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Hi Guys, just a bit of info.. when your batteries are 100% and have plenty of solar being generated, you can run the AC off the solar and still have 100% battery.
I don’t even understand the solar setup that came with mine or how I would go about upgrading it. I would love to use solar even when hooked up to save money. All I do know is it came with I believe a 190w panel and I put two interstate batteries in it. I understood it was basically just for the fridge while traveling. But I turn the fridge off while traveling.
I'm happy for you guys to move towards a more off-grid setup. One thing to keep in mind is that while adding more panels may generate more power than you can store, it can also/still charge your current batteries quicker because there will be more juice coming through. There are limits of course, but it's something to think about. I full-time in a modest 24' and maxed-out me roof with panels, for a total of 1,200w worth (two sets of 3, each in series, and two charge controllers), and have two SOK 12v 206Ah lithium batteries in parallel. I only dry camp and can charge me batteries (typically @ 70% capacity) in 2 hours here in SoCal. Solar is amazing and I know you'll love it! I also wanted to thank you for the multitude of information you share with us. I watched countless of your videos before deciding to full-time and you have assisted me greatly.
The mod I regretted not doing sooner was installing a soft start for my motor home's Air Conditioner. That made it possible to run the AC on a smaller (3000 Watt) inverter generator. Wish I had done it about 4 Years earlier. Not sure if they were available back then? But it makes a huge difference for summertime off grid camping (a.k.a. Boondocking).
@@GratefulGlamper Smart! But I was posting more for your viewers, who might not be as experienced as you. They should probably think about getting a soft start before investing in a solar generator. I enjoy your channel so much. Thanks for another excellent video.
Happy Easter; I love your videos. About two months I've been watching and learning. I'm a homeless veteran with three children and full-time RV could be possible when the time is right. I know it'll be challenging at first but the useful information and upgrades you provided show how comfortable it can be.
This is a very helpful video. Thanks for the recommendation of Derek and his company. I will definitely be looking for a solar install when I get my RV. Have safe travels.
I live in Europe and it’s amazing to see how much different you guys do RV’ing over the pond. Roads in US are so much wider and bigger and camp grounds are as well.
Congratulations on going Solar. I know you were very hesitant but let me tell you, I live in a sticks & bricks and just added solar in February. What a difference it made in my electric bills. With that said, you are very right regarding usage. Just because you have all this power doesn't mean you can go crazy and run everything all at once. I would think in an RV conservation would be the key any way. Best of luck with your new experiences in boondocking. As they say, now your world is really your oyster and oh the places you can go. I really enjoy your channel. Thanks.
@@GratefulGlamper I'm in Clearwater and there are several Solar companies around. You just need to do your due diligence with researching solar for the home. It is very similar to your RV with regards to the space on the roof. I would suggest when in the area and a home show is going on in Tampa or St Pete, that you go and talk to those companies. Just watch who you get. One thing I will tell you is if you can, buy the system don't lease it. Leasing leaves you wide open to alot of issues ie price increases, warranties etc. Just like the power companies are increasing prices so will your lease cost. If you ever want any information I would be happy to share the company we went with. I know you are in the area but just not sure where. If you want to DM me I would be glad to give you my information or the company I went with. Meanwhile enjoy your new freedom of solar.
We went big because we need to be off grid as much as possible. We got 2400 watts of solar on the roof (non-tilting), two Victron Multi-plex II inverters (best buy yet) and 10 battle Born batteries. We have a Class A and love it.
Glad you got more solar. Did he use hushmatt under the mppts? I’d keep an 👁️ on that once you hit the summer months and start BDk’ing. I’d even space them off the wall to keep the heat transfer down. Something else to do, once you’ve driven some miles it go back over all of the terminals and try to get another 1/4 turn on all the screws. Mppts are notorious for burning when ferrules are not used for wire ends and terminals are not torqued properly. I’d get a proper BT shunt (Victron of course). Lastly, I couldn’t see how exactly the batteries were wired, but +\- wires should leave battery bank from opposing ends. That helps eliminate stress on the first battery in the bank (ie less life cycles) and pulls power through all the batteries evenly. Best of luck😃
I have a 30 amp rig. I maxed it out with 800 watts, 3000 Victron inverter, and a shunt, with 4 100 why Lion energy Bluetooth- at $300 off each at Costco!! I can run everything including my AC or microwave. Had it done last month in Quartzsite At Solar Bill’s. All done in 6.5 hours!! Awesome addition for boondocking!
What a fantastic setup!!! You have worked hard and deserve this bit of luxury. Although someday this will all be standard, right? 😁So will you be naming your rig "The Power House"? Good luck with your new system. And safe travels.
Incredible video! Love the fact you added more panels. Love the install and love that you can run 30 amp off your batteries. Enjoy boondocking this year
Love your channel and your integrity. I just bought a used Class A that I love and I look forward to learning a lot from your videos. Thx for what you do.
I have no need for solar at this time, just because we are weekend warriors and only use full hook ups, but solar total amazes me. I don’t understand all of it, but I’m learning as I watch. Thanks for sharing.
Yes you needed more power I have 1600 W of solar on my roof and 1500 amp hours of batteries 1200 amp hours under the bed and the rest in the old battery compartment. Now we can Boondock run the microwave, toaster oven and air conditioner and not worry about running out of energy at night. We have a 37 foot class a motorhome. Running a Victron 3000 inverter.
I wondered when I started watching your videos why you didn't have solar. I've seen so many big rigs that should take advantage of it. Builders ought to just install it in the first place. Free Sun instead of propane or gas solves a lot of conservation issues! You'll get better mileage out of it too.
More panels is always a good choice. I have a 12kW system on my home roof. Even on cloudy days, rain days, etc we're offsetting all of our power usage. You can never have too many panels. Plus panels degrade from initial install production and level out so having more panels will really bring up your production budget. I would put more panels on my home but our county fire code won't allow for it ;)
Did you get this done after RV Unplugged. It would’ve helped out a lot through that show!! Solar is a lot of fun, you can boondocks really nice. Hope you enjoy it all. Oh Charity just relax.
That’s great, enjoy it. It will give you more options of camping. I’m from canada 🇨🇦 but we do have some places you can boondocks, but they have Sandi stations. You will enjoy it and not have to worry as much!!!!!
Love the solar education, and the hilarious math/mad scientist mumbo-jumbo clip 😂😂😂 thank you! I wish there was someone that used the Power Queen lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Hi, great to see you are going Solar. Although my knowledge is limited on it, I’m not even a newbie but a very limited spectator. However, while I was watching this video, I automatically thought of Volkner RV where they have created a roof deck using solar panels, sticking them in between glass plates and using it in between railing. I don’t know if you either know abt this or even care to create a roof deck using solar panels, I just thought it looked both really fun and a great way of creating more space. 😊
Thanks for this video and your honesty. I have been watching RV Unplugged, and upgrading for boondocking is now higher on my list. Do you mind me asking how much your system costs? You may have mentioned it in a previous comment. I just didn't want to scroll thru 154 comments!
SO happy for you guys. Solar is definitely on our bucket list in the future. Right now I just changed our four AGM batteries to four Battleborn Lithium. Thinking to start out with some deployables first and work our way up to the full solar.
We did a fridge mod a few months back and the fans on the inside were part of the mod. You can see that full video here: ua-cam.com/video/vT8B0UreQPc/v-deo.html
Great episode I’m looking to install a small solar system. I hope this isn’t out of line I wish you would have given a breakdown of cost and cost of installation. Thank you for your help and all your tips and information. Sending positive energy from SoCal 🙏🏼❤️🤙🏼
Costs can really vary based on what type of system, the kits from Go Power range from $500 to several thousands. We also had our install set help with some re-wiring which takes extra time and installers can run $125/ to a few hundred and hour. So it can really be a very wide range on the cost side depending on your application and system size.
Congrats on your new solar system! It sure is sweet and will make long-term boondocking more fun. It will mean no longer rationing power- yay! Now water management will be your limiting factor.
Super excited for you guys with your new solar/lithium setup. We love ours and look forward to using it in Athens. You’ll have to show us your setup in person. Also, we have a sticker for you. See you soon! Pete & Lisa
our experience is that a cloudy day in the Houston area reduces solar panel output by 90 percent or more. we now avoid tree shadows too. 400ah 12v battery, 3000 watt inverter , 570 watt solar. hope to get another battery.
I would love to have you discuss the 10-year rule, what to do about it, and so on. Your rig is more than 10 years old, and it looks nice, so I don't see why wouldn't be allowed. Seems like it will be detrimental to used RV sales. I would enjoy your perspective on it. Thanks
Hi ...We have been subscribed to your channel for a long time and are very interested in going solar. We are newbies ..my wife and I just retired two months ago and we are mooch docking and ready to start our dream journey. We have a 2022 Jayco Precept 34G .....we have a lot of space on the roof for solar, but we are kind of disoriented with so much info everywhere. We are in Homestead Florida, we can't even find Jayco warranty service down here. The coach came with a 190 W solar panel ...not sure if it can be upgraded with more panels, and replacing the controller ...any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all the helpful info. Our house is currently on the market so we will soon be full timers and I’m looking at adding solar to our Cedar Creek 5th wheel. Quick question, how many watts do the large solar panels produce and how much did they cost. Trying to compare residential panels to RV.
We have 2060 watts we average about 1000 watts due to angle of the sun. It’s good enough to run the Rv Ac all day while we drive. It helps having a good alternator also to charge while you drive….
There's PLENTY of room for 4 more battery's on a tray above the bottom 4, and, 2 more above the starter batt's.... oh, and, a perfect time to upgrade the Xantrex inverter to a Victron Multiplus II to run both legs of the panel....... 🤣🤣🤣
When talking about the app and time remaining.. The RV was in the shade under trees.. Just think when you're in full sun.. Everything on and 100% full batteries... Inverter upgrade soon haha. More $$
Great video, and I have a Discovery too so I was super interested. Curious, they way AC panel is setup normally is that there is an inverter subpanel. Did Derek move your AC to be powered by the inverter, or how did he handle letting more things be powered by the inverter?
He installed a switch that makes the RV “think” it’s connected to 30 amp all the time (we have a switch to tell the RV when plugged into 50 amp). We will be switching inverters soon to a Victron that will eliminate the need for this switch over tho.
WOW! What a great video and an amazing process with an incredible result! Great job, all. Would you have any room to add a couple more lithium-ion batteries? You guys could sell power back to the power company!
Congrats on your solar setup. If I can throw in my 10c. Solar setups are virtually endless. Your statement about not putting too much solar on the roof because you only have x amount of battery is only partly true. Once your batteries are full, you can setup the charge controller to solar dump excess power. This means you can utilise the excess energy you are over producing. You can use that solar dump to power Airconditioners, or Geyser’s…so just because your battery bank is full you can still use that power. Also have a look at splitting your electric breaker panel into essential loads. As you were ✌🏻🇿🇦
We’ve been doing some of that with charging lawn equipment etc and we’re working on how to utilize the solar for even more household uses when not traveling
How long have ya'll had your original battle born batteries? And is it ok to mix new ones and older batteries? I've heard that you shouldn't mix old and new batteries. Not sure why, can your expert answer that?
Hi, do you have a solar panel on your max fan? Is it hookups up to your solar panels or is it just right hookups to the max fan somehow. Can you let us how? Thank you.
Now think about this. All AC units plus microwave and hair dryer at the same time. You have more solar coming in than your batteries can take. You can use more things at once.
You still are somewhat limited by the wattage of the inverter. Even with the solar, you can only use as many watts at once as your inverter can handle when not plugged into shore power. We have a 3000 Watt inverter so A/C plus microwave plus hair dryer all at once wouldn't work unless it was all under 3,000 watts
We have had the Guru of Winnebago Travato Vans here since Friday. Up fitting our van with Lithium and a 3000 Victron multiplex! In about an hour he’ll be ready to show us the app, the automatic generator starter etc. etc. yeah I had to laugh at your video, he’s been talking over our heads too! 🤣🤣 we are not Geeks! It’s like dude ok whatever that means!
@@GratefulGlamper good backup plan 👍. Enjoy boondocking and I can’t wait for the next episode of RV unplugged ! In series 2 you will have some advantages. I am sure the others will make some upgrades too 😉.
You want more solar panel capability than you do battery capacity so that you can keep your batteries topped off so that power is available during storms and over night, especially if you are going to need to run your air conditioning. If you are completely disconnected from the grid then you're going to be limited on your charging because any appliances that you're going to be running are going to be using up your power from the panels with little or none going to the batteries. You can always use any "excess" to heat your gas/electric water heater or add an all electric water heater to supplement the existing water heater.
Did you guys do the math and estimate how long it will take to make up the costs of the solar install? Based on how you travel or anticipate with the addition of solar.
We’ve run a few preliminary calculations- once thing that is interesting is we’ve been able to use the RV as a giant charging station for a ton of other things as well which saves on the electricity.
So the average overnight stay in an rv park is $45 a night. It doesn’t sound like a lot but if you were off grid for only 1 year, you save $16,000 on park fees alone.
Costs can really be all over the board depending on your current set up and what might need to be re-wired, converted etc. We installed 4 new lithium batteries and a new Xantrex inverter last year so this next phase wasn’t as involved as it would have been if we were starting from scratch. Derek with Cross Country RV and Solar could give you a labor estimate for your specific application, overall, it’s not “cheap” but we will be able to save on campgrounds by boondocking more.
Good video. I'm an engineer and what I don't understand is how you can operate your AC unit. Solar panels put out a DC voltage which charges the DC batteries. AC units run off of AC voltage. At least mine does. I either have to be plugged into shore power or have the generator running. How can you do this? The invertor doesn't provide enough watts.
We have a 3,000 watt inverter and softstarts on our A/C’s we had Derek wire things so the RV thinks it’s plugged in to 30 amp service unless we flip a switch that tells it’s otherwise
You don't have a generator in your camper for boon docking? That's the cheaper way. A few gallons fuel is way cheaper than all those expensive batteries, panels, wiring, controllers and labor. Works 24/7 and without sun for days.
It can really vary - anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands. Best best to send Derek with Cross Country RV a email and he can give you a quote
Depends on how often you’re camping. Our installer Derek has a massive system - and they only spent 20 days out of then last 365 days in a campground, that’s a huge savings when it comes to campground costs. We plan on using our Harvest Hosts quite a bit this year which will save us a ton on camping.
I notice that your batteries are not enclosed. It appears from this video that there’s no bottom to the storage area where they are housed. Did you add a bottom to that storage compartment? Is there a reason you would not want to do so, given you now have a small fortune in that compartment space?
Our system isn’t representative of a one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore costs can greatly vary and the best option is to contact and installer for an estimate.
We've discovered server rack batteries. We have one for now, but will add another, which will give us 800aH's and only take up the space of two BattleBorns. And they are now teaming with Victron as well. We get ours from Signature solar.
@@GratefulGlamper we have two inverters one 4000 watt to run 30 amp service and another 1000 watt to run all the smaller stuff lights internet things always on to batteries, that helps a lot especially with low consumption idle.
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Hi Guys, just a bit of info.. when your batteries are 100% and have plenty of solar being generated, you can run the AC off the solar and still have 100% battery.
I don’t even understand the solar setup that came with mine or how I would go about upgrading it. I would love to use solar even when hooked up to save money. All I do know is it came with I believe a 190w panel and I put two interstate batteries in it. I understood it was basically just for the fridge while traveling. But I turn the fridge off while traveling.
People LOVE each other, with both you two. You LIKE each other. That's wonderful. It's way different. likening is very important
I'm happy for you guys to move towards a more off-grid setup. One thing to keep in mind is that while adding more panels may generate more power than you can store, it can also/still charge your current batteries quicker because there will be more juice coming through. There are limits of course, but it's something to think about.
I full-time in a modest 24' and maxed-out me roof with panels, for a total of 1,200w worth (two sets of 3, each in series, and two charge controllers), and have two SOK 12v 206Ah lithium batteries in parallel. I only dry camp and can charge me batteries (typically @ 70% capacity) in 2 hours here in SoCal. Solar is amazing and I know you'll love it!
I also wanted to thank you for the multitude of information you share with us. I watched countless of your videos before deciding to full-time and you have assisted me greatly.
💙
The mod I regretted not doing sooner was installing a soft start for my motor home's Air Conditioner. That made it possible to run the AC on a smaller (3000 Watt) inverter generator. Wish I had done it about 4 Years earlier. Not sure if they were available back then? But it makes a huge difference for summertime off grid camping (a.k.a. Boondocking).
We have softstarts on our a/c’s too - in fact we wouldn’t be able to run the a/c on the new system without them
@@GratefulGlamper Smart! But I was posting more for your viewers, who might not be as experienced as you. They should probably think about getting a soft start before investing in a solar generator. I enjoy your channel so much. Thanks for another excellent video.
Happy Easter; I love your videos. About two months I've been watching and learning. I'm a homeless veteran with three children and full-time RV could be possible when the time is right. I know it'll be challenging at first but the useful information and upgrades you provided show how comfortable it can be.
Thanks for watching! Thanks for your service and best wishes in your future journeys.
This is a very helpful video. Thanks for the recommendation of Derek and his company. I will definitely be looking for a solar install when I get my RV. Have safe travels.
I live in Europe and it’s amazing to see how much different you guys do RV’ing over the pond.
Roads in US are so much wider and bigger and camp grounds are as well.
Yes everything is bigger in the USA. It’s all perspective 👍🥰
Congratulations on going Solar. I know you were very hesitant but let me tell you, I live in a sticks & bricks and just added solar in February. What a difference it made in my electric bills. With that said, you are very right regarding usage. Just because you have all this power doesn't mean you can go crazy and run everything all at once. I would think in an RV conservation would be the key any way. Best of luck with your new experiences in boondocking. As they say, now your world is really your oyster and oh the places you can go. I really enjoy your channel. Thanks.
Thanks so much for watching. We’re already wondering about how we can power more at our Glamper Hideaway with solar too.
@@GratefulGlamper I'm in Clearwater and there are several Solar companies around. You just need to do your due diligence with researching solar for the home. It is very similar to your RV with regards to the space on the roof. I would suggest when in the area and a home show is going on in Tampa or St Pete, that you go and talk to those companies. Just watch who you get. One thing I will tell you is if you can, buy the system don't lease it. Leasing leaves you wide open to alot of issues ie price increases, warranties etc. Just like the power companies are increasing prices so will your lease cost. If you ever want any information I would be happy to share the company we went with. I know you are in the area but just not sure where. If you want to DM me I would be glad to give you my information or the company I went with. Meanwhile enjoy your new freedom of solar.
We went big because we need to be off grid as much as possible. We got 2400 watts of solar on the roof (non-tilting), two Victron Multi-plex II inverters (best buy yet) and 10 battle Born batteries. We have a Class A and love it.
Nice!
Glad you got more solar.
Did he use hushmatt under the mppts?
I’d keep an 👁️ on that once you hit the summer months and start BDk’ing. I’d even space them off the wall to keep the heat transfer down. Something else to do, once you’ve driven some miles it go back over all of the terminals and try to get another 1/4 turn on all the screws. Mppts are notorious for burning when ferrules are not used for wire ends and terminals are not torqued properly. I’d get a proper BT shunt (Victron of course). Lastly, I couldn’t see how exactly the batteries were wired, but +\- wires should leave battery bank from opposing ends. That helps eliminate stress on the first battery in the bank (ie less life cycles) and pulls power through all the batteries evenly.
Best of luck😃
I have a 30 amp rig. I maxed it out with 800 watts, 3000 Victron inverter, and a shunt, with 4 100 why Lion energy Bluetooth- at $300 off each at Costco!! I can run everything including my AC or microwave. Had it done last month in Quartzsite At Solar Bill’s. All done in 6.5 hours!! Awesome addition for boondocking!
Nice, that sounds like a great set up!
@@GratefulGlamper you are correct Solar is the way to go! Love watching your videos!
So awesome! Very happy for your family! This is going to open some doors to new adventures.
For sure!
What a fantastic setup!!! You have worked hard and deserve this bit of luxury. Although someday this will all be standard, right? 😁So will you be naming your rig "The Power House"? Good luck with your new system. And safe travels.
Awesome video on adding solar. Looking forward to hearing how it is working over the next few months. Thanks for doing this video!!!🙌🏼🥳
We will be making a follow up video in a few months.
Incredible video! Love the fact you added more panels. Love the install and love that you can run 30 amp off your batteries. Enjoy boondocking this year
Thanks!
More panels will power up your batteries faster depending on your charge controller, so good choice
👍🏻
Love your channel and your integrity. I just bought a used Class A that I love and I look forward to learning a lot from your videos. Thx for what you do.
Great info! Congrats on the install. So happy to see your excitement, I was thrilled for you guys!
I have no need for solar at this time, just because we are weekend warriors and only use full hook ups, but solar total amazes me. I don’t understand all of it, but I’m learning as I watch. Thanks for sharing.
It’s pretty amazing! Especially for using Harvest Hosts locations.
Yes you needed more power I have 1600 W of solar on my roof and 1500 amp hours of batteries 1200 amp hours under the bed and the rest in the old battery compartment. Now we can Boondock run the microwave, toaster oven and air conditioner and not worry about running out of energy at night.
We have a 37 foot class a motorhome. Running a Victron 3000 inverter.
Nice!
I wondered when I started watching your videos why you didn't have solar. I've seen so many big rigs that should take advantage of it. Builders ought to just install it in the first place. Free Sun instead of propane or gas solves a lot of conservation issues! You'll get better mileage out of it too.
We’re super excited! Thanks for watching
Congratulations guys, so happy for you both.🎉🎉🎉
More panels is always a good choice. I have a 12kW system on my home roof. Even on cloudy days, rain days, etc we're offsetting all of our power usage. You can never have too many panels. Plus panels degrade from initial install production and level out so having more panels will really bring up your production budget.
I would put more panels on my home but our county fire code won't allow for it ;)
👍🏻
Did you get this done after RV Unplugged. It would’ve helped out a lot through that show!! Solar is a lot of fun, you can boondocks really nice. Hope you enjoy it all. Oh Charity just relax.
Being on RV unplugged was what pushed us over the edge to get solar 😂
That’s great, enjoy it. It will give you more options of camping. I’m from canada 🇨🇦 but we do have some places you can boondocks, but they have Sandi stations. You will enjoy it and not have to worry as much!!!!!
@Grateful Glamper maybe you were the winner??😊
Love the solar education, and the hilarious math/mad scientist mumbo-jumbo clip 😂😂😂 thank you! I wish there was someone that used the Power Queen lithium iron phosphate batteries.
Thanks for watching
Hi, great to see you are going Solar. Although my knowledge is limited on it, I’m not even a newbie but a very limited spectator. However, while I was watching this video, I automatically thought of Volkner RV where they have created a roof deck using solar panels, sticking them in between glass plates and using it in between railing.
I don’t know if you either know abt this or even care to create a roof deck using solar panels, I just thought it looked both really fun and a great way of creating more space. 😊
Thanks for this video and your honesty. I have been watching RV Unplugged, and upgrading for boondocking is now higher on my list. Do you mind me asking how much your system costs? You may have mentioned it in a previous comment. I just didn't want to scroll thru 154 comments!
Excited for you guys! I was kinda waiting for Ben to throw those solar panels on the ground! Lol😂!
Lol, ok…well I learned a lot of what NOT to do during RV Unplugged.😂 -Ben
SO happy for you guys. Solar is definitely on our bucket list in the future. Right now I just changed our four AGM batteries to four Battleborn Lithium. Thinking to start out with some deployables first and work our way up to the full solar.
The deployables are nice for flexibility and you can move them around to wherever you have the best sun too
Congrats on your monster system!! My little 180 watts are jealous!!! LOL Seriously-awesome system. Enjoy!
What was the fan thing on refrigerator fins? Your excitement at the end is exactly why guys go "all Tim the Tool man Taylor!!"
We did a fridge mod a few months back and the fans on the inside were part of the mod. You can see that full video here: ua-cam.com/video/vT8B0UreQPc/v-deo.html
Great episode I’m looking to install a small solar system. I hope this isn’t out of line I wish you would have given a breakdown of cost and cost of installation. Thank you for your help and all your tips and information. Sending positive energy from SoCal 🙏🏼❤️🤙🏼
Costs can really vary based on what type of system, the kits from Go Power range from $500 to several thousands. We also had our install set help with some re-wiring which takes extra time and installers can run $125/ to a few hundred and hour. So it can really be a very wide range on the cost side depending on your application and system size.
@@GratefulGlamper So what was the cost of yours? Your retrofit looks about what I would have to do as well, so a final tally would be very helpful.
Congrats on your new solar system! It sure is sweet and will make long-term boondocking more fun. It will mean no longer rationing power- yay! Now water management will be your limiting factor.
Exactly, we’ve already been discussing what options we might have for an extra water tank, etc.
Super excited for you guys with your new solar/lithium setup. We love ours and look forward to using it in Athens. You’ll have to show us your setup in person. Also, we have a sticker for you. See you soon! Pete & Lisa
Awesome/ for sure we can show you in Athens at the RV Unplugged Rally!
our experience is that a cloudy day in the Houston area reduces solar panel output by 90 percent or more. we now avoid tree shadows too. 400ah 12v battery, 3000 watt inverter , 570 watt solar. hope to get another battery.
Good to know about cloudy days
I would love to have you discuss the 10-year rule, what to do about it, and so on. Your rig is more than 10 years old, and it looks nice, so I don't see why wouldn't be allowed. Seems like it will be detrimental to used RV sales. I would enjoy your perspective on it. Thanks
We’ve actually done two videos on this: ua-cam.com/video/tNo42DHcB_M/v-deo.html and RV Campground: THE 10 YEAR RULE & Why It Hasn’t Stopped Us
Since I put a soft start on my air conditioner, I'm able to run it on solar, I can't wait to see how all this works out...
God Bless and Happy Easter 💕💕💕
Thanks so much! Happy Easter!
Hi ...We have been subscribed to your channel for a long time and are very interested in going solar. We are newbies ..my wife and I just retired two months ago and we are mooch docking and ready to start our dream journey.
We have a 2022 Jayco Precept 34G .....we have a lot of space on the roof for solar, but we are kind of disoriented with so much info everywhere. We are in Homestead Florida, we can't even find Jayco warranty service down here. The coach came with a 190 W solar panel ...not sure if it can be upgraded with more panels, and replacing the controller ...any advice would be greatly appreciated.
This was a great video. Thanks for sharing your best mod yet ❤️
Thanks for watching
Great video. I have been watching RV Unplugged on youtube and you guys are awesome.
LOL!!! "thank you, or screw you" best rv comment ever"
😉
Thanks for all the helpful info. Our house is currently on the market so we will soon be full timers and I’m looking at adding solar to our Cedar Creek 5th wheel. Quick question, how many watts do the large solar panels produce and how much did they cost. Trying to compare residential panels to RV.
The large panels are residential panels, they are 480 watts and cost $300 each.
Super nice!!!
Thanks!!
We have 2060 watts we average about 1000 watts due to angle of the sun. It’s good enough to run the Rv Ac all day while we drive. It helps having a good alternator also to charge while you drive….
There's PLENTY of room for 4 more battery's on a tray above the bottom 4, and, 2 more above the starter batt's.... oh, and, a perfect time to upgrade the Xantrex inverter to a Victron Multiplus II to run both legs of the panel....... 🤣🤣🤣
Things are in the works…😉
When talking about the app and time remaining.. The RV was in the shade under trees.. Just think when you're in full sun.. Everything on and 100% full batteries... Inverter upgrade soon haha. More $$
Right!?! Seems there is always something to spend $ on 😂
@@GratefulGlamper Never ends, you will be upgrading to two multiplus ii 12/3000/120's next haha.. It's worth it though as freedom is the best.
You’ll love it for boondocking!
We’re so excited to test it out!
where did you buy the 3 extra 480 watt solar panels from in Orlando?
Great video, and I have a Discovery too so I was super interested. Curious, they way AC panel is setup normally is that there is an inverter subpanel. Did Derek move your AC to be powered by the inverter, or how did he handle letting more things be powered by the inverter?
He installed a switch that makes the RV “think” it’s connected to 30 amp all the time (we have a switch to tell the RV when plugged into 50 amp). We will be switching inverters soon to a Victron that will eliminate the need for this switch over tho.
Awesome news 👏
How exciting!
What a neat video! Thank you lots for sharing! 🖖🏻😘👍🏻🙏🏻
Thanks for watching
Is the Flex Armor Roof warranty voided since you screwed solar panel brackets on the roof? By the way, we will meet you at the RV Unplugged Rally.
Yay! Excited to meet you in person! We will have Rv Roof spray over the brackets for the panels to keep our lifetime warranty
WOW! What a great video and an amazing process with an incredible result! Great job, all. Would you have any room to add a couple more lithium-ion batteries? You guys could sell power back to the power company!
Congrats on your solar setup. If I can throw in my 10c. Solar setups are virtually endless.
Your statement about not putting too much solar on the roof because you only have x amount of battery is only partly true. Once your batteries are full, you can setup the charge controller to solar dump excess power. This means you can utilise the excess energy you are over producing. You can use that solar dump to power Airconditioners, or Geyser’s…so just because your battery bank is full you can still use that power.
Also have a look at splitting your electric breaker panel into essential loads.
As you were ✌🏻🇿🇦
How resilient are these solar panels to golf ball sized hail. I have seen cars badly dented from golf ball size hail
Hopefully we don’t have to find out
Just wondering, if you are at home and not using the rv, could you somehow hook it up to the house to use the solar you are collecting through the rv?
We’ve been doing some of that with charging lawn equipment etc and we’re working on how to utilize the solar for even more household uses when not traveling
@@GratefulGlamper that’s awesome!
Do you have to remove stuff/personal items to balance out the weight of the solar?
We don’t, our class A diesel pusher has a pretty large weight capacity so fortunately we don’t have to worry about weight as much.
@@GratefulGlamper thanks. We have a pull behind, and we have weight available to us to add additional items.
How long have ya'll had your original battle born batteries? And is it ok to mix new ones and older batteries? I've heard that you shouldn't mix old and new batteries. Not sure why, can your expert answer that?
Hi, do you have a solar panel on your max fan?
Is it hookups up to your solar panels or is it just right hookups to the max fan somehow. Can you let us how? Thank you.
The max air fans are wired into the RV 12 volt system so they draw off the batteries. The solar charges the batteries.
Now think about this. All AC units plus microwave and hair dryer at the same time. You have more solar coming in than your batteries can take. You can use more things at once.
You still are somewhat limited by the wattage of the inverter. Even with the solar, you can only use as many watts at once as your inverter can handle when not plugged into shore power. We have a 3000 Watt inverter so A/C plus microwave plus hair dryer all at once wouldn't work unless it was all under 3,000 watts
We have had the Guru of Winnebago Travato Vans here since Friday. Up fitting our van with Lithium and a 3000 Victron multiplex! In about an hour he’ll be ready to show us the app, the automatic generator starter etc. etc. yeah I had to laugh at your video, he’s been talking over our heads too! 🤣🤣 we are not Geeks! It’s like dude ok whatever that means!
That’s why we use professionals lol. Best wishes and thanks for watching
I am surprised your not doing a 48volt system which allows for far more efficient power on multiple appliances and A/C SYSTEMS
Looks like that installer did a superb job!
Derek did a great job!
Love the Buc-ees shirt!
Thanks! 🦫
Omg sooo excited for you guys you would think I'm getting them lol!!!
We don't know who won rv unplugged , but there will be hints! Lol.. nice set-up guys
Thanks! You’ll have to keep watching, season finale and celebrating the winners happens May 6th!
Do you still have a generator or are the batteries now in that space?
We still have our onboard generator (it’s in the front of the Rv). But should need to use unless we have a series of cloudy/rainy days
@@GratefulGlamper good backup plan 👍. Enjoy boondocking and I can’t wait for the next episode of RV unplugged ! In series 2 you will have some advantages. I am sure the others will make some upgrades too 😉.
Awesome 😎 👍
👍🏻
You want more solar panel capability than you do battery capacity so that you can keep your batteries topped off so that power is available during storms and over night, especially if you are going to need to run your air conditioning.
If you are completely disconnected from the grid then you're going to be limited on your charging because any appliances that you're going to be running are going to be using up your power from the panels with little or none going to the batteries. You can always use any "excess" to heat your gas/electric water heater or add an all electric water heater to supplement the existing water heater.
Did you guys do the math and estimate how long it will take to make up the costs of the solar install? Based on how you travel or anticipate with the addition of solar.
We’ve run a few preliminary calculations- once thing that is interesting is we’ve been able to use the RV as a giant charging station for a ton of other things as well which saves on the electricity.
So the average overnight stay in an rv park is $45 a night. It doesn’t sound like a lot but if you were off grid for only 1 year, you save $16,000 on park fees alone.
How much weight did you just add to your RV?
Probably close to a few hundred pounds - however since we have an older diesel pusher RV we have a HUGE GVWR
How much did the batteries cost and the controller components cost
So if you don't mind me asking, what was the final cost?
Costs can really be all over the board depending on your current set up and what might need to be re-wired, converted etc. We installed 4 new lithium batteries and a new Xantrex inverter last year so this next phase wasn’t as involved as it would have been if we were starting from scratch. Derek with Cross Country RV and Solar could give you a labor estimate for your specific application, overall, it’s not “cheap” but we will be able to save on campgrounds by boondocking more.
Good video. I'm an engineer and what I don't understand is how you can operate your AC unit. Solar panels put out a DC voltage which charges the DC batteries. AC units run off of AC voltage. At least mine does. I either have to be plugged into shore power or have the generator running. How can you do this? The invertor doesn't provide enough watts.
We have a 3,000 watt inverter and softstarts on our A/C’s we had Derek wire things so the RV thinks it’s plugged in to 30 amp service unless we flip a switch that tells it’s otherwise
@@GratefulGlamper Oh ok. So it's running through the invertor?
You don't have a generator in your camper for boon docking? That's the cheaper way. A few gallons fuel is way cheaper than all those expensive batteries, panels, wiring, controllers and labor. Works 24/7 and without sun for days.
So what did this cost? Or what would it cost someone else?
Batteries, controllers, panels, all in ….plan for between $7-10k
I want to do this to our class A, could you share the cost to do this please.
It can really vary - anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands. Best best to send Derek with Cross Country RV a email and he can give you a quote
Is there an estimated ROI on this upgrade?
Depends on how often you’re camping. Our installer Derek has a massive system - and they only spent 20 days out of then last 365 days in a campground, that’s a huge savings when it comes to campground costs. We plan on using our Harvest Hosts quite a bit this year which will save us a ton on camping.
usually the charge controller is place near the batteries
I notice that your batteries are not enclosed. It appears from this video that there’s no bottom to the storage area where they are housed. Did you add a bottom to that storage compartment? Is there a reason you would not want to do so, given you now have a small fortune in that compartment space?
We didn’t add a bottom to this area, it was open from the factory and we’ve only modified it to be able to fit more batteries
What components/services were provided for free, and which did you guys pay for out of pocket?
It’s in the video description
Was this a result of RV Unplugged? I think you won’t regret doing the solar.
Somewhat, yes, boondocking for two weeks straight with no solar pushed us over the edge
I'm guessing you cannot step on these panels… how will this impair roof access?
We still have roof access but a little more narrow towards the rear of the RV. You cannot step on the panels.
Will you share a rough $ for your set up?
It would be very helpful to know the total $ of what we watched happen.
Our system isn’t representative of a one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore costs can greatly vary and the best option is to contact and installer for an estimate.
We've discovered server rack batteries. We have one for now, but will add another, which will give us 800aH's and only take up the space of two BattleBorns. And they are now teaming with Victron as well. We get ours from Signature solar.
Nice
How many watts total? Inverter total watts?
Inverter is a 3000 watt - we have 2200 watts on the roof and another 400 watts with the deployable panels
@@GratefulGlamper we have two inverters one 4000 watt to run 30 amp service and another 1000 watt to run all the smaller stuff lights internet things always on to batteries, that helps a lot especially with low consumption idle.
You should have sprayed the roof first that way it’s under the panels and sealed the screws and brackets
We did have the roof sprayed first and we have scheduled with RV roof to spray over the brackets
I would love to have solar but over $900 per batteries makes me just sick to my stomach.
It’s definitely more of a long term ROI vs short term.
I bet you wished you had done the solar earlier
Totally!
i find that solar panels are the bottleneck
Ben you’re supposed to be an expert now after rv unplugged?
Right!?! 😂
If you can’t run the a/c all day why spend the money
Noticed your “Jean Fabric Wear” may not have been created through experience - are they part of the Unholy Marketing Alliance?
😂
👍🇺🇲
You keep complaining about the cost why don’t you say exactly how much you had to pay out of your own pocket.