No reason not to, except for weight of the panels. I love how the van doesn't heat up in summer, especially when the sun is overhead. Sometimes I park with the front cab in the shade, the rest in the sun. Having a white van helps a lot too. We have very intense sun here so it's worth getting white.
I did a simple 18 Volt, 560 Watt setup for our home here in the States. I put TWO cutoff switches in my system-One to isolate the panels from the controller, and the other to isolate the BATTERY from the controller.
Yeah I have both too- one is a contactor which disables the battery from everything as well as a breaker. The other is a breaker between the panels and MPPT which I have to have legally.
@@EatSleepVan I understand. I don't know this for certain, but I do not believe that regulation exists here in the States. Still what you've done is a good practice and people SHOULD do these things in ANY electrical setup. I once served on a Volunteer Fire Dept. and I have SEEN fires caused by faulty DIY Solar installs. That actually scared me away from Solar for many years; However as my knowledge improved-as well as the technology-I got past those fears, started exploring the possibilities and here I am, today, a STRONG supporter of alternative energy.
@@bruceforster3709 Yes new Zealand has very strict regulation for electrical. We deal with 230V so it is inherently more dangerous! Basically the regulations are all that apply for a normal house PLUS special moving vehicle regulations. Which makes sense because of vibrations and movement. Examples that apply to vans are: - All cables must be at least 5 (or is it 7?) core stranded (so flexing doesn't create fatigue) - All AC cabling and outlets have to be in installed by an electrician - All AC must be tested and signed off by an electrician, and then inspected by a specialist moving vehicle electrical inspector. - You're allowed to install up to 120V DC solar panels yourself. - Everything has to be earthed properly etc etc
No one ever talks about how the panels give you some much needed shade in the summer time , glad you did. I want to do this myself when I get a van but not for Vanlife but because the power gets knocked out here so much, would be nice to have a mobile office space and off grid back up.
I fitted a tilting 58degree servo powered rack on a roof rack. got x4 280w 5.5A mono's fitted, 2s2p at 120voc@11A. (~1150w) but British weather sucks in the winter. I'm looking at getting a victron 250/100 mppt to get the most out of them. got x2 roof lights and aircon under the rack using the 25cm clearance of the rack.
2:40 Flexible panels degrade very quickly with UV. I replaced 4 flexible panels with glass. No problems since Don't go flexible unless its a sitting in a garage most of the year.
One advantage of rigid panels over flexible you didn't mention is that constant exposure to sunlight rapidly (5 years) clouds the clear plastic coating on the flexible panels. You need to cover them up when not in use to prolong their lifespan. This happens due to a chemical reaction happening in the plastic, driven by sunlight. Not a problem with glass.
And in winter or high latitudes, the panels produce very little because not inclined. For this reason I have decided to mount them tilting up to 60°. Controlled by 12V electrical linear actuators
I'm wondering if at the height that you have them off the roof if you were to install something like a maxxair fan without the corver if the inch or so of opening would still allow for good air flow. 0:59 Your install looks great, where do the ends of the panels land in relation to the sides of the van? just thinking about install and design ideas to make the install more stealth. Do you think the frames of panels like this are strong enough to be secured using only their sides, for install where the panels inside a tubular roof rack suspended only by sides. I would think so.
Hey thanks for the comments. Yeah I think they are strong enough, i only have 4 bolts on each panel to the rack, no problems after a year and a half. You know I never thought about just removing the cover completely for the maxxair to fit under the solar panels! It is nice to shut it for warmth occasionally although normally it is open. I Do have the bathroom fan under the panels, it only raises a small amount and actually hits the panels which is fine as it’s a manual push. I didn’t want the panels higher than necessary as the whole van is already pretty tall. I’m thinking if I did it again I’d try and put a skylight at one end even if it’s under the panels and can be opened a small amount for airflow.
I really like your channel. I check for new videos every day. I hope you get some time free to post more, we're looking forward to seeing this project come together.
FYI, you don't need panels in pair to place them in parallel. Plus you'll get the benefits when partially shaded.. Since you're using 36v panels you ashtray get the benefits of the higher voltage with regards to voltage drop and cable sizes etc.
That’s true but the MC4 connectors I used are only rated to 20Amps, and three in parallel would be 30A. Luckily I think these panels have bypass diodes built in so shading doesn’t bring down the whole string like you might expect.
Why stack your whole roof with solar and a huge battery system? Because in the winter you get half the sun and some times where it's cloudy 2 days in a row or more. If you're full time vanlife, you don't want to be rationing power all the time so go big if you can
A disadvantage of a single series string is that if only one cell is blocked from light (or dirty) the effect extends to the whole array. Apparently even a single dark cell poorly conducts the power otherwise available from the rest of the string. Don't park with any part of the array in the shade :)
Very true, especially on a single panel. Although most modern house panels have isolating diodes so one panel can be bypassed if it has too much resistance. So it’s not quite as bad as panels without them. I did some testing to confirm this using cardboard.
This is great, we’ve got this transit van, H3L4 ‘Jumbo’ and looking at 2 X LG 320W NeOn panels so what would be the best to wire them in parallel or series and does that then change the MPPT controller we would need? We have 280ah LiPo4 batterys and looking how to best finish the electric set up but 100% these 60 cell panels are the way I think! NZ LOVE HERE 🇦🇺💙
Hi, you can either go parallel or series, and check the specs of the MPPT controller to check both the max voltage, and max current. Obviously you double one or the other depending which way you go. Likely the controller will handle either configuration because they're wattage based (up to limits, which only 2 panels probably won't break). Those NeOn panels would be awesome! I nearly bought the 300W versions of them back when I did it, but they were a chunk more expensive. Cheers!
@@EatSleepVan Yes I'm sure. Never heard of those rules on mobile applications with solar. We in Europe have no rules on mobile use, only (offcourse) on home use. Nice to see your using Victron components as I do, I'm lucky to live next to the Netherlands, so I could buy a bit cheaper (almost at factory prices). I'm rather limited due to roof domes on my van and use the 200w Bluesolar panel with the new Superpack 100Ah battery (I don't have big energy requirements) works excellent, for winter travelling I'm using as backup an Efoy fuelcell. Enjoy your travels!
I noticed a pair of aerials tucked in behind your solar panels. Do you have those hooked up to a 4G router by any chance? If so where did you get them from?
Yeah probably could have. If I was happy to loose more height could have put it above it! Another option would be to have a 4th panel slide out the front when parked, or put some flexible panels on the curved front. Both would require another MPPT controller
With the panels and everything inside the van, he’s at the van’s load limit. To fit another panel, he would need to take something out of the inside or have a different van (that needs a truck license)
How far off the top of the van did the panels end up being at the middle of the roof (or how much lift at the sides did you create)? I am working on mounting mine and am wondering if spacing them too close to the top of the roof will create any wind noise/whistling or undesirable noise. I was surprised how much lift at the sides of the van was required just to clear the hump in the middle of the van. I measured it at around 2.5" on each side to get above the middle of the van roof. Thanks!
Hi yes it's quite a gap, I think my roof racks are 44x38x5 mm U channel aluminium, and I stacked 2 on top of each other in spaces for roof racks. So it'll be 88mm (3.4") high, and the panels were bolted onto them directly. There's a bit of gap, handy as I had to get my hand underneath to bolt things, and mount the shower fan under the panels. Keep in mind the panels have a depth too, which the shower fan lid goes up into before it hits the underside of the panel. The gap isn't quite big enough to get underneath and clean, so it's a bit grotty under there.
Hey it's a good question! the roof is curved so you always need to support it up somehow. Saying that they could be a touch closer. I did want room for the shower air vent under them at one end. I also wanted to be able to clean under them but in reality it's still a bit tight to do that. I wasn't too worried because the exhaust fan is higher than the panels even when closed. They do have a benefit or two by being raised, it allows more airflow underneath them so they are cooler and work more efficiently. It also shades the van keeping it cooler in summer. I'm also not worried about stealth, although I think it's hard to know they are solar panels unless you know what you're looking at. Looks more like a roof rack system.
I was told you need about 800W of solar to run a small air conditioner (5-6000 BTU). Do you have any plans for a small window sized AC unit in your build?
Hey yeah I’ve definitely been thinking about AC. In New Zealand it’s actually hard to buy those cheap window AC units that are popular in the US. They primarily sell split AC here which have outdoor units that are too big. There are some portable units available which might be a good option if you can vent them outside properly. We only have hot weather occasionally so it’s not a big deal. I decided just turning the van on and using it’s built in AC for those rare occasions is a good option.
Have you seen this video? th-cam.com/video/U7WSjsw8BnM/w-d-xo.html An older gentleman mounted a window AC unit through the side wall of his Transit van.
Which battery are you using? I want to plan on using at least 900 Watts of solar on my next RV build, but I’m not quite sure which battery or inverter I should invest in.
I recommend looking at Lithium Iron Phosphate from a reputable brand, with built in BMS. It depends where you are and how much shipping costs so can't recommend anything in particular.
Yes, they sell different size MPPT controllers to handle different quantities of solar input. The one I have can take double what I've got there i.e. 6 x 300W panels.
I would put as much as you can on the roof as it’s relatively cheap, BUT keep in mind over winter there isn’t enough to live on in the North Island let alone the South. So you need a secondary charging system, either a petrol generator or a alternator charging from the engine. If you’re driving a lot you can get away with less solar. Also keep in mind the size of batteries is critical for how long you want to go off grid without driving or generator and what your power consumption will be.
@@lone982 The batteries are the expensive part. If you want to live multiple days off grid during winter, then there's not many choices but to buy lots of battery. Solar panels aren't TOO expensive, $1500 NZD for 900W. The inverter and solar charger controller are also expensive, about $5k. But I chose Victron gear, you can buy cheaper stuff. I would be happy with Victron again though, worth the money IMO. What I would do differently is install alternator charging, then you can get away with a smaller battery assuming you drive a bit. Maybe slightly smaller solar panels (e.g 810W) would be considerably cheaper too.
No I wanted to, but they were nearly $2000 for 3, compared to $1500 for the 300W panels. I didn’t think it was worth $500 for an extra 60W! 270W panels would have been cheaper again at $810 for 3 so maybe I do. You pay a lot for the space premium.
It's looking pretty darn sweet my friend, you are doing a splendid job. I have purchased four LG 305 watt residential panels for the Solar build I intend to do in the near future, but I will be buying an older used 26 ft class C RV (for the better build quality). I will also be using 1KW of Battleborn brand Lithium batteries for my energy storage and modifying the interior of the RV to make it more energy efficient. I am dumping the rooftop A/C unit altogether and will be using a 9K BTU Portable (on rollers) room A/C unit that uses a DC compressor and ramps up very slowly. I'll add the link here for you. I was thinking about going the High top van route like you are, but I am getting the RV instead so I can use a lot of the RV's existing wiring and Breaker box. I am now Subbed to your YT channel so I am watching you in earnest ! Here is the link for the A/C I am leaning towards using myself. www.climax-air.com/documents/Climax-VS12-SpecSheet.pdf I'll also leave you a link to a high top van build that is awesome - I think you will like it and it is pretty informative. Cheers Mate ! th-cam.com/video/Ev2FHakHKUM/w-d-xo.html
I went with the cheap, thin, flexible panels on my van. I was able to very easily and quickly install them to the roof using industrial velcro (which has held up perfectly after more than a year). However they don't generate as much power as the rigid panels and anecdotally they are more prone to failure. I only have 2x100w panels and a small battery/controller. Nice to see your build coming along. Winter is coming are you putting in a heater?
Good stuff! Yeah I put in a diesel heater, and will have an electric one too for when I’m plugged into shore power. Or if I have lots of spare battery power! And an electric blanket will help too. They are low power and a very efficient form of heating because you have so much bedding as insulation.
@@EatSleepVan I'm probably asking this too early, as I haven't yet watched all the videos. Can you expand on the topic a bit? What's the feedback about the antenna + and the cellular router you use.
I find it hard to believe that the gov would have regulation of something no one is really doing (solar on a car)...are these regulation for solar in general or solar on a house?...house have all sort of code because of possible fire.
The regulations are for a solar system over a certain size no matter where they are installed. Most campervan that have 200W are small enough it doesn’t apply. At least mine was under 120v so I didn’t have to get an electrician to install it! The electrical code in NZ is the same as the house PLUS extra regulations for moving vehicles, basically because it’s a more hostile environment. Note it’s only the 230v stuff, NOT 12v. And only if you want proper household powerpoints. If you have a simple inverter with a built in plug, then no electrician or regulations needed. (Disclaimer check with an electrician in your country!)
Nope no dead battery yet, although I haven’t been living In the van yet either! Even in winter it won’t be enough power, I’ll have to plug in sometimes
I'm just building my camper,will be fully off grid,made with Tesla modules.would like to put 4 solar panels to cover the roof,but can't find panels to fit the width of the Van.what size are your panels?thanks
No I didn't, but it would be good from an accident point of view. The problem is the box was way too big to install anywhere on the roof, so decided to not do it. Apologies for the late reply.
Yeah although keep in mind I was limited to the width of the van. Even when I bought these a long time ago there were bigger wattage panels, but they were either too big physically, or double the price.
How does voltage work from the solar panels to mppt to the rest of your system/ battery bank/ inverter charger? Example: If you have a 48v solar panel does your mppt controller step down to 12 volt? Or do you need a converter? Or do you have to make your battery bank 48v, inverter charger 48v? Any help would be great thanks.
Hi that's what MPPT charge controllers do - convert the higher voltage from your solar panels into voltage to charge your battery in an optimum way. In fact they usually work best with a higher voltage about twice that of the battery e.g. My panels output 110 volts roughly as they are in series, and then the MPPT changes it to 28V or so to charge my battery. And the Victron MPPT controllers won't start charging unless the solar panel outputs at least 5V MORE than the battery. It's not like the older style charge controllers that needed a matching solar panel for a particular battery. Related to them, a '12v' panel actually outputs a higher voltage, designed to charge a 12v battery for example. Hope that helps!
Yeah, a 2400W inverter allows me to run pretty much any NZ appliance without worry. Also if I want to run multiple appliances at once I can. In summer I can heat the hot water (700W) with spare solar power. The battery capacity is in particular needed over winter, when you have multiple short days without much sun.
why you don't layer them to the double (1800W) to get also a sliding rigid solar panel extensible porch? Sort of a stuff like this but only by one side (the side of the sliding door of course) th-cam.com/video/cM5s4F-7AOk/w-d-xo.html . ThanTesla Powerwall inside to store massive amount of energy... like in a real home. If you manage to optimize plants and spare energy you can also implement all the required on board services with electric devices saving a lot of weight, complexity and costs and also being more independent; in a near future probably you will also turn around even all the vehicle for free because it will have an electric engine. It's only matter to engineer it as a synergetic unit.
Just trying to figure out where do you need that much solar panels and I ended only two possible things. You travel places mostly cloudy or only 6 hours of sunlight or you have more than 500 Ah of battery capacity. (Don't know how much you have, yes I only looked 5 seconds here and there your clip) I have had 200 Ah AGM and One 85W Solar panel over 10 years in my camper and it's ok. Planning to upgrade panels 2x130W maybe but those 200 Ah is just enough for 2kW Inverter for Coffee maker and 800W Microwave, satellite receiver, Dish, 24" TV all lights, Fridge elegtrics (Gas-Fridge) and heater electroics (Gas) but maybe it needs that in Van life? Don't remember 80's Vanlife times of my own anymore so well, gladly just evolved now something more practical!
Yeah you’re right, about 550Ah of battery if it was 12v. I’m in New Zealand and 900W is still not enough for about 3 months of the year in winter. I have to plug in every 4-7days roughly depending on conditions. A big battery helps a lot there, giving more days of power when there’s no or little sun, and when I charge up with “shore power” it lasts longer. In summer the battery is full before lunchtime, so I can also charge the hot water which take about an hour! So I do have wasted power in summer but for living leading up to and after winter it’s great.
I like the idea of covering the whole roof with panels, the shading effect alone is cooling your van.
No reason not to, except for weight of the panels. I love how the van doesn't heat up in summer, especially when the sun is overhead. Sometimes I park with the front cab in the shade, the rest in the sun. Having a white van helps a lot too. We have very intense sun here so it's worth getting white.
I did a simple 18 Volt, 560 Watt setup for our home here in the States. I put TWO cutoff switches in my system-One to isolate the panels from the controller, and the other to isolate the BATTERY from the controller.
Yeah I have both too- one is a contactor which disables the battery from everything as well as a breaker. The other is a breaker between the panels and MPPT which I have to have legally.
@@EatSleepVan I understand. I don't know this for certain, but I do not believe that regulation exists here in the States. Still what you've done is a good practice and people SHOULD do these things in ANY electrical setup. I once served on a Volunteer Fire Dept. and I have SEEN fires caused by faulty DIY Solar installs.
That actually scared me away from Solar for many years; However as my knowledge improved-as well as the technology-I got past those fears, started exploring the possibilities and here I am, today, a STRONG supporter of alternative energy.
@@bruceforster3709 Yes new Zealand has very strict regulation for electrical. We deal with 230V so it is inherently more dangerous! Basically the regulations are all that apply for a normal house PLUS special moving vehicle regulations. Which makes sense because of vibrations and movement. Examples that apply to vans are:
- All cables must be at least 5 (or is it 7?) core stranded (so flexing doesn't create fatigue)
- All AC cabling and outlets have to be in installed by an electrician
- All AC must be tested and signed off by an electrician, and then inspected by a specialist moving vehicle electrical inspector.
- You're allowed to install up to 120V DC solar panels yourself.
- Everything has to be earthed properly
etc etc
No one ever talks about how the panels give you some much needed shade in the summer time , glad you did. I want to do this myself when I get a van but not for Vanlife but because the power gets knocked out here so much, would be nice to have a mobile office space and off grid back up.
Yeah it's pretty awesome, no power cuts ever effect me! Unless I create it myself...
Wow, 900 Watts! Nice work. Looking forward to the Victron display vid as I plan on purchasing one for my van conversion. Cheers! Pete
Thanks for the video - considering a similar thing for my build.
This was informative.
Cool vid, the 1 thing I don't miss from NZ, is the DIY Nanny state..
Good job on maximizing you're available space
I fitted a tilting 58degree servo powered rack on a roof rack. got x4 280w 5.5A mono's fitted, 2s2p at 120voc@11A. (~1150w) but British weather sucks in the winter. I'm looking at getting a victron 250/100 mppt to get the most out of them. got x2 roof lights and aircon under the rack using the 25cm clearance of the rack.
900 watts should take care of all your power needs. Congratulations.
2:40 Flexible panels degrade very quickly with UV. I replaced 4 flexible panels with glass. No problems since Don't go flexible unless its a sitting in a garage most of the year.
Also tend to overheat, don't they?
One advantage of rigid panels over flexible you didn't mention is that constant exposure to sunlight rapidly (5 years) clouds the clear plastic coating on the flexible panels. You need to cover them up when not in use to prolong their lifespan. This happens due to a chemical reaction happening in the plastic, driven by sunlight. Not a problem with glass.
True, great point. Yeah in general just longer life has to be a big benefit...
I like this idea for my new build, looking to run about 1Kw to run all my onboard computers and gadgets!
Great video very helpful thanks
Glad it was helpful!
And in winter or high latitudes, the panels produce very little because not inclined. For this reason I have decided to mount them tilting up to 60°. Controlled by 12V electrical linear actuators
Thanks
Crap I mis-spelt rigid :( Whoops, can't fix it now!!
I'm wondering if at the height that you have them off the roof if you were to install something like a maxxair fan without the corver if the inch or so of opening would still allow for good air flow.
0:59 Your install looks great, where do the ends of the panels land in relation to the sides of the van? just thinking about install and design ideas to make the install more stealth. Do you think the frames of panels like this are strong enough to be secured using only their sides, for install where the panels inside a tubular roof rack suspended only by sides. I would think so.
Hey thanks for the comments. Yeah I think they are strong enough, i only have 4 bolts on each panel to the rack, no problems after a year and a half. You know I never thought about just removing the cover completely for the maxxair to fit under the solar panels! It is nice to shut it for warmth occasionally although normally it is open. I Do have the bathroom fan under the panels, it only raises a small amount and actually hits the panels which is fine as it’s a manual push. I didn’t want the panels higher than necessary as the whole van is already pretty tall. I’m thinking if I did it again I’d try and put a skylight at one end even if it’s under the panels and can be opened a small amount for airflow.
Impressive that you could fit 900 watts of solar on a van roof.
8 years ago he would of struggled to get 250 on top. We've come a looooooonnng way
Cool eh!
Nice set up Di you think that would charge up batteries for cordless power tools I'm going fully electric including my van
Absolutely, I do it all the time!
I really like your channel. I check for new videos every day. I hope you get some time free to post more, we're looking forward to seeing this project come together.
Thanks very much! Hopefully I’ll actually finish the build soon, then can focus on making more videos
FYI, you don't need panels in pair to place them in parallel. Plus you'll get the benefits when partially shaded.. Since you're using 36v panels you ashtray get the benefits of the higher voltage with regards to voltage drop and cable sizes etc.
That’s true but the MC4 connectors I used are only rated to 20Amps, and three in parallel would be 30A. Luckily I think these panels have bypass diodes built in so shading doesn’t bring down the whole string like you might expect.
looking really good
Did you design the mounting system yourself? If yes, do you have technical drawings for recreating?
Sure did and yes! Email me, and I can send you some details. See eatsleepvan.nz/ for contact
Why stack your whole roof with solar and a huge battery system? Because in the winter you get half the sun and some times where it's cloudy 2 days in a row or more. If you're full time vanlife, you don't want to be rationing power all the time so go big if you can
Exactly right
I want this on my 2020 rav4 hybrid to charge my bluetti e150
Haha you might want to measure the roof space first :)
@@EatSleepVan yes it'll take 60"x 80" so about 3 190watts hqst solar panels 👍
oi, you got a loicence for that sunlight?
haha sure do
A disadvantage of a single series string is that if only one cell is blocked from light (or dirty) the effect extends to the whole array. Apparently even a single dark cell poorly conducts the power otherwise available from the rest of the string. Don't park with any part of the array in the shade :)
Very true, especially on a single panel. Although most modern house panels have isolating diodes so one panel can be bypassed if it has too much resistance. So it’s not quite as bad as panels without them. I did some testing to confirm this using cardboard.
This is great, we’ve got this transit van, H3L4 ‘Jumbo’ and looking at 2 X LG 320W NeOn panels so what would be the best to wire them in parallel or series and does that then change the MPPT controller we would need? We have 280ah LiPo4 batterys and looking how to best finish the electric set up but 100% these 60 cell panels are the way I think! NZ LOVE HERE 🇦🇺💙
Hi, you can either go parallel or series, and check the specs of the MPPT controller to check both the max voltage, and max current. Obviously you double one or the other depending which way you go. Likely the controller will handle either configuration because they're wattage based (up to limits, which only 2 panels probably won't break). Those NeOn panels would be awesome! I nearly bought the 300W versions of them back when I did it, but they were a chunk more expensive. Cheers!
Hey Aidan, what MPPT did you end up with?
@@kirkvagg8004 we went with 2 x LG 335W bifacial panels and a Victron 100 | 50 charger MPPT
God you 640 watts. 680 wats 60 wats
Very clean Install. But stupid NZ regulations on solar.
It’s not too bad if you keep it under 120v, then you can do it yourself at least!
@@EatSleepVan Yes I'm sure. Never heard of those rules on mobile applications with solar. We in Europe have no rules on mobile use, only (offcourse) on home use.
Nice to see your using Victron components as I do, I'm lucky to live next to the Netherlands, so I could buy a bit cheaper (almost at factory prices).
I'm rather limited due to roof domes on my van and use the 200w Bluesolar panel with the new Superpack 100Ah battery (I don't have big energy requirements) works excellent, for winter travelling I'm using as backup an Efoy fuelcell.
Enjoy your travels!
I noticed a pair of aerials tucked in behind your solar panels. Do you have those hooked up to a 4G router by any chance? If so where did you get them from?
Yeah 4g modem. Just a guy selling them here in NZ on trademe
My question is how do the panels take hail storms pounding them ?
Good question, just the same as they do on a house. The glass is surprisingly strong! The difference is I can go park under a bridge if needed :O
Well done mate. Just a question, if it wasn't for the vent in the back, could you have fit in a 4th panel ? Just wondering.
Yeah probably could have. If I was happy to loose more height could have put it above it! Another option would be to have a 4th panel slide out the front when parked, or put some flexible panels on the curved front. Both would require another MPPT controller
With the panels and everything inside the van, he’s at the van’s load limit. To fit another panel, he would need to take something out of the inside or have a different van (that needs a truck license)
Exactly right
I hit like to this video coz you told about rules & regulations also...
Thanks! keep in mind each country has different rules! I can only share what I have learned about New Zealand rules.
Is this power good enough to make a freezer vehicle.
Sure!
How far off the top of the van did the panels end up being at the middle of the roof (or how much lift at the sides did you create)? I am working on mounting mine and am wondering if spacing them too close to the top of the roof will create any wind noise/whistling or undesirable noise. I was surprised how much lift at the sides of the van was required just to clear the hump in the middle of the van. I measured it at around 2.5" on each side to get above the middle of the van roof. Thanks!
Hi yes it's quite a gap, I think my roof racks are 44x38x5 mm U channel aluminium, and I stacked 2 on top of each other in spaces for roof racks. So it'll be 88mm (3.4") high, and the panels were bolted onto them directly. There's a bit of gap, handy as I had to get my hand underneath to bolt things, and mount the shower fan under the panels. Keep in mind the panels have a depth too, which the shower fan lid goes up into before it hits the underside of the panel. The gap isn't quite big enough to get underneath and clean, so it's a bit grotty under there.
@@EatSleepVan Great, thanks! Good to know. Yeah I could see it getting dirty under there.
I'm in love.
Would it be stealthier if the panels we closer to the roof? Maybe this is a bad question but why not mount them directly on the roof?
Hey it's a good question! the roof is curved so you always need to support it up somehow. Saying that they could be a touch closer. I did want room for the shower air vent under them at one end. I also wanted to be able to clean under them but in reality it's still a bit tight to do that. I wasn't too worried because the exhaust fan is higher than the panels even when closed. They do have a benefit or two by being raised, it allows more airflow underneath them so they are cooler and work more efficiently. It also shades the van keeping it cooler in summer. I'm also not worried about stealth, although I think it's hard to know they are solar panels unless you know what you're looking at. Looks more like a roof rack system.
This good enough for microwave, amongst the other usual bits and bobs?
There's lower power than that
I was told you need about 800W of solar to run a small air conditioner (5-6000 BTU). Do you have any plans for a small window sized AC unit in your build?
Hey yeah I’ve definitely been thinking about AC. In New Zealand it’s actually hard to buy those cheap window AC units that are popular in the US. They primarily sell split AC here which have outdoor units that are too big. There are some portable units available which might be a good option if you can vent them outside properly. We only have hot weather occasionally so it’s not a big deal. I decided just turning the van on and using it’s built in AC for those rare occasions is a good option.
Have you seen this video?
th-cam.com/video/U7WSjsw8BnM/w-d-xo.html
An older gentleman mounted a window AC unit through the side wall of his Transit van.
I've been looking at a small 5000BTU window unit but it seems it only requires around 480 watts. Can you provide any insight?
Buy singel 814 watt solar xell
Which battery are you using? I want to plan on using at least 900 Watts of solar on my next RV build, but I’m not quite sure which battery or inverter I should invest in.
I recommend looking at Lithium Iron Phosphate from a reputable brand, with built in BMS. It depends where you are and how much shipping costs so can't recommend anything in particular.
Buy 2 450 wat soar cells get a 9 kw acinvertir
Does the mppt victron handels the 300watt panels ?
Yes, they sell different size MPPT controllers to handle different quantities of solar input. The one I have can take double what I've got there i.e. 6 x 300W panels.
where in NZ are you? I'm planning a build for down south and wondering how much my solar requirements would differ from yours
I would put as much as you can on the roof as it’s relatively cheap, BUT keep in mind over winter there isn’t enough to live on in the North Island let alone the South. So you need a secondary charging system, either a petrol generator or a alternator charging from the engine. If you’re driving a lot you can get away with less solar. Also keep in mind the size of batteries is critical for how long you want to go off grid without driving or generator and what your power consumption will be.
What brand of roof rack did you use?
Hi I made my own. There’s a video about it in my channel!
Hi, just wondering how much the entire solar system including the batteries cost?
About $12k NZD
@@EatSleepVan wow, that's alot. If you were to do it again, would you choose so much solar vs using LPG for some things?
@@lone982 The batteries are the expensive part. If you want to live multiple days off grid during winter, then there's not many choices but to buy lots of battery. Solar panels aren't TOO expensive, $1500 NZD for 900W. The inverter and solar charger controller are also expensive, about $5k. But I chose Victron gear, you can buy cheaper stuff. I would be happy with Victron again though, worth the money IMO. What I would do differently is install alternator charging, then you can get away with a smaller battery assuming you drive a bit. Maybe slightly smaller solar panels (e.g 810W) would be considerably cheaper too.
@@EatSleepVan Thanks so much for taking the time to answer....
The solar panel in the front looks like it would create a lot of drag..
A bit, but not much. Most drag is created from the turbulence at the back
No it won’t
Is that enough solar to run a AC continuously
Yip! Especially during summer. About 3 months of the year in winter it pays to turn it off overnight.
Nice job, did you use LG Neon 300w panels?
No I wanted to, but they were nearly $2000 for 3, compared to $1500 for the 300W panels. I didn’t think it was worth $500 for an extra 60W! 270W panels would have been cheaper again at $810 for 3 so maybe I do. You pay a lot for the space premium.
Ah, but what brand 300w panels did you use? I just wanted to know cause they fit so well on your van.
Model is PLM-300M-60 by Perlight. No idea if you can get them outside of New Zealand sorry. From HiTek solar in NZ
tyvm
It's looking pretty darn sweet my friend, you are doing a splendid job. I have purchased four LG 305 watt residential panels for the Solar build I intend to do in the near future, but I will be buying an older used 26 ft class C RV (for the better build quality). I will also be using 1KW of Battleborn brand Lithium batteries for my energy storage and modifying the interior of the RV to make it more energy efficient. I am dumping the rooftop A/C unit altogether and will be using a 9K BTU Portable (on rollers) room A/C unit that uses a DC compressor and ramps up very slowly. I'll add the link here for you. I was thinking about going the High top van route like you are, but I am getting the RV instead so I can use a lot of the RV's existing wiring and Breaker box. I am now Subbed to your YT channel so I am watching you in earnest ! Here is the link for the A/C I am leaning towards using myself.
www.climax-air.com/documents/Climax-VS12-SpecSheet.pdf
I'll also leave you a link to a high top van build that is awesome - I think you will like it and it is pretty informative. Cheers Mate !
th-cam.com/video/Ev2FHakHKUM/w-d-xo.html
Is there enough solar energy for driving the van with it ?
Not even close! You need 10x the solar to do that.
@@EatSleepVan ok, thats sad
@@EatSleepVan is there any way to solve that problem ?
th-cam.com/video/VMeqMmERtL0/w-d-xo.html
@@EatSleepVan thank you
In think3 of doing this ,did u get any flex in the panel in middle? Im worried it will crack glass
No cracks yet!
@@EatSleepVan cheers buddy where did u get the c channel that the panels bolt to? Had a look in ur hardware listing but cudent find
Paul Mooney just one of the aluminium suppliers. Not ullrich, the other one down south. Shipped it up in 5m lengths.
I went with the cheap, thin, flexible panels on my van. I was able to very easily and quickly install them to the roof using industrial velcro (which has held up perfectly after more than a year). However they don't generate as much power as the rigid panels and anecdotally they are more prone to failure. I only have 2x100w panels and a small battery/controller. Nice to see your build coming along. Winter is coming are you putting in a heater?
Good stuff! Yeah I put in a diesel heater, and will have an electric one too for when I’m plugged into shore power. Or if I have lots of spare battery power! And an electric blanket will help too. They are low power and a very efficient form of heating because you have so much bedding as insulation.
Eat Sleep Van . What size are they, in the back and the front ? Thank you very much !!! 😊
Good enough
Just enough what to make one cup a tea..... coffee....?
Just enough ;)
whats that super long attenna ?>
4G antennae’s
@@EatSleepVan I'm probably asking this too early, as I haven't yet watched all the videos. Can you expand on the topic a bit? What's the feedback about the antenna + and the cellular router you use.
It’s OK but not dramatically, I think it does give better reception in remote areas but not by much.
I find it hard to believe that the gov would have regulation of something no one is really doing (solar on a car)...are these regulation for solar in general or solar on a house?...house have all sort of code because of possible fire.
The regulations are for a solar system over a certain size no matter where they are installed. Most campervan that have 200W are small enough it doesn’t apply. At least mine was under 120v so I didn’t have to get an electrician to install it! The electrical code in NZ is the same as the house PLUS extra regulations for moving vehicles, basically because it’s a more hostile environment. Note it’s only the 230v stuff, NOT 12v. And only if you want proper household powerpoints. If you have a simple inverter with a built in plug, then no electrician or regulations needed. (Disclaimer check with an electrician in your country!)
In America the voltage wouldn't matter.
@@johnhancock2667 in America, no one cares what you do.
How are the panels treating you my man? looking to buy myself! Just subbed as well!
Yeah no regrets except the weight, it would be nice to have lighter panels. Only because the whole build
Is too heavy! But love everything else
Yeah that makes sense with the bukliness. But i bet not one electronic goes dead lol
Nope no dead battery yet, although I haven’t been living In the van yet either! Even in winter it won’t be enough power, I’ll have to plug in sometimes
Eat Sleep Van • Have you lived or vacationed in the van now?
Sure have, the last year and a bit, full time
Hey what was that designing tool you used there? Ive been trying to find one!
Sketch up. Really good, and pretty simple to learn
I'm just building my camper,will be fully off grid,made with Tesla modules.would like to put 4 solar panels to cover the roof,but can't find panels to fit the width of the Van.what size are your panels?thanks
I think they're something like 1650mm in length? Can't quite remember. I found there were two sizes of panels for houses, the bigger ones and these.
Did you end up putting a breaker outside a waterproof switch for the solar.
No I didn't, but it would be good from an accident point of view. The problem is the box was way too big to install anywhere on the roof, so decided to not do it. Apologies for the late reply.
I don't see you solar panels in the list or price.
Are you looking where I bought them
HiTek solar? They now only have one model. I paid $500NZD each for them
Ancient panels at this point in 2021 with panels now at 550 watts
Yeah although keep in mind I was limited to the width of the van. Even when I bought these a long time ago there were bigger wattage panels, but they were either too big physically, or double the price.
we have no regulations in Canada, we could literally use zip straps to mount solar panels to the roof and no one would care lol
Would this be enough to use a microwave?
Sure would! I don’t have one but it could easily power anything up to 2400W for hours. Microwaves are only about 700-1200W so not a problem
How does voltage work from the solar panels to mppt to the rest of your system/ battery bank/ inverter charger? Example: If you have a 48v solar panel does your mppt controller step down to 12 volt? Or do you need a converter? Or do you have to make your battery bank 48v, inverter charger 48v? Any help would be great thanks.
Hi that's what MPPT charge controllers do - convert the higher voltage from your solar panels into voltage to charge your battery in an optimum way. In fact they usually work best with a higher voltage about twice that of the battery e.g. My panels output 110 volts roughly as they are in series, and then the MPPT changes it to 28V or so to charge my battery. And the Victron MPPT controllers won't start charging unless the solar panel outputs at least 5V MORE than the battery. It's not like the older style charge controllers that needed a matching solar panel for a particular battery. Related to them, a '12v' panel actually outputs a higher voltage, designed to charge a 12v battery for example. Hope that helps!
@@EatSleepVan Thank you so much! That's incredibly helpful :) Happy vanning!
what are you doing in ur van that requires that type of power? r u running toasters and microwaves in there?
Yeah, a 2400W inverter allows me to run pretty much any NZ appliance without worry. Also if I want to run multiple appliances at once I can. In summer I can heat the hot water (700W) with spare solar power. The battery capacity is in particular needed over winter, when you have multiple short days without much sun.
Fuck regulations, thanks for the info
Auf Jedenfall der schöne Leistung auf dem doch damit kann man auf den Campingplatz sogar E-Bikes aufladen
Those misaligned solar panels are really tweaking my OCD tendencies :D
I hear ya! If it wasn’t so hard to do I’d lay some spacers under the low side to lift them up flat
+=+=+=+ LOVE it🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thank you!
_You don't need a permit to take a shit, do you? Great video, but damn, what up with all the regs!_
why you don't layer them to the double (1800W) to get also a sliding rigid solar panel extensible porch? Sort of a stuff like this but only by one side (the side of the sliding door of course) th-cam.com/video/cM5s4F-7AOk/w-d-xo.html .
ThanTesla Powerwall inside to store massive amount of energy... like in a real home.
If you manage to optimize plants and spare energy you can also implement all the required on board services with electric devices saving a lot of weight, complexity and costs and also being more independent; in a near future probably you will also turn around even all the vehicle for free because it will have an electric engine. It's only matter to engineer it as a synergetic unit.
If you were in a car accident you would be in a car?
So true :P
@@EatSleepVan Lol, but seriously the regulations there and in oz are over the top!
Very nice van build btw, inspiring!
Install crypto mining rigs inside haha
Haha great idea :)
a car accident is not a safety feature
True..
Phas
Fantastic info.
Had to rush to turn down
IRRITATING LOUD MUSIC
Let your intelligence shine.
No need for astectics.
Thanks for the feedback!
F regulations i do what ever i want
Go for it. Just be aware insurance companies aren’t keen on that philosophy!
Regulations, BAAWWWAAAAAHAHAHA, we Colonists dont need not stinking regulations.
Just trying to figure out where do you need that much solar panels and I ended only two possible things. You travel places mostly cloudy or only 6 hours of sunlight or you have more than 500 Ah of battery capacity. (Don't know how much you have, yes I only looked 5 seconds here and there your clip) I have had 200 Ah AGM and One 85W Solar panel over 10 years in my camper and it's ok. Planning to upgrade panels 2x130W maybe but those 200 Ah is just enough for 2kW Inverter for Coffee maker and 800W Microwave, satellite receiver, Dish, 24" TV all lights, Fridge elegtrics (Gas-Fridge) and heater electroics (Gas) but maybe it needs that in Van life? Don't remember 80's Vanlife times of my own anymore so well, gladly just evolved now something more practical!
Yeah you’re right, about 550Ah of battery if it was 12v. I’m in New Zealand and 900W is still not enough for about 3 months of the year in winter. I have to plug in every 4-7days roughly depending on conditions. A big battery helps a lot there, giving more days of power when there’s no or little sun, and when I charge up with “shore power” it lasts longer. In summer the battery is full before lunchtime, so I can also charge the hot water which take about an hour! So I do have wasted power in summer but for living leading up to and after winter it’s great.
God set up
260 wat 4. Hours.mom reverse 800 aats soo 22 coukre say 2.4 kw solar per slar day chrgevu. 260 ss