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@hhazelhoff1363 17 күн бұрын
Why not just eliminate the batteries land all this hardware altogether and just use a big solar generating with extra battery packs. Every thing is already there and hook your panels up to it. You should get plenty of power that way to run everything including your ac on demand. And you can take it with you when you sell or upgrade your trailer
@BigRamatha 16 күн бұрын
Great question! "Solar Generators" are essentially the same components you see here, minus the solar panels. There is no "eliminating the battery and all this hardware" with them. You're just getting all of it packaged in nicer looking plastic cladding in a portable form factor. They can be a great option depending on your needs. Here's why I didn't go that route: 1. To get the same 5.2kwh capacity and 3500w output, it would cost more than this entire system just for the solar generator, and I'd still have to buy the solar panels. 2. A solar generator with the same capacity and output wouldn't fit in the battery compartment of the trailer, which means it would take up cargo space that I could be using for something else. 3. A solar generator with the same capacity and output weighs more than all this. 4. It's more fun for me to build something like this myself than to buy a pre-built solution. This whole setup is easily reversible. I can remove it if I sell the trailer and use it on my house or barn or another trailer.
@hhazelhoff1363 16 күн бұрын
@@BigRamatha great build, I’m trying to do the same thing on my cass a motorhome . I’m on the fence what way to go. AZ expert, has a wonderful KZbin channel. He did a build and actually eliminated all the house batteries completely. Installed a Blueeddie 500 solar generator with a backup battery. Very compact and lightweight. Had I believe five mounted panels on roof and produced enough electricity to run both ac systems 24/7. And he breaks down the cost. I think he was around $8000 all in. Pretty cool. Keep in mind he is in Arizona so sunlight is no issue. Thx for sharing super educational
@BigRamatha 16 күн бұрын
That isn't eliminating house batteries, it's replacing them. The Bluetti EP500 has a 5120wh battery inside of it, same capacity as what I've built here. Again, it can simplify things IF you have the space for it, but the extra metal and plastic that encases the battery (possibly even multiple batteries), solar charge controller, inverter, and other components adds weight. Also those aren't "backup batteries", they are expansion batteries used to increase total battery capacity. It's the same as running multiple batteries in either series or parallel. The EP500 by itself without any expansion packs will need fairly significant wattage worth of solar panels (number of panels is irrelevant, total output of the panels is what matters) to fully recharge from 0% to 100% on solar alone even in the plentiful AZ sun. How well your unit is insulated plays a big part. The better insulated, the better inside temps can be maintained. The better inside temps are maintained, the less the AC has to cycle. You may leave your AC on 24/7, but it shouldn't actually run (draw power) 24/7. It will cycle on and off as needed to maintain set temps. If it has to run (draw power) for more than a few hours total in a 24 hour period, you'd have a hard time keeping up with battery and solar alone. Unfortunately, my unit isn't insulated all that well, plus it's a dark gray, so it soaks up the sun. I'm currently in Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada, on my way to Alaska. It's been in the upper 20's at night, which means running the furnace at night. On my trailer, inside temps tend to be about 20 degrees warmer than outside temps without running anything. We're currently burning through a 20lb propane tank every 5 nights running the furnace with the thermostat set to 65 to stay comfortable overnight. Hasn't been anywhere near warm enough to need to turn on the AC so far this trip.
@hhazelhoff1363 15 күн бұрын
@@BigRamatha thx , my point was with eliminating the house batteries, and replacing them with the Solar generator. This will remove the weight of the house batteries and free up this space also. So it kind of offsets itself somewhat. I’m learning a lot. Difficult decision for me on what route to take. My main objective is that I can run both my roof ac units 24/7 as needed. I’ll be parking it in Florida , and I’ll have unobstructed, unlimited sunlight exposure during day light hours, weather allowing.and to not have to rely on any external power source. 100% solar.
@BigRamatha 15 күн бұрын
The weight reduction from replacing the house batteries comes from changing battery type. House batteries are usually lead acid, or sometimes AGM, while solar generators contain a Lithium battery, which weighs a lot less. That's what I've done here, replaced the heavier lead-acid house battery with a lighter and higher capacity lithium (LifePo4) battery. Again, you aren't "eliminating" house batteries, you're just changing the type of battery used as the house battery, and in most cases, significantly increasing battery capacity. Good luck beating the Florida heat with just solar. It can be done with a properly sized system and a well insulated unit.
@user-ll6zh2bi7c 29 күн бұрын
My 12v compressor is rated at 45 amps. 7 pin connector has a 15 amp fuse. How many amps does your compressor pull?
@BigRamatha 26 күн бұрын
According to the manufacture (VIAAIR), the maximum amp draw of the compressor is 23 amps. 7 pin on the RAM HD trucks is on a 30 amp fuse IIRC.
@4and2Vanning Ай бұрын
Hey there…any chance of you doing a video showing thev 360 n camera system in action??
@BigRamatha Ай бұрын
It's shown around the 7:45 mark? Or do you mean while everything is in motion?
@4and2Vanning Ай бұрын
@@BigRamatha Yes whilst in motion if possible
@BigRamatha Ай бұрын
Sure, will try to capture that while backing into a site during our road trip to Alaska and back in June. Probably won't get videos from that posted until we return in July though.
@4and2Vanning Ай бұрын
@@BigRamatha Great Thanks
@Kyle-ev4fk Ай бұрын
the most impressive part is that a man your age and size can comfortably sit Indian style!
@AndyFromBeaverton Ай бұрын
Good idea, but you only need one turnbuckle per side.
@BigRamatha Ай бұрын
Yup, realized that after I put it together.
@crvarietychannel1971 Ай бұрын
Hi Josh... New subscriber from Alberta Canada... The struggle is the best part of the video....Lol Good job on video.....
@BigRamatha Ай бұрын
Haha, the struggle is real! Glad you liked it, and thanks for subscribing! Keep an eye out in June, you might spot us! We'll be driving across Alberta on our way to and from Alaska. Stopping in Banff and Jasper for several days each on our way to. 😎
@bski553 2 ай бұрын
Awesome stuff!
@Richexperience1 2 ай бұрын
Great Vid! We are seriously looking at the Adventure. The 48V system seems the way to go and within my ability to do. I wish you had some vid of the solar panel install and maybe some more vid of the roof.
@BigRamatha 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! Unfortunately, I put all the panels up long before I decided to start making videos. It's pretty simple though, VHB tape to attach the panels to the roof, and then All Weather Permanent Gorilla Tape to secure the wiring. I can try and do a follow-up video going into more detail on the panel install once the weather is nice enough.
@paulvance3735 2 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video. Does the cigar receptacle provide enough power to use your resmed c-pap machine, using the humidifier?
@BigRamatha 2 ай бұрын
Yes, it does! Much more efficiently than having to run off the inverter too, which means longer battery life and more power available for other devices between recharging.
@paulvance3735 2 ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
@amandacarter8841 2 ай бұрын
I cant get enough eclipses i hope to experience 1 day. Was so cloudy where i am. But wouldnt have been totality here anyways
@LibertyLee-gz9yr 2 ай бұрын
Oh my God we see the eclipse. Sorry stop🌖🌙
@eprohoda 2 ай бұрын
Big. professional video- ;)
@BigRamatha 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! I try. ;)
@rayzedd29 2 ай бұрын
great video!! love to see the adventure you took. please check my solar eclipse video out!
@BigRamatha 2 ай бұрын
Thanks! Will do!
@prettybadboylagerberg6385 2 ай бұрын
Thx Big! That’s a great idea.
@tonydavanzo9765 2 ай бұрын
I organized my 5th wheel basement with shelves and a roll out drawer. I really liked your idea of using a bed liner paint to cover the surface and will probably take mine apart to do that. I know you were using scrap wood to put yours together and that's fine. I used 3/4" plywood for my drawer. It's more stable than dimensional lumber. I used 1/2" plywood for the shelves and dividers.
@jeremyfogt6798 2 ай бұрын
You can splice into your 30 amp trailer connection and put AC in the AC in on the inverter/charger and the AC out would then be the other end that goes to the panel. This way you don't have to do the weird cable around. The inverter should just be in bypass when plugged into shore power or generator as well as charge the batteries. Plus if you do it this way you can just keep the 12v side all set up as it already is with the 12v battery you already have. Like you said, inefficient but easy.
@BigRamatha 2 ай бұрын
If only it were that easy (on this particular make/model RV/trailer). That's what I originally intended to do (wire everything internally), but it would require ripping apart the trailer to access/run wiring. The 30A input is on the rear left side (with no internal access), but the PDC is in a cabinet above the kitchen in the middle on the right side. Unfortunately, there was no room to install the inverter next to the PDC. The battery compartment (which had plenty of room) is on the front left side (under the bed), and only had 12V wires from the PDC run to it (along with wiring for the ZAMP ports on the roof). There just wasn't another way to connect the output on the inverter to the PDC. The Renogy Inverter/Charger/MPPT Controller I'm using actually has more options than just bypass. It can be configured to prioritize shore/utility power or prioritize solar power as well. I have it set to prioritize shore/utility power. It will automatically enter bypass mode if the battery is charged to 100%. It will also fail over to solar/battery power if the shore/utility power goes out. It works very well plugging the stock 30A input on the trailer to the output on the inverter, then plugging the input on the inverter into shore power (when available).
@joelcawthon1365 3 ай бұрын
get a dc to dc charger and add lots of batteries
@muhammadriaz6341 3 ай бұрын
😮 excellent ❤❤❤❤
@kchortu 3 ай бұрын
Cpap is why I have been looking to build out a trailer... i didnt figure i was the only one
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
Be sure to get a DC (cigarette style) adapter for it if available. I found one for my Resmed Airsense 10. Uses a lot less power running off it compared to the AC adapter it came with.
@kchortu 3 ай бұрын
honestly my plan is 24v battery system and just use a constant voltage adapter for piece of mind (so basically hardwiring it to the house battery)@@BigRamatha
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
That should be even more efficient! You know... most step-down converters are also voltage regulators... so this could be done on a 48v system with a 48v to 24v step-down converter. Now I'm wondering how much efficiency I'd gain connecting that way vs using the 12v-24v adapter. I may need to run some tests!
@SuperSushidog 3 ай бұрын
Sweet. That's the way to do it. We're old, retired FTers who designed and built our system ourselves, on a tight budget. It took us 5 years to gather the resources to complete it, doing all the work ourselves, but it was well worth it. We started by building a 620-watt liftable solar array on the side of our motorhome. It 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 with 8, 280ah prismatic cells. We use a Heltec 330amp BMS with a 5a active balancer. It cost us less than $1,500 to build this 7.1 kwh battery, including the high amp BMS. We chose these cells rather than a pre-built battery because they 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 Progressive Dynamics LFP converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy inverter, a 50a Epever MPPT charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor. We built this entire 12v phase of our system for under $3,500. By mounting the solar array on the side of our coach, we left the roof free to rack 8, 550w solar panels (4,400 watts) down the length of our 35ft Class A, 15" off our roof, above our AC, vents, etc. We built the rack out of 2" aluminum angle with the front 2 panels of ours sloping down at a shallower 9.5-degrees to meet the roof, gently easing airflow over the array. It covers our entire roof, providing some nice shade with plenty of cooling air underneath, increasing solar output and reducing the heat load on the air conditioners too, though our overall height is still just under 12 ft. We mounted our Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W Inverter/100A charge controller/battery charger, breakers and a Lnex battery monitor on the wall in our bedroom, saving us space as well as money. We chose the Sungold Power unit for several reasons. First, it supports up to 500 volts from our 400 voc solar array, can work without batteries hooked up, and has a power saver mode that only uses 20-25 watts when idling. It's selling for $764 now - not bad for a 5,000-watt PSW inverter (with the same 95% efficiency as a high-end Victron unit) and 100amps of combined 48v battery charger/charge controller capacity. 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 - kept charged by 5,020 watts of solar. This is the equivalent storage capacity as $16,650 worth of Battleborn batteries for under $3,400. We removed the rooftop A/C we had in the bedroom 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 installed up front. This second phase provides 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and heat from the heat pump. We can run both A/Cs, microwave and charge our batteries from solar at the same time, even in winter. We have a total of 6,000 watts of 120v inverted ac power, giving us off-grid electrical self-sufficiency for a total budget of around $11,500, including the $1,500 high-efficiency heat pump. This fit our budget and is only a fraction of what a similarly sized, professionally designed and built system would be. Take care, we hope to see you down the road one day.
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
That sounds like an awesome build! I wanted to build my own battery like that, but let my impatience get the best of me. The individual LifePo4 cells would not have arrived before our first camping trip, so I went with the cheapest pre-built battery I could find that would arrive in time. I intend on building my own when it comes time to replace this. I had a similar idea for a solar array that doubles as an awning when we had our old 16' trailer because the roof was occupied by a rooftop tent. Traded it in for this one before ever starting that project.
@SAMMIEJONESJUNIOR 3 ай бұрын
Rockwood and Epro has a power package that is 600 watts of solar, 3000-watt inverter, and a 400ah battery. However, i agree it is way too expensive. I have already upgraded my solar to 600 watts plus 400 wats of solar that can be attacked to the side of my trailer and a 400ah lithium iron phosphate battery. I have a 3000-watt inverter that i will install later. And it is definitely a fraction of the price, but they are also charging you for labor and wiring which contributes to the price.
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
600w of solar feels so undersized for 400Ah battery. You'd need 10 hours of peak sun in ideal conditions to charge from 0% to 100%! Good call on adding the extra 400w of solar, that takes it down to only needing about 6 hours of peak sun, much more reasonable. Sounds like you'll have a nice setup! The wiring for my setup was less than $100, and included in the $3500 I mentioned. Even if you paid someone else to install everything, you should still end up with significant savings compared to buying the manufacture's option. It only took me a few hours to install everything, I'm sure a pro could do it in less. There certainly isn't $4,000+ worth of labor involved!
@SAMMIEJONESJUNIOR 3 ай бұрын
@BigRamatha that is correct. If I were using a large amount of power, I could add the additional panels and orient them in the optimal direction. Here is the caveat. Typically, I do not use a lot of power while boondocking. My fridge and lights use a very minimum amount of power, so my consumption is low. I have 40 pounds of propane as well for cooking and hot water.
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
Yeah the 10 Cu Ft NORCOLD fridge in our unit only consumes ~55w at most. Between it, running my CPAP all night, occasional light and MAXXAIR fan usage, and 5 of us recharging phones... We typically only consume ~20% of the 48V 100Ah/5120Wh battery's capacity between charges.
@SAMMIEJONESJUNIOR 3 ай бұрын
@@BigRamatha and you did it all at a fraction of the cost. It pays to have skills
@TheguysfromPortmore 3 ай бұрын
Do you use a trimetric reader for your system.
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
Nope, just the Victron SmartShunt and the monitoring built into the Renogy 3500w Solar Inverter Charger shown in the video.
@TheguysfromPortmore 3 ай бұрын
Thats so kewl.@@BigRamatha
@julieevans6427 3 ай бұрын
s from Germany! Love your idea. We bought our Caravan (RV), 6 years ago and have been upgrading it over time. Did you rennovate the bare compartment? Our compartment has legs which come down under flap, which provide support for support for seat section. We got very lucky, we have a classic short Fendt. Had only one owner, who never showered in it, so absolutely no water or mold. He tore toilet out, very cool gave us more weight. Those service compartments have always bothered us, lifting seats inside to get to stuff inside, or outside pulling stuff out to get to stuff. Great idea! You've a nice RV.😊
@BigRamatha 3 ай бұрын
Thank you! Glad you liked it! Sounds like you got a good deal on your caravan. No renovation to the compartment, what you see here is all that was done to it. While this compartment is under the bed, there is no access to it from the inside. There are 2 service compartments right next to this one that are only accessible from inside. They are a bit of a pain to work with as well, as they require removing the mattress and a wood panel. One houses the water heater, and the other houses the battery. I will be showing them in a future video on installing a 48V battery and solar system.