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Hello i need some help with my Ice cream truck build

Do you ever come to the midwest?

Thanks Tom

Can you briefly elaborate on tying that into the existing wiring? Did you need to open the bottom of the camper for example?

Really admire your workmanship! Please explain your rationale for choosing 12, 24 or 48 volt in your larger system installs.

We also have a Thor Compass. Just wondering what method, you used to attach the solar panels. Thanks

Sharp hat.

Do we have to use the victron batteries or can we save some money and use another battery

Tom, Great video. We have 1000W that you put on our 22FQS roof. It is usually plenty, but not always. Cloudy days and shade both can be an issue, also as the days get shorter in late summer. The other time I want more solar is when it is so hot we need to run the AC. If the rail system was available when you did ours I would have loved to have 1500W up top. I built a plywood box for the bed of the F250 to carry 2 220W glass panels I already had. Doesn't take up too much of the truck bed since it is strong enough to stack other stuff on top of the box. I have a couple of adjustable brackets that I can use, but this summer I just laid the panels on the ground when I needed them (only a handful of times). They have very little wind resistance that way. I had previous ones on the brackets and a wind gust flipped them onto rocky ground and shattered one, so now I carry sandbags filled with gravel. I have a 50' cable that plugs into the connector (after cleaning the Mormon Cricket guts -)). The panels are fast to deploy or stow since I just open the tailgate and slide them out of the box which is open on the rear with a center shelf. I am thinking that when we are home in FL for the winter that I might upgrade the portable panels to a pair of 365W panels that I have extra from an off grid ground array and build a bigger box or look at mounting them above the truck bed sliding cover. I will probably have to get a bigger MPPT than the 100/35 that is there now. What gauge cable is run from the connect to the MPPT? Hopefully that is big enough. Thanks, wayne and carol

I have always wondered how much weather, mud, rain, etc. the Anderson plugs can handle? My trailer is a four season off road trailer. We travel in mud, snow. and dusty conditions on each trip. The zamp plugs do have quite small wires which limit how many panels can be used. In my trailer I used Victron components. I can monitor them with my Victron app on my phone. No need to wire a fancy panel inside trailer to check the system. I can sit in my trailer or tow rig and check everything on my smart phone.

Thanks for the great Videos Tom! Yes, I did pretty much the same thing with my 400W of factory solar on 260KVS. I installed a flush mount Anderson connector (near the factory Zamp port) wired to a Victron Solar controller in the pass through. Really helps me take advantage of morning and late afternoon sun, and is a great addition to the 1600W of Rich panels on the roof.

I think if someone would want to still utilize the traditional glass panels that they removed from their roof, they could use them in a liftable side array like we did. This way they don't have to handle the heavy panels, find a place to store them when traveling, or remotely deploy them and recover them every time they stop or a storm kicks up, eliminating the possibility of them falling over while traveling or get blown over by the wind when deployed, breaking the glass or otherwise damaging the panel. We've used our liftable, side mounted array full time for about 6 years now, and it performs very well. It's only 620 watts but performs more like 750-800 watts of flat mounted panels, especially in winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, because the sun's rays hit it at a more perpendicular angle. It even produces quite a bit of power when traveling down the road and it is secured to the side of our MH. This is something deployable panels can't do. They make a great window awning too, keeping it cooler inside. We use gas struts on ours to hold the weight, so that it practically lifts itself with one finger and it's easy to erect and clean standing safely on the ground. We don't have to put ours away when we leave our RV to prevent them from getting stolen like we would a deployable panel, so they can continue to produce power when we go into town or are out, exploring the area, as they are permanently bolted in place, secure from potential thieves.

It is interesting how everyone is hung up on how much solar on the roof. The purpose of the solar panels is to provide power to the battery system. The solar panels on only one way to charge the batteries, The batteries can also be charged with shore power, generator, & DC to DC charging. In my rig I can run my trailer for 3 to 4 days on the power in my battery bank even with the solar panels are not providing much new power.

Hi Tom any thoughts on the Epoch 460AH? and the Big Beard?

We will be looking at a new ORV 24RLS that has 200 watts of factory. I have not owned this branded of trailer before and am 550 miles from the dealer in Pittsburg, PA. How do run the wiring for the inverter back to the AC power panel and how do you run the CAT 5 cables for the screen? I would have you do the upgrade but I'm in New Hamphire.

The 24KRS is an Awesome floor plan. I checked them out when the first one arrived at my local dealer in Spokane, WA

If you did want to get to 2kw on that roof, the best way would be to use an aluminum strut system and install your panels above your roof obstructions. That also allows you to use larger and cheaper residential panels, and provides shade to your entire roof. The downside is you do add a little bit of weight, and add a couple inches to your height.

Thanks, great info Tom!

Great advice, Tom. I really enjoyed seeing all of your installs.

I love that you take a reasonable approach to energy consumption. I’ve seen people install a $20,000 solar install to make coffee in the morning. I love the less is more concept.

Another excellent video. Good information about what you have to go through to install the Touch 70.

Great insights Tom, important for people to understand how shade affects series panels. Our 1000 W on the roof has been good, but I am thinking of increasing the size of my ground array mostly for when it is hot and want to run AC.

Your builds are always a work of art. On that rig you are right about the shade from the A/C shroud reducing output. The extra expense might not be worth it. Unless your customer is willing to rack his solar over or at least even with the top of the A/C, you're limited not just by the footprint of the A/C unit but by its shade as well. A deployable array is a great idea, or you could also build a liftable array on the side of the RV like I did, which can be raised to the exact angle needed for optimal production, harvesting about 20-30% more power than horizontal panels, especially in winter. My side array shades my bedroom window too, so there's less heat load on my A/Cs. You could even do both if the customer wants to run his A/C a lot like I do.

Your work is perfect I love how neat and clean you wiring is, very cool 😎👌🏼

Nice.

What if you have a victron controller on your portable solar panel? Will it not integrate then?

Great advice your spot on.

That is simply amazing work - the craftsmanship and pride in such high quality installs. Well done!

Great job on a nice system, and it looks upgradable in the future too.

$$$$$$

Very complicated for a dummy

nice video

I’m starting my 1560 watt 8 panel install in the morning.I’ll be placing the Z brackets on the panels but using Unistrut under the Z bracket for ease of maintenance and future tilt and air flow plus my panels are bifacial so I hope that gap of around 4-6” I’m assuming will help with some reflectivity for the back. I’ll be doing 4S2P and two 150/70 Victron controllers. I currently have a Renogy inverter but maybe in the future a Victron so I’ll not have total control but hope it all works out.

Your presentation is entertaining

Great advice! Spot on. The cooler the better. As a side benefit, higher mounted panels provide shade to the RV, so the A/C doesn't have to work as hard, and it stays cooler inside too. Another option is side mount panels that can be lifted to face the sun, improving production by both reducing the angle at which the sun strikes the panels and by allowing them to run cooler due to the improved airflow underneath. Our side mounted array acts as a bedroom window awning, keeping it cooler inside. It's like we carry our own shade tree with us, keeping us cooler in the desert heat where there's little to no natural shade.

I dont understand the need for it to be so large. When you stop at a truck stop you have no room for a washer or dryer. Is it just the bragging rights of ...I got enough power to operate a large welder. Just seems like over kill to me.

Another great build Tom! I hope I will be able to get the 24v batteries when we do our install.

Would love it all except the price.

Great install! Fantastic work. Filled out form and have previously corresponded by email.

Wow! All Victron. I’m jealous in a nice way.

Been looking forward to this video, thanks. Could they have fit more batteries in that compartment?

Again, Tom, great job and great information!

Thanks for the video!

I’ve been thinking about doing a solar upgrade for quite some time, but I’m not sold on it yet. It’ll likely cost me at least 2K and I’ve got a 4000 W generator that’s bought and paid for and costs me $.90 per hour to operate. Around seven dollars per day to operate if I run the generator for eight hours for air conditioning and battery charging. Also I have DC to DC charging off of my truck. Solar is limited to particular times of day times of year and weather conditions. I don’t stay put for more than a couple days in one spot anyways. If you plan on staying in one spot for a week or more in a sunny environment, it makes more sense. However, that means you’re running the air-conditioning a good portion of the time. It’s all pros and cons.

It was great meeting you on our recent trip to Thompson RV. At the time, we were leaning toward a 280KVS, but now looking at the F27KVS. Where do you put the batteries on that model? Love your work, looking forward to having you do our rig when the time comes.

I would love to get a list of components and procing as well.

Great job! We love our high voltage array for the reason you mentioned. I woke up at 8:30 this morning and was already starting to get about 600 watts of output from our 400voc flat array. If we could lift it, like we can our side mounted array it would do much better. Yesterday, around 11am it was raining, but my 4,400w array was still making 1,200w in the pouring rain. For sure using all Victron components is the way to go, for maximum interconnectivity, if you can afford it. We're poor retired folk on a limited budget who had to give up some features and connectivity to get the most bang for our buck. For instance, I built our 48v battery from the EVE MB31 raw prismatic cells that have almost the same kwh capacity as the 4 Victron batteries used in this system for about the price of only one Victron battery. Of course, it takes time and knowledge to do so, so you can't really compare a drop in solution to a battery you build yourself. But if you're looking for the largest capacity battery for the least amount of money, building one from scratch is the most economical way to go for those willing to acquire the knowledge needed to do so. I'll send you some pics of our big system racked over our A/C, vents, etc. Take care, Chip.

I need this same setup!

Another stellar install by MYT Solar! Great job Tom.

BEAST of a system. Very nice.