A Solar Day - Boondocking in Flagstaff, AZ - June 2022 with 3500W of Solar

[@shirleydow9960]

solar is new for me but i glean thru exposure. today i learned, with your help, the terminology "state of charge", 80-20% extending battery life. it's been expressed before by others but somehow today i "got" it. maybe it was your charts being the accompanying visual aid for those of us who learn visually. anyway, enjoyed your vlog, thanks for sharing. your channel reminds me of another, freely roaming, family of 5 globe travel, roadschool boondock as they go, solar also a common thread.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Shirley - we are all learning. I am trying to share what we have learned so it is easier on the next person doing this stuff.

[@escapingthenest2020]

My thoughts: GREAT VIDEO! I’m trying to figure out the solar on my Airstream. I have 800 watts on the roof & 300 deployable, which is far from enough. I need more like 2000~3000 watts. In the quest, I’m contemplating two layers of solar panels. That is how I found your channel. I agree, more folks need to do videos like this and I think I will put one together. My setup and situation is a little different. For starters, my Airstream has the standard rooftop A/C unit that is super power hungry, north of 1500 watts for just one of the two, not something that will change for some time, if ever. Also, while I do carry a generator, my desire is not to ever need it. With my limited solar, I do use it far more than I like. I am of two minds when it comes to power usage. I always tell my wife, “yes, turn on the inverter and life a normal life”. At the same time I’m looking for ways to be as power conscious as possible. For example, I know it is very inefficient to take Dc power to Ac and then have the Starlink power supply take it right back to DC. Today I’m installing a 12v to 56v buck converter to eliminate the Ac to Dc power supply and to install a Shelby switch so I can turn it on/off from anywhere in the rv. I am learning there are lots of good info out there on now to convert the vast majority of things we use (not coffee makers, hair driers, or microwaves) to Dc, so I’m going to be looking to do that with as much as possible to reduce the actual power consumption. This is stuff I geek out over, so it is all fun for me! My one regret, I currently only have a 12v system. There are some great products out there, mostly USB-C ports, which will deliver upwards of 100 watts iff you have a 24v power supply.

[@prettywingslife]

OMG, finally a realistic and easily understood explanation of how solar works in the practical sense!! Thanks for the clear and precise but ENGAGING video!! 🙌

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you so much! Great to see you on here

[@briandavis9975]

Great video Juan I've wondered how your system is holding up you did a great job breaking down the data for us and considering the amount of aircondioner usage you really do have a awesome set up. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you so much Brian - I appreciate your encouragement and kindness.

[@justDIY]

Love seeing the tech stuff like this. Nice work engineering that system!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you! It was a lot of fun to put together.

[@Scrambler85]

I watched your videos while you were building your solar electrical system. You convinced me that as many panels as possible is the correct answer. On a Ford e350 cutaway van I have 1,200 watts of solar panels and 900 amp hours of lithium batteries. I usually see around 850 watts and up to 1250 watts. The system keeps the 9,000 btu mini split ac/heat pump running and charging the batteries. I always appreciated how thorough your information was during your build. Definitely a thumbs up 👍

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Great job! Sounds like you have a solid build!

[@uliwehner]

so your now 10-year-old batteries are performing just fine. contrary to what the ICE lobby is trying to tell you. If this was an optimized system, say with a tiny house that sits in some shade, well insulated with a solar array that tracks the sun, you would likely not need to run your generator. It would also be easier to size the solar panels better since the constraints for being highway speed safe within the footprint of a bus don't apply to a house. Love it!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Amazing right? How could that powerful ICE lobby be wrong? As you pointed out, we are far from optimized, but we try to be conservative with how we use our battery (within reason of course) to keep it as safe as possible. So far it has performed extremely well. We have since boondocked at the Grand Canyon, in southern Colorado, and now in Rocky Mountain National Park (northern CO). I am still trying to find an interesting way to make a video around those. Thank you for the feedback.

[@markmackall5819]

❤ HELLO FROM GLEN BURNIE MARYLAND ❤

[@kevinhamling1963]

G'day everyone, What a beautiful spot to relax (and work🤗) Thanks for sharing all the in's and outs of your solar system. But it always amazes me the level of detail your bus has. Your control system is a work of art. Just panning the camera around the bus the level of quality is second to none. Anyhoo thanks again. ✌️ from Melbourne Australia.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you so much Kevin! The world needs more kind people like yourself!

[@kevinhamling1963]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning thankyou guys I appreciate you saying that. ✌️ Peace

[@joabtrust]

Yeah, and the Aussies know their solar too. I used to watch a ton of videos from there to learn from as there were not any other places producing solar systems out there to learn from. Cheers mate, we are big fans of Max Igan too.

[@shadowmoon7763]

Outstanding video, thanks for the detail and analysis of your system.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Glad it was helpful!

[@veeemit9719]

Very interesting! Thank you.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you so much!

[@redwards2006]

Thank you for sharing, very informative

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

My pleasure!

[@TOMAS-lh4er]

HI from Tucson !!

[@joabtrust]

From what l have seen out there you guys have one of the largest solar systems on a 35' bus, including your Nissan battery bank. I built our home system back in 2017, we have been completely off the grid since then so our bus build will be close to yours for there is only so much room on top, however, l have an idea to at least allow me one more panel on top. My design uses these large wooden beams and it extends over the back of the bus about one extra foot which will allow a panel to go sideways making 9 panels total. This will be one of the first things l start building so if l can make a hinge system l might be able to stack two or more panels and use the bifacial type panels so the sun can go through to the panels underneath but l will also be able to lift two panels over to expose more panels but l think l will just go bigger on our battery bank. We have used the Ford C-Max (energi version 7.6kwh ea.) as they are much easier to take apart and at about $100 per kilowatt they are cheaper too. A 35' bus only has so much room down under in the bays too so we need to be inventing ideas to make our systems work like the 40-45' ft rigs eh? So l want no less then 30.4kwh of battery bank, which is 4 salvaged battery banks. We are only two semi-retired people (no kids) just a few animals, birds, a cat and a dog lol, so we do have kids just smaller ones lol. We have bought our panels from Santan in Gilbert AZ, a few times so we will buy from them again.

[@lawrence5117]

Some interesting information there. Thanks

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Lawrence!

[@richroj]

Hi Juan, I love the setup in the bus with all of the kids doing their work and the you making the coffee in the Keurig machine. I never saw that little cup that you put the coffee grinds in. thats a wonderful idea. I like that music you had playing while making the coffee also. see you in the next one.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Rich - A man after my own heart! I love that music and I was so excited to use it! I am so glad you appreciate it - you have made my day!

[@tommckinney3947]

Thanks Juan for taking the time to make these videos, I've been missing your updates!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thanks, Tom. It's been fun getting back into making videos again.

[@ssyoumans]

Great video!

[@oogie-boogie]

great vid,,,, did you do a vid on your charge controller settings?

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

While we did set the values in our solar charge controller, the solar charge controller is controlled by the BMS. The BMS will tell any charging source (the Inverter/Charger and the MPPTs) what limits and charging profiles they should be following via the Victron Bus.

[@joabtrust]

Great video, there is nothing like realtime data and those Victron's systems really show you a good graph of things. We will be using Magnum MS4448PAE 4400W 48V Pure Sine Wave 120 240V Inverter Charger 60A connect to either Ford C-Max (Energi versions) or the BMW's 48v battery banks?

[@TrailerAdventures55]

Juan- Thank you very much! This is the *best* practical solar use video.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

I appreciate that Thomas. It was not an ideal spot for solar and it was still pretty hot but I wanted to give an accurate view of what to expect. I appreciate the encouragement and kind words.

[@briansims4365]

Great video Juan!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you! I appreciate your kindness

[@TheKandyGuy]

Good information brother ... Good to see all of you!!... Be well and be safe to all of you.!!. see you on the next blog....!!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Anura I always look forward to hearing from you!

[@harleyd500]

Interesting on the coffee maker. Our single cup Keurig draws about 650 watts for 2 minutes. I heard they redesigned them with more even heat. The reusable cup also looks different. Good to see the bus up and operational. :)

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Great to hear from you Greg! This is the only Keurig I have ever had and it has always drawn 1500-1800 Watts - it does make some good coffee though :). I will have to taste your coffee to see if the 650 Watt version is any good ;). I think there are quite a few designs on those reusable cups - my sister got me that one for my birthday :)

[@chrislarson3123]

Great video 👍🏼

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you!

[@thomassmith2239]

Our 2014 Winnebago Forza has a 3000 watt invertor and I added 600 watts of solar plus I have 6 6v Trojan batteries but when boondocking we have noticed that our Keurig malfunctions if we don't start the generator first. Just having the invertor wattage is not enough, you also need alot of clean battery power available. Our regular coffee maker does not require the generator.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Hi Thomas - you are 100% correct - you need the batteries to be able to power your load.

[@dennissmith1469]

Hey Juan and Hello to wife and kids! Glad to see the bus is preforming fantastic. I've been shopping for them batteries for a long time and i must not be to Internet smart cant find any least none that haven't been damaged. Welcome back always enjoyed the videos.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Great to hear from you Dennis!

[@dennissmith1469]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning and from you as well! Hoping your travels are going better as you planned!

[@NoGasWelcomeAboard]

Excellent review of your setup in “the wild”, running as it was designed. Would be fun to do a side-by-side comparison of your monster solar array to my little 1,425 watt stealth setup. Love the techie Victron color display. Makes my Magnum look so old school. But we have the exact same coffee maker! 😎

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Your Wanderlodge is amazing Van - 1425 is not small by anybody's definition! I would love to camp next to you! We'll have to make it happen one of these days. I am enjoying your 4x4 adventure videos!

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Very good review of your solar system Tuan, it's good that you planned for backup in case the storage drops.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thanks Tim it was a fun video to make

[@gregorythomas333]

80/20 id definitely the best for the batteries...it will allow a much longer battery life cycle & keep from borking any individual cells. I really love your sysem...it is very well built and very well maintained :)

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Gregory! We are so pleased with how it has worked out!

[@gregorythomas333]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning I will be using your build videos as a guide for building my own systems though upscaled because they will be for a home instead of portable like yours.

[@krankie49]

Fantastic! Both your system performance and your video. 👍

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Many thanks!

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

great work!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thanks a lot!

[@deepprey2776]

Do you think you could’ve fully changed the battery if you ran another slider of panels on the other side

[@demus8757]

It looks to me you could have moved the bus a little in order to get more hours of sunlight and therefore increasing the total kWh on a day. Also, when it is a hot day the panels produce less than on a cold day because they have a self-protection mechanism. Producing power heats up the panes and when it is hot already the panels might get too hot so they lower the output. But, it's great you manage to keep the batteries healthy with sunlight.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you for the thoughtful comment. Yes, we could have moved up a little bit but then we would have been very unlevel. We tried that at first but then moved back to get it more level. Everything is a compromise - sorry I forgot to mention that in the video. We saw an extreme version of the heat issue when we were in the Phoenix area building the bus and relying on our solar for power - when it got over about 105 degrees or so the panels struggled in the heat.

[@demus8757]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning Aha, you have thought about moving the car and even moved it to get more sunlight and therefore more output from the panels. I never thought about not being level in a different spot. Thank you for this great video, it's so n ice to see you all back here. Have fun.

[@Sev_Auk]

That was some great technical info Juan. Thanks very much for posting how the rig is working for you guys! Love the nitty gritty electrical aspects :) I'm curious if you've experienced any condensation problems while traveling through high humidity areas? Does the 5000 BTU window unit keep the power bay dry when it's "shirt and shorts soaking" weather outside? :) Thanks for all the recent updates and my best to you and the family. Cheers, Sev

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

We have not really had any condensation issues at all, thankfully. We do carry a large dehumidifier that we run inside when we have been in humid conditions and it helps so much. We have never had condensation issues at all in the power bay. That little 5K unit works great.

[@charmainhuysamen4136]

2 cups please 🧟‍♀️🧟‍♀️😂

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Charms! I pray thinks are going well for you!

[@mrad6533]

Has your family met red white and Bethune family in your travels just wondering thanks

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Yes! We met them in Florida at the full time family rally! They are great!

[@iantuttle7393]

At the 8:26 mark the panels are flat and the sun is down in the sky. Would you get better solar production if your panels could angle for direct sunlight touching the cells?

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Yes angling them would get us better results. I have seen quite a few who research it and they claim it can give you up to 40% more power in the winter months. In summer that number goes down dramatically (only slightly better than just having them in a fixed position). all of this depends on where you live of course. We chose to just double our panels by creating a slide-out mechanism (100% more power ;))

[@PnwFireguy]

Nice content Juan. Once we jump over to the REC world from our current BMS I am anxious to track our same parameters. Oh BTW any issues with the sliding PV array components? Planning to double our array size using similar design.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

We have had a few issues with the solar rack. Most of them involve the sliding system the rack itself has held up very well. Our system uses 3 sliders per panel in an effort to make more stout - so we use 12 slides total. I have replaced 4 slides in the 3 years or so that we have had them up there. We have also replaced both actuators because the internal limit switches inside the actuators get water in them and eventually the microswitches stop working.

[@PnwFireguy]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning IP 66 rated LA's? Also do you think the slide failures were related to weight and force vs quality or manufacturing defect?

[@curtmckinnon9773]

Good morning guys. I bought an MCI 102EL3. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations how to go about getting insurance for the conversion. Thanks

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Congratulations on your bus! We use Progressive through USAA but have also heard that they no longer do conversions or that people have actually had their plan canceled. I have heard many people have had good luck with State Farm just make sure you get it titled as an "RV" so that there is no confusion. National General is also known to work but the most I have heard is State Farm.

[@joseortiz5965]

Awesome. ? What is boon docking?

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Jose - boondocking is basically camping out in the wild with no hook ups (no water, electricity or sewer). Some folks call it "wild camping", "dry camping", or "dispersed camping" but I think "boondocking" is the most fun way to say it.

[@Comptecmaster]

Excellent Job, I’m hoping to figure out how to maximize the Solar on our Roof. What kind of mounting did you do?

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you. We created the framework and mounts while my bus was being painted in Mexico. We used SuperStrut for the rails and custom designed the rest. kzbin.info/aero/PLq1-J1YKxmjoVol7zRL89DvemKUnbjdAR

[@PrevostNewbie]

That's a nice camping spot where in Williams is it? We stay in Williams a couple times a year. Thanks for sharing

[@honthirty_]

Looks like it is south of town, out along 4th street/ Perkinsville road. It is a real shame about the forest fires currently in Flagstaff area. 5000+ acres & the wind is starting to blow.

[@PrevostNewbie]

@@honthirty_ I think there is BLM land on 64 on the way to the Grand Canyon also?

[@honthirty_]

@@PrevostNewbie Might be BLM land out there beyond Kaibab lake on 64 ...but that would be in the pinion and cedars, they are in the shade of ponderosa pines (black jacks).

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

We were very near Bellemont off of FS-171. It was a really great campsite.

[@honthirty_]

@@BeginningfromthisMorning Nice spot! There are old logging RR grades to the West near FS9004 to explore too.

[@brycejeannotte7699]

When you have the bottom panel pulled in and are driving down the road do you get any power from the solar panels?

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thanks bryce - yes we have 1/2 the capacity (1780 Watts) on the roof when they are pulled in. They do a very good job on the road. We also pull them in if it gets crazy windy.

[@kerryburke3864]

With your system - do you have the capability to generate power while the bus is running or you are moving as in driving. It seems strange that you have not put some form of generating capability to make power when the engine runs. Cheers.

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Thank you Kerry - this is a great question with a semi-complicated answer so bear with me. As we are driving we have 1750 Watts of solar panels exposed to the sun and charging (except for tunnels, underpasses and when it rains of course). It is important to note that our main house battery is 48V (it's actually closer to 55V-56V when we are fully charged). Our bus electrical system is 12V. We could get a fancy 12V to 48V converter but it would need to go to 55 or 56V and they are extremely expensive (especially the programmable ones and at significant Wattage (1500 to 2000 W)). The other route we have considered is using a 12V Inverter that runs off the bus 12V system in the bus that then acts like a generator for the inverter (~1500W - 2000W maybe?). The biggest issue is at 12V we would need to pull something like 150Amps from our bus 12V system. While this is well within the capability of our bus's electrical system we try to treat the engine in our bus as gingerly as possible. I hope that makes sense.

[@joshuabrackeen]

Great video Juan!

[@BeginningfromthisMorning]

Hey Josh thanks! Great to hear from you!