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I was not keen on the reviews for the P3 "Kill-A-Watt" meter based on the Amazon reviews. So I bought these: AC Digital Meter, DROK Current Voltage Amperage Power Energy Frequency Factor Multimeter Leviton 5361-I 20 Amp, 125 Volt, Industrial Heavy Duty Grade, Single Receptacle Ogrmar Plastic...

What I'm about to say may seem a bit daunting at first but all submarine sailors do this to earn their Dolphins once assigned to their first boat. You need to hand trace your AC distribution wiring & develop your own diagram. I've done it on my three 5th wheels to get a base line before starting...

Anything below 11.5 VDC on a new lead acid battery is cause to return as defective. 12-12.4 should be what you see. I'd bring a DVM with me to verify the replacement. What is the manufacture date code on it?

Here you go!

I'm still trying to get my head around the source driving the enthusiasm. I suspect it has a lot to do with value for minimal effort. (Once installed & working) Kind of like being pleased my community got a huge federal/state grant & not realizing it's still my tax $$ that got granted. Federal...

I did address your question, get the largest capacity cells readily available to your market. Add to your cell count 4 additional cells supporting an autonomous lighting system. Those would be donor cells should the battery need a cell down the road. Added: My earlier post, #3.

Hi @thecheese There are many options being you are still in the conception phase. To accomplish your reduced electrical during an outage & arbitrage ideas I'd install a separate subpanel & move the circuits you want to support with the axillary system to that panel. It would be supplied from the...

An ATX power supply from a retired PC. Search youtube for an endless supply of videos on how to. There is a 3.3 volt rail with lots of amps.

You are correct the bonding does occur in the pedestal. If you have an EMS inside the RV AND route the inverter through it you will need to bond the inverter as well. The same goes for a backup generator. If there is no EMS involved or it is the portable kind then bonding is optional. A proper...

DC lighting is relatively easy to convert to 24VDC rewire twin bulbs/LED's in series vs parallel. Single bulb fixtures excepted. Single LED strips can be halved @ the mark & connected in series.

Provide all the system components are within the heated envelope heat losses in the circuitry actually help when heat is needed. When cool is needed not so much though.

I've used several reels of these in our 5th wheel RV. They can be driven by way less than 12VDC.

There are AC clamp meters that you can set to capture max current. the drawback to using them is they tend to average the inrush current over a short time & do not capture the instantaneous peak. Here is one example...

If you run a rail mount parallel to the rain gutters you could push the panel edges out as far as you dare, tree branches may become a concern if you really push the limits. I've seen documentation of installations that used drawer type slides to store a second set of panels below the primary...

I concur with you @erik.calco. Then sometimes a Steve Jobs figure emerges from the DIY'rs. I'm a firm subscriber to the process of self discovery & sharing of the DIY world.

With DC removing the battery NEG from ground is best practice. Once the battery NEG is lifted from ground it is not possible to short any POS to NEG through ground. If you lift the battery POS & accidentally touch a grounded item you are in for a dramatic light show or far worse with solar or a...

Very true if not in a permafrost region.

I linkified your url.

Point taken, not everyone reads every post though.

Great catch @Justin Laureltec

@bikenanigans I'd call Renogy & confirm, those numbers leave little safety margin.

A metal table/stand in the driveway or on the brick patio with clear weather.

I recall in one of @Will Prowse battery building videos he recommends joining cells in parallel then combining them in series into a battery.

Most multi stage FLA battery chargers offer a timed period of bulk charge voltage to stir up the electrolyte to avoid stratification. It is also good policy to periodically discharge the bank and equalize charge it to re-balance the cells. You must water before & after this "equalize charge"...

One thing to keep in mind when using Hall Effect sensors in a DC environment is that the sensor is susceptible to the earth's magnetic field. Which can induce significant errors when the coil is moved. RV's are not good environments for their use.

If there is no voltage on the PV side of the diodes it is toast, time to exercise your warrantee. Most likely an internal open somewhere in the PV cell string.

^^^^ Wish I could eat popcorn like that! Endless cup & no added fat! LOL

NO & YES If depends on the equipment reading the shunt's output. Most displays are limited to either a specific current/mv rating or a few specific current ranges all. @ the same mv rating. If the display is programmable (Arduino, Pi, etc) or has a shunt profile setting matrix, then yes. A 75nv...

If they are mounted on continuous aluminum rail, that also expands but to a smaller amount as most of them are shaded by the panels.