How to Solar Power EVERYTHING & RV Off Grid | RV Solar Costs | Redodo Batteries 1 year review
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- Get a full breakdown of our RV solar system and see the shopping list/schematic: liketheresnotomorrow.net/rv-o...
🤑 Save AN ADDITIONAL $260 PER BATTERY!!! Redodo 12v 200Ah Plus Battery: Use the discount code LIKE using this special link- LIMITED TIME OFFER!!! shrsl.com/4kbzd
These are what we have used for over a year. We LOVE them (and they are way more affordable than BattleBorn and others)
🌞🔋 Want to RV off-grid with confidence? In this video, we share how our RV solar system powers everything we need, from appliances to electronics, allowing us to enjoy the freedom of boondocking. We'll provide a detailed checklist of our entire setup, including costs, and give you our honest 1-year review of the Redodo batteries. Join us as we reveal the secrets to living comfortably off-grid and help you decide if solar is right for your RV lifestyle! 🚐🏜️ #RVOffGrid #RVSolarSystem #RedodoBatteries
LEARN more about how to boondock and dry camp with ease: • Full-Time Off Grid LIV...
🐶 🐱 WIN A FREE WAGGLE PET TEMPERATURE MONITORING SYSTEM!!! (a Details here- liketheresnotomorrow.net/
✨⭐ OTHER PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO ⭐✨
(use our links to help support our channel at no extra cost to you)
OUR SOLAR CONSULTANT - Dan @ rvsolarconsulting.com/
OUR INSTALLER- Paul Worster- BulldogRV- / about
GENERATORS
Champion Power Equipment 2500-Watt Dual Fuel Ultralight Portable Inverter Generator
amzn.to/3X7x4u4
Cummins Onan P4500I Portable Inverter Generator, Power Inverter Dual Fuel
amzn.to/3RfGzUu
Mr. Heater 4,000-18,000 BTU Green Big Buddy Portable Liquid Propane Heater
amzn.to/4em4z2f
Where we got the Victron scratch and dents. invertersrus.com
00:00 Introduction
02:52 Power Wants vs Needs
04:39 DC vs AC Power
06:26 What do you want to power?
09:38 GIVEAWAY DETAILS!!!
12:05 DIY or Hire A Pro
16:18 Schematic & Shopping List
17:14 Inverter & Components
17:53 Batteries at a HUGE DISCOUNT
22:19 QUICK SYSTEM WALK-THROUGH
26:19 Our Install Professional
30:44 Generator Backup
33:23 What we can and can't run on solar
41:27 Our off grid adventures and advice
👨⚖️ LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW- All Rights Reserved *This channel for entertainment purposes only. We are not travel or RV experts. We share our opinions and what works for us, but you should do your own research and make your own decisions.
I’m retiring in 4yrs and this is the best video I’ve watched on solar,I’m opening up a IRA just for the solar expense,thank you.
I hear ya (but it’s worth it)
Great video and thanks for the shout out! I'm glad everything is working well for you!
Thanks Dan. I think you’ll probably get some inquiries. lol
We are brothers from another mother. Great job explaining the basics to newbies! Plus, what a great deal on batteries!
Running a generator if fine to run your A/Cs during the day, though it's expensive, noisy and smelly. Many places have quiet hours preventing generator use, say between the hours of 10pm and 8am. And if you don't want to get the stink eye from your camping neighbors, I would limit my generator hours from 10am to 8pm at most. This covers the hottest part of the day but doesn't help if you need to run an air conditioning at night. Then there's the expense of running a generator for 10 hours. My old 5,500w generator burns about .7 gallons of gas/hr. when running 2 A/C units, so in 10 hrs. run burns 7 gallons, which at $3.50 a gallon is $24.50 a day. The equivalent power on propane will cost about 20% more. Also consider the logistics of carrying lots of gas with you. My gas-powered motorhome draws from the fuel tank, but a fiver or TT will require several heavy gas cans (or installing an onboard fuel tank, like toy haulers have) to support this much consumption. Then there's the expense of generator maintenance or at least changing the oil and filter every 100 hrs. of use (every 10 days at this rate).
As far as the amount of solar that is feasible, we have 5,020 watts of solar on our 35ft Class A motorhome. We have a 620w liftable array on the side of our MH over our bedroom window to charge our 560ah 12v battery and 4,400 watts racked 15" off our roof above our A/C shrouds, which serves as a nice share for our RV too. We have 8, 550-watt panels, but your 44-footer could easily fit 10, 550w panels or 5,500 watts of solar without a solar awning, sliding panels, portable folding panels or other tricks to get more. We have a 16.4 kwh (320ah) 48v battery too for a total of 23.5 kwh, equaling about 9 of your Redodo 200ah batteries, for comparison. We built both our battery banks from the raw cells, though those $509 Redodo batteries sound like a killer deal for sure. Our entire system including a total of 6,000 watts of inverted 120v ac power, wiring, breakers, etc. cost only about $10k to build, not counting the $1,500 high efficiency mini split we added which only draws about 1/3 the power as our rooftop A/C plus it gives us free heat in the winter, so we save money on propane too.
We now have 24/7 air conditioning and heat from our heat pump, and we can run everything in our RV including both our A/Cs, during the day, even in winter or on overcast days, while charging our batteries at the same time. We haven't plugged into the grid our run generator in over 7 months (except to exercise it) though we lived off-grid this entire time. It can be done, but it's a whole lot of work, especially for an old, overweight guy like me. I wouldn't even try to power 3 inefficient rooftop A/Cs though. I'd switch out two of them (front and rear) and replace them with 2 mini-split heat pumps. Other than that, I'd use 10, 550w panels on a 44ft RV. Along with the rest of my equipment, that should be sufficient for the same capabilities I have but on your bigger RV, at a total cost of around $14k if you do all the work yourself. Add another $5-$6k to have it done, which puts you right around those $20k quotes, but with a much more capable system than they were quoting you, for sure.
BTW, one of your previous videos inspired me to get a 65-gallon water bladder and a spare water pump to transfer to replenish our fresh water supply between dumps. Thanks for the tip! It's working out great so far, plus we still have our 3, 5-gallon collapsible water carriers kept in reserve, for when we have to buy water from a dispensing machine.
You are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for sharing and watching. We do appreciate ya.
FYI we'd love to have a mini-split, but can't figure out how to mount one on a toy hauler. Seems there's a big opportunity in the RV space for a mini-split manufacturer to come along and make something affordable & efficient. The rooftop mini-splits I've seen so far are pricey.
@liketheresnotomorrow Lippert is coming out with new roof unit that is as efficient as a mini-split. I believe Big Truck Big RV has a video on them.
@@benpriester6657 maybe they'll sponsor us and we can try it out. lol (we can dream, can't we?)
@@benpriester6657 Lippert makes the Furrion line. I have a 3yr old 14.5 kbtu Furrion on the front of my MH now, but they have a new 18kbtu model called the Furrion Cube that they recently released. I think this is the one you're referring to. They don't publish their Seer-2 specs on this model but they do say its EER is 9.5, which is not bad, but nowhere near my EG-4's 12.5 EER (28.5 Seer-2) rating. Plus, my mini split is a true heat pump that efficiently warms my motorhome as well saving not only on heating costs, but the hassle of having to replenish our propane while we're in the boonies.
Thank you for the video, great information from a different perspective. And love the point that you thought you were going to do it but then hired to get it done. I feel like I am in that same boat.
Yep. That’s us. lol
Nice overview video. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Absolutely! Harvest host with lithium and solar is epic combo.
We did go hardcore. We primarily boondock beach camp on the east coast and AC is critical! lol. So nice not running generators all the time!
Ooohhh when we go back east you’ll have to share your beach boondocking locations!!!
Thank you so much for making this video so simple “the goats can get it”. This is something we really want to do as well, and very similar to this. You both gave us a lot to think about and move us in the right direction. Having a big toy hauler we definitely want to be able to go a lot of remote places out west. Stay safe out there.
Glad it was helpful!
When using air conditioner one way to expand the cooled area is to use a fan to distribute and circulate the cold air.
Great tip!
Yes. Our mini split is mounted in our bedroom so that it blows down the hall to the front of our motorhome. We added a rectangular window fan (the kind that has 2 small fans and is designed to sit on a windowsill with accordion expandable sides) by the ceiling just inside the bedroom door to assist in distributing cool air up front. However, we found that in our 35' rig, it really wasn't necessary, especially if we set our air handler on turbo. Whenever we leave our RV on a warm day, we leave the mini split on (not on turbo) as it draws very little power compared to our rooftop A/C (in the 400-500w range) yet still keeps it cool inside both front and rear for our animals. We haven't tested it yet in 100+ degree weather, but it keeps it nice and cool inside when it's in the low 90's outside. Its only rated at 12k btus but cools off our RV as well as our 14.5k btu Furrion while using 1/3rd the power.
Hey thanks for the shout out lol. I had just turned to Stacy and said I wonder if they are doing this video because of our conversation at the Rally. Good info and we are close to getting started on our build. We will keep you posted.
Good luck. Reach out if you have questions.
Great knowledge, thank you both! Can you share some information about the Pop-Up screen tent you have on your patio?? I love that! Thanks, Todd
It’s a Morryde product that isn’t sold any longer. I hear they are working on a new version but it’s not on the market yet. We got this one used. Maybe look on eBay or toyhauler facebook groups.
It's called a Morryde Patio EX.
The downside to a smaller rig is that there’s less rooftop real estate for solar panels. I had two instructors from the NRVTA do my install on site there. 800 w of solar, 560 AH lithium, 3000w Victron Multiplus, charge controller, Cerbo, all the wires etc. And the install all ran about $13k. Worth it? Yep. Running the AC in 96 degree temp sucks the batteries down about 28% in 1.5 hours.
I do most of my air fryer and instant pot cooking midday so my batteries can recover by sundown.
You are so right. Totally worth it for us too,
Very well thought out video with good information. One key thing to add to the solar consideration is weight and cargo carrying capacity. It’s scary easy to exceed the capacity and end up with towing safely concerns, never mind frame structure issues. Good job!
This is a great point and I’m sad we didn’t think of mentioning it. lol we dumped the heavy generator and got rid of our washer/dryer and heavy shower doors. It wasn’t until we weighed that we confirmed that adding the solar didn’t put us over. Thanks for the reminder.
Great video guys and thank you for making it a 6th grade level explaining the solar. So many times I watch solar videos and I’m scratching my head. We are heading full time in April and we have a 2023 Intech OVR Expedition with 400 watts of solar and 200 amp hours of Lithium and a generator so we are hoping that’s all the solar we need. We will put it to the test and see if it’s enough. Thanks again
Thats exactly why we made this. Most videos were way too technical for us. lol I think your plan is wise. Test it out and see
Great video on solar and boondocking. We also work full time from the road and do a lot of boondocking with a similar system. My favorite part of having a good solar system is not having the stress of finding a 50amp spot months in advance. We have to be ready to work Monday morning at 8am and if we get stuck without an ideal spot it is no problem. The hybrid assist on the Victron invertor allows both ACs to run on a 30amp spot or even long term moochdocking with friends on a standard 15amp plug. We just arrived in Colorado for the summer and will be boondocking on and off for the next 5 months. Let us know if you are looking for any good spots I have a ton saved and can't wait to get to them all.
Yes please. We are in SD for the next month and then east WY, headed down east side of CO to co springs and then over towards Gunnisson/ouray aug through October. Message or email me. We are always looking for good boondocking. Thanks for watching. We appreciate your support,
@@liketheresnotomorrow Just sent you a message with our contact info on your website. Look forward to hearing from you.
Hey guys, great video content ! We had A system installed similar to yours on our Alliance 310rl, 1600 watts solar and victron 3000 multiplex and cerbo too.
Game changer. Opened up a whole new realm of glamping. We wished we invested in solar before we bought our 5500 onan generator. Could have put that $5500 towards the solar pkg. and used a putt-putt to top off.
Again , thx for the videos & content.
I hear ya. Ya don’t know what ya don’t know when you first get going. It’s a journey. Thanks for watching and subscribing.
Great video and the concept of size is terrific. We have. a 30" fifth wheel with 2 A/c's that we want to boondock in. Have reached out to RV Solar Consultants and are looking forward to a less expensive upgrade only because we are much smaller than. you. Want to run 1 AC for maybe 5-6 hours and then do the rest. Thanks for the time you spent with this set up.
That’s great. I’m sure you’ll find the exact setup you need. Good luck and happy trails
Great job on the explanation! Battleborn are ridiculously expensive. We have Renogy but have looked into the Redodo. Btw we checked out Reverend Barry 👍👍👍👍
lol a little different than the guy you met eh?
Nice info and set up. Oh and btw. We in Evansville till Monday. Yea fun
Whaaaaat?! lol whatcha doing there?
@@liketheresnotomorrowjust visiting family one our way through Ohio the Michigan before heading down east coast for the winter this year
Great video, very informative. Just remember if you have to turn on your a/c, you’re trailer is in the wrong spot. Time to hook up and head to elevation.
100% my friend. That’s our philosophy. If it gets hot… move. lol
Same idea if there’s snow on your trailer, you’re in the wrong spot.
I a 20 year retired Army veteran and try and buy only American made, but we will be on a budget when we full time and the cost of batteries are crazy so I may need to look at these batteries
That’s exactly how we felt. We always try to go for American made as well, but in this case it wasn’t an option. The price difference was just too great.
Change your ac units to 12 volts you will find a big difference in power consumption
We looked into it. A lot would need to be reconfigured to do it. It’s just not in the budget now. Maybe later though. It’s something we have talked quite a bit about.
I love the 🚫 on the battleborns on the thumbnail. 👍
lol I was hesitant, they are good batteries, but really expensive. We wanted people to know there are alternatives.
Did you look at going with 24V to reduce costs on the wire and solar charge controllers?
Sort of. I remember it came up in our conversations with Dan Heming the solar consultant. But I can't remember now why we decided to go 12V. Anyway, I'd like to interview Dan as a "part 2" of this video, and if I do, this is a GREAT question.
II want to register for the waggle. How do I do that. I have wanted one . I will put my name here to register so I hope I'm covered. Please let me know if I need to do something else. Oh great video on solar. Easy to understand . We will pay to have it done also.
Go To our site and register liketheresnotomorrow.net/
@@liketheresnotomorrow Thank you!
I did a similar install on my own and I would have paid $300 if I had known! I noticed on your batteries widely different cable lengths. I thought you wanted those cable runs to be similar lengths for better battery usage. Did this come up at all on your consultation?
We originally had 2 batteries...then 3...then 4 (from what I recall anyway). Getting all 4 into that tiny space wasn't easy. I ordered pre-cut length cables because I didn't want to do the heat seals, etc. So...you're probably right. I understand the concept of "distance creates resistance". So this is probably a good example of "don't do what I did just because I did it that way". Lol. If Dan saw my setup, he would probably call me out too.
What and how do you clean your solar panels?
Just a damp rag is all it takes.
@@liketheresnotomorrow ok thank you very much
Anytime
Why don't you guys get heat pumps and get rid of all those stupid inefficient air conditioners I had a underbelly air conditioner on my alpha Delta got rid of that put in a 18 k heat pump solar from signature solar I run it all the time and I have half the battery as you and I run all my stuff 24/7 is your 48 volt system just to give you something to think about plus my electric stove I disconnect the heater element and just run the fake flames to give that ambience just a thought
Plus it would give you more room on your roof for panels
We've looked into mini-splits, but don't know where we would install it on a toy hauler?