Electrical help--Resources

[OKIE9ERS]

1st joined here a couple years ago when I got my bus--then work put the bus on the back burner..Retired last month and finally getting back to it.
Ive searched for, but not found, some guidance on what Im going to need, top to bottom, to power a/c, appliances, lighting, and whatever else may come up.
81 MC9, 24 volt system.
Would like to put in a  single 240 volt mini split, to run 2 units, as opposed to 2 110 units- finding a spot for that 2nd outside unit seems to be a challenge without getting real close to the engine bay.
I have a 11KW Kubota quiet gen coming.
No battery bank--just starting batteries--2 8Ds--Ive read where some do away with those monsters for group 31s?
I'd like to know what I'll need for batteries, inverter, charger, etc.

I can run 240 I believe, straight off the gen, but can I do this without relying on the gen all the time? And will I be able to also run 110 off the gen at the same time?
Any guidance, directions to any resources would be much appreciated.
Thanks

[freds]

They make mini-splits with just one outside unit and two inside heads. Sorry I don't have a link for you.

There are all sorts of routes that you can go for the house battery bank and solar, just depends on how much of a tinker that you are and how much you want to spend.

Your might read through my recent posts and build thread.

[OKIE9ERS]

They make mini-splits with just one outside unit and two inside heads. Sorry I don't have a link for you.

There are all sorts of routes that you can go for the house battery bank and solar, just depends on how much of a tinker that you are and how much you want to spend.

Your might read through my recent posts and build thread.

Right--but those require 240 volts, correct?
Thanks

[OKIE9ERS]

They make mini-splits with just one outside unit and two inside heads. Sorry I don't have a link for you.

There are all sorts of routes that you can go for the house battery bank and solar, just depends on how much of a tinker that you are and how much you want to spend.

Your might read through my recent posts and build thread.

Yea---its the "all sorts of routes" that Im struggling with.
Not planning solar at this time.
I'll look through your posts---Thanks again!

[Jim Blackwood]

You can always get 110v off one leg of 220. Best to try and balance your loads though.

Relying on 220 for your AC will handicap you at any campground that only has 110.

Half the AC running on 110 is better than no AC at all.

Jim

[windtrader]

I do believe most, if not all, dual fan mini-splits are 220v. I never found one that ran on 120v when I was shopping last year.

[robertglines1]

does your stock AC work for going down road?

[OKIE9ERS]

does your stock AC work for going down road?

No stock a/c

[6805eagleguy]

1st joined here a couple years ago when I got my bus--then work put the bus on the back burner..Retired last month and finally getting back to it.
Ive searched for, but not found, some guidance on what Im going to need, top to bottom, to power a/c, appliances, lighting, and whatever else may come up.
81 MC9, 24 volt system.
Would like to put in a  single 240 volt mini split, to run 2 units, as opposed to 2 110 units- finding a spot for that 2nd outside unit seems to be a challenge without getting real close to the engine bay.
I have a 11KW Kubota quiet gen coming.
No battery bank--just starting batteries--2 8Ds--Ive read where some do away with those monsters for group 31s?
I'd like to know what I'll need for batteries, inverter, charger, etc.

I can run 240 I believe, straight off the gen, but can I do this without relying on the gen all the time? And will I be able to also run 110 off the gen at the same time?
Any guidance, directions to any resources would be much appreciated.
Thanks

So the way 50amp 220v power works. You have 4 legs. 2 legs, providing 110v each, common, and ground. Providing you can find a camp ground with 50 amp hookups consistently, you wouldt have a problem with 220. However when you visit your cousins and park in their driveway, hooking to their house hold outlet, you will only have 110. Making it not fun. Either you are hot or running generator. A normal motorhome setup, is all 110v, with careful balancing between the 2 legs. It is important to keep both legs drawing similar amounts of electricity, especially off the generator. 


I hope you can understand that....
Mason

[lovetofix]

However when you visit your cousins and park in their driveway, hooking to their house hold outlet, you will only have 110. Making it not fun.


I hope you can understand that....
Mason

Not fun is right, but I found with our S&S travel trailer the average "110" outlet could not run our single roof air without getting too hot (sometimes melting down) or tripping the breaker if it was a 15amp circuit. (And if it was a GFCI it would not work at all.) We would plug in over night when it was cool enough but had to run the generator during the day anyway for the AC.
I plan to have my wiring split up in my bus in such a way to be able to plug in my 120volt low amperage items to my cousins porch outlet and run the generator for the rest as needed. I even thought about having two 120volt plugs for each half of the panel box and just make sure to find two circuits that would give me both legs of the house 240 current. It would take some careful verification the first time, but for us we are usually staying at the same places year after year when we visit family.

[6805eagleguy]

Not fun is right, but I found with our S&S travel trailer the average "110" outlet could not run our single roof air without getting too hot (sometimes melting down) or tripping the breaker if it was a 15amp circuit. (And if it was a GFCI it would not work at all.) We would plug in over night when it was cool enough but had to run the generator during the day anyway for the AC.
I plan to have my wiring split up in my bus in such a way to be able to plug in my 120volt low amperage items to my cousins porch outlet and run the generator for the rest as needed. I even thought about having two 120volt plugs for each half of the panel box and just make sure to find two circuits that would give me both legs of the house 240 current. It would take some careful verification the first time, but for us we are usually staying at the same places year after year when we visit family.

Now that is a interesting idea....

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

You should order Bus Wiring for Bus Nuts.  It is available here:  https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/product-category/books/

Or if you are a subscriber to BCM, you will have access to this book and all of these other books free 24/7 for your reading pleasure.   

[richard5933]

Not fun is right, but I found with our S&S travel trailer the average "110" outlet could not run our single roof air without getting too hot (sometimes melting down) or tripping the breaker if it was a 15amp circuit. (And if it was a GFCI it would not work at all.) We would plug in over night when it was cool enough but had to run the generator during the day anyway for the AC.
I plan to have my wiring split up in my bus in such a way to be able to plug in my 120volt low amperage items to my cousins porch outlet and run the generator for the rest as needed. I even thought about having two 120volt plugs for each half of the panel box and just make sure to find two circuits that would give me both legs of the house 240 current. It would take some careful verification the first time, but for us we are usually staying at the same places year after year when we visit family.

The problem will still be there anywhere else you want to go. You'd be surprised how many campgrounds are 30-amp only, and how many times in a campground with 50 amp service you end up on a 30-amp only site.

I'd strongly recommend finding a way to keep everything on your coach able to run on a single phase 120v input.

Here's an idea...

Set up your bus with hybrid inverter(s) capable of providing 240v split phase to your load center. Your a/c will be power from this. When you are plugged into a 50-amp split phase service the inverter(s) will simply pass it along to  the load center.

When you are plugged into anything less than a 50-amp pedestal, the inverter(s) will use the incoming ac power to provide what it can, and it will pull from the batteries to make up the difference.

Victron is coming out with a new model of their Multiplus II inverters which can automatically do the phase switching, so no matter what's coming in from the pedestal it will power both sides of your load center. I believe that there is a way to run these in parallel to provide true 240 service which can power the a/c unit you're talking about.

[luvrbus]

The inverters need a big enough battery bank to draw from when one is making up the difference in the power load it is not like one just makes the power

[OKIE9ERS]

The problem will still be there anywhere else you want to go. You'd be surprised how many campgrounds are 30-amp only, and how many times in a campground with 50 amp service you end up on a 30-amp only site.

I'd strongly recommend finding a way to keep everything on your coach able to run on a single phase 120v input.

Here's an idea...

Set up your bus with hybrid inverter(s) capable of providing 240v split phase to your load center. Your a/c will be power from this. When you are plugged into a 50-amp split phase service the inverter(s) will simply pass it along to  the load center.

When you are plugged into anything less than a 50-amp pedestal, the inverter(s) will use the incoming ac power to provide what it can, and it will pull from the batteries to make up the difference.

Victron is coming out with a new model of their Multiplus II inverters which can automatically do the phase switching, so no matter what's coming in from the pedestal it will power both sides of your load center. I believe that there is a way to run these in parallel to provide true 240 service which can power the a/c unit you're talking about.

Now that is interesting