RV Solar System Runs A/C! Our Solar Install & Costs

See a full breakdown of our RV solar system: wildrvlife.com/blog/santan-so...
We love boondocking in our RV and a few months ago we installed a MASSIVE solar system on our RV roof. Come along to check out our off grid power system, see how we installed the solar panels on the roof and wait until the end for a breakdown of the cost of our RV solar system.
Check out the INSIDE of our renovated RV: • Remodeled RV Tour: We ...
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:40 Cleaning the solar panels
3:12 About our panels
5:18 What's that?!
5:32 Solar system components
10:01 Our tips and experience
12:47 Cost of our solar system
Who are we?
We’re Victoria & Craig, a full time RV travel couple! In 2021, we decided that we needed to make life a little more exciting, so we bought a used 2014 Dutchmen Denali 330rls fifth wheel and completely renovated it. Then, we sold our house in Tallahassee, Florida and hit the road full time in our RV! We’ve traveled all around the United States and fell in love with boondocking in our RV at the most beautiful places. You’ll always find us on some kind of outdoor adventure, whether it’s hiking the Grand Canyon, rock climbing in Yosemite or surfing the shores of California. Subscribe to our channel (bit.ly/3ssOjGT) to follow along on our full time RV living adventures!

[@nandito7021]

its very satisfying seeing a young couple enjoying life together and I hope you guys do very well in life!

[@JohnSmith-bb7rt]

I am impressed with your skills! We have a much smaller rig (25’ Airstream), and had 7 panels squeezed/installed on our roof. 6 BB batteries, soft start, 3000 watt inverter and some other stuff I don’t understand. The installers did a great job, the system works great, but it was about $8,000 more than your cost. I am color blind so I don’t mess with electricity. That said, I am very satisfied with the folks who did our system, but I still wish I was capable of doing what you did!!!

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you so much!!

[@SanTanSolar]

The panel cleaning was SO satisfying!! ☀ Great video, as always!! 😊🙌🏼

[@wildrvlife]

The satisfaction from watching the hose wash off the dust made the cleaning a lot more fun! 😄 thank you!!

[@DeFiDuke]

you need to upgrade to the bougeRV cigs industructable super panels !

[@ramonmirabal101]

Like your videos, I have class B, 600 amps lithium bank, three dc to dc 30 amps each, 300 solar, 9500 Houghton air conditioning. All this about $5500. I am able to sleep all night long. With my AC on in the morning I have around 60% on my battery. I did everything myself. When I am driving, I charge my battery between the DC to DC and the solar about 100 amps.

[@wildrvlife]

Nice setup. We want to add some more batteries just so we can run the a/c longer in the evenings.

[@danemmerich6775]

So what you are saying is you have 600 amp hours and your batteries are at 60 percent when you wake up, that is great. So you could possibly get away with 200 amp hours and the batteries would be near depleted?……..while running the AC all night. That seems pretty good option if you can’t afford the rest of the batteries, correct??

[@vtmkb]

Great video and i can confirm install labor is not cheap. We had ours done and labor was $13,000. I don’t regret it because it’s amazing.

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you!!! I'm so happy with our solar as well!!

[@terryrodbourn2793]

The DIY route is only way this way you replace anything easily with the least amount of headache1

[@henryreimer8906]

Great install! It’s also worth pointing out that you went with some relatively high priced options, namely Victron and Battleborn. Great products, but there are less expensive options. Just do your homework to avoid low quality stuff. Your system is truly impressive!

[@wildrvlife]

Definitely! We didn’t know much about solar systems when we first started so we went with the most well-known/quality products to be extra sure we were getting good stuff but by the end of it all (and our many hours of research) we knew a little more about what to look for and realized we definitely could have done it cheaper, but hey, ya live and learn. Let’s just say we’ll definitely be taking our system with us if we change rigs 😆 thank you!!

[@danemmerich6775]

Yes about the high price Options. For younger generation going with the top of the line stuff is great. I am doing my research on all B quality products I hopes to save some cash.

[@billb48843]

I'm a couple years ahead of you - I went with 400ah@24 volt (BB's) (another 100ah@24) - Victron Quattro 5k (wife has been known to hit 4200w cooking breakfast) - 2k solar (In the process of adding 1200w flat panels on the top of the slides - enough space for them to slide in with the bulb style seals). We also have a 10 gal marine water heater. I gutted an old panel and turned it into a solar water heater and circulate solar heated coolant through the "engine heat" coil in the tank. Doing it again, I would have left the old tank and done a small plate and frame heat exchanger instead. 2 small water circulation pumps. I clean our panels on 3 week basis. Ours will and does run the Heat Pumps, summer and winter.

[@James-ss7gy]

I'm in the process of researching/installing solar on our rig before we hit the road full time in August, so this video was super insightful. 👌

[@wildrvlife]

So glad it was helpful! And good luck in the process! It’s a lot of research but so worth it in the end

[@RVUntethered]

The elusive subscribe button makes me LOL! Very clever! 😂

[@wildrvlife]

Lol! I chuckled editing the video.

[@benitomunoz8661]

Yooooo I really admire yalls respect and support for one another. God bless yall and safe travels!

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you so much!

[@philipfareio4445]

Good thing Craig knows how to do things My huband says

[@NomadicHomebody]

Hey guys thanks for the run through. I have a 48v system w/ around 2500 w of solar . Love it!!! Don’t forget that it also helps when your on a 30 amp site. The inverter’s really help keep thing running. Also, you get 30% tax write off for solar set up!

[@wildrvlife]

Ah yeah!! That is an extra benefit, it’s so nice to basically never have to worry about power. I didn’t realize RVers could get the tax credit too I am going to have to look into that (if we can still do it for next years 🤞🏼)

[@danemmerich6775]

Do you recommend a 48 volt system rather than a 12 or 24 Volt?? It seems that it would be better, correct? It charges faster, right? What are the downfalls of a 24 or 48 Volt system??

[@crankychris2]

@@wildrvlife You can refile on prior years taxes anytime up to 3 years to take advantage of any credits.

[@5Placas]

Another great video! And it's fantastic you were able to install the system yourself. Not only saved money, but you'll find it a lot easier to troubleshoot.

[@mw5673]

Just found your video, thanks for being so detailed into your setup! My travel trailer came with a 200watt solar system installed, but I plan to make it bigger so I can live completely off the grid if I want to, and your info really helps! Kudos to you two living life to the fullest!

[@janettraugh9221]

We love your videos and your channel!!!! You both are so fun to watch!! 😊😊

[@wildrvlife]

Aww thank you so much!! Kind comments like yours help me forget about the Negative Nellies 😂❤️

[@janettraugh9221]

@@wildrvlife don’t even think about the negative energy. You are great. Have watched all your videos. We have a 5th wheel And love taking it out and next hopefully do more than just weekends. :). Hopefully someday would like to meet up.

[@wildrvlife]

😄❤️ thank you!! So glad you’re enjoying our journey too! Would love to hopefully meet up one day!

[@reeselynch3005]

Very comprehensive thanks a bunch ✨🌱

[@EminenceFrontX5]

Great episode 👏

[@sigmacentauri6191]

OK you made me lol with your subscribe button in the cargo bay 😂🎉😊

[@wildrvlife]

Haha!! Thanks for watching!

[@billjones6106]

That was a great and informative video. And thank you for sharing the cost breakdown. Love your vids.

[@wildrvlife]

so glad it was helpful, thank you!

[@bigronshobbies8209]

This was great, i have so much to learn about solar.

[@wildrvlife]

There is SO much to learn! Lots of great KZbin channels out there that focus on breaking down solar systems and batteries and stuff, we watched sooo many videos when doing our system!

[@paulhughes5979]

Your ladder should always extend above the roof edge. OSHA recommends 3 feet...

[@danemmerich6775]

Easy there Rule monitor. Lol….. been a Carpenter my whole life and always broke that rule. Now and again. Like the fact you noticed that. 😂

[@Oscarcarrillo001]

That's is awesome my friends 🥰😍🥰😍

[@snaphappee]

Ours came with solar, but you guys gave some great information for solar newbies in general. Thank you!

[@conservativepersonnel8458]

Dammm you got 100 panels on your rv, nice

[@unclebilly1353]

Thanks for the video, you guys different help me. I'm trying to get as much info as possible. The one and most important thing im taking out of this video is safe. I definitely want to have a walk way down the middle of the roof. I will probably install a hose bib on the roof . And maybe keep a hose up there in a utility box. As I'm getting older. Doing this type of activity can be a little high risk. I hope to achieve similar results. I'm in process of get my 08 class a back on the road for hopefully many years of awesome adventures. I'm still in faze one. Getting all my utilities working. But a solar system seems like the ticket. I'm sure I will contemplate 12 vs 24 volt when the time comes. And maybe to a combo like you. Nice install. I hope I can pull it of when the time comes. Thanks

[@godevarcooper9366]

7:26 - batteries🎉🎉 thanks for sharing

[@marc-andrebelley2217]

Victron has a DC/Dc charger. So you can basically turn it ON when driving to recharge batteries if no sun ! Connect it to strong alternator, run cable under truck to back and connect ombilical cable to battery bank. Connect sense wire to parking lights and that way you turn ON/Off charger when not needed

[@Joe-fj9kw5bg1v]

I made my solar the most simple way I could. But works great for me no automatic switching confusion to worry about

[@hackertexas6171]

Nice job.

[@rickphillips4966]

Install looks good. I have a lot of the same components. Victron and Battle Born are very good and reliable. I even picked up a couple of solar panels from San Tan. You definitely save a lot of money installing everything yourselves, and you know how the system works. If you figure the average campground costs $40-50/night, you can quickly make up the money spent on the system. And who wants to be in a campground anyway. Safe travels.

[@wildrvlife]

Definitelyyyyy. When we compare what we were spending a month on campgrounds before we started boondocking versus after we started boondocking at the beginning of last year, we’ve already saved over $8K!!

[@rickphillips4966]

@@wildrvlife You got some haters on here. I got a reply that you must have blocked since i don't see it here. Sorry for that. Just continuing doing what you're doing, You guys put out really good content and are entertaining.

[@wildrvlife]

@@rickphillips4966 thank you 😊 yeah, I don’t always delete negative comments because everyone is entitled to their opinion…but this particular guy was going on replying to a bunch of people spreading his negativity around…and no one needs all that 😆 thank you so much for the kind words!

[@grayfox9911]

Very nice setup there! Y'all be careful!

[@wildrvlife]

Thanks so much!! We will!

[@jim87vette]

Nice solar array wow! I just installed my system a month ago. Almost the same as yours. Except only 800watts panels, 2 - 100 amp 12 volt battle born, I did get the inside monitor ( it was expensive lol)! I already had the batteries, so I built off that. I do want to add one 100 or 200 more amp hrs. Although I've been boondocking for 7 days and only have run the genny 30 min. So I'm very happy.

[@wildrvlife]

Oh that’s awesome! Isn’t it great to barely have to use the generator?! We keep saying we want another battery but honestly we haven’t had to get the generator out once the entire time we’ve been in Baja so I’m not even sure we really need it either. We’ll see as we start heading to some less sunny places how it goes.

[@vickiedavis720]

😂😂😂%$#@, >_=×,!@×÷, is what I heard in regards to the solar power info. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I really enjoyed the cleaning of the panels. You guys are so much fun to watch, even if all that solar stuff is above my head. 😂 Keep taking us along with you, stay safe, and God bless.

[@wildrvlife]

Hahah it took a lot of research to understand it all, that’s for sure! Thank you so much for watching anyways! Have a blessed week!

[@raulguzman1852]

Love your videos. Not sure which route you are taking back to AZ, but you should consider a stay in Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) Sonora.

[@wildrvlife]

We’ve heard of this place!! We aren’t going to be able to swing by this time but it’s definitely on the list for one day!

[@stephenpolos1689]

Good video 😀 that's quite a system and I keep a generator 😊

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you!! What kind of generator do you have? We have the Westinghouse igen 4500 and used it soooo much last year, it was great!!

[@WYKOFFSADVENTURES]

That's what I'm talking about let's go solar because when you can do that you can go anywhere for the very low price of zero dollars

[@wildrvlife]

Yesss!! There’s an upfront cost but the components can definitely all last beyond long enough to make your money back if you do it right!

[@SanTanSolar]

🙌🏼☀

[@jeannealex2560]

Hi guys...we are not full-time...can't justify the cost...will stick with our generator...however..that is some very good information...we jumped a couple of times when you got close to the edge 😊...thanks for the video stay safe...J&A

[@wildrvlife]

Oh yeah that makes sense! We used just a generator for all last year and you can definitely make it work, especially for part time. The roof can get slippery too! Sometimes it scares me a little too 😆

[@RoamingRazorbacks]

Great video! I have that same inverter, and while I love it, it is only 2400 watts, not 3000 as you said. They rate it at 3000VA which was a bit misleading and I didn't realize it wouldn't run over 2400watts until after I bought it. Love all the victron stuff though and love your setup!

[@wildrvlife]

Ohh interesting, we’ll have to look into that with the inverter! Thanks for the tip! And thanks for watching!

[@drinkinslim]

Yeah, it doesn't help that almost every youtuber says it's 3000 Watts when it's actually 2400 Watts usable power - less when it's hotter. :/

[@nowhatifs]

Very timely and helpful video. Thanks for sharing! We are selling a home now and about to move into our 5th Wheel full-time and I have been researching solar options. At this point, it's hard to say how much we will boondocking but I would like to have the option to save campsite fees. What website do you like to find free camping options for a large rig?

[@guy739]

Love watching your channel, I think what people are missing is that you can now boondock, you don't have to listen to and fuel a generator. If life was only about the cheapest way to live, you would be living in the ghetto, go enjoy life while you can. I am jealous, I wish I had lived when I was younger, like you guys.

[@wildrvlife]

Yeah we honestly didn’t realize how great NOT having to run the generator was until we didn’t have to anymore! It’s such a relief to not have to worry about fuel or deal with the noise. We definitely don’t live the cheapest, but we are having a grand time for sure! 😄 thank you for watching!

[@randyberti6606]

Do you have a link for the rail system? How has it held up?

[@ShawnPatterson402]

very good description of a very nice system. No doubt you may be a bit over panelled and a bit under batteried at this point. Perhaps 1400w of solar and 600amp hours of battery might have you a bit better off on cloudy days or when in shade. ie less power generation and more power storage for when you need it. Some will argue that a 2:1 ratio might be ideal. But really what is ideal when we all use our RV differently. nonetheless a great system and thanks for sharing... and as always, safe travels.

[@joeblow1942]

3:51 He wired some panels in parallel and some in series so if something is shading some panels then the others won’t lose efficiency. They have 2820 watts of solar and three 100AH lithium batteries plus a generator. 5:32 Walk through of their system.

[@benspoliticsandnewsbencook9151]

I'm in north Phoenix. They do the insall? And about how much did you guys pay for yours?

[@brissiAU]

Out of internet did you get a output before and after reading?

[@bsfishing7073]

I’m just trying to see how everything is working with your system is it still working strong

[@wildrvlife]

It is! We did just upgrade our batteries to 920ah (epoch x2 460ah) and can now run a/c through the night.

[@aaronhendrickson]

Update your programming on the controller. If you are plugged in, use the dollar before shore power. Your electric cost when paying for a month or more at the RV park.

[@wildrvlife]

Good point! We never pay for electric separate but it’s definitely something to think about if you are!

[@kelleykramer1270]

It appears that you are missing some major components like Battery Kill switches/ Breakers, and Class t-fuse.

[@wildrvlife]

Good eye!! For the way ours is set up, the breakers would not do much good other than to isolate some of the solar panel strings. The t-fuse is behind the wall, the other fuses are at the solar panels, and in the lynx distributor. We are, however, missing the kill switch.

[@Joe-fj9kw5bg1v]

Might as well spray under the panels and scrub what part of the roof you can get to right? just wondering

[@user-hv4pu1zi8k]

How many hrs. Willa/c run on solar power ,how much do you need? Solar panels battery's and storage?

[@gabrieluribe1852]

Great solar system you have, and very expensive, I probably don't need a very big system, my class c is only 23ft long.

[@wildrvlife]

Yeah, they are very doable at smaller sizes. Our main goal was to be able to run the a/c during the day.

[@uhwaste3583]

Can the panels be cleaned with regular faucet water or do you need distilled or de ionized water?

[@danemmerich6775]

Great Video!How did your system work when you went to States or areas where there was very little sun? Did the 300 amp hours do the job? Was it hard to run AC?

[@wildrvlife]

We’ve used our system all over the states as well, but we do still plan on adding to our battery bank. If there’s very little sun, you won’t be running the A/C for very long with only 300ah. But, in those instances, it usually isn’t very hot so we just run our fans and that works

[@danemmerich6775]

I just asked that exact question. Seems like a couple more batteries is what you need, but I hear people running an AC with less amp hours? Probably because your rig is Big!?

[@stevedecubellis136]

Does the inverter have a built in transfer switch to run your entire shore power panel or just a few designated circuits?

[@wildrvlife]

Yes it does! Being able to run the entire rig was one of the main reasons we went with the Multiplus 2

[@user-qb7zv4we8l]

I'm a newbie, what would I need for a Class C 31 to 34 footer?

[@mybobbleheads]

Lots of panel for a small bank.. you are probably inputting 100-150 amps per hour into your small bank..probably only need 1/3 the panels or more batteries. Just my thoughts. I run 300 watts of solar into 440 AH of batteries and camp year round in Canada. I do run the genny at night when below zero though.. Love the video and explanation. Cheers

[@wildrvlife]

Yeah we definitely have way more panels than we need for the current battery bank, but built it with plans to be able to add a lot more batteries to it in the future. Thanks so much for watching!

[@diysolaradventures7894]

I love SamTan Solar I've bought from them 2 different times and they sent me 5 new panels for free

[@papakernz]

I installed a basic 2 panel solar setup with 2 Li Iron batteries (not Battleborn) for under 1k. If you don't run AC off it, you would be amazed at the low price of powering the 12v crap in a camper this way with adequate sunlight.

[@wildrvlife]

Oh yeah, if you’re only powering the DC stuff, you can build out a system super affordably! And you can even build a system much cheaper than ours, because we did go with pricier components in general

[@pkelly411]

As a weekender I can't justify solar, although it's super cool. How long for a payback as full timers compared to running and maintaining a generator?

[@wildrvlife]

We started compiling parts of our solar system in January 2022, which is when we started boondocking, and this is how it breaks down so far: In 2021, when we didn’t do any boondocking because we didn’t have any setup for it, our monthly average for campgrounds was $885/month. Since January of 2022, when we got the first couple of components through March of this year, we’ve spent a total of $5,199 on campgrounds. If we’d had been in campgrounds during that 15 months spending an average of $885, we would have spent $13,275. So essentially, we’ve already saved $8,076! And to continue boondocking, we knew we wanted to finish building out our solar system with the panels. We’d put up with the generator-only method for long enough lol. But it did give us a head start on our savings doing it that way! Also, when we were using the generator a lot, we probably spent around $100-$125 on gas for it in a month, but that was also at the height of fuel prices last summer when we were using it 😅 For the cost comparison, it all depends on how you feel about using the generator and if you also want an inverter to use AC power ok batteries (this was a must for us to feel like we were living comfortably). And you could definitely do with a lot less panels than us to just keep some batteries charged

[@diysolaradventures7894]

You should install u a mini split ac/heat pump so u can ac & heat all night they draw way way less power then standard rv ac or window ac get u a 12,000 btu Senville thats what im running on solar or MrCool mini split

[@wildrvlife]

we've talked a lot about a switch to a mini split! I don't know why RVs haven't started using them. They are so much more efficient!!

[@diysolaradventures7894]

@wildrvlife they sure are I'm currently looking for a cheap decent rv to convert into a solar rv right now I'm living in the house but I'm ready to hit the road

[@TheRayDog]

I've done solar, and like not having gen noise for urban boondocking. But let's all be realistic. Solar is vastly more expensive than simply getting a quiet, small inverter gen. A gen I'd still recommend for 80% of folks who just aren't serious, serious RVers.

[@wildrvlife]

totally agree! You'll like our video coming out today. We are talking about all the options for people who want to try out boondocking. We did it for a whole year with an inverter generator before upgrading to solar, but I would definitely recommend trying it out first before jumping all in on a solar system investment.

[@godevarcooper9366]

15:13 solar system is well organized

[@user-hv4pu1zi8k]

I have a 50 Amp system and a propane gen Onan gen

[@stevedenoyer5956]

Free power, I’m curious how long it will take to recoup your output? Hope you track that and do a video. We have a generator and no plans for solar in that capacity but maybe a few panels to assist with battery charging. Wow I had no idea it was that expensive. You’d almost have to take it with you if you changed RVs

[@wildrvlife]

We track all our campground costs so I already do have some insight on that! In 2021, when we didn’t do any boondocking becuase we didn’t have any setup for it, our monthly average for campgrounds was $885/month. Since January of 2022, when we got the first couple of components (generator and first battery) through March of this year, we’ve spent a total of $5,199 on campgrounds. If we’d had been in campgrounds during that 15 months spending an average of $885, we would have spent $13,275. So essentially, we’ve already saved $8,076! And to continue boondocking, we knew we wanted to finish building out our solar system with the panels. We’d put up with the generator-only method for long enough lol. But it did give us a head start on our savings doing it that way!

[@bbcooter388]

When you compare the cost of the system to the savings you get by not having to stay at a campsite every night, you can recoup your costs fairly quickly, especially if you are full or part time.

[@lauradomenico3264]

How many batteries would you need to run the AC all night?

[@stevedenoyer5956]

@@wildrvlife good deal that's pretty quick turnaround, you guys do the off grid a lot!

[@bbcooter388]

@@lauradomenico3264 it takes approximately 125 amp hours of battery storage to run an RV Air Conditioner for one hour. Most 12 volt batteries, like the Battle Born batteries, are only 100 amp hours. Consequently, to run an A/C unit for 10 hours it would take a minimum of 13 Battle Born batteries. Obviously, this would be quite expensive. The big problem is that the RV Air Conditioner is not very energy efficient. If you could mount a mini split A/C unit like you can in your home, you might be able to cut the number of batteries needed to 6 or 8. The good news is that Lithium (LiFePo4) batteries are getting much cheaper. For example: many Lithium batteries can now be purchased for $250 -$300 delivered direct from Amazon.

[@Joe-fj9kw5bg1v]

I have 500 watts of solar 2000 inverter I'd like to get a 3000 watt inverter sinewave by the way. 400 amp hours of battery. About $5700.00 Put it in my self by listening to people like you and solar people.

[@rebeccadunn3979]

Alll I want to know is WHERE WERE YOU BOONDOCKING??? 😊

[@judy6416]

I’d love to see your subscribers go up. I enjoy your videos

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate everyone who is coming along on our adventures!

[@dougwilliams3276]

All that on an RV that died. Do you have them on your Brinkley now?

[@wildrvlife]

Oh yeah, our entire system, besides the unistruts and some of the wiring that was run through the rv was transferrable. That's why we installed the panels on the unistruts that we talked about... just took them right off, didn't have to leave holes in the RV when we traded it in or anything and then installed it all right on the Brinkley! All 2,800+ watts fit too, even with it being 3 feet shorter!

[@dougwilliams3276]

Ok, that's amazing. Love the videos too. @@wildrvlife

[@stevedenoyer5956]

With that much solar, is it overkill? For your camping habits? Seems like a lot?

[@wildrvlife]

It is definitely overkill for the current battery bank we have in terms of keeping it charged, but it is pretty much exactly what we need if we want to maintain running an A/C during the daytime when the sun is out, which was our main reason for installing such a big system 😄

[@stevedenoyer5956]

@@wildrvlife yeah those batteries are so expensive to gees! Best of luck with it. Good thing you guys are handy!

[@wildrvlife]

For real! I honestly don’t know how you can RV without at least being a little handy. Things are always breaking! 🤣

[@franticproductions]

Thanks, answered my big ? How much?

[@twotallable]

This panel can put out close to 100 watts kzbin.infoUgkxOqI2yqX0XVrhR2BMJciTWrHJpG8FhJyg when positioned in the appropriate southernly direction, tilted to the optimal angle for your latitude/date, and connected to a higher capacity device than a 500. The built in kickstand angle is a fixed at 50 degrees. Up to 20% more power can be output by selecting the actual date and latitude optimal angle.The 500 will only input 3.5A maximum at 18 volts for 63 watts. Some of the excess power from the panel can be fed into a USB battery bank, charged directly from the panel while also charging a 500. This will allow you to harvest as much as 63 + 15 = 78 watts.If this panel is used to charge a larger device, such as the power station, then its full output potential can be realized.

[@aviationsafetyoversightgro9812]

Good video. You 2 are enjoyable to watch. No. Your Solar is not yet “free.” You need to tell us how it amortizes. Start out day 1 = $9,000. What would you have spent that day for electric, minus that from the total. Day 2 etc. You are now 6 months since installation. What are you down to in amortization? I am sure it is not “free” yet. At what point will you zero out the costs and start getting “free” electric? 1 year? 2 years? Also, be careful with your AC. Yes your system could run an AC, but not for long. It takes on average approx 100 amps an hour to run 1 AC from battery power with your setup. Also did you put “soft” starts on your AC? Your viewers need to decide whether will be worth it to have this setup.

[@wildrvlife]

We started compiling parts of our solar system in January 2022, which is when we started boondocking, and this is how it breaks down so far: In 2021, when we didn’t do any boondocking because we didn’t have any setup for it, our monthly average for campgrounds was $885/month. Since January of 2022, when we got the first couple of components through March of this year, we’ve spent a total of $5,199 on campgrounds. If we’d had been in campgrounds during that 15 months spending an average of $885, we would have spent $13,275. So essentially, we’ve already saved $8,076! And to continue boondocking, we knew we wanted to finish building out our solar system with the panels. We’d put up with the generator-only method for long enough lol. But it did give us a head start on our savings doing it that way! However, everyone has to decide for themselves what their own comfort level is and what they want or need for boondocking. And yep! We only use one A/C when boondocking and it has a soft start. We only run the A/C when the sun is high and hot so we actually don’t deplete any battery power with our system most times, but that’s why we were saying that we would need a much bigger battery bank to run it when the sun wasn’t out.

[@aviationsafetyoversightgro9812]

Thanks for the reply. I understand now why your solar is “free” as you have already amortized it. Good answer!

[@johnhines3591]

Thats a lot of $$. I have 160 watts of solar & a generator. My only limiting factor on boondocking is water. You don't need all that to boondock. Solar doesn't do much in bad weather. Most of us can't come close to being able to afford that kind of set up. 1 160 watt solar & a 2500 watt generator under $2,000, & I boondock a lot.

[@wildrvlife]

We boondocked for an entire year with no solar at all, only a generator. And for a while, only one lithium 100ah battery. You absolutely don’t need all of this to boondock, but this is what we wanted and chose for our setup and are happy with it! Because we have so many panels, we actually still do pretty great in cloudy/rainy weather with keeping our batteries charged and never having to pull out the generator. But, totally agree, you can get out there and boondock with much less, we’ve been there done that!

[@Stepdaddy8969]

👍🏽

[@bobabooie6389]

Nice setup 👍🇺🇲

[@wildrvlife]

Thank you!

[@bobabooie6389]

@@wildrvlife you're welcome

[@prateekdey8952]

Please dont clean solar modules at full sunlight they can crack happened with me

[@sigmacentauri6191]

Studying the shit out of your wiring diagram. It’s just like ya said. DC output of solar panels combines to a fuse breaker that feeds charge controller charge controller is wired to the distribution box distribution box is tied to the inverter and the DC of the distribution box is also tied to lights and the battery the output of the inverter powers your appliances and outlets perhaps an air conditioner? That’s what us AZ gypsys want to know is how to power up air conditioning with solar. This is the goal.

[@wildrvlife]

Yeah with our Victron Multiplus 2, it powers both hot legs of our 50 amp system. Which allows us to run the A/C. You’ll want to have a soft start on it, but with the 3000w inverter, it shouldn’t have a problem letting an A/C turned on with the soft start and then you’ll just want enough solar coming in so that you don’t drain your batteries too quick

[@stevemurray2737]

Those Solar Panels are worth more than that falling apart Fifth Wheel!

[@wildrvlife]

And that’s why we installed them on the unistruts, we’ll be taking them with us to the next one! 😅

[@hummerguy]

😂😂

[@larryphillips4164]

#1 thing everyone always says, “shoulda went with a 24 or 48volt system”. 100% right. I’m with ya rowing that same goddamn fucking boat too brother! 😂😂🤪

[@josephconnor3531]

But at how many thousands of dollars to do that, just seems to go to that extreme for that much power is way to much money

[@wally1957]

I can appreciate where you are coming from but I think you may be misleading some viewers when you say it is not cheap to install solar system. I have installed solar system on my RV and can go completely off grid if I want to and my total cost is less than 3K. I do not buy top name brand products and I do much research on products I end up buying like reading reviews. I see that you bought into the Battle Born battery thing and I would never pay the price they are asking, I don't care if they offer a 10 year warranty. I am just saying people should shop around and by the way everyone needs to stay away from 12V systems because of the high amp draw. I switched to 24V system after battery cables started smoking during high battery draw "TEST". My battery cables are very heavy duty but still could not handle the amp draw while using a 3000W inverter. I mention the 3000W inverter because they should never sell a 3000W inverter rated at 12V! Anything remotely close to 3000 Watts at 12V is going to eventually catch fire. For example the amp draw 3000W at 12V equals 250 amps. Meanwhile 3000W at 24V is half that or 125 amps. That being said the only device that I had to buy for 24V is the inverter. The panels and batteries can be wired each in series to reach the objective of 24V. The controller will automatically see the different working Voltage and respond accordingly. One last statement. I may buy affordable China products but none of my devices have failed and it has been several years since solar system was installed, panels, controllers, inverters, batteries. The only thing that failed was the knowledge of the hazards of 12V system. Cheers to both of you.

[@danielk810]

I just bought a camper with a 3000W inverter. Now I need to go see if it's 12V or 24V. Thanks for the write up Wally.

[@wally1957]

@@danielk810 Hopefully 24V and if not be careful on amp draw.

[@2010snopro500]

Sorry to tell you, but solar does not run anything. It charges the batteries that gives you the energy to run things.

[@hummerguy]

Well damn bro, no one ever would've thought of that bro

[@andrewmcdonald7206]

Solar only charges batteries, it doesn’t run anything.

[@wildrvlife]

That's correct, but saying my solar charge, my batteries that run an a/c is a lot more words.

[@stevehvac1]

Thats why my solar stopped working you stole all the solar energy

[@mollybug9325]

I am sorry You kids got taken to the cleaners. It would have been cheaper converting everything to 12v DC only (including the refrigerator) like I did. I can't go with LiFePo4 batteries because we RV is sometime -30 degrees during hunting season. They would be useless. We love camping at above 10000 feet and never need a ac. When we bought our 17 cubic in French door refrigerator freezer it only cost about $1250.00, and it runs 4 days on a single AGM 100 ah battery, that is half your 100 amp hr LiFePo4. The generator is the same as yours, and it is a Polaris, which is the same as the Cummins gen and your Westinghouse, just one meter difference. I am getting rid of all AC current in the trailer and running all off 12v DC except for heat. Even the Air condition compressors, I will converted to 12vDC when I am ready. I will just change the compressor to a 12v dc and recharge it. I also am using a 2500w Westinghouse and the Polaris 4500w generators at this time to run both AC during summer. They are from the same chi com company. I am even changing our recliner trim thrusters to DC same as used in boat trims and motor lifts. My system only cost about $2000.00 with refrigerator, shunts are cute but not needed. I use breakers instead of fuses. My panels were flexible panels taped to the roof and no membrane was needed to be screwed through. Sorry, my background is theoretical laboratory electronics, and the Air Force and FAA still use my procedures to this day. This stuff is child's play to me. Have fun guys.

[@wildrvlife]

That sounds like a pretty cool endeavor! We weren’t interested in doing a 12v only system and are happy with our more traditional solar system, but it sure sounds like an interesting option. Our main goal was to be able to run our A/C with our panels, no generator, and we can do that now 🙌🏼

[@timothymoore2090]

Why spend that much for a rv? To save a few dollars. Now your value of the trailer itself is less then what it was the second you drove it off the lot. Only a hand full of people would buy it with all those holes drilled all over the roof. Now it’s going to cost thousands just to re cost the entire roof

[@wildrvlife]

Actually we traded this rig in already for $18,000 (we bought it for $15,000 🙌🏼) and as we explained in the video, we installed the panels on unistruts so that we could easily remove all the panels without leaving holes. Which is exactly what we did and now we’ve installed our big solar system on our new RV. Highly recommend doing it that way so you can take your investment with you!

[@tubezzztube]

At 50% of this video is an absolute waste of time. Like some pointless "reality" show. 🥴

[@shanonqual759]

if you would have bothered to install it correctly it would have cost a lot more!!! What a shat mess of an install!!!! I hope your insurance company does not see this video as if you have a fire loss this video is all they will need to say we no pay!!!

[@wildrvlife]

Do you care to explain what you saw that looked incorrect?

[@stevedenoyer5956]

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@Mr-er6fg]

Jerk!

[@hummerguy]

Well damn, it'll help if you actually point out what is wrong and unsafe instead of trying your best to be a smart ass