@MazeVX and
@reaver – thanks for the comments, but you both might be missing that
the Manager 30 is also a 30A DC to DC charger. It's the Redvision system that pulls it all together in a fancy fusebox with remote switcheroo and bluetooth phone connection.
Regarding DC charging:
The Redarc Manager 30 does 30A DC to DC charging, solar charging, as well as shore power and interacts very nicely with the Redvision System for fancy screens and graphs and info about what it's doing. So, I basically have the 30A charging capacity while driving, via the M30 plus I'll have solar on the roof when standing still. Shore power is probably rarely, if ever, used while traveling, but will ocme in handy at home.
And just to avoid misunderstanding the bcdc charges your batteries from the alternator while driving.
Understood. I could be using this as an optional "charge booster", or as a second solar input when both are active. Otherwise I'd have to switch between on-roof panels and blankets on the Manager 30.
You will absolutely need a charger though. The manager is just a control center that links everything together. For 200Ah,i would recommend doubling your charge capacity. If you completely drain your batteries, they'll take almost 10 hours to charge with a 25A charger. A 50A charger cuts that to 5. That seems to be the sweet spot for charging.
See my comment above regarding DC to DC charging via Manager 30.
The additional BCDC25 would bump up DC charging to 55A while driving AND allow me to use on-roof solar as well as a portable solar panel or blanket while camped somewhere. I don't want to go higher due to wiring gauge increase and high load on the alternator if I go beyond 55Ah. Also, I would have gone with the BCDC50 if I had built the whole system myself, but since GP-Factor has that nice integrated component that fits perfectly into the cabin cavity next to the door, I went with that and just the option of more charging power if I actually need it.
Now, for the last week, we've been conducting experiments here at home with induction cooking and so far my estimate is that during a typical day we'd be using around 50Ah to 55Ah for cooking. That includes coffee for breakfast (we generally eat a self mixed "muesli mix" cold and have a large coffee with it), tea and/or coffee during the day, and a dinner or late lunch cooked via the induction plate.
What we've tested so far:
- Boiling water for coffee or tea for two people: about 5 to 6Ah.
- Cooking a large vegetable/egg scramble, with mushrooms (means a longer high heat phase): 20Ah
- Noodles & pesto: 15Ah
- A one pan rice dish with chicken and vegetables (rice pre-cooked): 30Ah
- Potato and vegetable pan: 40Ah (we'd rarely make that since it also takes quite long)
So, overall, my estimate is that on a very heavy usage day we'd use 60Ah, on average days between 45 and 50Ah plus some inverter loss. Which means about 2 hours of driving if there is no solar at all. All my estimates indicate that I need the two 100Ah batteries for the high load, not the capacity (although it is good to have some headroom there as well).
Our fridge is on a separate system inside the car. At this point, I'm not connecting the above system back to the car. We use a Jackery we already have for that.
I hope this makes sense.
