OFF GRID RV SOLAR BUILD | 💲WHAT WE PAID 💲| NO BS ASSESSMENT 🤔

OFF GRID RV SOLAR BUILD | 💲WHAT WE PAID 💲| NO BS ASSESSMENT 🤔 | ELIMINATE CAMPING FEES?

Рет қаралды 1,535

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 13

@tinamathews14 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing all the information to get us on solar. May God keep on blessing, guiding and protecting you. All our love and hugs from 515. See you real soon ❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗thanks for another great video 👏👏👏

@WilliamMathews-o1b 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for all the information. Beautiful locations and such great detail. Take care! ❤❤❤

@kafreese1706 4 ай бұрын

We're so very fortunate y'all shared this with us. It is almost completely seamless, and not having that be a concern is huge! Thanks for sharing such valuable info with both us and all your subscribers.

@thewanderingshores Ай бұрын

Ok this is probably the 5th video we have watched since finding you guys and you do an amazing job on these. Thanks for sharing- Wander On- Kyle and Michelle

@TheFreeses515 Ай бұрын

Thanks Kyle and Michelle, we appreciate you checking us out! 😄

@SuperSushidog 4 ай бұрын

Great job guys. I like the way you think. We've never been to Oregon but would like to visit it soon. BTW, I recognized some of the pictures of the places you've stayed, as we've stayed there too. We just found your channel and subscribed. We're old, retired FTers in an who discovered we love to boondock. We boondocked for 10 months last year in our 1999 National Tropical MH and have been living off grid all this year so far, saving a ton of money too. We designed and built our solar system ourselves, on a tight budget. It took us 5 years to gather the resources and finally complete the project, doing all the work ourselves. But now that it's complete, our solar/battery system allows us to live off grid just like we were plugged into a power pedestal in an RV park. No more sweating at night for us as we almost always run our 12k mini split heat pump in the bedroom all night long, using less than 10% of our 48v battery while we sleep. My wife likes the thermostat set to 72 degrees, but it sometimes gets too cold for me, so I'll often run my electric blanket to stay warm as we now have power to spare. We started about 6 yrs. ago by building a 620-watt liftable solar array on the side of our motorhome. If you wanted to add more solar, you might consider something like this or add deployable array using light weight folding panels that you can point at the sun. Our side array makes a nice bedroom window awning, 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 BMS. 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 Progressive Dynamics LFP converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy inverter, a 50a Epever MPPT charge controller and a Lnex battery monitor. This 12v system powers all of our 12v appliances and can even run our residential fridge, computer and TV, if necessary, yet only cost us about $3,500. 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 our 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, yet our overall height is still just under 12 ft. Our 4,400w array can run both our A/Cs, household appliances and charge our batteries from solar at the same time. We mounted a 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. It saves us space as well as money compared to a system built with individual components. We chose this model because it supports our 400voc solar array. Our 48v battery uses 16, 320ah prismatic cells and has a 200amp BMS. Together with our 560ah 12v bank, we have a total of 23.5 kwh of batteries onboard, (about the same capacity as 9 of your 200ah batteries) charged by 5,020 watts of solar. 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 coach. It's super quiet and cools as well as our 14.5k btu Easy Start equipped Furrion we have up front, using about 1/3 the power. This 48v system provides 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and heat from the heat pump. We have a total off-grid electrical self-sufficiency without the need to run our generator. Our total budget for both 12 and 48v systems was around $11,500, including the $1,500 high-efficiency heat pump as we did all of the work ourselves saving us a ton of money. If we were to do it all over again today, we could do it about $350-$400 less, as some of the components we used, like our initial batteries, solar panels and even the heat pump have dropped in price since we bought them. I figured our ROI is less than 2 years, compared to spending $500 monthly in RV parks, (if you can find them that low) and it pays for itself within a year compared to a $225 weekly RV park rate. But the biggest advantage is the flexibility it gives us, as we no longer are forced to be wedged into tight RV parks, all lined up with other campers like sardines in a can. Like you guys, we now stay in some of the most beautiful wilderness areas imaginable, mostly free on Forest Service and BLM lands, regardless of the season. Last year we visited 11 states, without plugging into a power pedestal the entire time. Last winter we boondocked near Yuma, AZ. We're visiting family now in NC where boondocking places are pretty rare, so we're staying in a spacious, no-hookup site at a convenient RV park for only $100/mo., saving us $500/mo. off their normal rates. It's good to have options. Hope to see you down the road one day.

@TheFreeses515 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for subscribing @SuperSushidog and welcome to the channel! Your setup sounds so cool and very well thought out, amazing stuff. Boondocking isnt for everyone but it is for US and we prefer it now. Its good to hear ya'll have cracked the code of camping fees too and sounds like we use the same areas so its highly likely you'll see us around 🤙😁. Take care!

@RamblinRalph Ай бұрын

Great video! I am a solar fan like you. I have 225 watts of panels with a 100 AH lithium battery on my truck camper. I installed an AC-DC charger, but never have to use it, Don't have the energy requirements you do. But, my system keeps electronic devices charged, a small inverter running when I need it and fan and furnace when needed . I travel several months in the summer and stay mostly in USFS campgrounds or boondock. Safe travels!

@TheFreeses515 Ай бұрын

It feels so good to have the right system to handle your needs especially when you're out in these USFS and BLM areas. We love it 😀