Unplugged In Moab Ep 2: Charging Up With Solar While We Drive To Lock Hart Road Near Canyonlands NP

[@spuddy4063]

Seriously, no one else does this kind of video. Just the facts I guess. More information of this kind id needed on the internet, Keep these video's coming we all need these educational types that show us the truth out there...

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Thanks, I'm glad you appreciate the system capability details! The general public certainly does not care about the details from what I can tell, but I'm making the videos I wish had existed when I was researching my system build to show people what the technology is capable of as well as the limitations.

[@josh5887]

You're videos and the way you care for your family is inspiring.

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that.

[@benkanobe7500]

I just finished both Moab episodes. Fantastic campsites and adventures. The shadow waving looked like living petroglyphs! Too much fun! I have been and on and off viewer. Is the complete solar trailer system with mini split detailed in the configuration used in these two episodes in one of your KZbins or is this a further improvement? Thanks!

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Thanks! This is the playlist of all the modifications I've made to our trailer and there is a video in there about how I mounted the mini split on the trailer and all of the details related to that. All Modifications To Our Fully Sun Powered Lance 2185 Travel Trailer: kzbin.info/aero/PLhYygFlMh_bdUV3KcSWNLRnPi4-WUWkFl

[@benkanobe7500]

@@ElectricTechAdventures Thank you.

[@parkcitymacs]

This was a great video. I get why you did what your did. It so so insane the RV industry keeps putting heavy AC units on roofs. As an engineer, I have found most off-the-shelf RV EV (Lipo) solutions lack design and function as well as complexity to hook up. After building some custom trailers myself, I decided to go with an EcoFlow system in our Lance Trailer with great success. Amazing results actually. One thing that frustrates me is slow charging times of RV controllers. The raw lithium batteries can not handle 2000Watts per Lipo so it takes forever if you do charge from Gas. The Ecoflow system also eliminates the need a controller and permanent wiring but allows huge AMP dumps into the batteries. I ran (2) 110V extension cables run per Battery if not using an additional smart battery out by the shore power connector. That’s all. The END RESULT is I went from a 1600 Watt panel system on my custom trailers to only needing 600Watts on the Lance. I still take a small Honda EU3200I, (yes it fits in the Lance generator storage) which I almost never need to run camping from March to October, in Utah areas. We run the microwave about 10 times a day, coffee maker 6 times a day, theater system with 4K TV , 5 HomePods ( extremely rich on sound and low on power) all in stereo sound, a WI-FI router for the sound, once a night movie, apple computer on all the time, and with a Delta Max and smart Battery we can go 2.5 to 3 days without any sun. With sun we need 5 hours and we can run indefinitely. However, on those times we have to charge, the Ecoflow will charge with 110v, 12V, solar, all input at the same time, so generally 1 to 2 hours of Gas generator gives us 3 days of electric, full 110V for the amount of usage I listed. This gives me a balance of solar and gas if I camp for 3 days or more without sun. We have gone 10 days, on 600 watts of solar, sunny days and been 100 percent charged per day on 600 Watts total solar panels. To eliminate wiring, basically, I trick the Lance trailer into thinking we are on 110V shore power, by using the Ecoflow plugged into the Lance via an extension cord I snaked thru the trailer looped (12 foot 110V to Shore 30amp) into the shore power and likewise one back to charge it. Cost is another big factor. I would say with the Delta Max and Smart battery, extension cables, connectors on the outside of the Lance, solar panels (Flexible taped down), I’m only at $2300 for everything. If I had a larger trailer I would run the Delta Pro and Pro smart battery combo. Another nice thing is my EcoFlow batteries will run the 15,000 BTU AC, but only for 10 to 20 minutes. However, I just plug the Gas Generator in to the ecoflow, so I don’t have to interrupt the shore power from the ecoflow, so during times we run the AC, the ecoflows charge from the sun, and the gas generator, as it powers the AC. Flawless. In the winter, we have to run the gas generator about every 5 days for an hour or so, due to the sun being farther away.

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Sounds like you have a great system there. What I also like about using something like the EcoFlow is you could easily take it elsewhere and leave the trailer behind whereas my system is tied to the trailer. There's lots of options out there for various price points and pros/cons. I'm just glad to see innovation because far too many people are just using the default tech from the RV manufacturers which is a comparatively terrible experience. I'm guessing you don't use your system much for cooling right? It sounds like you're going long periods without much external input which makes sense if you're powering relatively low power draw devices.

[@parkcitymacs]

@@ElectricTechAdventures Ya, we do that. For example, if I just take my Bike to a motocross track, I take a Dometic cooler and one of the ecoflows. Probably overkill, but it’s nice to have dry frozen ice in 100 degree temps. Regarding cooling, our Lance is a 1685, and the AC unit is way over kill. We can run it for 5 to 10 min maybe in the evenings off of the EcoFlow and it cools it down for the night and enough power to run the next day. It’s funny but we won’t own anything but a 4 seasons camper, due to the sound dampening and insulation in the summer versus a winter demand. When we camp in 95F or higher temps we are outside (or in the water) most of the hot time so we don’t run the AC much. IF we do,then pound for pound it’s not realistic to use Lithium batteries versus gasoline. I like the batteries and solar so I don’t ever need to listen to a gas generator for a microwave (1800 Watts) or coffee maker (2,300 watts), which I can run at the same time, many times for a day. We also run a small vacuum which is about 1200 watts, and an electric pressure washer (1500 watts) . The black tank has only been used for freshwater, so I have a direct connector to the pressure washer to wash the truck and trailer if we have been on dusty roads, or washing motocross bikes, or an extremely muddy dog at times. So if you add all those up we have some pretty demanding usages for a few days. AC for more than 2 hours we would use gas generator.

[@gatomalo69]

Do you wish for more battery? It's looking like you holding back the consumption. I also noticed that when you park in the shadow of trees a bigger battery will really help balance the system. I have 29kwh of battery Installed in my camper van. You can never have to much batterys 😅😅

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

I'm happy with my 9.6 kWh, but I'd welcome more if I had the space and weight capacity. I'm not sure what I said in the video that makes you think I was holding back on consumption, because typically I'm trying to use as much energy as possible in an attempt to keep the battery from fully charging because I want the solar panels to produce as much as they're capable of. I agree that a larger battery would be helpful when we camp in the shade of trees, or in the winter. In our case we mostly camp in Utah where there aren't as many issues with camping in the shade of trees (it has happened to us though) and we don't camp in the winter terribly much.

[@bobabooie6389]

How do you service the air conditioners or anything else on that roof ? Does that whole solar panel setup pivot up to one side or something?👍🇺🇲

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Each of the solar panels is bolted down with four bolts which when unbolted allow for that solar panel to be lifted out of the way. The panels are 9 in off the surface of the roof and so far I have been able to just reach in from the side for anything I've needed. I removed the rooftop AC and replaced it with a mini split on the tongue of the trailer so it is easy to access but it doesn't really require any maintenance unless something breaks.

[@bobabooie6389]

@ElectricTechAdventures thanks for the reply . Oh yeah, I forgot about the mini split. That's a nice setup👍🇺🇲

[@ElectricTechAdventures]

Thanks, we're Loving it!