Solar & LiPo Conversion

Mr__Ed

New Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2024
Messages
5
As a recent owner to a 2670MK. I took it upon myself to add solar panels and convert to Lithium batteries. I installed two 200W panels on the roof and have a third that I will be carrying in the basement storage. The third (only slightly portable) panel will be pulled out and used when we don't have direct sunlight on the roof. My thoughts are that I can move the third panel around as needed and placed in the sunniest location using a 30' cable extension. Our power consumption is mostly for the 8 hour per day Starlink usage, or the heater running a bit during the shoulder seasons.

I have the Renogy MPPT charger that will handle 660W of solar panels. I also have a 3000W inverter, a Renogy shunt, and I added the OneCore next to my interior control panel. Running those wires was fun (not really). From the basement, I wired to the power panel area below the bedroom closet, then ran the wires up the inside of the closet and into the ceiling area. To run the wires through the ceiling I removed the vent trim in the bedroom and bathroom and used a wire snake to fish the wires through. While at it, I added a new power line for the overhead lights (as they used to flicker when the water pump ran), added a remote switch and status LEDs for the inverter, and added a switch and power for the DC-DC converter I use for my Starlink. It makes it super convenient to turn on/off the inverter and Starlink from the control panel.

For a battery, I purchased a 300Ah LiPo. I also had to convert our DC charger to one that auto detects the LiPo. I'm toying with the ideal of using the old lead-acid batteries for a backup bank, since my solar charger supports both starter and auxiliary batteries.

I now have to build some kind of protection around the battery. I would hate to see things slide around in transit and damage or short the battery. Suggestions? Any thought on those battery fire blanket covers?
Battery View.jpg
 

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Looks like a great setup. That 3,000-watt inverter can pull a lot of current, it appears that you have heavy cables, what are you using for a fuse? The challenges of fishing the control line in my 5'er led me to switch to a Victron solar controller and shunt which both support Bluetooth and thus don't need to be wired. My Renogy shunt worked well, but I didn't like always having to go outside to check the batteries.

You might look to a battery box to hold and protect the battery. It could be bolted to the floor.
 
Yes, I should look around for a larger battery box to fit the 300Ah battery. My initial search on Amazon did not turn up much.

Regarding the fusing, I put a 200A fuse in line with the inverter, and a 40A from the charged to the battery. I realize I could draw more, but I want to be on the safe side and blow a fuse instead of overheating. The cables I bought are OK, but the stranding is pretty fine and I would have preferred cables with a larger strand gauge.

I did forget to mention in the original post that I rewired the main breaker panel and split the bus bar (and associated neutral wires) so that I could run power to an automatic transfer switch which would then drive only the Microwave and GFCI outlets from the inverter. I also noticed that in my trailer many of the outlets are not on the GFCI loop - i.e. the TV. I may rewire that outlet to the GFCI outlet circuit so that I can watch a movie sometime.
 
Yes, I should look around for a larger battery box to fit the 300Ah battery. My initial search on Amazon did not turn up much.

Regarding the fusing, I put a 200A fuse in line with the inverter, and a 40A from the charged to the battery. I realize I could draw more, but I want to be on the safe side and blow a fuse instead of overheating. The cables I bought are OK, but the stranding is pretty fine and I would have preferred cables with a larger strand gauge.

I did forget to mention in the original post that I rewired the main breaker panel and split the bus bar (and associated neutral wires) so that I could run power to an automatic transfer switch which would then drive only the Microwave and GFCI outlets from the inverter. I also noticed that in my trailer many of the outlets are not on the GFCI loop - i.e. the TV. I may rewire that outlet to the GFCI outlet circuit so that I can watch a movie sometime.

Why would you want cables with larger (thicker) strands?
 
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To cover my batteries, I made a box out of 3/4" plywood and covered it with gray felt. it's open on the bottom and back. i screwed 1X2"s around the batteries to the floor and attached the the cover to that.
 

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