Solar Upgrade

Travelin Sisters

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RV LIFE Pro
Joined
Mar 30, 2024
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6
Hi
I am now a widow traveling with my sister. We bought a GD 2024 22BHE so we could have separate sleeping quarters.
I have a question about upgrading the existing solar configuration so we can spend at least a few days off grid. I do have "two" 2200 watt Westinghouse generators and used one at our last outing to keep the power going because the existing solar system cannot keep up. I know nothing about solar or electrical so I would appreciate the knowledge from someone in this group.

Below are the solar system components installed on our trailer:
Solar Charger 40A Wall mount
Converter Charger 55A DC - WF-9855-AD
Converter 30A/50A AC - WF-8930/50NPB-S-W-GE
Converter (30AMP-AC/35MPC-DC)Auto Detect - WF-8735-AD-GE
Furrion Solar Panel 180W - Model FSFP18MW-BL

With these installed components what is the largest Watt solar panel I can add on. After adding the solar panel, what is the largest Eco-Worthy Lithium Battery I can add knowing I will have to modify the holding brackets for a larger battery?

Thank you for the information and advice.
Valorie

 
Hi
I am now a widow traveling with my sister. We bought a GD 2024 22BHE so we could have separate sleeping quarters.
I have a question about upgrading the existing solar configuration so we can spend at least a few days off grid. I do have "two" 2200 watt Westinghouse generators and used one at our last outing to keep the power going because the existing solar system cannot keep up. I know nothing about solar or electrical so I would appreciate the knowledge from someone in this group.

Below are the solar system components installed on our trailer:
Solar Charger 40A Wall mount
Converter Charger 55A DC - WF-9855-AD
Converter 30A/50A AC - WF-8930/50NPB-S-W-GE
Converter (30AMP-AC/35MPC-DC)Auto Detect - WF-8735-AD-GE
Furrion Solar Panel 180W - Model FSFP18MW-BL

With these installed components what is the largest Watt solar panel I can add on. After adding the solar panel, what is the largest Eco-Worthy Lithium Battery I can add knowing I will have to modify the holding brackets for a larger battery?

Thank you for the information and advice.
Valorie


Hi Valorie,

As you might suspect, going off grid for a few days involves more than just adding another Solar panel and replacing your existing battery with a Lithium battery.

Building an off grid Solar system begins with answering the question: "How much energy do I use every day?"

To answer this question, you need to know what type of refrigerator you have, you need to know what type of weather you will be Boondocking in, will you want to operate your Entertainment center while off grid, How many days would you like to Boondock before you need to run the Generator, or find Shore Power.

The answers to these questions will form the basis of your system design.

To begin, I recommend you read the thread titled: "Affordable Solar...", I also recommend you click on all the embedded links.

Here is the Link to: Affordable Solar...

To begin analyzing your system, I am wondering why you have 3 Converters installed in your coach. Is it to speed up the charging when you are running the Generator?

The next thing to look at is your refrigerator, does it run on Propane? Or, is it a "Residential" that operates on 120 volts AC? It could also be a 12 volt, "Compressor" fridge.

The style of fridge you have will greatly impact the amount of energy you will use every day.

Next, what temperatures do you like to camp in? If you are "Fair Weather" campers, then the amount of energy you need to keep warm will be minimal. If on the other hand, you find yourself camping on some pretty chilly nights, you will need extra energy storage to allow for running your furnace overnight (note: RV Furnaces are not energy efficient).

When it comes to cooking, will you want to run the Microwave when Boondocking. And don't forget to make allowances for a Coffee Maker if you drink it.

I will leave you with these thoughts:

Your batteries store the energy to run your coach, you need enough battery storage to operate your coach for at least one night without draining your batteries.

Your Solar system recharges your batteries, you need at least enough wattage on your roof to fully charge your batteries while the Sun is shining, so you can boondock another night.

If you have enough batteries and you have enough Solar wattage, you can boondock forever.

Unfortunately, sometimes you use more energy than you planned (think: an unexpectedly cold night where your Furnace runs constantly) or, you have a cloudy day and your batteries don't get fully charged before Sundown. This is why you need to oversize your battery bank and your Solar system to allow you to extend your Boondocking beyond just one night.

Don't be intimidated by everything I have said, designing a system to meet your needs is doable, it just can't be done in an instant.
 
Thank you for the reply.

With my existing system and using the generator we camped for 5 days. During this time we had cloudy weather, thunderstorms and cool nights but did not use our heater. I don't expect to ever boondock/camp for more time than this and not during extreme cold weather.

I am fine using the generator as required. I have two that can be hooked up in parallel that would operate the air conditioner if required. Just the one gen fires up the coffee maker / microwave.

I forgot to mention previously that we have a 12V refrigerator, tankless water heater and propane heater.


At this time, I ONLY want to add as much additional solar as the controller/converter can handle. What size panel can I add to the existing 180W?

After adding the solar panel, can I add

ECO-WORTHY 12V 280AH LiFePO4 Lithium Battery with Bluetooth, Low Temp Protection, Built-in 250A BMS, 3584Wh Energy.

Thank you
 
Hi Valorie, first off, welcome to the forum, as you can see we have many knowledgeable folks here willing to help. Yes, you could add another solar panel to your current solar controller. You don't say which controller you currently have, I'm assuming a Furrion since those are typical on GD products. You might consider upgrading to a Victron controller, check the forums for the many reasons why the Victrons are superior. And, yes, the battery you suggest would do very well with your setup.
 
Thank you Soundsailor. Please see my first post

My spec sheets say I have the following:

Furrion - Solar Charger 40A Wall mount
WFCO - Converter Charger 55A DC - WF-9855-AD
GE - Converter 30A/50A AC - WF-8930/50NPB-S-W-GE
GE - Converter (30AMP-AC/35MPC-DC)Auto Detect - WF-8735-AD-GE
Furrion Solar Panel 180W - Model FSFP18MW-BL
12v refrigerator

What size solar panel and can you recommend a brand?
 
OK, thanks for the clarification on your solar controller. You could purchase a matching Furrion solar panel, which is quite pricey. Instead, you could look at a 200-watt panel. I have Newpowa panels on my coach, which have worked well with the stock Furrion panel. You could get one from Amazon (Amazon.com). But any 200-watt panel from a reputable supplier would work, you'll lose a bit of capacity since the panels will not be matched (the two will supply 360 watts, the capacity of the smaller panel controls). That controller can accept up to 100 volts if you wire the panels in series, or 540 watts if you wire them in parallel so in either case you're fine.

BTW, I suspect you only have one of those charger/controllers. The build sheet may show the three models that were used in that line, but in practice, only one of those would have been installed.
 
If you read my thread, I am upgrading my solar output as well as battery capacity storage. I am also a newbie with this solar stuff. I am OLD SCHOOL camping.

My next question is....does anyone use a 12V heating blanket rather than use the propane heater that draws off the battery / fan?

If I had one of these blankets, would that reduce the solar/battery draw compared to using the propane heater and electrical fan?
 
If you read my thread, I am upgrading my solar output as well as battery capacity storage. I am also a newbie with this solar stuff. I am OLD SCHOOL camping.

My next question is....does anyone use a 12V heating blanket rather than use the propane heater that draws off the battery / fan?

If I had one of these blankets, would that reduce the solar/battery draw compared to using the propane heater and electrical fan?

First, you want to make sure the blanket is actually a 12v blanket and not a blanket that uses 120v with a power module that reduces the voltage to 12 volts.

Second, it would be relatively easy to add 12v receptacles near your beds to plug them into (note: I would add a fuse for each 12v outlet).

Now, onto the energy efficiency between the two 12v electric blankets versus the total inefficiency of operating the Propane furnace...

I believe that for moderately cool nights (down to 50 degrees) the blankets would be more efficient, for colder nights the Propane furnace would be more efficient.

There is also a good argument to be made for using a combination of the two heating sources, i.e.: set the furnace to a low setting (say 55 degrees) and use the blankets to keep you nice and toasty in bed.

My reasoning is thus: the blankets use electrical resistance to create heat (this causes the reddish glow of an electric heater). Resistive heat is not very energy efficient, however, the RV furnaces are also not very efficient and they draw a lot of energy from the battery to run the fan motor. On the other hand, Propane has a lot of heating capacity and can offset the electrical inefficiency of the fan motor by creating a lot of heat for your living area.
 
the 12 volt blanket question. The next biggie is to make sure that you have a 12 volt outlet to plug it into. I use cpap and found that my new trailer didn't have a cigarette lighter style plug anywhere in the trailer. I added one to each side of the bed and to the foot of the bed pedestal
 
Thanks Weasel. I have USB outlets next to the beds. Any issue with using

USB A Male to 12V Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Female Converter Cable and then plugging the blanket into the 12V end?

I like the idea suggested by Solar Powered "There is also a good argument to be made for using a combination of the two heating sources, i.e.: set the furnace to a low setting (say 55 degrees) and use the blankets to keep you nice and toasty in bed."

In my younger days I slept in a tent & sleeping bag in freezing weather.
 
Thanks Weasel. I have USB outlets next to the beds. Any issue with using

USB A Male to 12V Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Female Converter Cable and then plugging the blanket into the 12V end?

I like the idea suggested by Solar Powered "There is also a good argument to be made for using a combination of the two heating sources, i.e.: set the furnace to a low setting (say 55 degrees) and use the blankets to keep you nice and toasty in bed."

In my younger days I slept in a tent & sleeping bag in freezing weather.

You don't want to use a USB to 12v adapter, the amperage draw would be too much for the USB outlet. However, if you have the USB in the bunk area already, you can remove the USB and replace it with a 12v female socket. This is what I did in my camper to give me more flexibility in what I can use the 12v outlet for.
 
Solar beat me to a response....but is what I did, Just make sure you don't exceed the current rating on the circuit. If you add a 60 watt electric blanket that is roughly 5 amps at 12 volts, and a high current ipad charger you will probably pop the fuse.
 
Some of the best ppl for advice have already weighed in with valuable info. One thing I would add. If you plan to add that 280AH lithium battery I would do that first and then do a trip and see how it goes.

Reason I say that is you mention you have a generator so you have backup if needed but you might find you have enough just with the change in battery. If not then next step is adding the panel.
 
If you want an education on everything RV Solar look here

Nate from Explorist life has wonderful YouTube videos.
 
If you want an education on everything RV Solar look here

Nate from Explorist life has wonderful YouTube videos.
I’ve learned so much from his videos I have start over and take notes on what I already forgot. Easily the most user friendly explanation of all things electrical.
 

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