Sounds good, Ron. Thanks for the excellent video. You seem to be doing exceptionally well with very little solar. We're retired FTers who discovered we love boondocking, so designed and built our off-grid electrical system ourselves, on a limited budget. It took us 5 years to gather the resources to finally complete the project. We're living this lifestyle off of a limited retirement income so had to take the low budget route, foregoing name brand components like Victron and Battleborn for more affordable options. However now that our system is finished, we are able to run our mini split heat pump 24/7 providing both A/C and heat powered by the sun. We started by building a 620-watt liftable solar array on the side of our 1999 National Tropical MH. Our side array makes a nice bedroom window awning too, practically lifting itself with a couple gas struts, and it's easy to clean, standing safely on the ground. Next, we built a 12v, 560ah LiFePo-4 battery using 8, 280ah prismatic cells and a Heltec 330amp (1,200a surge) BMS to start my generator, with a 5a active balancer. These cells fit perfectly under the steps of our MH where our old pair of golf cart batteries used to reside. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a small hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging due to low temperature - or their life reduced from getting too hot. Our 12v system uses an 80A Lithium converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy inverter, a 50a Epever MPPT charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor. All this cost us under $3,500 and meets all our off-grid electrical needs except for our air conditioning, and microwave. By mounting the solar array on the side of our coach, we left the roof free to rack 8, 550w solar panels down the length of our 35ft Class A, 15" off the roof, above our AC, vents, etc. It shades our entire roof, allowing plenty of cooling air underneath, increasing solar output and reducing the heat load on the air conditioners. Our 4,400w array can run both our A/Cs, our household appliances and charge our batteries from solar at the same time, even in winter. We mounted a Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W Inverter/100A charge controller/battery charger, breakers and another Lnex battery monitor on the wall in our bedroom, saving us space as well as money compared to a system built with individual components. This high voltage system performs very well in low light, real world conditions. A few days ago, it rained all day, but our high voltage (400voc) array was still producing over 1,500 watts or around 35% of its rated capacity even in pouring rain, keeping our battery topped up. In light rain I've seen over 50% of the panel's rated output. Needless to say, in full sunlight they work as advertised. Our 48v battery uses 16, 320ah prismatic cells and a 200amp Heltec BMS to keep it safe. Together with our 560ah 12v bank, we have a total of 23.5 kwh of batteries onboard (the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns) - kept charged by 5,020 watts of solar. You're right, the price of Lithium batteries has dropped quite a bit over the last few years. Our first 7.1kwh battery cost us $1,569 or $221/kwh. We bought 16.4 kwh of cells last November for only $1,726 or $105/kwh. We removed our old rooftop bedroom A/C and replaced it with an EG4 28.5 seer-2, 12k btu mini-split heat pump on the upper rear of our motorhome. It's super quiet and cools as well as our 14.5k btu soft start equipped Furrion we have up front, but only draws about 1/3rd the power. Our total budget for both 12v and 48v systems was around $11,500, including the $1,500 high-efficiency heat pump. We have no need to hook-up to power pedestals or run our generator anymore, as we run everything in our MH strictly off the sun. We travel around the country a lot, visiting National Parks, and doing the tourist thing, mostly boondocking out west. We spent last winter in Yuma, AZ, but we're visiting our son in NC now, where boondocking places are pretty rare. We found an RV park that is letting us camp in a spacious site without hook-ups for only $100/mo., saving us $500/mo. off their FHU rates. That's only $3.33/day, which is well within our budget and a no brainer for the convenience this park offers. Take care. I hope to see you down the road one day.
Quite the setup you have. Thanks for sharing. I thought about installing a mini split but we only use the rv a few times a year so not worth the investment for us. Will be heading to Denver next month but will take the Tesla in the hot weather. It is also much faster than the rv.
Do you think adding the refrigerator type vent to the compartment door would help the inverter overheating? Also... if I add a fan, is it better to blow into the inverter, or draw air out? As always, your expertise is greatly appreciated.
I would attempt to draw air out of the compartment and have a small opening for sir to come in from inside the coach. Such as the floor under the sink as close to the inverter as possible . I would mount the fan to side of the sheet metal side panels. That way you will oull in cooler air and exhaust the hot air. Small fan such as a 60mm or 80mm should be fine. Leaving the cabinet door open while running is another easy but crude approach.
Thanks for your timely and very helpful reply. I agree opening the compartment door is helpful. But I discovered during this crazy summer that it was inadequate. My compartment temp often exceeded 115°, tripping the inverter. I'll install the fans as you recommended to see if that mitigates. BTW: I added 4x 100ah Battleborn, with a GoPower 3000w Inverter. GoPower 50a solar controller, 650w of solar. All 120v has been routed out of the inverter thru the Victron shunt. The system works well during ?-normal-? temperatures. But maybe our recent San Diego weather is a "new normal?" 🔥
I love your videos. I just purchased a 2017 Navion 24v and I would love to know how you wired the switch for your alternator charging to the lithium battery
Under the passenger seat there is a “run” wire that goes to the boost solenoid. This wireis powered only when the engine is running. Cut and splice into this wire for the switch. I ran the wires under the rug up under the dash. I also bought a Mercedes switch for one of the blank plastic covers near the ignition. Switch pops into that opening. Hope this helps.
These days, with the trend toward using higher voltages for battery systems, it would be helpful to start talking about battery storage in kWh, instead of amp hours. 400 Ah at 12 volts is only 1/4th as much storage as 400 Ah at 48 volts. But 5 kWh is just exactly that amount - no matter whether it is a 12 volt 400 Ah battery like yours, or the same size box with the cells inside re-arranged to make a 48 volt 100 Ah battery. And if you want more than about a kW from your battery (almost 100 amps at 12 volts) its a lot easier and cheaper to wire a 48 volts system. 100 amps at 48 volts gets you the same power as 400 amps at 12 volts, and wire to carry 400 amps is awfully thick, hard to route, and expensive.
Spot on. I have been tempted to switch to watts but didn’t want to lose the old school folks that are not technical. I considered switching to a 24v system for more power and might if we traveled in hot weather but in the hot summers we usually go to the beach where it is cooler anyway.
@@ontheroadwithron2432 It's easy enought to say something like "I'm now running from a 5 kilowatt hour LFP battery. It's 12 volts at 400 amp hours." And totally optional, add the info that someday you might switch to 24 or 48 volts for easier wiring, and for the added efficiency. It you weren't aware, inverters that run on higher DC volts have less losses internally. It's not a huge difference, but it does extend your run time, and reduce the heat in the inverter. My son went to 48 volts on his RV, and installed a 48->13.6 volt DC to DC converter to run all the 12 volt things (water pump, heater fan, lights might be the whole list.) We put 18 flexible 100 watt panels on the roof of his RV, and he leaves his 48 volt ->120 AC inverter running 24/7/365. That keeps his refrigerator cold, and runs the battery maintainer that keeps his starter battery topped up while the RV is parked.
Grandpa Ron, Great video and pops to your father still being around.
Sounds good, Ron. Thanks for the excellent video. You seem to be doing exceptionally well with very little solar. We're retired FTers who discovered we love boondocking, so designed and built our off-grid electrical system ourselves, on a limited budget. It took us 5 years to gather the resources to finally complete the project. We're living this lifestyle off of a limited retirement income so had to take the low budget route, foregoing name brand components like Victron and Battleborn for more affordable options. However now that our system is finished, we are able to run our mini split heat pump 24/7 providing both A/C and heat powered by the sun.
We started by building a 620-watt liftable solar array on the side of our 1999 National Tropical MH. Our side array makes a nice bedroom window awning too, practically lifting itself with a couple gas struts, and it's easy to clean, standing safely on the ground. Next, we built a 12v, 560ah LiFePo-4 battery using 8, 280ah prismatic cells and a Heltec 330amp (1,200a surge) BMS to start my generator, with a 5a active balancer. These cells fit perfectly under the steps of our MH where our old pair of golf cart batteries used to reside. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a small hole in our step risers and installed a tiny computer CPU fan to keep this space at close to room temperature, so we don't have to worry about the BMS shutting down charging due to low temperature - or their life reduced from getting too hot. Our 12v system uses an 80A Lithium converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy inverter, a 50a Epever MPPT charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor. All this cost us under $3,500 and meets all our off-grid electrical needs except for our air conditioning, and microwave.
By mounting the solar array on the side of our coach, we left the roof free to rack 8, 550w solar panels down the length of our 35ft Class A, 15" off the roof, above our AC, vents, etc. It shades our entire roof, allowing plenty of cooling air underneath, increasing solar output and reducing the heat load on the air conditioners. Our 4,400w array can run both our A/Cs, our household appliances and charge our batteries from solar at the same time, even in winter. We mounted a Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W Inverter/100A charge controller/battery charger, breakers and another Lnex battery monitor on the wall in our bedroom, saving us space as well as money compared to a system built with individual components. This high voltage system performs very well in low light, real world conditions. A few days ago, it rained all day, but our high voltage (400voc) array was still producing over 1,500 watts or around 35% of its rated capacity even in pouring rain, keeping our battery topped up. In light rain I've seen over 50% of the panel's rated output. Needless to say, in full sunlight they work as advertised. Our 48v battery uses 16, 320ah prismatic cells and a 200amp Heltec BMS to keep it safe. Together with our 560ah 12v bank, we have a total of 23.5 kwh of batteries onboard (the equivalent of 18, 100ah Battleborns) - kept charged by 5,020 watts of solar.
You're right, the price of Lithium batteries has dropped quite a bit over the last few years. Our first 7.1kwh battery cost us $1,569 or $221/kwh. We bought 16.4 kwh of cells last November for only $1,726 or $105/kwh. We removed our old rooftop bedroom A/C and replaced it with an EG4 28.5 seer-2, 12k btu mini-split heat pump on the upper rear of our motorhome. It's super quiet and cools as well as our 14.5k btu soft start equipped Furrion we have up front, but only draws about 1/3rd the power. Our total budget for both 12v and 48v systems was around $11,500, including the $1,500 high-efficiency heat pump. We have no need to hook-up to power pedestals or run our generator anymore, as we run everything in our MH strictly off the sun.
We travel around the country a lot, visiting National Parks, and doing the tourist thing, mostly boondocking out west. We spent last winter in Yuma, AZ, but we're visiting our son in NC now, where boondocking places are pretty rare. We found an RV park that is letting us camp in a spacious site without hook-ups for only $100/mo., saving us $500/mo. off their FHU rates. That's only $3.33/day, which is well within our budget and a no brainer for the convenience this park offers. Take care. I hope to see you down the road one day.
Quite the setup you have. Thanks for sharing. I thought about installing a mini split but we only use the rv a few times a year so not worth the investment for us. Will be heading to Denver next month but will take the Tesla in the hot weather. It is also much faster than the rv.
Always good to see a Grandpa Ron Video !
Thanks
Thanks. Family keeps me pretty busy these days.
@@ontheroadwithron2432 I know the feeling.
Do you think adding the refrigerator type vent to the compartment door would help the inverter overheating? Also... if I add a fan, is it better to blow into the inverter, or draw air out? As always, your expertise is greatly appreciated.
I would attempt to draw air out of the compartment and have a small opening for sir to come in from inside the coach. Such as the floor under the sink as close to the inverter as possible . I would mount the fan to side of the sheet metal side panels. That way you will oull in cooler air and exhaust the hot air. Small fan such as a 60mm or 80mm should be fine. Leaving the cabinet door open while running is another easy but crude approach.
Thanks for your timely and very helpful reply. I agree opening the compartment door is helpful. But I discovered during this crazy summer that it was inadequate. My compartment temp often exceeded 115°, tripping the inverter. I'll install the fans as you recommended to see if that mitigates. BTW: I added 4x 100ah Battleborn, with a GoPower 3000w Inverter. GoPower 50a solar controller, 650w of solar. All 120v has been routed out of the inverter thru the Victron shunt. The system works well during ?-normal-? temperatures. But maybe our recent San Diego weather is a "new normal?" 🔥
I love your videos. I just purchased a 2017 Navion 24v and I would love to know how you wired the switch for your alternator charging to the lithium battery
Under the passenger seat there is a “run” wire that goes to the boost solenoid. This wireis powered only when the engine is running. Cut and splice into this wire for the switch. I ran the wires under the rug up under the dash. I also bought a Mercedes switch for one of the blank plastic covers near the ignition. Switch pops into that opening. Hope this helps.
@Grandpar on, Is your soft-start hardwired into the AC or are you using a plug-in type?
It is hard wired in and replaces the original capacitor under the shroud.
Can you hook up a capacitor from a big car stereo system to help the hit on the system when it starts up?
If you have a DC powered AirCon unit then yes. However i dont think a big cap on an AC powered unit would help.
These days, with the trend toward using higher voltages for battery systems, it would be helpful to start talking about battery storage in kWh, instead of amp hours. 400 Ah at 12 volts is only 1/4th as much storage as 400 Ah at 48 volts.
But 5 kWh is just exactly that amount - no matter whether it is a 12 volt 400 Ah battery like yours, or the same size box with the cells inside re-arranged to make a 48 volt 100 Ah battery.
And if you want more than about a kW from your battery (almost 100 amps at 12 volts) its a lot easier and cheaper to wire a 48 volts system. 100 amps at 48 volts gets you the same power as 400 amps at 12 volts, and wire to carry 400 amps is awfully thick, hard to route, and expensive.
Spot on. I have been tempted to switch to watts but didn’t want to lose the old school folks that are not technical. I considered switching to a 24v system for more power and might if we traveled in hot weather but in the hot summers we usually go to the beach where it is cooler anyway.
@@ontheroadwithron2432 It's easy enought to say something like "I'm now running from a 5 kilowatt hour LFP battery. It's 12 volts at 400 amp hours." And totally optional, add the info that someday you might switch to 24 or 48 volts for easier wiring, and for the added efficiency. It you weren't aware, inverters that run on higher DC volts have less losses internally. It's not a huge difference, but it does extend your run time, and reduce the heat in the inverter.
My son went to 48 volts on his RV, and installed a 48->13.6 volt DC to DC converter to run all the 12 volt things (water pump, heater fan, lights might be the whole list.)
We put 18 flexible 100 watt panels on the roof of his RV, and he leaves his 48 volt ->120 AC inverter running 24/7/365. That keeps his refrigerator cold, and runs the battery maintainer that keeps his starter battery topped up while the RV is parked.