Best Solar Panel Size for a DIY Camper Electrical System (and how to blueprint your camper roof)

This video will teach you how to blueprint your camper roof and teach your some tips and trick on how to find the best solar panel size for your DIY camper Electrical Install.
Resources:
➤Solar Panel Cheatsheet: www.explorist.life/best-solar...
➤Best Wattage of Solar Panel: • Best Wattage of Solar ...
➤How to Perform a Power Audit: • How Much Solar Power D...
➤‪@AndyRawls‬x EXPLORIST.life Airstream Install: • How to Install Solar &...
➤Need additional & personalized help? Consider joining my private group: www.community.explorist.life
Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful with planning and installing your DIY Camper:
➤DIY Camper Solar Wiring Diagrams: www.explorist.life/solarwirin...
➤Basic Parts & Components of an Electrical System: • Basic Solar Parts Need...
➤How to Cut Wire: www.explorist.life/how-to-cut...
➤How to Strip Wire: • How to Strip Wire from...
➤How to Crimp Wire: • How To Crimp Wire Lugs...
➤How to Make MC4 Connectors: • How To Make MC4 Connec...
➤How to Wire Solar Panels in Series-Parallel: • How to Wire Solar Pane...
➤How to Crimp Wire Ferrules: • How to Crimp Ferrules ...
➤How to Wire an AC/DC Breaker/Fuse Box: www.explorist.life/how-to-wir...

[@computernerdtechman]

Another thing to take into account when positioning your solar panels on the roof is the shadow created by your air conditioning units or other objects on your roof if it is too close to the panel. Depending on the position of the sun, this can effect the output if a panel is overshadowed. Raiseable roof vent covers is a good example.

[@shutthegate8232]

Thanks for that. Never heard of the sketch up, so bonus to see the panel info, and useful tutorial skit for the software also. Cheers

[@AdventureVanMan]

Hey Nate, thank you for all of your videos. You really were a big help in me installing my new 12 volt system in my camper van. I gave you a shout out in my latest video. ✌🏼

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Super cool! Headed to check it out now. (For anybody else wanting to see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5bNnmB9ZpeFkJo )

[@operationhomestead3065]

New subscriber here via Adventure Van Man.

[@rsellers]

Your videos are a goldmine! Thank you!

[@recoblade1465]

Really looking forward to next videos. Diy batteries make solar panels easy same rules apply.

[@mistysmeanderings6428]

I've been following y'all for years. Thanks for EVERYTHING! I'm starting a new van project and installing solar for the first time. I have a Chevy Express and am considering putting two panels along the passenger's side of the roof starting as far forward as possible. Batteries and water will be inside on driver's side. In 3 years of research, I have not seen this done. Is this a poor decision?

[@kirkvagg8004]

Hey Nate, thanks for your vids, I’ve learnt so much mate! Just wondering why people don’t use house panels on RVs more? I was thinking of using 2x 390w panels on my RV roof. Saving a bit of $ per watt compared to the smaller ‘12v’ panels. Your (excellent) solar charger calculator recommended the Victron 150/85 and I’m wondering if it’s totally overkill? Anyway, would love to know your thoughts on it all. Cheers mate!

[@arlenekufchock1394]

New subscriber, thanks for Sketchup tips! We decided not to RV but to continue car camping as we've done 25 years. I know flexible solar panels can delaminate if left in a cold dark storage shed (or especially if always exposed on a roof), but what if we keep them in our heated and air conditioned basement of house most the year, only using them camping 4 weeks/year? Hanging in the basement seems like perfect climate control. We'd only use them 2 weeks at a time. it appears you don't use them but you could do a video on if/how/when your friends' flexible solar panels started derating or delaminating, and if there are known best prevention or upkeep tips. I want to buy now but can't seem to find this information from any of the big KZbin flexible panel reviewers who only review them when new. Maybe you could link to good info about this, thanks. Or I may just buy two rigid 44" 100W panels and put them inside the subaru outback until we get to campsite, but that takes up precious cargo space. We're building our own solar generator. Thanks!

[@MitchOfCanada]

plan for unistut to hold panels instead of drilling 8 holes per panel on brackets then you can upgrade/remove panels at will without harming roof.

[@tomwilliam5118]

Great video I would also mention to take in account for weight and any brackets that may interfere with the panel next to it

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Sure! You can get REALLY detailed on this depending on how close you are cutting it on placement.

[@davebarnes6068]

Thanks Nate! Learned more about Sketchup also. :) Should solar panel weight be a factor in roof planning? For instance, the Renogy and Rich solar 200 watt panels differ by 20 lbs per panel (at least what Amazon says). If adding 4 panels that +100 lbs when using Rich Solar over Renogy.

[@coryhanes]

Very good information, I just did this for my motorhome two weeks ago using Visio. TIP: Don’t forget that a lot of RVs will have a roll off near the edge of the side walls which is unusable space and no structure to install anchors, also you must take into consideration the dimensions of the panel mounting brackets. And most importantly accessible walking area to perform maintenance on the AC unit and other roof accessories... even vents need to be checked resealed annually.

[@biancadelarosa7986]

+=2=3=4=8=0=7=0=7=6=8=9=9=2...

[@biancadelarosa7986]

Text him via whatapp

[@davebarnes6068]

Totally agree. In my solar planning for my motorhome, which technically should not walk on the roof, having space to do maintenance is a part of my plan. Great tip!

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

Dido on being a new subscriber from Adventure Van Man.

[@steverobin34]

I'm to the point where I want to wire my cabin and bedroom lights on 3 way switches. However, I want to put my bedroom on a 3 switch rocker panel and my cabin lights on a 6 switch rocker panel. Can you point me in the direction of a good video on how to turn a common rocker switch into a 3 way?

[@charliestrauser8448]

Hey Nate! Thanks for all the videos you do! I’m still stuck with one thing though, which voltage and amperage should I be using in my array efficiency calculation? The VMP or VOC? Should I divide my panel wattage by that to get my amperage or should I use the ISC or IMP? I have 2 160w 12 panels I want to string in parallel for a 100ah battery, so it makes me wonder... why aren’t MPPT charge controllers sized for those who use higher amperage and lower voltage like in parallel systems? Should I consider switching my setup to series to save some much needed money on a lower amperage MPPT?

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Use the VMP for actual panel output in terms of voltage while the charging is actually happening. Use the VOC when trying to find the max voltage of the panel for sizing the charge controller properly. I would indeed recommend wiring your array in series (or series parallel) to get your battery bank voltage to at least 20V over your battery bank voltage (paired with a properly sized charge controller, of course).

[@tintinthepirate]

Thanks! Do you consider shading when you decide panel size near AC? Like bigger panel right on edge of AC, Vs. smaller ones with some space in between?

[@TexasFlyer2]

I had similar questions about shading and should we avoid having too close to items like the taller a/c units. Would love to hear Nate's insights on shade.

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Not really a HUGE consideration. For maximum solar output, shading should be avoided altogether. That one is easily overthought. Edited for clarification... If there is a spot that is always shaded, it's best to try to avoid putting a panel there in most cases. The more 'sun on panels' you can get, the better.

[@Ratchety]

Thanks for making this series. It should be titled "Solar system Master Class"... A couple weeks ago I was just going to "throw a couple solar panels on my trailer"...Thanks for pulling me down the right rabbit hole.

[@devinodell3076]

If I have a 400 amp hour battery bank, do I have to have 800 watts of solar to support the battery bank? Could it work with 600 watts of solar as?

[@mteek9047]

General comment, you toggle between using feet and then inches, I find it easier when building things that are no more than 20 feet or so to just stick to inches. Learning a lot from your channel thank you

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Feel free to do that in your planning. We've all got different methods. :)

[@michaelplace5513]

Hey Nate thanks for the content. A subscriber who just moved to Northwest Arkansas on a homestead with an off grid system in a Fifth wheel. I’ve got a question about my system. I have a MPPT Epever solar charge with 120Ah 24V LifePo4 batteries and a 2000/4000W Giandel Pure sine inverter. I too balance my batteries to 3.6v thinking I would fix this problem but I can’t figure it out. Once my battery’s are fully charged my inverter begins beeping (HI) and my BMS goes off saying over charge voltage protection. Whenever I unplug the BMS or disconnect the Solar power cord the alarm on the inverter stops but if I continue letting the batteries charge on solar it will go off again at 100% also my batteries begin changing voltage per cell? Is there something I can do? Thanks man, and again thank you for the content

[@EXPLORISTlife]

It definitely sounds like there is something weird going on with your BMS and/or battery bank and the interaction with the charge controller. I would start with double-checking the parameters of your BMS and charge controller and verify that all are up to proper spec. Also, you may want to verify with a multimeter what the 'high' alarm actually is because 1V over the limit is a lot different than 20V over the limit.

[@calevel]

Im having such a hard time finding the right panels for my limited roof too( 1957 avion tt) with two ceiling fan and ac unit and a curved top😒. Is there like a long and narrow panel ? 74”x20” maybe? I need at least 400watts but it’s like mission impossible with my limited roof space 😞

[@jedhansen4229]

Nate, thanks so much for the clear, concise instructional videos. Super helpful. I have a 600 amp hr kit from Battle Born and will need to purchase the wiring kit from you guys, probably this week. We di not yet have panels and have been researching SunPower and REC for their quality and efficiency. However, I have been advised to consider other manufacturers because these are not suitable for RVs due to vibration, etc. while driving/camping. Do you have any advice on this topic? We have two uninstalled MaxxAir fans and are considering only installing one due to rooftop real estate for panels. With four girls, we want to build the most efficient van possible (Sprintrr 170), so we figure solar array efficiency is critical. The SunPower X series efficiency and dimensions would fit well on our roof and provide 730 watts, I think, with room for one fan, and other temp racking options - kayak, etc. Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Most solar panels will be fine, but you can always reach out to the manufacturer of whatever solar panel you are considering and see what they say and see if the will honor their warranties if installed on a camper roof. Rich Solar is my own personal choice. Their 200w panels fit PERFECTLY side-to-side on most van roofs and we partnered up with them to bring a 55w panel to market that will fit on either side of a maxxair fan, maximizing roof solar space. Check out what we did on our Transit roof here for some inspiration on how you could make this same type of setup work on your Sprinter: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKTTdIWBdqurgaM

[@jedhansen4229]

@@EXPLORISTlife Thank you for your quick reply. I had not considered asking about warranty validity. I will do that. And, I will check out the link. Keep up the great work!

[@DennisWintjes2]

Thanks for sharing. First comment! Like #6

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Hey Dennis Wintjes, Thanks so much! Cheers!

[@ericguerin1550]

Hi Nate. Really like your videos. It is the clearest info I could find on solar setup. One question remains: what to do about shadows, should we even bother with shadow on a van roof ? I figure that two series in parallel will help. What do you think ?

[@EXPLORISTlife]

It's not something to stress about, but should definitely be considered. If there is a spot that has shade 100% of the time, it's best to not put a panel there.

[@ericguerin1550]

@@EXPLORISTlife Or do not park the van in the shade. :)

[@kellysimon5587]

@@EXPLORISTlife Hmmm...I thought if you have a few panels wired in series and one of the panels has a shadow on it because it was too close to, say, the air conditioner, it will greatly reduce the power of all the panels in that series. Right?

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Shade on the panels should be avoided at all costs if maximum solar production is the desired outcome regardless of how the array is wired.

[@jackmason7518]

Good Morning. I’m going to install 2 new 200W solar panels. The question is Parallel or Series. I have heard the Series is not as good because of shading you lose some of your power. Yes the Amps are around 10Amps with 40 Volts and Parallel the Amps are higher at about 20A and the Volts are lower at 20V . All so I read some ware the solar panels need to have a voltage around 20 to 30 volts above the battery voltage Do you have any thoughts on this. Thank you Jack

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Shading is not good for solar panels, period. If you want the max output from your panels, they need to be in the sun. As far as how I recommend wiring 2x200W panels... consider checking out this wiring kit I've made for 2x200w panels (and how I've wired them in the diagram): shop.explorist.life/shop/all-products/camper-wiring-kits/solar-charging-wiring-kits/400w-solar-charging-wiring-kit-2x-200w-12v-battery-bank/

[@checkingoutgypsymike2075]

Nate i checked out your panel list, none fit my size limitations while meeting my power needs. I have 6×12 feet of space and 560ah of battery storage for my lifepo4 12v bank. The 2 with enough wattage were over 36" wide, the 200watt ones weren't enough to meet my 1000 plus watt needs. Do you know of any that would be under the 6ft wide space i have in 250watts per panel to make it close to my 1120 needs? I'll be searching but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. I'll be putting them on a frame attached to 4 ladder racks across my cargo trailer, so i can put a tilting frame up and get best exposure. Hopefully it'll help capture optimum sun light for an undersized array if i can't find any 300watt mono crystalline panels. Thanks!!

[@EXPLORISTlife]

If you could live with 2" of overhang on each side, you could get 1110W with 3 of these panels: unboundsolar.com/1977441/astronergy-solar/solar-panels/astronergy-chsm6612m-370-hv-silver-mono-solar-panel

[@luminousveiws]

Nicely detailed! However the formula for Goal Power seems to come out of nowhere. What's behind this Ah used x2 = W? Where did it come from and what are it's limits? I've seen all sorts of 'rule of thumb' suggestions, but I'm not sure what to trust.

[@EXPLORISTlife]

Sure! For example... If you use 200Ah of battery bank capacity (@12.6V), that is ~2520Wh of power. 2520 / 6 hours of solar charging (US solar average) = 420W of solar panels

[@gearsofbaird3529]

Hmm. If i need double the wattage for the amp hrs then ill need 1600 watts. That'll be rough to fit lol maybe ill stack then build a rig for a 6" gap between

[@housesOTR]

Great video. Just a note. Your picture is blocking the area you are putting in measurements.

[@EXPLORISTlife]

It's actually not. The measurements are right below the picture. Hope this helps!

[@housesOTR]

@@EXPLORISTlife I'll look at it on a computer screen. They all blend together on my phone. Thank you for the videos. Looking forward to your next as I'm getting ready to connect my components and checking out the bus bar situation.

[@leadman50]

What about space between panels for mounting to the roof?

[@EXPLORISTlife]

If you need space between your panels for how you plan on mounting them, add it to the blueprint.

[@leadman50]

@@EXPLORISTlife You probably already explained how you mount them to the roof right next to each other. I like that so could you point me in the right direction. Also thank you for all that you do to help all of us.

[@AlabamaConstitutionalCrusader]

Why don’t you do a video on what the volts, amp and watts actually mean when it comes to charging , usage of the inverter and 12 Volt system during the day ? When i 1st started this would have been the most helpful . Now i run 3 100ah AGM’s 600 Watts run in string of 3 series/ parallel and a 60amp charge controller gonna add 200 more watts to finalize my system but when i started i was completely lost because there was no explanation of what everything meant. I just believe it would be extremely helpful to the community.

[@leehwhiz]

So somewhere I missed why you are suggesting 100 watt panels for this area verses say 250 watt panels where I could use less panels but get the same wattage. I.e. 10 100 watt panels verses 4 250 watt panels.

[@EXPLORISTlife]

The purpose of this video was to help you learn how to create a map of your roof to determine what is the best solar panel size for YOUR roof.

[@RyouConcord]

God damn, thank you for videos like these. You're a BOSS man!!

[@sulaimanvanderschyff6564]

Tape measure 😂😂😂