DIY Solar Install

[bwhit2001]

Hey all,

I've seen a lot of info about solar installs and running equipment off of an inverter. I researched very heavily for several years before I pulled the trigger and started my own project. We just got home from spending 3 weeks on the road, dry camping. I brought my little generator but it never left my truck. We ran a Kuerig coffee maker, the microwave and a small shop vacuum as well as lighting and normal day to day use for a family of 4. I thought I'd share my project in case it helps others. All of the systems I've seen on here were very large and very expensive. This is middle of the road compared to most I've seen but it is the minimum you would need to power the equipment I mentioned above. My trailer is a 26' Reflection 150 series 5th wheel. Here is a list of the equipment I intstalled:

-Morningstar TriStar TS-45 Charge controller
-(2) 175W solar panels, 350W total (the charge controller can handle up to 4 panels and I oversized the wire to handle an upgrade)
-Bogart Trimetric 2030 solar/rv battery monitor (I highly recommend this and wouldn't install a system without it)
-Magnum MS2000 inverter/charger with remote control
-(4)T-145 trojan 6v batteries

It took me 3 or 4 days to install everything. I had to remove a cabinet and pull the center wall panel off to get access for wiring. I removed the stock converter/charger and the shore power now goes through my inverter to supply power when plugged in. The remote control in the living room makes life very easy. I would highly recommend anyone who is thinking of a project like this to read the instruction manuals thoroughly. They are available online before you purchase them. They will answer everything you need to know. I'm happy to provide info and resources I've used. In 3 weeks I never dropped below 90% battery life (per my monitor, not the trailer "volt reader"). We made as much coffee as we wanted and didn't spare much. We spent most of our time in Utah and Colorado and had plenty of sunshine. My batteries were charged to 100% by 10 or 11 every morning.

[DaveMatthewsBand]

Hey all,

I've seen a lot of info about solar installs and running equipment off of an inverter. I researched very heavily for several years before I pulled the trigger and started my own project. We just got home from spending 3 weeks on the road, dry camping. I brought my little generator but it never left my truck. We ran a Kuerig coffee maker, the microwave and a small shop vacuum as well as lighting and normal day to day use for a family of 4. I thought I'd share my project in case it helps others. All of the systems I've seen on here were very large and very expensive. This is middle of the road compared to most I've seen but it is the minimum you would need to power the equipment I mentioned above. My trailer is a 26' Reflection 150 series 5th wheel. Here is a list of the equipment I intstalled:

-Morningstar TriStar TS-45 Charge controller
-(2) 175W solar panels, 350W total (the charge controller can handle up to 4 panels and I oversized the wire to handle an upgrade)
-Bogart Trimetric 2030 solar/rv battery monitor (I highly recommend this and wouldn't install a system without it)
-Magnum MS2000 inverter/charger with remote control
-(4)T-145 trojan 6v batteries

It took me 3 or 4 days to install everything. I had to remove a cabinet and pull the center wall panel off to get access for wiring. I removed the stock converter/charger and the shore power now goes through my inverter to supply power when plugged in. The remote control in the living room makes life very easy. I would highly recommend anyone who is thinking of a project like this to read the instruction manuals thoroughly. They are available online before you purchase them. They will answer everything you need to know. I'm happy to provide info and resources I've used. In 3 weeks I never dropped below 90% battery life (per my monitor, not the trailer "volt reader"). We made as much coffee as we wanted and didn't spare much. We spent most of our time in Utah and Colorado and had plenty of sunshine. My batteries were charged to 100% by 10 or 11 every morning.

Nice to finally see another 220RK with solar!!!

Here’s mine!









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[FT4NOW]

Looks good, glad it worked out and suits your needs. What was the approx cost with wires and electrical connectors if you dont mind me asking?

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[bwhit2001]

I spent about $4,000 total. That's with all of the equipment, 4 batteries, wire, remote control, monitor, hardware and fasteners, fuse protection, and temperature sensors. The biggest chunk of that was the inverter at about $1500. The four batteries were $1000 out the door. I got a good deal on wire from a local battery shop.

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[el Rojo]

We also only have a 2000 watt inverter and it has plenty of power for us. I assume those are AGM batteries at $1000.

The only thing different we have is a hard wired surge protector HWC-50 and we have 4 180 watt panels. If we had 6 panels and 4 Lithium batteries I think we could run the propane fridge on electric all the time.

Red

[DaveMatthewsBand]

...If we had 6 panels and 4 Lithium batteries I think we could run the propane fridge on electric all the time.

Red

We have 4 lithium batteries, and I don't think you could run the fridge all the time using them. We have the small fridge, the 8 cu.ft. and running on the inverter it pulls 30 amps. We also have 1155 watts of solar so on a good day we're generating 74 amps.
Keeping up with running the fridge on electric isn't a problem, during the day. We have enough solar to run the fridge and pretty much everything else in our Reflection. However, keeping the fridge supplied with electricity after sunset would be tough with only 400ah of "juice".
It would probably knock the batteries down to about 25% by morning, and that's if we don't run anything else past sundown, like the TV or furnace. You'd really need 500ah - 600ah of lithium or 1200ah of lead acids to run our fridge on electric 24/7 and have enough reserve to power other appliances at night.
Naturally, if you have the larger 12 cu.ft. fridge you'd have to bump that number up another 50%, so 800ah of lithium and 1600ah of lead acid, to be able to run the fridge on electric 24/7!

...Or just run the fridge on LP at night, like we do.

[jh.xsnrg]

We have 4 lithium batteries, and I don't think you could run the fridge all the time using them. We have the small fridge, the 8 cu.ft. and running on the inverter it pulls 30 amps. We also have 1155 watts of solar so on a good day we're generating 74 amps.
Keeping up with running the fridge on electric isn't a problem, during the day. We have enough solar to run the fridge and pretty much everything else in our Reflection. However, keeping the fridge supplied with electricity after sunset would be tough with only 400ah of "juice".
It would probably knock the batteries down to about 25% by morning, and that's if we don't run anything else past sundown, like the TV or furnace. You'd really need 500ah - 600ah of lithium or 1200ah of lead acids to run our fridge on electric 24/7 and have enough reserve to power other appliances at night.
Naturally, if you have the larger 12 cu.ft. fridge you'd have to bump that number up another 50%, so 800ah of lithium and 1600ah of lead acid, to be able to run the fridge on electric 24/7!

...Or just run the fridge on LP at night, like we do.

This is making me consider a residential drop in fridge now. It takes the operation from 320w down to just over 100w (3x the run time), and could make electric only a viable option.

To the OP, nice looking setup, 3 weeks is a good run, congrats!

Jim

[bwhit2001]

The batteries are trojan t-145 flooded lead acid. With 4 batteries I have 560 Amp hours. These are larger than the typical "golf cart" batteries. Rv refrigerators are extremely inefficient on a/c power and I don't think it is practical to try and run them on a/c with solar.

So I built this system to handle our needs, everyones are different and the sky is the limit if you have unlimited funds $$$. We aren't full timers but we do go on trips that last up to a month sometimes. I like to drag a boat with me and do some fishing. This has given me the ability to have a push button cup of coffee in the morning before the sun comes up without waking any neighbors (or my wife!) Ok, most expensive cup of coffee ever, I get it. And yes, I've used a French press and a percolator they are just a lot of hassle at 0500 when the lights are out and everyone is sleeping. Also, I always hear folks rate their systems based on how long they can go without a generator or hookups. This system is indefinite for us. I could add a couple panels if I needed to but for what we do in the summer with plenty of sun there is no point where I would need alternate power.

I have some other pics of the project. I might try and add a little write up on how the project went.

[gengiant]

BW - nice little system - very similar to mine! The one thing I chose to do different is separate my Trojan t105’s from the inverter/charger. I moved the Inverter (Magnum 2012) to the ceiling of my basement garage along with the sub-panel and have my vented battery boxes and MPPT solar controller in the front bay of my 5er. I did that because I don’t fully trust the venting of the batteries.
As to the 105’s, I got a screaming deal on them at $117 ea. At this stage however, I’ll be adding a couple additional. We’re down to about 72% in the mornings before making coffee. Those large 18cf refers are so darn inefficient!


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[New Tamper]

BW - nice little system - very similar to mine! The one thing I chose to do different is separate my Trojan t105’s from the inverter/charger. I moved the Inverter (Magnum 2012) to the ceiling of my basement garage along with the sub-panel and have my vented battery boxes and MPPT solar controller in the front bay of my 5er. I did that because I don’t fully trust the venting of the batteries.
As to the 105’s, I got a screaming deal on them at $117 ea. At this stage however, I’ll be adding a couple additional. We’re down to about 72% in the mornings before making coffee. Those large 18cf refers are so darn inefficient!


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Just watched a video yesterday on YouTube by Will Prowse and it was about a week old and he was talking about used lithium batteries he bought off eBay called Valence I think. Even though they were used ( they come out of Hospitals ) he tested them and they still had over 90 percent capacity remaining. They are 80 watt and only $150.00 each! This guy has over 100k subscribers so now all of a sudden the price jumped to $300 each, so I think if you keep your eyes open you should be able to get them for $150.00 again, or you may be able to check with your local hospital and work a deal with them when they change out their batteries. These were very well made lithium batteries!