BUDGET Renogy Off Grid Lithium Setup in a Caravan! Easy DIY
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- #renogy #diy #lithium
Today we are installing a budget lithium battery setup in our Jayco caravan which will allow us to go offgrid even further! We rip out our old AGM batteries and replace them with lithium AND we install an inverter!
Links below for the products we used - We are not associated with these businesses in any way, however they are recommended as we have received good service from them.
Inverter - au.renogy.com/...
Lithium Batteries - au.renogy.com/...
Battery Cables - au.renogy.com/...
Smart Battery Monitor - au.renogy.com/...
Fuse Block - www.bigweibatt...
Victron MPPT - www.springers....
Victron DCDC - www.springers....
Victron AC Charger - www.springers....
Thanks for watching and as always, get out there and Get Camping! Cheers Adam
Seriously mate love your videos and I love this video. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make a video so thorough like this. Keep doing your thing I have no doubt that you are on the pathway to becoming a personality in the off-road space!
Thanks mate. Appreciate those words. I’ll just have to see where this road takes me and fingers crossed 🤞🏻 thanks for watching and the support 👍🏻👍🏻
nice video. I run a renogy 2000 watt inverter, renogy 300 watts of panels and a 120 ah lith battery and can run an electric toaster and the microwave off it in the mornings and only run the battery down to 85%...very happy with Renogy
That’s great! We have been doing some testing this weekend and find that it only uses about 2amps to make a coffee! It’s definitely changed the way we camp. Love it 👍🏻. Thanks for watching
Nice install. Really cleaned up that area nicely. Just a personal opinion here, that bolt in large fuse you used are troublesome. They blow too easy and it smells horrible. I recommend replacing that with a bussman. Fuse they will fit that socket no need to replace that. Nice work.
I'm just about to fit the same 2000w inverter in my van. The research I've done on it states that the inverter is fitted with a pass through which means if your plugged into shore power the inverter will automatically power all your mains sockets without the inverter being switched on.
Yeh mate correct. We just need to be careful with ours as our AC is 2200w and the inverter wouldn’t handle it. Otherwise if we didn’t have it it’s no issue
@@GetCampingOz Then buy the Renogy 3000 watt Inverter\Charger\Transfer Switch model..You can split the circuit with 2x 20 amp breakers..With a 3rd one rated for 30 amps for the main disconnect. As 3000 watts is rated for 25 amps.. So you need to split the circuit anyways..
That was the way I did it.. As I needed one circuit just for the AC unit..The other 20 amp feeds the rest of the van..
So when on bypass are you still limited to 2000 Watts? Even though the inverter is off and it's only an internal bypass relay? Searched everywhere but I couldn't see what the rating for this bypass circuit is.
@user-ci9nn7nm6k as far as I could find, you're limited to the ehu output.
Great explanation of how you installed your upgrades. Renogy have had some great sales recently, up to as much as 40-60% off on some of their products. I'm hoping Renogy Australia are going to bring the Renogy One control panel here as it centralizes all your systems and seems comparable to the Victron panel. It's not available to ship from the USA as far as I can tell, as it would not allow me to checkout when I tried from their site. Jayco really don't wire things clearly or plumb things efficiently, you would think they would use some better fittings and pex pipe which is way more streamline and efficient.
Thanks for the comments! That control panel sounds amazing! Would definitely like to check it out if we can get it here in Australia. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
If you used a Victron Multiplus you wouldn’t need a transfer switch or the Bluesmart charger. It’s all built in. Also the DC to DC and MPPT are meant to be mounted vertically. Horizontal means they run hotter and ramp down their output.
Thanks for the tips! Victron make great gear but the Multiplus was a little out my budget. Cheers
If he bought the 2000 Watt Renogy Inverter\Charger\Transfer Switch with auto start generator. He would only need to add solar and maybe a DC-DC Charger..That way you get 4 ways to power everything. And less mess and fuss in wiring..
Nice job. Just the video I needed. Will be starting my Jayco job soon.Thanks
Cheers mate! Let me know how you go. Thanks for watching!
It is amazing how quickly prices are changing. I am doing a LIFePO4 conversion on our yacht. My 6 x 6V lead acid Trojan batteries were failing and the cost to replace them was $2160 plus shipping. I have been able to source 300AH LIFePO4 smart batteries with bluetooth for less than both the Renogy 100AH and the Trojan batteries. Also the DC to DC charger market has come leaps and bounds. The chargers are now being combined with MPPT Charge controllers for less than the cost 6 months ago for a stand alone MPPT. A 50A combined DC - DC charger/MPPT cost just $250 to allow alternator charging. Total costs for a 600AH system, double the usable capacity of the Troja'ns was under $2200, almost the same cost of just replacing the dinosaur Trojans.
Sounds like a great setup!
Yeah LiFePO4 battery prices are falling like a rock.. You can buy 200ah for $560.00 US now...
They are coming down, but you need to compare like for like manufacturer for prices. Arguments like “a battery is a battery” or “they are all made in China so all are the same” simply aren’t true.
Nice clip Adam have you added more solar panels to keep up with the big number of amps that you are drawing for quicker recovery during the day
Hey Clint, I haven’t at the moment. I’m running 385w of solar on the roof which is capable of about 25amps of input so it should be fine. I’ll do some testing over the next few weeks (a couple camping trips planned) and will see how it goes. If it goes well during winter then summer will be even better. Cheers Adam
I really enjoyed this video. I'm looking at getting renogy 2kw inverter as a backup for our boiler when and if it comes to blackouts. Thank you!
Your very welcome. Happy it helped. Cheers Adam
Those Renogy batteries are rated at 2000 charges, the Core series are 5000 charges and cheaper, if you check the forums, the BT features of Renogy's equipment (not the BT batteries, they seem to communicate well) many people are having no luck getting the equipment's BT features to work.
Good tips! Thanks
Great video, you answered many question I wanted to know the answers too.
Thanks Mark. Glad it helped!
Thanks for the video. Im doing a similar install in my Jayco but have reallised that with the twin cables to the 2000w inverter the parallel 12v agm batteries i have will no longer have a fused link Were you concerned about not having a fused link between your two batteries?
Great video mate, just found your channel and has been so helpful with my off grid build keep up the good shit 👍
Glad its helpful and your getting something from it! Cheers for watching. Adam
Approximately how many hours did the install take minus the video making time?
hey mate, loved the video! just wondering if you have another video explaining how you wired the inverter to the RCD?
thanks in advance!
Glad you enjoyed it. No sorry I don’t. I had a qualified electrician wire this up so it was done correctly. I would recommend to do this as well. Thanks for watching 👍🏻👍🏻
@@GetCampingOz interesting that your installation is professional, because a few weeks ago I bought the Renogy 3000W to put in my new van due in a couple of weeks, and asked the dealer about installing it for me, and his staff electrician refused to do it! He tells me to get a different inverter because, and I quote his email, “there is an issue I see here, the inverter you have chosen which is the Renogy is not compliant to connect into the electrical system like you want as there is no dedicated ac output connection, we are not allowed to connect a sub circuit such as what you have in your caravan via a plug in socket we need to have this as a fixed connection. So unless I can’t see it on the inverter this does not have one.” He says the Redarc and Projecta equivalents, for $2000+ more, have this ‘dedicated connection’ that the Renogy lacks. Now I am worried that I have an inverter that no-one will install!
Oh man, I found this video by accident.. curious that you could use the Renogy’s automatic transfer switch and plug into the RCD that was installed so you can flick between 240 and 12v? 😊 love the vid man, thank you 😊
PS how much did it cost to get a sparky to install the cable from the RCD? 😊
The renogy inverter doesn’t have a RCD so it made sense to wire it through the existing one. I had a mate that did it for me and didn’t charge but he suggested a sparky would charge around $150-200
@@GetCampingOzthank you man 😊 appreciate your content. One last question (sorry bro), did you have to hook up an ignition switch to your DC charger for it to work? Apparently we are supposed to with Renogy ones but confused where :|
How does the inverter system disconnect from the 240v “shore” supply when it’s producing 240v from the inverter? ( to prevent feed back to the “shore” supply. )
Nice explanation and logic thanks
Thanks for watching 👍🏻
I plan to use this with direct solar to DC Side. If clouds block the sun and there isn’t enough solar power, it will switch to AC power. When the sun provides enough light again, will it automatically switch back to using DC power?
Not sure. Best to chat to Renogy about your setup. Thanks for watching
Great job mate you did a great job, with your inverter setup do you have to make sure that plug is disconnected when your on mains? Or does it automatically switch to mains power once your plugged in thank you, I have been looking at the renogy 3000w for our van
Hey mate, the inverter has an auto transfer switch built in so there is no need to touch it. The only thing I need to do it make sure the AC charger is turned off when I’m running the inverter on solar otherwise it will try to charge its self 🤣🤣. If your looking at the 3000w inverter Renogy recommend 3 x 100ah batteries 🔋
@@GetCampingOz okay think I’ll grab an inverter shortly, with the way yours is set up you don’t need the 2 pin cable from the inverter to a powerpoint( transfer switch You can go from your 3 pin 240v outlet to the load side of the rcd? And when you plug into mains does it bypasses the inverter ?
Great presentation. Thank you for sharing. In my opinion you would have been better off with a different brand for the battery monitor and batteries. Victron for the monitor and Oz built and supported batteries from the likes of ATG or Muller Energy. Higher quality battery cells and second to none after sales unlike Renogy. I'm a fan of the Renogy inverters for non critical loads due to their price point. Cheers. PS: Battery monitoring via the internal battery BMS is not necessarily more accurate than an external monitor such as the Victron
Yes I agree they might be better quality components; however I was doing a budget build. I haven't had any issues at all with the Renogy gear.
@@GetCampingOz Been there and have always ended up upgrading. Fingers crossed for you. Cheers
Hey mate love the install!
I'm currently doing my caravan, just curious do you need to have the AC-in plugged in to the inverter?
I'm planning on have a changeover switch for the 240/off/12v power set up. Is the AC plug on the inverter just a safe gaurd to let the inverter know not to run the 12v power?
Been a while since I've done electrical work (mainly 12v auto elect) so just want a confirmation.
Cheers!
So you will need the AC plugged into the inverter if you want it to automatically switch over when AC is disconnected. If you are concerned about the change over then you won’t need it plugged in. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching
Can you do a 12 review and a lithium capacity test ???
Unfortunately I’ve sold that caravan so Im unable to do any further reviews or testing. Cheers Adam
Hi mate, glad I found your channel.I have a similar vintage Jayco expanda outback and most of the mods I want to do you have done!.Did you happen to make a video of the solar panel upgrade?.
Keep up the good work 🤙
Thanks mate! Unfortunately not. I installed that before I started the channel, however it’s fairly easy to do. It’s held down with Sikaflex and also has been screwed into the roof. The cable just comes through the roof and into the bedside cupboard, through the floor and then comes back up to the seat and into the MPPT controller. Hope that helps!
@@GetCampingOz thanks for the reply, are the angled brackets for the panel fixed into anything solid under the roof skin?.(I have no idea if there are any structural beams in the roof cavity?.) thanks again!.
@@CRN8091 no, nothing specific as the brackets don’t line up with anything noticeably solid. I’ve got two 10G screws in each bracket. Under the fibreglass appears to be plywood. I used Sikaflex 252 which is an automotive construction adhesive. Once the sikaflex sets it will delaminate the fibreglass before it peels. Cheers
@@GetCampingOz thanks again mate, appreciate it!.
Wondering what purpose is served by the dc to dc charger. I has a towable camper with a fridge and lights and a 150ah flooded lead-acid battery and renogy solar panel and charge controller to take along camping off-grid; however i have no idea why anyone would need a dc-t0-dc box. Would appreciate enlighten me. I am based in California USA.
Hey mate! Thanks for watching. The idea of the DCDC charger is to allow you to charge the house batteries while driving. While solar is a great way to charge when the sun is out but if you are solely relying on it then overcast days you may not keep up. We even use the DCDC charge to charge the batteries even when we haven’t moved but we have had consecutive cloudy days and our batteries were getting low. Hope that helps explain why they are used. Cheers Adam
Did you earth your inverter?
Thanks!
Thanks David! Much appreciated 👍🏻🙏
That’s a lot of batteries. A little daunting. I have 240v wire through the caravan will I still need an inverter
Two batteries is the minimum you need really in most vans. Especially if you have a few 12v appliances and you wanna run an inverter.
Hey Adam - great video.
I am in Canada and cannot find the battery monitor you installed on Renogy Canada. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Hey! Oh really? Hmmm not sure 🤔 maybe try some of the other sites like Amazon? Thanks for watching
Is it a requirement to seal the lithium batteries off from inside and vent to outside? Cheers, Mike
The new regulations stipulate that a lithium battery cannot be installed in a habitable living area, such as inside a caravan or camper trailer, unless it is placed in a sealed enclosure, or the installation location is sealed off from the habitable area and the sealed off area is vented to the exterior environment. This rule came into effect late last year and I do not believe it is retrospective meaning any installations prior do not need to comply. Hope that helps
@@GetCampingOz thanks mate. Cheers, Mike
Hey mate do you have a wiring diagram for that set up. I want to do the same in my camper trailer.
No unfortunately I don’t. It was the factory wiring mixed with a wiring that I added in to the system to make it work.
Great video mate, was just looking at their gear tonight as thinking of switching to lithium myself. Can I ask what did you do with the 240v cables from the setec ? I have a Jayco also and if I go down this path I would also did what you did and Rio out the setec. Cheers mate 👍
Hey Geoff, so the 240v from the Setec was just plugged into a GPO under the seat. The whole unit comes out including the 240v plug. If you see in the vid I ended up cutting the plug off the end so I could pull the cable through easier. Hope that helps and thanks for watching
@@GetCampingOz thanks heaps for the reply. So if I cut that cord and remove the setec how does power then go to the other GPO's, or does it still power then once you're connected to 240v at home or say a caravan park? Thanks mate trying to get my head around it
@@geoffstein3896 all good mate. The Setec is effectively just a 12v hub. It has all the fuses for lights, water pump ect but it is all also a battery charger - hence why it has the 240v connected. By removing it you are taking out the heart of the system and will need to be replaced in a new form - hence the new fuse block and chargers. The 240v in the van has its own separate system. Now all this info is based on a Van similar to mine. I know the older Jaycos had an older version of the Setec where all the 240v would run through it. I don’t have any experience with this type. Hope that helps you! Cheers Adam
@@GetCampingOz appreciate the reply mate. Mine is a 2010 Expanda and has a battery switch so not sure how that works through the setec as I have to press the battery switch on when I am not using 240v
Why did you not stick with Renogy all the way ???? I can't understand that
Thanks for the comment. I already had the VictronConnect gear so it would have added extra expense. If I was starting from nothing then all the gear would have been Renogy. Cheers Adam
That makes sense Adam
will this run the air conditioner? they have these new 460ah lipo4 batteries and was thinking of upgrading to a 3000w pure sine wave inverter - would that run a 13,500 btu ? thanks
2000w is getting pretty tight. I’d go the 3000w and you will have plenty of headroom to run something else if needed. Cheers Adam
Gday mate thinking of grabbing a couple of these batteries, how have they been so far ? Did you have any concerns regarding warranty in Australia, can't see anything about this on their site. Cheers Mark
Hey Mark, batteries have been great. No concerns of quality or performance. In terms of warranty, I have no concerns either. Renogy still need to comply with consumer rights so I’m not too worried. Cheers Adam
Hey was wondering where did you get the link cable for the batteries?
Cheers Kirk.
That was purchased from Renogy with the batteries. Cheers Adam
Hey Adam,
I have a swan and am thinking of removing the setec system as you have done, just wondering if you could tell me what the wires are on the setec ie the L1 to L5.
Cheers kirk.
@@KirkHutton-n5j Hi Kirk, thanks for watching. That is a really good question!! It was a while back now and for the life of me can’t remember the way Jayco arranged them. Best thing to do would be to remove one at a time and see what stops working and then label it accordingly. Hope that helps! Cheers Adam
What size wiring did you use?
On which part? I purchased the battery connecting cables from Renogy and I think they are 1AWG.
What about to the fuse block and to and from the DCDC charger?
@@glennsmith8376 both are 6AWG. Probably over kill, but won’t have any issues.
@@GetCampingOz 👍 Thanks mate.
Hi mate how are the batterys holding up almost a year later?
Batteries have been brilliant. I would say that after using them off grid, the only thing I would do differently is add more. I really should have 300 or 400ah instead of 200ah. A few back to back cloudy days and you soon gets pretty low. We do use the inverter a fair bit for the microwave, coffee machine and induction cooker. Overall I’m impressed and have had no issues with the products themselves. Thanks for watching 👍🏻
Can you do a capapcity test please@@GetCampingOz
Do you still run the battery isolator switch?
No I deleted it. Never used it on the old setup.
@@GetCampingOz Cool, I was trying to workout what I was going to do. I'm moving my battery from under the bed to under the seat and adding the DCDC Charger and AC Charger and deleting the old Jayco box. Problem I have is that the isolator switch along side all the other switches are up in the cupboard with no access making it impossible to to run new wiring for any switches or monitors in the same location
@@glennsmith8376 sounds like a good project you have going on! yeh you can always add your own isolator in or just put in a main fuse if you need to isolate.
👏👏👏
Thanks!
Had two dc to dc chargers by Renogy , both were a crock of sh1t , returned to Amazon , that's why they're cheap , something's not quite right .
That’s a shame. I haven’t experienced any issues with mine at all. I can only say positive things in my experience. Thanks for watching
👍🏻