2019 Reflection 297rsts solar capability

[jabhoyt]

Would like to be off grid and able to run at least one air conditioner. I know how to achieve this with a portable generator but I would like info. on roof type panels etc. I want to get max capacity for what this year travel trailer can handle. An invertor will be needed, several lifepo4 batteries etc. I found out portable solar probably would not last more than 10 yrs. after purchase. Has anyone done a solar install on the 2019 version of the 297RSTS? I am aware I need to define wattage etc. but looking for basic information.

 

[COGrandDes]

I did a host of upgrades to our new camper within the last couple years to include removing the Furrion solar panel that came with the camper and upgraded to (8) of the Renogy 100w mini panels and then added 560aH of LiP04 lithium batteries. We have a good amount of things running in our camper to include the 12v 16 cu ft fridge, Starlink, our TV, and other devices on our inverter and can boondock indefinitely with that setup. We also carry a 6300 watt Inverter Yamaha generator in the bed of the truck for emergencies and if we need either of the AC units. That system works great for us and we can pretty much use the batteries for anything including our Pit Boss smoker, TV, Starlink, and other plugs without issue or concern. Installing the (8) solar panels was pretty easy and I also upgraded the solar controller as well.

 

[Soundsailor]

Just be aware that the AC uses about 100 Ah per hour of use, plan on plenty of battery storage if you're going to use the AC for long.

 

[Sportzfann]

Would like to be off grid and able to run at least one air conditioner. I know how to achieve this with a portable generator but I would like info. on roof type panels etc. I want to get max capacity for what this year travel trailer can handle. An invertor will be needed, several lifepo4 batteries etc. I found out portable solar probably would not last more than 10 yrs. after purchase. Has anyone done a solar install on the 2019 version of the 297RSTS? I am aware I need to define wattage etc. but looking for basic information.

For me I added 1300W solar on roof, 600ah lifpo LiTime batteries.
Victron multiplus inverter 3000 Va 120x2 it’s going to cost a lot just for batteries to run your AC unit. I can run my AC unit but it’s only @4 hrs or so. If I need to run AC I just fire up the genny and run all day if I need it.
The genny cost me @$500 bucks. I’d love to be able to just run batteries for all the appliances but, how much do you want to spend$$$$$

 

[jabhoyt]

Thank you for your response. I looked into portable generator and would be able to run one air conditioner. I wouldn't expect to run it 24/7. My husband thinks the "solar prep" on the 2019 Reflection travel trailer was just to be used to charge the RV battery. My concern is can that access point be used to set up regular solar, LifePO4 batteries, invertor etc. I just haven't seen anyone with my trailer making this transformation. Thank you for all your information, very helpful!

 

[Sportzfann]

Thank you for your response. I looked into portable generator and would be able to run one air conditioner. I wouldn't expect to run it 24/7. My husband thinks the "solar prep" on the 2019 Reflection travel trailer was just to be used to charge the RV battery. My concern is can that access point be used to set up regular solar, LifePO4 batteries, invertor etc. I just haven't seen anyone with my trailer making this transformation. Thank you for all your information, very helpful!

The solar prep for most Rv’s is a single pair of #10/12 gauge run to the roof for 1 panel 200W Or equivalent. You are right it’s just a basic system to charge a house battery or something similar, not much more.
My 303Rls had solar prep, but was 2 wires connected to a small plug at the front compartment that wasn’t even connected to anything.
you can’t run a proper system on that size cable. You might be able to follow the same pathway and install a larger cable to the roof if you can find it. Your rv may have a charge controller installed from factory, and it will say what the max wattage is.
There is a thread on this site that has some good basic information to layout a plan, that you can expand a little at a time as your budget allows. It can get expensive even if you complete the install yourself, even more if you can’t. How much roof space do you have up top etc.
I haven’t installed a system on a travel trailer before, but I’m sure there is a path to the roof, you need to figure out your loads to build a system to power all your equipment.
I used instrut to mount my panels to the roof, I can then swap them out if I have issues later. I ran a conduit up to the roof with a junction box, and made my splices there.

 

[COGrandDes]

Thank you for your response. I looked into portable generator and would be able to run one air conditioner. I wouldn't expect to run it 24/7. My husband thinks the "solar prep" on the 2019 Reflection travel trailer was just to be used to charge the RV battery. My concern is can that access point be used to set up regular solar, LifePO4 batteries, invertor etc. I just haven't seen anyone with my trailer making this transformation. Thank you for all your information, very helpful!

I think it depends on the year/make/model of your camper and how it was equipped. My 2022 303RLS for example had solar prep and one 165 watt panel. This was great news for me as I was able to remove that panel, reuse the #10 wire and then install 800 watts of solar connected through that same wire and into a new solar controller. We now have plenty of solar power to charge the batteries very quickly and efficiently. My batteries are capable of running all the devices in the camper during the day and night that we desire. If we must have either of the AC units running, we can fire up our portable Yamaha generator. I have a switch on my converter/charger and can decide whether I want to also charge the batteries while the generator is running or leave it to the sun and the solar. I also installed a solar panel plug near my propane tanks that allows me to use a portable solar suitcase setup in case we are camping in the trees and need to follow the sun for solar charging. The panels I mounted on the roof are not adjustable as I had no desire to climb on the roof to adjust them on a regular basis. The setup works great.

If you don't have any wiring run to the roof, you will need to find a pathway or create a pathway to get wiring there if you want roof mounted solar panels.

 

[georgiadawg]

Would like to be off grid and able to run at least one air conditioner. I know how to achieve this with a portable generator but I would like info. on roof type panels etc. I want to get max capacity for what this year travel trailer can handle. An invertor will be needed, several lifepo4 batteries etc. I found out portable solar probably would not last more than 10 yrs. after purchase. Has anyone done a solar install on the 2019 version of the 297RSTS? I am aware I need to define wattage etc. but looking for basic information.

I have a 2021 297RSTS and did a “complete” solar installation last summer that included the following:
1. Ten (10) 200 watt Renogy panels ( I had to remove the utterly worthless Winegard contraption to make things fit),
2. Two (2) 24v 200ah rack-mount LifePower batteries from EG4 ( these are mounted in the washer / dryer closet), and
2. Victron Components including 24v 3000w MultiPlus, Solar Charger, etc. All of the Victron electronics are also mounted in the W/D closet.

We have 10,000 wh of power and can easily run the living room a/c for 5 - 6 hours.

We’ve spent 8 days in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming and only had to run a generator for a few hours on one day.

I used a 24v system plan from Explorist.life as a guide and got great tips from people on this forum.

I posted pictures last fall when the project was completed: Showing off my new solar / lithium installation

Jeff

 

[Rideblue51]

All solar is installed to charge batteries only. Don't get caught in the notion that a bigger solar will run more stuff. It will charge batteries faster. The necessary power will solely rely on your battery bank and Lithium is the only way to go. My system is 810 amp hours of battery with a 3000 watts inverter/charger front Victron, exactly like Sportzfann above. I have 800 watts of solar with the plan to double it soon. I can run my A/C for about 6 hours. I have a soft start on the A/C. The key to being able to use the supplied wiring to install the solar system is minimize the load coming from the roof. The load being the Amps. My installer used the lifelong formula of Watts/volts=amps. He installed 800 watts in four 48v 200 watts panels. 2 panels wired in series each, bringing down 96v in parallel to the Victron solar controller which converts it all back to 12v. That's 8.3 amps. If it was 12v coming down that would be 66 amps, requiring larger wiring. He says I can double it without problems.