I would suggest getting a generator. It can keep the batteries charged when the light is low and it will run the mini split at night withough draining the batteries. If you go with a diesel heater it will provide heat but still can leave you with a low/dead battery in low light conditions.
Yep. We actually had a generator and we were using it every other day for a few hours. I’d rather not leave it running all the time though. Just annoying. So we are going to be expanding our solar/battery setup and adding another heat source.
I just came through Durango 😃. In Cortez area now. Met up with fellow nomad from last year travel, to head to Arizona soon 😎. I wish you much luck with your power problem.
Thank you! We are solving it by going to southern Utah 😆. Meeting up with people you've met previously on the road is so AWESOME. We hope to do the same next year with the people we've met this summer/fall.
Durango is a beautiful place - I rode that train about 45 years ago to a drop-off point for a backpacking trip (first time snow camping). It had a wood fired stove in the car I was in. Great memories of that area. I'll be heading that direction (Pagosa Springs) in a couple weeks. Likely won't be there long, as freezing temps are right around the corner, and many of the forest roads will be closing around the end of Nov. I don't have 4wd, and my old bones can't handle freezing temps anyway, so I'll end up in the AZ deserts, in my tent.
That's so neat. Man, makes me want to ride that train now during winter with a fire and hot cocoa 🔥❄️🚂. Yeah, we woke up this morning to ice on pretty much everything outside so it's time for us to move along. Hoping to do some upgrades over the winter to eventually prep us for winter stays. We love all seasons.
Yeah, we've thought about that. Just didn't have time to build the proper scaffold this summer. I'll have to do some research on it. Definitely a great suggestion!
@@ForeignerDanielmain I actually have a leer dcc cap turned into a camper w/4 100w panels on top with a extra 175w for the top. Been thinking about a Colorado trailer 14f. Extra batteries help too .
@@mopar6873 Nice! Truck campers are so nimble, which is what I miss about our van. Go as small as you can without sacrificing what you need and you won’t lose much of that nimbleness with a Colorado Trailer.
Yeah, realistically we probably need 2 more panels, more sun (i.e. slightly warmer weather), and maybe 1-2 more batteries to make it work all the time. What's your solar/battery set-up like?
@@ForeignerDanielmain Bluetti ac200max 2200watt hrs with 1350 watts solar. We are in TX. We have a wood stove also. Planning to expand battery & overpanel
@@digitalboondocking5938 Nice! Yeah that seems to be a good solar to battery wattage combo, scaling one up almost makes it a necessity to scale up the other.
I forgot to mention that the diesels heater will use so little power that you will have a hard time measuring it. During start up it does take some juice to get the glow plug igniting the fuel, but after that the fuel is self igniting and only the fan uses power.
Yeah a friend of mine who vanlifes told me he leaves his on all the time during winter to to avoid the initial start-up glow plug power draw. We probably won't do that as we have plenty of power to run something like a diesel heater.
For the generator or heater? Apparently you don't need one for the generator if running on propane (which is all we are doing). For a diesel or gas heater though you do need a high elevation kit or the ability to change the fuel:air ratio. Fortunately the mini split runs at all elevations...just takes 700-900 watts when cycling the heat pump on which our batteries couldn't keep up with when there was little sun.
Haha, I know, right? If we had gone with a 20 ft trailer instead of our 18 ft I could fit another 2 residential panels up there perfectly. That would give us 2100 watts. So if you have any suggestions on how to engineer a slide out panel I'm all ears!
Hi, We use a Chinese diesel heater in our 7x16 cargo trailer, Used for 2 seasons so far at elevations between 7000 and 10,000ft with no problems. Ours cost about $150 but prices now run about $170. Buy the built in model, not the portable one as it is very compact and easy to install. We stay very warm and it sips diesel. Much more fuel efficient than running a generator as ours will run for 48 hrs straight on 2 gals of fuel. Mini splits do not work as efficiently in cold weather because they are a heat pump, in mild and hot weather they work great for cool and hot conditions. You need to use an additive to the fuel to keep the diesel from waxing up in very cold weather. Most problems that arise with these heaters is the failure to use an additive. You can spend $1,500 on a Wabasco brand or similar brand, or buy 9 or 10 of these well made and reliable knock offs. A 5k heater would be the best since the 8k is actually the same unit. This heater is the best investment we made for our trailer, I will be doing a walk through of our build soon. One other thing, you can lower your front rack by cutting some of the metal down on the side mounts. It will be more aero dynamic and catch less wind improving your gas mpg. Good Luck
Hi Dennis, thanks for the detailed comment. Yeah, we did order a diesel heater and will be installing it in a future video. Went with a 5k. You're absolutely right about the mini split. Works great for heating down to ~50 °F outside...after that it uses a lot more energy to heat. As for the front ladder rack used for the solar panels, we actually did cut them down as much as you can before install (minus the little nubs that stick up over the panels). And I actually didn't notice any change in MPG. We average ~11 towing and 16 not towing. BUT I do want to either add more panels or swap the current ones out for even higher wattage ones, and if I do that I might have to change the whole mounting system.
It doesn’t use gasoline, so no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It just uses a bunch of electric energy when dethawing…which is why we eventually installed a diesel heater…which does have a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if not installed properly. So we do have a carbon monoxide alarm.
If so, that’s great if you are stationary in an off grid cabin in an area that constantly gets lots of wind. I don’t see how it would be practical to use that with an RV when you move to all sorts of locations.
This video is 2 months prior to our diesel install video. This experience in the mountains is actually why we bought the heater, which worked great all the rest of winter.
It's gas actually. Ford's large 7.3L V8. Plenty of power even when towing in the mountains with our trailer. And I don't have to pay the $7k upcharge for the diesel or extra at the ⛽
@@ForeignerDanielmain I tow my RV with a 2016 V6 Tacoma and it struggles a bit… but gets the job done. I get between 10 and 12 mpg at about 55 - 60 mph.
Nice! I love Tacomas. Such good off-road trucks and tons of aftermarket parts. We looked hard at smaller trucks, like the F150, but ultimately the larger truck was best for our setup.
Maybe you will just have to run the heat pump and charge your batteries 🔋 at the same time… I hear that generators give you better efficiency at higher loads… maybe not much more efficient… but obviously you will run out of fuel ⛽️ quicker, but you will get more done with less fuel, if that makes sense…
That very well could be the case. I think we are pulling a decent load on it most times. We've found we can pull 30 amps from the generator (through our 30 amp plug input) which lets us charge the batteries at about 1000 watts and run 200 watts off the inverter. If we want to charge and run heat then I've been dropping the battery charge amps to 15-20 (which gives around 500 watts charge). If I don't do that then our Growatt (MPPT/AC input/inverter) shuts off the power input from the generator. Ultimately, I would love to run 💯% off solar so I'm trying to think of a way to add more panels with a slide out system...or replace our 4 350 watt ones with 455 watt ones I've found.
Friends - I did install the diesel parking heater in my build & really like it. I went all “in” with the solar build, 48v 272 ah lithium battery (200 lbs) and 1,400 watts of solar and used a 9,000 btu mini split but with cloudy weather - best I can do with the mini split is about 5 days. The diesel parking heater has been great and if you follow JohnMck47’s instructions - you won’t go wrong. JohnMck47 video start: th-cam.com/video/tvwmU_CcmGI/w-d-xo.html Here is my videos on the parking heater in my build: th-cam.com/video/IXekYUG8qRc/w-d-xo.html And finished: th-cam.com/video/sEy1zCpd_n0/w-d-xo.html Make sure you do a full test on the unit you buy before you install it. If you use the diesel heater at higher elevations make sure to have it in the “alpine” mode to give a greater air to fuel mix. I enjoyed your video!
Hi Jim! I just took a look over at your trailer build and man you really have done a very nice job. Hats off to you. I see you are also using GroWatt for your MPPT/Inverter. How are you liking yours so far? We've had a pretty good experience with ours but it does have a few quirks I wish I could figure out. A 48V battery system would have been the way to go, but at the time I was a bit intimidated by 48V so went with a 24V setup. Glad I did that over 12V at least, but if I did it again I'd go 48V. Thanks for the links to the diesel heater. We did pick one up that is advertised to work at higher elevation with an automatic air to fuel ratio mix adjustment. I'll be installing it in a future video, but likely won't have a chance to test out the higher altitude until later Winter/early Spring. I subscribed to your channel and will be following along with your adventures too! Cheers, Daniel
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I would suggest getting a generator. It can keep the batteries charged when the light is low and it will run the mini split at night withough draining the batteries. If you go with a diesel heater it will provide heat but still can leave you with a low/dead battery in low light conditions.
Yep. We actually had a generator and we were using it every other day for a few hours. I’d rather not leave it running all the time though. Just annoying. So we are going to be expanding our solar/battery setup and adding another heat source.
Yea I'd say!
I just came through Durango 😃. In Cortez area now. Met up with fellow nomad from last year travel, to head to Arizona soon 😎. I wish you much luck with your power problem.
Thank you! We are solving it by going to southern Utah 😆. Meeting up with people you've met previously on the road is so AWESOME. We hope to do the same next year with the people we've met this summer/fall.
Durango is a beautiful place - I rode that train about 45 years ago to a drop-off point for a backpacking trip (first time snow camping). It had a wood fired stove in the car I was in. Great memories of that area.
I'll be heading that direction (Pagosa Springs) in a couple weeks. Likely won't be there long, as freezing temps are right around the corner, and many of the forest roads will be closing around the end of Nov. I don't have 4wd, and my old bones can't handle freezing temps anyway, so I'll end up in the AZ deserts, in my tent.
That's so neat. Man, makes me want to ride that train now during winter with a fire and hot cocoa 🔥❄️🚂. Yeah, we woke up this morning to ice on pretty much everything outside so it's time for us to move along. Hoping to do some upgrades over the winter to eventually prep us for winter stays. We love all seasons.
Maybe angling the solar panels toward the sun...
Yeah, we've thought about that. Just didn't have time to build the proper scaffold this summer. I'll have to do some research on it. Definitely a great suggestion!
A 12 volt heating blanket works wonders.
That's a great suggestion! When I think heating blanket I automatically think of our old AC one...which was a power hog.
Cool video
Put some extra 100w panels on your truck topper and cab.
Just might. Gotta use all the roof space you have!
@@ForeignerDanielmain I actually have a leer dcc cap turned into a camper w/4 100w panels on top with a extra 175w for the top. Been thinking about a Colorado trailer 14f. Extra batteries help too .
@@mopar6873 Nice! Truck campers are so nimble, which is what I miss about our van. Go as small as you can without sacrificing what you need and you won’t lose much of that nimbleness with a Colorado Trailer.
We have the same concerns with our mini split heat pump. This will be our first winter with our new trailer so we will see how it goes.
Yeah, realistically we probably need 2 more panels, more sun (i.e. slightly warmer weather), and maybe 1-2 more batteries to make it work all the time. What's your solar/battery set-up like?
@@ForeignerDanielmain Bluetti ac200max 2200watt hrs with 1350 watts solar. We are in TX. We have a wood stove also. Planning to expand battery & overpanel
@@digitalboondocking5938 Nice! Yeah that seems to be a good solar to battery wattage combo, scaling one up almost makes it a necessity to scale up the other.
I forgot to mention that the diesels heater will use so little power that you will have a hard time measuring it. During start up it does take some juice to get the glow plug igniting the fuel, but after that the fuel is self igniting and only the fan uses power.
Yeah a friend of mine who vanlifes told me he leaves his on all the time during winter to to avoid the initial start-up glow plug power draw. We probably won't do that as we have plenty of power to run something like a diesel heater.
maybe you need a high elevation carb kit...
For the generator or heater? Apparently you don't need one for the generator if running on propane (which is all we are doing). For a diesel or gas heater though you do need a high elevation kit or the ability to change the fuel:air ratio. Fortunately the mini split runs at all elevations...just takes 700-900 watts when cycling the heat pump on which our batteries couldn't keep up with when there was little sun.
Get more panels !!! The key to your happiness
Haha, I know, right? If we had gone with a 20 ft trailer instead of our 18 ft I could fit another 2 residential panels up there perfectly. That would give us 2100 watts. So if you have any suggestions on how to engineer a slide out panel I'm all ears!
Hi, We use a Chinese diesel heater in our 7x16 cargo trailer, Used for 2 seasons so far at elevations between 7000 and 10,000ft with no problems. Ours cost about $150 but prices now run about $170. Buy the built in model, not the portable one as it is very compact and easy to install. We stay very warm and it sips diesel. Much more fuel efficient than running a generator as ours will run for 48 hrs straight on 2 gals of fuel. Mini splits do not work as efficiently in cold weather because they are a heat pump, in mild and hot weather they work great for cool and hot conditions. You need to use an additive to the fuel to keep the diesel from waxing up in very cold weather. Most problems that arise with these heaters is the failure to use an additive. You can spend $1,500 on a Wabasco brand or similar brand, or buy 9 or 10 of these well made and reliable knock offs. A 5k heater would be the best since the 8k is actually the same unit. This heater is the best investment we made for our trailer, I will be doing a walk through of our build soon. One other thing, you can lower your front rack by cutting some of the metal down on the side mounts. It will be more aero dynamic and catch less wind improving your gas mpg. Good Luck
Hi Dennis, thanks for the detailed comment. Yeah, we did order a diesel heater and will be installing it in a future video. Went with a 5k. You're absolutely right about the mini split. Works great for heating down to ~50 °F outside...after that it uses a lot more energy to heat.
As for the front ladder rack used for the solar panels, we actually did cut them down as much as you can before install (minus the little nubs that stick up over the panels). And I actually didn't notice any change in MPG. We average ~11 towing and 16 not towing. BUT I do want to either add more panels or swap the current ones out for even higher wattage ones, and if I do that I might have to change the whole mounting system.
With your mini-split heat pump are you able to have it on safely while sleeping? Any carbon monoxide concerns?
It doesn’t use gasoline, so no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It just uses a bunch of electric energy when dethawing…which is why we eventually installed a diesel heater…which does have a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if not installed properly. So we do have a carbon monoxide alarm.
The new highly efficient wind turbines blow solar panels away in terms if power generated.
If so, that’s great if you are stationary in an off grid cabin in an area that constantly gets lots of wind. I don’t see how it would be practical to use that with an RV when you move to all sorts of locations.
What happened to the diesel heater?
This video is 2 months prior to our diesel install video. This experience in the mountains is actually why we bought the heater, which worked great all the rest of winter.
Nice truck 🛻. Is it diesel?
It's gas actually. Ford's large 7.3L V8. Plenty of power even when towing in the mountains with our trailer. And I don't have to pay the $7k upcharge for the diesel or extra at the ⛽
@@ForeignerDanielmain I tow my RV with a 2016 V6 Tacoma and it struggles a bit… but gets the job done. I get between 10 and 12 mpg at about 55 - 60 mph.
Nice! I love Tacomas. Such good off-road trucks and tons of aftermarket parts. We looked hard at smaller trucks, like the F150, but ultimately the larger truck was best for our setup.
Maybe you will just have to run the heat pump and charge your batteries 🔋 at the same time… I hear that generators give you better efficiency at higher loads… maybe not much more efficient… but obviously you will run out of fuel ⛽️ quicker, but you will get more done with less fuel, if that makes sense…
That very well could be the case. I think we are pulling a decent load on it most times. We've found we can pull 30 amps from the generator (through our 30 amp plug input) which lets us charge the batteries at about 1000 watts and run 200 watts off the inverter. If we want to charge and run heat then I've been dropping the battery charge amps to 15-20 (which gives around 500 watts charge). If I don't do that then our Growatt (MPPT/AC input/inverter) shuts off the power input from the generator. Ultimately, I would love to run 💯% off solar so I'm trying to think of a way to add more panels with a slide out system...or replace our 4 350 watt ones with 455 watt ones I've found.
Friends - I did install the diesel parking heater in my build & really like it. I went all “in” with the solar build, 48v 272 ah lithium battery (200 lbs) and 1,400 watts of solar and used a 9,000 btu mini split but with cloudy weather - best I can do with the mini split is about 5 days. The diesel parking heater has been great and if you follow JohnMck47’s instructions - you won’t go wrong.
JohnMck47 video start:
th-cam.com/video/tvwmU_CcmGI/w-d-xo.html
Here is my videos on the parking heater in my build:
th-cam.com/video/IXekYUG8qRc/w-d-xo.html
And finished:
th-cam.com/video/sEy1zCpd_n0/w-d-xo.html
Make sure you do a full test on the unit you buy before you install it. If you use the diesel heater at higher elevations make sure to have it in the “alpine” mode to give a greater air to fuel mix.
I enjoyed your video!
Hi Jim! I just took a look over at your trailer build and man you really have done a very nice job. Hats off to you. I see you are also using GroWatt for your MPPT/Inverter. How are you liking yours so far? We've had a pretty good experience with ours but it does have a few quirks I wish I could figure out. A 48V battery system would have been the way to go, but at the time I was a bit intimidated by 48V so went with a 24V setup. Glad I did that over 12V at least, but if I did it again I'd go 48V.
Thanks for the links to the diesel heater. We did pick one up that is advertised to work at higher elevation with an automatic air to fuel ratio mix adjustment. I'll be installing it in a future video, but likely won't have a chance to test out the higher altitude until later Winter/early Spring.
I subscribed to your channel and will be following along with your adventures too!
Cheers,
Daniel