheers
FollowupID:
805386