Kodiak Inergy,battery +

[Sbell]

I heard back from ShopTinyHouses. Com (where I purchased my Inergy kit from with car charger extra) about the car fuses. They said that Kodiak says it requires a 20 amph fuses; however, when I was shopping around I asked Kodiak directly about my Prius v and they said no problem. Ugh.

I need suggestions other than rewiring ASAP. I am needing to leave to start traveling across country for a young death in the family and for other family issues, too. Plus, as the weather heats up, I need to be able to run my car fridge and cook (800 watts usually about 540), since I am on a limited income thanks to myedical health.


Please feel free to pm me.


Thanks in Advance,
Jennifer

[Sbell]

Update:

It turns out that the fuse in my small car inverter (150 watts) was a yellow 20 watt Micro fuse instead of a yellow 15 watt Micro Lite Fuse like in my car. So I had blown first the 20 watt fuse and then the 15 watt car fuse. Hooking it up straight to the car battery allows for a smooth continuous energy flow vs. the energy peaks due to the alternator.

Now, Kodiak has suggested to try a bigger inverter hooked directly up to the battery, as a result. Since, I have probably 2 to 3 more years of life in my starter/regular car battery, I don't want to chance blowing/killing it. I just rather not spend money on a new battery for my wagon - nor can I afford to do so. As a result, I have learned the reason why some Car Audio shops spoke of a "Relay System" from the car battery. So that got me to thinking about why a Relay System vs. an Inverter. There are a few more higher end inverters out there that have their own "Relay System" designed onto it for extra safety measures. Hence if the inverter fuse(s) blew, then if the fuse in the Relay System part would then blow and then energy would be stopped there dead in its tracks vs. traveling onto the battery - kinda like how it had killed the tiny 20 amph fuse in my small inverter and then my car fuse. Thankfully, it didn't go further than that.

The above is how I am understanding it thus far from only a tiny bit of research into the matter very quickly. Please feel free to add additional information or correct any misunderstandings on my part thus far in this matter.


P.S. Any store suggestions for Compressor fridge and freezer that's only the size of 40/50 cans aka can fit in my trunk area under my cargo cover? I like to be able to plan and am curious. Plus, are those as easy to clean as a regular house fridge?



Happy Spring to All!

[A Rooney]

I am sorry I did not see your post sooner.Please send me a Private Message thru that feature of the forum if you wish to contact me and will see that immediately and respond.I hope you solved your issues safely.Rooney

[A Rooney]

just wanted to report/update,Going on year and a half of daily use (in my cabin but perhaps pertinent to rv) and the kodiak is still working very well.Inergy the company recently sent me some updated info....warning stickers that pertain to connecting an auxiliary lead acid batteries....which leads me to believe that some unit somewhere experienced a fire because someone attached a fully charged 13volt plus battery to the kodiak...which only confirmed my initial feeling that this was less than logical setup as originally manualed..the new guidelines state that external batteries should only be connected when within close voltage to the unit....also recommendation to situate the kodiak in an incombustible location....since my unit now fully charges at 12.6 volts that means a connected lead acid (flooded or Agm) would likely suffer from being undercharged unless regularly disconnected and connected to a battery charger...and then discharged slightly and reconnected (ugh) Nevertheless I never did connect an external battery and find that the 90 ah provides for all of my daily needs....Which is lights powering pads computers phones, cooking,electric blankets,tv etc.....Fantastic fan breeze 24/7 in Summer...Hello I do take the kodiak in my chinook traveling but I caution Any and All that the secret to longevity here is use... I believe most if not all rechargeable batteries especially lithium ion... Do better when regularly used....Which is also a reason lead acid batteries in Rv's fail so far my system in the chinook continues to perform well (2 group 31 Agm,160 watt of solar,Trimetric monitor..and Bogart pwm solar charger... This setup for me has worked in a balanced without effort way for years ( I did notice from the beginning that every night parasitic drains did decrease a small percentage of battery power but figured the solar replaced that the next day so no problem and maybe it was good for the battery to have even minimal use.... Or maybe I am just lazy and disconnecting the batteries and reinstalling them when I needed to travel was for me a pain (and I was curious) My idea of the Kodiak was never to replace the existing batteries but to use as a secondary system for running all sorts of things ac and dc without resorting to the Infernal Onan..I recently saw a Winnebago Revel that's a 4x4 sprinter platform that uses 3 group 31 batteries and a 200watt solar to run all it's electrical needs including a small compressor fridge...Sans Generator.. my point?? That the original chinook electrical system was FLAWed from the start...and that up to date systems use any number of strategies to resolve that....I just get tired of reading post after post on the other forum year after year addressing electrical woes ...I would wager that Many many people here who have thought out and implemented improved electrical systems for their rigs also experience Many (as in more than 2) years of electrical system use without having to add replace or adjust or regulate anything.I can only speak for myself but one of the things that attracted me to the Kodiak was that it included an intregal 1200 watt inverter... my biggest doubt as well since what if the inverter failed but the batteries didn't,what if....and it may still happen and if it does I will report it to add to the collective knowledge base....So this report only is to say 1 and half years and all is still well.... Cheers Rooney. 2001 premier

[Scott]

Wish you would stop by more often.

[Blue~Go]

That's what I was thinking. Rooney: Don't be a stranger

(I have a favor to ask though: Could you throw in a few paragraph breaks? I copy and paste your posts into a document and then break them up a bit, but if you hit return a few times while typing up your posts then everyone would see them that way. There's too much good info to be "lost" due to people maybe not able to get through the "wall of text.")

BG

[A Rooney]

Roger
That.....
It was a rather long rant
one of the pleasures of life (for me)
Cabin life off grid spotty cell reception
Is that I am somewhat disconnected



But I do read the posts occasionly,and am fond of my friends and... other friends on the board
I am continually impressed at how devoted Blue go es about kindly replying to the posts
I do think the Chinook forum is a wonderful resource..especially for the new owners




I hope then that you Scott and you Blue are very well,enjoying the dark months,

and as always I look forward to a chance meeting on the road,

btw Blue I was wrong all those years ago,your knowledge has convinced me!!


omgosh where is Dave? To tell me I am off topic Kodiak wise



Rooney Playfully ,

[Blue~Go]

Wouldn't a chance meeting on the road just be fun

I get how spotty Internet can make doing things online kind of a chore. But do stop by when you can. We'll be here watching for your entertaining and informative walls of text

BG

[A Rooney]

Update almost 3 years and the Kodiak is still providing reliable power,(and is now replaced by newer models)no one is more surprised or pleased then himself,.....hope everyone is staying well Rooney