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Sometimes the owner doesn’t know what to ask in the first place. Which is why we have released this video.

👍 stay tuned. Part 2 coming soon.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching and commenting.

Thanks for watching and commenting. Yes, you’re absolutely right. If the van had in fact caught fire then the LFP would have been questioned. With respect to 12v. Just because you can as there are no legislative requirements around it, doesn’t mean you should. The size of systems being installed these days definitely requires experience. Plus the way the standard is written it means that the signing off electrician take ownership of the complete installation/modification. I for one know that I’m not keen on just doing the 240v side after someone else has done the DC side. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid thanks for the reply. I absolutely agree that tinkering with 12v stuff is not for everyone, which is why I think the Victron certification or similar is a good idea for enthusiasts to demonstrate a level of competence. I think it is completely crazy that a sparky whose trade is 240v AC would be held accountable for 12/24v DC work and circuitry they are unlikely to have touched. Like you said (and it has been my experience too) that sparkies have little interest in taking on DC jobs, which has left auto elecs and owners to do the DC upgrade/repair work themselves. I had my inverter and 240v AC wiring rerouting done by a sparky. I did all the 12v myself, including building my own batteries and installing solar. Has been great for the past 18 months, however I was wanting to reconfigure my system so the batteries were enclosed per the new spec. Not sure where that leaves me regarding ESC as I suspect any work I do voids my existing certificate?

There are a lot more requirements in the latest revision of the standard outside of the battery requirements. PV is listed, battery monitor is listed, battery isolator is listed etc etc etc. unfortunately this means that a competent sparky that understands the standard would be going over everything they were modifying or installing to. It would be up to the individual to determine how far they need to go but in our installations the dc side is considered.

Hi mate. Thanks for watching along. Definitely sounds like you have a few deficiencies in your system. The manager 30 is a 600w max unit. So you’re missing out on 80w. Although possibly not missing out on that as your panels are flat mounted. But you’re definitely missing out of vehicle plus solar charge as the manager 30 only uses vehicle if it doesn’t have enough sun to a max of 30a. Yes your inverter would benefit from a soft starter. You really also don’t have enough battery to realistically be able to run your ac for very long. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid thanks Dan, yes agree need a battery upgrade! forgot to mention i installed a redarc BCDC 1250D to catch extra charge when driving, currently getting aprox 35amps from that as well when on the move. 200 series landcruiser already running a 1225 BCDC to a second battery so alternator may be maxed out hence only getting 35amp instead of closer to 50a in the van. might head down from mandurah one day to see you for a consult/quote , regards Graeme

@GraemeHegney no worries. Easiest way is to send through an email and we will reply with a questionnaire. That way we can gather all of the relevant info and get a design done. We don’t normally need to see the van to offer you a quote. Looking forward to hearing from you. 👍

Hi thanks for watching and commenting. No we don’t use RVD’s in our installations. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid no worries , what do you use instead ? ( curious to know ) cheers

Our installations are done in accordance with the requirement of both AS/NZS3000:2018 and AS/NZS3001:2:2022. Depending on the type of installation as determined by the standard will determine what type of earthing, installation requirement and protecting device are used. I know that’s a bit of an aloof but I hope that answers your question.

@@outechoffgrid hi , yes lm lost re the regs , but l was led to believe that unless you physically drive a stake into the ground and earth to that you risk electrocution if your plugged in devices fail as the standard rcd setups won’t trip like they’re supposed to….

It’s a tricky one to answer without understanding the complete installation. However, I will say that there is no requirement in either standard for a device called a residual voltage device. There is also only 2 manufacturers that make devices that act in that manner. None of the majors have either bought the tech or developed their own. It probably goes someway to answering if they are needed or necessary tbh.

Hi Cath thanks for watching and commenting. With our batteries being a completely sealed unit with the ability to fit a vent hose, we install the battery into its location and take the vent outside through the floor. We then seal the floor penetration and so no dust can ingress the van. Cheers.

Hi thanks for watching and commenting. Yes very disappointing from the owners perspective and frustrating that there are people out there ripping consumers off.

Hi thanks for commenting and watching. Yes. 100%. It’s a very easy way to work that out and knock out a few dodgy ones for sure. Unfortunately though, there are a couple located near us that aren’t qualified trades but do the installs and then get a spark to sign off. That’s why seeking clarification of qualifications as well as seeking and ESC is so important.

Hi Tim. Thanks for watching. Hope you’re travelling well.

Your installation did well on our trek through Sandy Blight and Gary Junction road. I’ll be Adding 300w extra solar like you recommended to go to 825w total for our 300amp hour batteries to help out for lower sun conditions.

Thanks for the feedback mate. This video has been a while coming. It’s very frustrating seeing the quality of installations in caravans in general. This one just tipped over the edge. There are too many companies out there taking the Mickey.

Hi thanks for watching. Sounds like you already have a few red flags. Cheers.

It’s been interesting to see how many different interpretations there have been on that particular clause of the standard. I have heard a similar interpretation before but the other person with the similar interpretation agreed that an app does meet their interpretation as the app directly reads the informations from the bms. Fundamentally I don’t have an issue with either interpretation. I just don’t agree with them In this case and they would have a hard time arguing their case if they were inspecting our installations as I would ask them to outline how our interpretation didn’t meet the requirements of the standard. They couldn’t. The other issue I have with their interpretation is that the actual components used in a BMS to do tasks such as current measuring to establish the battery SOC are small and inaccurate when comparing to a specifically designed precision shunt built with high quality components. Some manufacturers such as Victron when using their complete systems use LFP cells with a separate BMS and shunt but also have the ability to read the information directly from these units by monitor or app. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid I think there has been some major oversights from those writing the standard.. Perhaps this is one of them. It is interesting though when you have multiple batteries in parallel or series.. A shunt only tells you the grouped information, and you can't dig down into individual battery data in most cases. This is where wired communication such as CANBUS can be useful.

Hi thanks for commenting. Yes. Definitely a consideration to additional weight is taken. We always discuss the added weight if that in fact is the case. This one definitely added additional weight with both a larger battery and more solar. But these guys have plenty of payload to play with so we’re comfortable with the additions.

Hi and thanks for watching. No we didn’t mention the cost. However, if you would like to get a quote feel free to get in contact via email and we will send you a questionnaire to start the process.

Hi and thanks for commenting. Yes it is. Too much in fact.

Hi and thanks for commenting. No it can’t be disabled. It can be bypassed though. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid how do you bypass it ?

Can you make a video on it ?

By taking all charging functionality away from it 👍

You're welcome. It is best practice to thoroughly research the van before purchasing it, and as you say, ask loads of questions, and thoroughly check it over to ensure satisfaction of the quality.

Hi and thanks for commenting. Unfortunately the caravan industry is filled with inexperience. As we always say, take the bare bones from the caravan manufacturer and get a decent system out in post delivery.

Correct. As mentioned in the video, the batteries were installed by the owner prior to us working on the system and prior to Nov 2023. We didn’t make any changes to the batteries in the system including the cabling so we did not ‘alter’ the system. As such we did not need to revise the battery installation in accordance with AS/NZS3001:2022. Cheers.

Hi and thanks for the comment. We wouldn’t recommend getting anything other than a basic package from the manufacturer. Getting your system installed post delivery is the best way to go as the full system including components and installation practices are taken into consideration. Seek out a specialist rather than the van manufacturer and your system will be designed and installed appropriately.

Ok fair enough well its a bit late for that unfortunately

Would be worth investigating a take out cost. We are yet to find a quality build in a van from a van manufacturer.

It all comes down to load requirements. We go through the process with our customers to ensure what we are building will be suitable for their needs. Of course more solar would be ideal if possible but with the roof layout and space available on a 20ish ft caravan there are always compromises. Winter time is always the hardest months for solar recharge. If you have the capacity to tow around a purpose build battery and solar trailer, fantastic, you’ll always be able to treat your mobile home like a house with less compromise. But as always, more battery storage, more time to recharge.

Hi and thanks for the comment. This battery is 620ah battery with a 300a constant discharge BMS (not 200ah as you mentioned). The battery construction is paralleled 314ah cells with a rating of much higher than 1C so even at peak the load doesnt reach 1C of the battery. 100a max? Is that a rule of thumb? It’s definitely not in any standard. Maybe it was a battery manufacturer stating that’s their battery could only handle 100a. If your system is designed appropriately, as this one is, the you should be able to manage a higher currents. I agree that a higher battery voltage would overall keep the current lower but in this instance a consideration to overall design and installation was taken. All of our installations take into consideration the battery as the starting point. Peak discharge of the battery is the first and most important consideration. Cheers.

@@outechoffgrid fair comment mate and as I stated previously your installations appear gold standard so great work, you would be amongst the small 5% of solar installers that do van builds correctly......the first time. And you are 100% correct as the 100A max drain is a rule of thumb and not a standard.

Thanks for the comment and question. Basically a lot of the products are actively cooled. So we add ventilation into the enclosures that the equipment is mounted into and the active cooling looks after the rest.

Unfortunately there are a lot of vans that come built from the manufacturer with that particular product installed. We can work around it. All good.

Thanks Dave. Looking forward to hearing about all of your next adventures.

That’s right. A good amount of solar on the roof makes a huge difference to the recharge capability.

Feel free to hit us up directly and we can go through the scenarios

@@outechoffgrid Done (email sent).

I totally agree 😍

Thanks for the comment. These units have a very small terminal size built in and as such the unit can really only take a 6mm2 or 8b&s cable. They really are designed to be mounted as closely as possible to the battery.

Thanks for the comment. Yes there is a lot of misinterpretation (or just general making things up) out there from lots of content creators in particular. Hopefully we kept it simple enough for the lay to understand an overall requirement. As with every standard there are a lot of intricacies that are tied into not only this standard but others which are referenced such as the Wiring Rules AS/NZS3000:2018. The standard doesn’t specify fuse type. It specifies circuit protection and under what circumstances. It’s up to the electrician to determine the type that’s required. In this case the blade fuse is fine as the panels used have a VOC of 24V DC which is well within the specifications of the blade fuses used. There is also no specific requirement within the standard for isolator type. Again however, the installer should choose the most appropriate for the installation. If the PV voltage was higher, say 48v dc or above, then the types of circuit protection and isolation used in this particular installation would no longer be appropriate. With regards to RCD/RVD protection, the standard is quite clear in its requirement. There is no requirement in the standard for an RVD (in either 3001 or 3000) however, if the installer deemed it appropriate then they would be able to install the type of RVD that allowed for an MEN connection as that is definitely specified in the standard. To answer your last question, as we are electrical contractors, all of our installations come with an electrical safety certificate which is relevant for the installation that has take place. In our opinion, all installations of this nature should be also supplied with the same. However, as we know, this is not always the case as a lot of installations are undertaken by installers that are not licenced electricians/contractors. Cheers.

Hi and thanks for watching and commenting. We totally agree. More solar the better. But there are always restrictions with RV’s in terms of roof layout and weight that we also need to take into consideration. Plus our winters in Australia are nothing like your winters in North America. We still get solar production through albeit a significantly reduced amount. Cheers.

Thanks for the great feedback

Hi Lorelle thanks for watching and commenting. Generally, to change from a 2000w to a 3000w inverter you would definitely as a minimum need to change out the DC cabling as the larger inverter draws more current so larger cable is required. To answer the ac side would need a bit more information about how it’s all currently installed.

Thanks @cathbp4089 . Yes, we can do.

Fortunately nobody was hurt and the issue has now been rectified.

Thanks for the comment. That’s actually not correct. The charger will think the battery is full before the battery is actually full and go to float sooner than it should. Leaving the battery less full than it should be. Having a charger many meters away from the battery is a poor design and all charger equipment manufacturers advise against long lengths of cable. Cheers.

Yeah wasn’t great.

Hi and thanks for the comment. As the second battery was fitted by the owner prior to the 18/11/2023 we didn’t need to modify the battery area to have the battery enclosed. However, all of the modifications conducted by us which included additional solar panels etc did need to comply. If you are looking to upgrade your existing installation of you battery by adding another battery you will need to bring the installation up to the standard by enclosing and venting the batteries in accordance with the battery manufacturers recommendations.

@@outechoffgrid Thank you for the clarification cheers :)

Hi and thanks for the comments. Yes I agree further information around specific items such as chassis mounted batteries would have been good to cover however, they aren’t specifically relating to the standard so we felt it was important to ‘stick to topic’ on that. We do cover reasons why it isn’t ideal to mount batteries outside on the chassis in other videos and we could in future do a tech talk on that topic also. Thanks for following along.

Looks like I need to go back over some earlier videos.