COMPLETE Off-Grid Electrical Setup! | Installing 3000W Renogy Inverter for A/C Power | SKOOLIE BUILD
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ย. 2024
- This week, we finally have a complete off-grid electrical setup with the addition of A/C power! Woo-hoo!!!
This time we are installing our 3000W Inverter/Charger from Renogy, as well as installing breaker boxes, breakers, and some A/C outlets in our bus. These A/C components work with the rest of our off-grid electrical setup which includes 600W of Solar Panels, 300Ah of Lithium Iron Phosphate Smart Batteries, and our 60A MPPT Solar Charge Controller. We installed these components in previous videos, and they allow us to run D/C to power our puck lights, double MaxxAir fans, and USB outlets throughout the bus.
Once our A/C is installed and working, we give it a true test-run by using it to power our 900W microwave.
Why did we choose this week to revisit and finish with electrical? We're glad you asked! We're getting ready for a camping (or maybe 'glamping') trip next week to celebrate Jimmy's 25th Birthday! Stay tuned to see if that works out better than our first attempt at camping, and to wish Jimmy a Happy Birthday!
Thanks for following along!!
#skoolieconversion #buslife #renogy
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This video should keep up the trend of more likes then views! Not just a power couple, also a green power couple
Haha if only! 😆 Thanks so much for watching! 💚
I genuinely like you guys……. 💙❤️
We have 2 solar panels and batteries, such a great feeling being off the system 😊
Couldn’t agree more! So far we love being self-contained 😄
Jimmy, I hope you had a great birthday. Happy Birthday
Thanks so much ❤️ I really did! 😄
Thanks for the AC / DC outlet tip!! Wiring up my inverter this weekend. *fingers crossed*
Good luck!! 😄
I installed a switchable breaker between the solar panels and charger controller. Just replaced my single 170W panel with (2) 200W panels. And I installed a master switch between the batteries and the van. Cheap solutions to help your upgrade, troubleshoot and perform maintenance.
Really fun,! Thank you. 🇺🇸👍
Happy birthday Jimmy! Bon voyage!
Thanks so much!! ❤️ 🚌
Glad the wiring went well, happy birthday Jimmy!
Thanks David! And yes, nothing is on fire yet!
Happy birthday, young man! 😉 Natalie, those braids were really cute! Oh, and great job on the electrical. But I'm still waiting for the popcorn!
Thanks so much!! And just wait until we get the TV installed... we'll have a movie night with popcorn!
Be sure to use stranded copper or tinned copper wire for vehicle wiring. Some cheaper wires are made of aluminum that dont last as long and have power efficiency loss. Also in recent years there has been an insane amount of recalls on fire extinguishers and its recommended to check the id on your extinguisher and recall list.
Thanks for the words of warning, we’ll definitely keep an eye out. And yes, unfortunately our AC lines are all solid copper, but our DC appliances, batteries, etc are all connected via stranded
@@JimmyandNatalie this is a big debate because copper work hardens. I also used solid wire in our bus for AC. But it's accessible should a wire break and needed replaced.
That’s honestly what we were thinking too so we weren’t too worried about it. And we do have the fallbacks (ie. breakers) should a short circuit actually happen due to loose wire connections
Happy birthday ! So glad you got the AC power going. I’m so impressed with the way your build is coming together, and you guys are fun to watch. Really great job!
Thanks so much for the support! ❤️ Its always fun when we can make “large” jumps of progress in a week. Thanks for watching!! 😄
thumbs up
💚💚 Thanks!
Wow, you both had done amazing in getting the AC power installed. Kudos to both of you. What a great team you two make. I've seen in some schoolie remodel videos where you can buy this small circular ball that explodes if there ever is an electrical issue in your electric setup. They are real cool. And, it's always good to be safe than sorry. Have a great time on your trip!
Thanks Neil! I have seen those too! I can definitely see us getting one or two in the future… 😄
Happy Birthday have fun on ur birthday camping trip.
Thanks so much!! 🎉🎂
Well done. I've done plenty of household electrical and automotive wiring and this still is intimidating for me as well. I'm close to completing our electrical setup as well. It's been a long process. And happy birthday!
Thanks! And yes, it can be scary… Every time I go to change the terminals or touch the batteries I have to look at Natalie and ask “It’s safe to touch this right?” Luckily no incidents so far 😅🤞
Greetings from Ireland I notice you used solid gauge wire in Ireland we must use multi strand cables on all mobile units ..... great work keep it up & stay safe
Thanks, yeah we had to make some compromises due to the availability of some wire at the time. But thanks for the words of warning! 😊
Happy Birthday! 🎂 Have fun on your trip! 🚍 Was exciting watching you hook up your electrical. 🙏 The buss is starting to take shape! 😄 Great job! 🤗
Thanks so much!! ❤️ It’s always fun to make big jumps like this in progress. 😄 We couldn’t be more excited!
That was pretty brave. The first time you tried using the microwave, the clock read 9:11
Nice jobs guys
Connecting wires: JUST READ THE INSTRUCTIONS (As per SpaceX. Landing onto the Dronship). You 2 are professionals. Crash cause does work. Thank you for another awesome video. Regards
It’s amazing how you planned everything. It’s amazing to see this bus turn into a home. ❤️
Well researched, great job feel proud. Thank you, Jimmy Happy Birthday
Hold my Beer while I do this😲 wow you really follow instructions & take your time for a quality outcome CONGRATULATIONS!! Happy Birthday Jimmy & a well deserved trip. Be Well Be Safe & Stay Blessed.
Thanks for sharing 🍸
I enjoy watching your build journey so much. Keep up the GREAT work!!
Thanks so much!! 😄
Your bus is looking great!
So far the research I've been doing has mostly been the same stuff I've seen, I'd like to know where you found some resources for educating yourselves on how to wire your bus!
🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Awesome stuff guys
Some mwaves can mute the annoying beeps.
If not, you can take the cover off and find the piezo and break off the plastic housing with pliers.
Happy Birthday
Hap0y 25th birthday Jimmy.
You guys rock !!!!
Thank you!! 😄
I must say your a great couple,and anytime you can get a lady onboard with prepping,solars prepping,shes a keeper.Do yourself a favor and add some 12 volt cig outlets with usb connections here and there,you will be amazed at what you can run.They make litle 12volt submersable water pumps,jump boxes,and look into a golabs 500watt solar generator just to have on hand while suns not available.Great job folks. p.S,get a butane single burner and find an asian store or sams club and get 4 cans for $5,I use 1 can for 5-7 days cooking 2 times a day,cheap and also provides extra heat during winter,very portable.
Only thing i would add is some holes in the wood for the inverter to cool.
Looking good. Great job
Get a multi-tool from Harbor Freight, dirt cheap but adequate.
Hey really excited for both of you. Just subscribed to your channel about two weeks ago. This video has me bitting my nails, my girlfriend and I are working on our schoolie and I feel completely overwhelmed trying to work out an off grid solar set up. You guys have done a great job of making it look very neat and organized also easy! Tho I’m sure you’ve done quite a bit of research. Any links or info you would like to share on your process would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely , nervous electrician.. haha
@Michael Newberry
Hi Michael! Thanks so much! We certainly did a lot of research beforehand, but somehow we figured it out 😅. This is kind of how we broke down our research with some links:
We spent a few weeks (while working on other projects) watching general van build/bus build electrical videos before actually buying any parts. This included a lot but here are a few good videos to note:
(1) Basics (first video we watched) - th-cam.com/video/xuZg4NasCVw/w-d-xo.html
(2) Best Overview (very helpful) - th-cam.com/video/NImNGe_3TYk/w-d-xo.html
(3) How to run appliances in parallel (she shows how she install her puck lights) - th-cam.com/video/0g8-D-iYg-E/w-d-xo.html
Next we picked out a solar kit by Renogy. I was not that worried about wiring since they provide a VERY detailed diagram of how to setup their panels (scroll to last image): www.renogy.com/600w-12v-24v-monocrystalline-solar-premium-kit-w-rover-60a-charger-controller/
Lastly, we used FarOutRide’s website and we actually purchased their interactive wiring diagram ($40). They go over wire/fuse sizes as well as a few other things (shore power, inverter size, battery bank size, etc.). This was helpful giving us that final boost of courage to start wiring everything up. faroutride.com/van-electrical-calculator/
Good luck on your build! Hope this helps!!
@@JimmyandNatalie as expected you guys are even thorough with your responds. This is great thank you for getting back with me I’m looking forward to diving into these tonight!
To avoid a spark from the inverter next time you should look for something like a 30 ohm resistor. With this 1 dollar resistor you can pre charge the connection. Good thing that spark didn't happen on your battery terminal because that could actually chip it and could hit someone. :) Anyway your van looks amazing
Hi guys! Like everyone else says, you guys are a great couple and we’ve enjoyed all your videos!
Now that you are on the road, are you finding your solar/battery system to be enough? We are working on a skoolie of our own and this part is the most mind boggling, at least to me. Happy travels!
Thank you!! 😄 That's a great question, and obviously everyone has different needs but we actually decided to upgrade our system by adding a 40A DC-DC Charger so that we could charge our house batteries while driving. We also found that we use some appliances differently than we used to when living in a house, for example we haven't used our microwave in at least a month. With our current setup, we're able to go off-grid (in terms of electricity) pretty much indefinitely, although it can be tough if we go several days with little sun. Hope this helps, and best of luck with your build! 💚
Thank you so much for your response! We continue to watch your travels and are so happy for you! You remind us of ourselves many years ago. We will be married 25 years this spring. Crazy how time flies! We’ve seen you mention at least once that your diesel heater works at max capacity when it’s cold. Our bus is a full length bus and we will be installing two of the same. We don’t plan to take the bus into colder climates like we live in now in Minnesota, but are curious about how cold it’s been in Tennessee or Ar”Kansas” (hope that isn’t illegal to say since we aren’t in Ar”Kansas” :-) ) when you’ve needed to use it. By the way, that’s how I always refer to the state. Hope everything is going well for you guys. I suspect you’re in AZ about to partake in skooliepolooza. Hope it is fun! Looking forward to hearing about it!
Suggest you watch out for heat in your box setup for the inverter.
“We are finally going to finish”…. Ahhhh solar wiring company just called they said no way and to buy the 6awg you will get double the amps LOL 😝
Cover the inside of the "fuse panel" with ceramic tile if you want to go a step further.
Nice job! And quite brave also. I'm curious ... why not using the Ethernet cable battery connections and the smart battery monitor? Also, have you tried a shut down and restart (with the the red knob) after giving time for the inverter capacitors to discharge ... Curious if the surge caused any BMS warnings?
What's with the Swiss army saw blade??
Was this the pure sine wave inverter or modified sine Wave
Everything is great except you used romex.
Romex should never be used in a high vibration enviornment or with exposed work. For this type of electrical you must use MC cable per the NEC. MC cable is rated for much higher crush resistance and can be used for exposed work. It is also much smaller in diameter than dedicated 1/2 conduit or flex conduit.
To scary
Luckily we made it out alive! 😅
Renogy has the worst customer service. have the panels from them but all other products i dont like. hope you dont have issues and all works out for you.
Yes their pannels arnt quite as strong as others and I have heard of a few inverters blowing up 🤔
great video and instruction! inspired me to complete/continue my system (just 1 100 AH battery and 2000w renogy inverter). , check it out.