Outdoors RV 250 RDS Solar/Power Upgrade...It's a Game Changer! NCSN Eps 40

[@maxcorder2211]

We have a very similar system installed in our Jayco travel trailer. Same inverter and BattleBorn lithium batteries. In the video you heard the fan that comes on to cool the inverter whenever it is running. What you will find is that this will cause heat buildup under the bed and the noise of the fan will be disturbing. We are planning to relocate the entire system to a rear storage area in the spring.

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thanks watching and for sharing your experience with the inverter fan, we appreciate your comment. We have it vented to the storage bay; however, it is still warm. We are thinking of moving it to the storage bay and adding a fan to vent the bay. Do you have any pictures to share on your build? Cheers 🥂 Curtis and Debbie

[@SuperSushidog]

Nice system! It's a super clean install. Good job. We're retired FT RVers who love to boondock most of the time, so we decided to build our solar/battery system in 2 phases, a 12v phase for our basic 12v needs and a 48v system for our 110v A/C needs. The main issue we faced is we are retired and living on social security and a small pension, so have to do everything on a tight budget forgoing name brand components like Battleborn and Victron for lesser-known brands and must do all the work ourselves - which keeps getting harder as we age. We just completed the first phase last January, with the addition of a custom built 560ah of LiFePo-4 battery, made with 8, 280ah prismatic cells. We chose a Heltec 350amp BMS, to start the onboard 5,500w generator in our motorhome, along with a 5a active balancer to keep all the cells synched up. We typically use less than 20% of their capacity daily giving us enough reserve capacity for about a week of bad weather before we have to run our generator for charging. It only cost us $1,500 to build this 560ah 12v (7.1Kwh) battery, including the high amp BMS and active balancer. We chose these cells because they fit perfectly under the steps of our MH where our old pair of GC-2 golf cart batteries used to reside, saving 35lbs while having over 5 times the capacity. We insulated the battery compartment, cut a 1" 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 if they get too cold - or their life reduced from getting too hot. This first phase, including our 620w liftable solar array, wiring, breakers, a new Progressive Dynamics 80a LFP converter/charger, a 1,000w Renogy PSW inverter (to run our TV, PC, ice maker, etc.), an Epever 50a MPPT charge controller, a Lnex battery monitor/shunt, and a Renogy battery to battery charger cost us around $3,600. We started our build 4 years ago with a custom built 620-watt liftable solar array mounted on the side of our motorhome. It serves as a nice bedroom window awning too, practically lifting itself to the desired angle with a couple gas struts and it's easy to clean with a windshield squeegee, standing safely on the ground. By mounting our current solar array on the side of our MH, we left the roof free to rack 8, 550W Sungold Power solar panels down the length of our 35ft Class A about 13" off our roof, above our AC, fan shrouds, etc. We're wintering over in Yuma, AZ now, assembling the components of this build, and plan to have it finished right after the first of the year. Our aluminum racking material and hardware arrived last week, and our solar panels just arrived 3 days ago, but it will take time to get everything in and installed, as we're moving much slower these days. We will be using a Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W, 120V PSW Inverter, 80a MPPT charge controller with a 40a a/c battery charger. The reason we chose this all-in-one is because the idle power consumption is only 25 watts - and it's on sale now for only $721! Our 48v battery bank will use 16, 310ah prismatic cells. So together with our 560ah (7.1 Kwh)12v bank, we will have a total of 22.9Kwh of batteries onboard. We will be replacing our old rear 13.5k btu rooftop Dometic AC with one of the new high-efficiency 12k btu mini-split heat pumps. This second phase will cost under $10k, including the $1,500 EG4 28.5 seer2 heat pump, as we plan on doing all the work ourselves. Our 2nd phase will provide 24/7 off-grid air conditioning and supplemental heat from the heat pump and allow occasional usage of our front rooftop 14.5k Furrion AC to cool things down quickly during peak afternoon hours, as well as give us whole house 120v ac power. We'll soon have total off-grid electrical independence, allowing us to keep our generator in reserve for emergency use only - on a budget we can afford. Take care, we hope to see you down the road!

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thank you for watching and your comment. These systems take a lot of work; however, are so worth it. Most of our camping in Canada is without hookups, so it was a must upgrade for us. We are happy with it, but will add some more solar, we have room for two more panels on our roof. Your system sounds like it works very well for your needs. Also sounds like us, you have a solid understanding of the design and installation. Do you have any pictures or video you can share? Cheers, Curtis and Debbie

[@John-eq8cu]

you said six 190W panels, but on the roof, I only saw 5 panels. I think that 1140 watts is probably not enough for the massive battery you have. You'll comfortably run your AC but if you run those batteries down, you won't be able to get it back with a day's solar power. Thus you'll have to start the generator more often, to make up the difference. I'm thinking of a similar power upgrade for my travel trailer. I just upgraded the battery to 440Ah, and got a DC compressor fridge, but the solar is still at 680W, which is often not enough to generate a single day's energy. I plan to replace my 4x170W with 4x250W which will better meet the daily needs.

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Good evening John, Thank you for watching and your comments. We had one panel get damaged in transport. It has been replaced and we have added another two panels. Go Powers new panels haven’t changed but are now rated at 200 watts and is not considered mixing panels. So total now is 1540 watts (roof is full now); however in the peak of summer we have been charging above 80 amps with both MPPT controllers. If the AC is running steady it still can’t keep up. We still like having the 750 Amp hours for more reserve,especially with the dogs in the trailer. We also find that the tilt brackets help with the solar strike, especially in later summer when the sun is low here in Canada. Cheers, Curtis and Debbie

[@PaulNijak]

Great video! thanks for taking the time to make it. I'm currently upgrading my 24 ORV 250 RDS with a solar and Inverter. How did you route your AC power cable into the cabinet where the AC breakers are? I can't seem to get push rods or a fish tape through. Any pictures or advice would be welcomed!

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Good morning, Thank you for watching and your comment. I dropped the underbelly- I followed the route of the shore power cable up to the panel location and installed a junction box behind the panel. Ran the new shore power cable (extension piece) to the auto transfer then the inverter charger, and then the power supply cable was ran from inverter to the main breaker of the AC panel. With the underbelly dropped I was able to run the two cables safely and securely. Hope that helps Let us know how it goes for you and if you have any additional questions. Cheers, 🥂 Curtis and Debbie

[@christopherjohnston6042]

Great job.....

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thank you for watching and your kind comment. Have a great weekend Cheers, Curtis and Debbie

[@KeenanModica]

I'm so happy for you guys

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thank you for watching. We are very happy with this upgrade.

[@dougsymington9005]

How did you run you Start Link Cable into the trailer?

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

We used Brand: Jeanoko RJ45 Female Connector CAT5/6 IP67 Waterproof Network Cable Socket Connection Plug Although I would not recommend this connection plug. I would spend the money on a higher quality connection plug. We installed connectors on the Starlink cable. When I did it I just KZbind searched a video and followed what they did.

[@dougsymington9005]

@@nextchapterstartsnow Thanks really enjoy your Videos.

[@jayt838]

Great upgrade on the trailer, I'm curious about how much weight that adds to the trailer and the the tingue weight. I'm planning on a similar set up and planning it out right now . Thanks

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thank you for watching and your comment. For our 2022 ORV 250 RDS-T Starting with the power upgrades - the removal of the drawers was only about 6 pounds. Each 250 amp battery was 80 pounds each = 240 pounds. Inverter charger was 52 pounds Each 60amp MTTP controller was 8 pounds = 16 pounds I didn’t weigh all the cables and miscellaneous items but would guess around 20-25 pounds. Only one solar panel (24 pounds) is forward of the axles, rest are over the axles or back of it. I haven’t done the scale yet to determine final tongue weight (but we will) Roughly 357 pounds added to the front location. On the back end we removed 156 pounds of the dinette and we are storing roughly 30-50 pounds less weight now from/in the storage. The breakfast bar and storage area added 145 pounds. Each chair was 132 pounds So a total adder was about 253 pounds Plus we have two solar panels behind the axles to add some more weight back there. Plus we have the drybox area that packs only our light bulky items that does not add much weight (approximately 125-150 pounds) In our front storage area we have it full of bins and we pack more than we should. Overall we are still heavier in the front than when it was delivered (but will know actuals soon). Wasn’t sure if I would feel the difference on our drive back to our home base and i traveled with the water tank full and set the cruise at 62mph and didn’t even noticed any difference, even in some wind. We haul with a F350 with the heavy GVW package and airbags, so we have the payload, but was a heavy trailer to begin with and we did make it heavier. 🫤 Once we go across a scale and use a tongue scale, we will let you know. Hope this helps 😎 Cheers, Curtis

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Yes that is true I had two AGM batteries and a those plastic boxes.

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

From what I can tell they were about 35 pounds each.

[@larrycox6614]

Those are exactly the same questions my wife asked...she didn't really care "how" it worked, just give her the bottom line about functionality from her perspective..."WHAT CAN SHE RUN?" The only thing that annoyed her was the inverter fan noise...oh well.

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Very true Did you install a large system? We don’t notice the inverter noise (well at least to the point, that it bugs us), with it venting into the storage bay, it is pretty quiet. We also shut it off at night. So far so good.

[@larrycox6614]

@@nextchapterstartsnow For flexibility for both house & RV, we bought a Titan system from PointZero with 2 2kAh batteries.

[@bobmariano3731]

👍⚾️

[@nextchapterstartsnow]

Thank you for watching Have a great day