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I wish that I was closer. I would come and get them. I just blew up 8 - 280's and need replacements. I will offer $125 each for 8 including shipping to zip 99328

Thanks Luthj. I was top balancing so no BMS. If I had been charging a series string I would absolutely have had a BMS running. I had a senior moment and left it running overnight unattended. It is my practice to turn things like this off or turned down to a trickle when I leave the shop...

Hey Everyone, I have been presented with a learning experience....... I had a charger fail and I found eight (280 AH) cells puffed up a fair bit. The vents are intact. I know that cells are generally destroyed if they vent. This is a new one to me. What do you all think? Has anyone...

I understand your want to maintain lifestyle while going solar. It WILL be expensive if you are not willing to make any concessions to conservation. Conservation is most always cheaper than building out solar to support wasteful loads. No need to go extreme. Go heavy on the insulation. LED...

SnooblerI said it well. One thing I would suggest is that you consider going with an inverter generator. I dug out my old paintball rifle for this coming camping season especially for the fellow campers who show up with cheap open frame generators. I got run out of a campsite last time we...

I suspect that you may have better luck selling them on Ebay. Folks here may be a bit spoiled with buying the 280's direct for $110 each. Ebay exposes you to a lot more people who don't want to wait or are uncomfortable buying from China. I just sold eight extra that I got from Amy for $180...

I have used VHB tape and it is some serious sticky. Would I use it to attach panels to the roof of a vehicle? No.... After seeing the gent down in California that used VHB to attach panels to the roof of his RV. It held fine on all but one of the panels. That one panel came off while he was...

With a 100 watt 12v solar charger you are unlikely to see more than 7-8 amps. If you want to properly charge FLA or AGM I would recommend a battery around 75a/h. My understanding is that Lifepo4 does not have the same issue. Low charge rate is not a problem.

I just finished my very first project with my new 3D printer. 20 battery holders....

I run a 10.8 cu.ft. residential refrigerator in my travel trailer from two GC-2 batteries. They are "true" deep cycle batteries. When the were brand new they would run all of my loads, including the refrigerator, for 24 hours without trouble. My battery bank = 12v 215a/h. I would definitely...

Works great. Thank you.

Amy has been fantastic to work with. I am waiting on delivery of my first set of 16. I look forward to seeing your results.

Your wiring diagrams are beautiful :) What app did you use? Thanks.

External auto transfer switches can be had for around $70. You could certainly add one to your system without too much trouble. I am getting ready to install this one...

:) I'll sell you the Xantrex 1000 that I have...... It does come with a travel trailer and pickup truck attached to it though...... :)

My new rig is getting a Xantrex Prosine 1800/24. I have a couple of them. I don't recall them being very much more expensive than the 1800/12. The 400 watt msw DEFINITELY does have the capacity to overcome LRC.

Probably not. It may well support "running" current. but will choke on the "sartup" current draw. Also, your freezers compressor may run hot, reducing lifespan, if you use a MSW inverter. I killed a Frigidaire running it for an extended period on an MSW. I went through a number of...

I managed to get 8 x 300 watt panels on mine with room to spare. I could have fit 10 but I want a storage rack as well. One of my posts here has pictures. I am having a little trouble finding it. We have designed our electrical with a strong eye to conservation. Using the most efficient...

:) :) I received tracking information two weeks ago and I am already running out of patience.

Hey Everyone, I have ordered 280 a/h cells from Amy. Now I have the patience of a six year old on Christmas morning. How long has sea shipping been taking for your orders? Has anyone pinned down what is the least expensive shipping method? Almost 40% of my order total was sea shipping...

Midnite said that I must come up with a method of quickly disconnect the panels from the controller. I am looking at some low draw contactors. I looked a ssr's and the internal resistance was on the high side.

I am guessing that you may already have "stuff" on the roof that you have to work around. The panels I am installing today are 72"x39" and are 300 watts. I was envisioning those on a blank roof thinking that you could fit 3-4 on the roof of a van.

Flooded Lead Acid (FLA) have a number of disadvantages. The one that comes to mind first is the fact that you need to charge them at at least 8%-10% of C in order to "stir" the electrolyte and prevent sulfating. You need to size your battery and charge source to "fit". With limited solarthat can...

:) Thanks Snoobler! I have been looking for that pump and somehow missed it on Amazon.

Looks good! For some examples of what some other folks have done Google "masonry heater" and "Rocket Mass Heater". Lots of really interesting stuff out there on mass for heat storage.

What is keeping you from putting more solar up on the roof? I know little about vans in particular. I had a Chevy for a while. Did the back up in Avocado Green shag carpet, ripped out the 8 track and installed an awesome new cassette deck. It's been a while. From what I remember of mine, I am...

For just the CPAP 280A/H may be significant overkill for short trips. If you wanted to go longer without charging or have other load you want to support the additional capacity may be handy. A 12v 280A/H pack by itself is roughly 5"x6"x8". You could fit the cells and BMS in a roughly 6"x6"x10"...

What is the power consumption of the BMS on your 24v RV setup?

I believe that the FAA breaks it down to specific chemistries. Some are allowed with conditions.

Good! You best not be lookin' for BMS, charger or battery info around here stranger! ???

I just saw 4 x 25A/H Lifepo4 prismatic cells on eBay for $100 and you can probably get 4 x the 280A/H from the gent running the group buy. I can't quote but I would guess that you can probably have them delivered for less than $500. Check with Michael for the straight scoop.

The pre-built powerstation sounds like it is priced reasonably for what it is. If you have more money than time I would buy it. If you are anything like me, with a little time available and a love of tinkering, then build it. If I were going to build it for what you mentioned then I would...

If you find yourself up in the Northwest, stop by. I'd be happy to give a hand. Safe travels.

Here is my "van solar" project: https://photos.app.goo.gl/i4iLvCVQx8hgUXU98 Eight x 300 watt panels on the roof. I bet we can get 400+ watts on the roof of your van. :)

Well....... I am relatively new to the Lifepo4 chemistry batteries that are so popular but not to solar. I installed my first RV solar in 1995. I am a former electrician with plenty of experience in mobile installations. Primarily RV's and emergency response Bus/trailers. I have a spot in my...