Travato 12 volt power question

powercat_ras · 02-23-2022, 01:48 PM

Have a 2020 and 1/2 model Travato question for a friend ...

He has the OEM 2 solar panel setup and the OEM refrigerator. Even on sunny days his solar is not keeping up with the DC power use of his Travato.

Did this vintage Travato ever have any Winnebago recall to reduce the DC power consumption of the refrigerator? Or - has anyone found a modification to make the refrigerator more DC efficient if no recall available ?

Would adding the 3rd Solar Panel to the roof allow the solar to keep up with the refrigerator and hopefully also put some power back into the batteries on sunny days ?

Any other ideas for my friend on how to make his Travato more usable for boondocking without having to run the generator 2 or 3 hours or more a day. This is just using without AC and with minimal lights and fans, no AC being used.

He still has the 2 OEM Winnebago AGM batteries that are NOT deep cycle ONLY the cheap RV/Marine. I don't know why Winnebago still cheaps out with these.

Would it make sense to replace with an 100 amp LiFe04 battery, for about the same cost as 2 good AGM deep cycles.

Is the solar and Magnum both re-programmable for LiFe04 or are some additional changeouts required ?

Thanks.

DavidM · 02-23-2022, 02:31 PM

I don't know the wattage of the solar panels installed, maybe just a single 100 watt. A 100 watt panel in the Kansas latitude in the winter will put out 20-25 amp hours on a sunny day. Add in cloudy days and you will be lucky to get 15-20 amp hours out of a 100 watt panel.

That DC fridge typically uses 50 amp hours daily, sometimes more. So it would take at least 2 or maybe 3 100-watt panels to keep up with the fridge load and that doesn't begin to cover normal lights, water pump, device charging, etc.

The only real solution is more solar panels and perhaps more battery capacity to carry you through the cloudy days. I doubt that there is anything wrong with the fridge. You might look at whether the installation provides for air circulation around the external condenser coil. Improving air circulation with a little computer fan might help, but not much I suspect.

David

**creativepart** · 02-23-2022, 02:45 PM

Unless you get the Travato with the Lithium option your friend is going to continue to run short of power.

His choices are to camp with power hookups, or run a generator, or replace and upgrade his house batteries, or perhaps add a new high power alternator.

It's not just Travatos or Winnebagos that have this issue. People think they can just camp anywhere in their Class B and have tons of power to run everything for more than overnight.

I have a friend that custom ordered a Sportmobile B Van on a Sprinter 4x4 chassis. He got it set up all electric with a diesel water heater/furnace. He wanted no propane. The first 2 or 3 times out he ran out of battery running his fridge.

He paid more than I did for my 37' motorhome and yet his Sportmobile came with one Group 31 AGM battery and one 100w solar panel. When I asked about it he said, "I'm sure they'd never sell it to me if that wasn't enough battery or enough solar to use the Van out in the forest."

To fix it he added a 2nd high powered alternator so that he can run the Sprinter engine like a generator when needed.

**creativepart** · 02-23-2022, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

Is the solar and Magnum both re-programmable for LiFe04 or are some additional changeouts required ?

If he has Zamp solar and Magnum inverters then he should be good to go. Some Travatos come with GoPower solar and Xantrax inverters and I would also assume they're LiPo compatible but I don't know those brands well enough.

Solar is great - but it can't replace the generator on a consistent basis because of trees, clouds, rain, darkness, etc.

It's like we tell new members every day - you've got to have a reliable power backup plan to recharge your batteries. Running the generator 2 or so hours a day - one hour during breakfast and again during dinner prep is how it's done. More solar will help, but it's not an absolute.

TravatoJohn · 02-23-2022, 05:23 PM

Powercat. I have two panels on my Travato totaling 190 watts. When I added the second one (90 watts) at Bend Battery in Oregon I upgraded from the two original 12 volt batteries to Lifeline agm’s. Pricey but sure made a difference. They also reset my controller to match the agm’s type on the Zamp model. I’m wondering how good your friends batteries are. My original were Napa and weren’t working well after 3 years. I have not had any trouble if solar is working with the 12 volt fridge running. The lights are LED so no power usage to speak of. Not sure what else he is doing. Also have him check connections. Also check the connection underneath where the battery connects to the generator. Mine corroded there and there was definitely a voltage drop. Good luck. Let us know if anything improves. Travato John.

powercat_ras · 02-25-2022, 06:01 PM

Thanks, TravatoJohn. Wondering, given how expensive good AGMs like LifeLine are, would it make sense to replace with two good 100 AH Lithium, Chins 100 AH are only $ 330 (but have no below 32F cold weather charge protection). He is based in Florida and does not need to use / charge in very cold weather below 32F.

It looks like 2 good Lithium would be very similar cost to 2 good AGM given the drop in Lithium prices the past 12 months.

TravatoJohn · 02-26-2022, 06:38 AM

I saw Will Prowse did a good review of the Chins Lithium. Price is very reasonable. I paid 425 each from Bend Battery when I added one additional 90 watt Zamp panel on the roof. My controller was reset by them. One thing to consider if you go to Lithium is how will your charging system adapt to given them the proper charge. Good luck. Travato John