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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    Upgrade recomendations for Solar System

    It is obvious that my Jaboni is not working to charge the Interstate batteries installed on our new 310GK Solar system. I would like to know what kind of batteries and charge controlled you may have upgraded to? I think the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|30 charge controller is the one I currently like. Any other recommendations? How about batteries? Are the Battle Born LiFePO4 12V100Ah worth the cost? Are the LifeBlue LiFePO4 12V Drop-In Batteries an as good alternative being $50 cheaper? Since the Jaboni is not working I have no idea what kind of Voltage and Amps I should expect from the factory installed solar panel. Can anyone give me good data? With that info I should be able to determine if I need another solar panel or how many... Thanks Everyone!


    2021 Grand Design Solitude 310GK-R
    2021 Ford F350 Platinum FX4

  2. #2
    Long Hauler bertschb's Avatar
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    Bend, OR and Palm Springs, CA
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    Are you just wanting the ability to run your residential fridge on travel days and/or for overnight stops while disconnected from shore power? If so, the factory 300W system works quite well - at least mine did. How do you know your factory system isn't charging your batteries?

    I upgraded my factory 300w system (with Victron and Battle Born) but I did it so I could run everything in my RV while disconnected from shore power. My system is medium sized and the parts alone were $13,000. It probably would have been $20,000 if I had paid somebody else to install everything.

    As for how many solar panels and batteries you'll need, you need to do an energy audit to see how much energy you use each day. Or, if money is no object, you can throw 2,500w of panels on the roof and 800ah of batteries in the basement and call it good.
    Brian & Kellie
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, FBP, 1,460w solar, 540ah BBGC3, MORryde IS w/disc brakes
    2020 F-350 Platinum SRW Powerstroke Tremor, 60g TF fuel tank, Hensley BD3-F air bag hitch

    Previous setups:
    2019 Solitude 373FB-R, 2019 F-350 Platinum DRW Powerstroke, Hensley BD5 air bag hitch
    2016 Reflection 318RST, 2016 GMC 3500 Denali SRW Duramax, Hensley BD3 air bag hitch

  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper
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    Go over to YouTube and look at the videos produced by "DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse." He really has some excellent videos on solar power especially for gridless systems.
    Foard County News & Sassy Schoolmarm
    Nathan & Susan Gifford
    Belle, & Danke
    53 days camping 8000 miles 2017
    2017 Imagine 2800BH
    '07 GMC Sierra 2500HD Duramax LBZ 4WD

  4. #4
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Mar 2019
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    Quote Originally Posted by BadgerBryan View Post
    It is obvious that my Jaboni is not working to charge the Interstate batteries installed on our new 310GK Solar system. I would like to know what kind of batteries and charge controlled you may have upgraded to? I think the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100|30 charge controller is the one I currently like. Any other recommendations? How about batteries? Are the Battle Born LiFePO4 12V100Ah worth the cost? Are the LifeBlue LiFePO4 12V Drop-In Batteries an as good alternative being $50 cheaper? Since the Jaboni is not working I have no idea what kind of Voltage and Amps I should expect from the factory installed solar panel. Can anyone give me good data? With that info I should be able to determine if I need another solar panel or how many... Thanks Everyone!


    2021 Grand Design Solitude 310GK-R
    2021 Ford F350 Platinum FX4
    Like others have said, you need to know how you are going to use your coach before you can answer your question about how much/many battery(ies) are enough.

    I think there are two keys to your decision...

    How much are you going to boondock? and for how long?

    The other key is how much will you need to run your furnace? RV furnaces are Power Hogs (especially in the 310 GK) and you probably need 100 ah of battery storage to get you through a cold night.

    Another consideration is if you have the Residential refrigerator or not.

    To answer the questions you originally asked: Yes, Victron is a very good choice for all of your electronics, from Battery Monitor to Inverter/Charger I highly recommend the brand (Victron is the brand I chose for my system).

    Yes, upgrading to Lithium (LiFePo4) batteries makes a world of difference when it comes to energy storage in RVs.

    Personally, I would go with Battle Born if the alternative only saved me $50 per battery. However, Battle Born is not your only choice, when it comes to Lithium (LiFePo4) batteries. In my post about "Cheap Lithium Batteries..." I created a spreadsheet with LiFePo4 batteries that are as much as 70% cheaper than Battle Born. Now there is an even cheaper alternative with a DIY build of your own LiFePo4 battery using cells sourced from China.

    Here is the Link to my post (note: the thread has a lot of good information about Lithium batteries in general):

    Link: https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...322#post341322
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

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