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I have my current RV wired this way: 30A shore power goes to Victron 24/3000 which feeds a 50A sub panel with AC on a 20A circuit and and the old main panel on a 30A circuit. This way, I can use the multiplus to assist with batteries/solar when I’m drawing over 30A (or 15 or what ever I set it...

Looking to see if there is any interest in my diyBMS that is mostly complete. I have 50 cell modules and 2 controllers built. I’ll throw in the bajillion or so JST-PH pigtails I bought for the project and a few spare esp32 boards as well for $100. Some of the cell modules may need some rework...

you’d turn it on, turn it off— just like DC. It’d be prettier/cleaner if you did it at a zero crossing, sure. Id argue that pulsed DC has an AC component since it has desired frequency components outside of 0Hz but I’d also argue it’s not really important...what’s important is saving the...

Those are your typical ~280amp hour cells. I’d be interested in the song and dance you get when the capacity actually gets measured but not $654+shipping interested. That’s more than Amy was charging for her cells when I asked a coup,e of months ago and she was like 30% higher than the...

I was having a problem with stray strands/loose connections in my RV...I had run all stranded copper and I think some of that had moved just enough to be a problem over 3 years and 10s of thousands of miles. I pulled that stuff and reterminated everything that touches a lug in the inverter and...

Welp. They made it. FWIW, I ended up ordering PCBs for a DIYbms setup. Still waiting on a few bits and pieces. https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/diybms-v4/

Move your house to Texas or lower elevations in Arizona or New Mexico and tell me how much energy you use.

I think that’s 3000kwhr... Made me go pull mine...LOTS of windows and it’s HOT in the summer. The sad part is this is a vast improvement from when we bought it: new windows, new ACs (x3!), added insulation where there was none, LED/CFL bulbs, etc.

+1. They’re bad but they ain’t that bad. It has something blocked or a leak or * something*.

Yep, but electricity (solar) is *much* easier now. Even putting 500 amp hours into your electrical system with a generator would be problematic (or obnoxious, at least)without high C rate lithium. 900Whr is less than 1/2 an hour with my charger or a little over an hour of solar in my current rig.

Yes, they’re shockingly inefficient— it’s essentially running a resistive heat element on electric only mode. If propane is easier to get than electricity they make sense but only then.

I think this is worth a total reset. Forget about what you have (for now) and worry about what you actually want to power and what your goals are. Let’s identify what you actually need vs. what you’re currently trying to power. Obviously, you’re underpaneled to run a water heater (most RVs...

No, I don’t think we agree on “efficient” here at all. It doesn’t matter to me which you use but you *did* ask for opinions.

Sigh. 130W is not “low power” in this context. That’s all. Will a PWM work? Absolutely! Would I use one in this application? Nope! Will you? Sure sounds like it.

Right and all the more reason to squeeze every watt possible from the system. But do whatever you like: if I were spending my money on a van setup, I’d spring the extra $40 or whatever on a budget MPPT— cheaper than a third panel that you don’t have room for anyway.

I dont think a 200W system is “small” in the MPPT vs PWM context. Modest, perhaps, but not small. IMO, when real estate is extremely limited, it’s far more important to get the most out of limited square-feet as possible so a MPPT combined with good panels with bypass diodes would be in order.

60/72 cell type (300-400W or so...it varies) “residential” panels are typically 39-40” wide by ~60/66” or so. That’s going to be *awfully* tight for 39” spacing since you need room for brackets on the outer edge. 34x66 would be awesome for RVs but no body builds those (that I can find...

Will you be pulling a large cargo trailer/stacker to house all that stuff? Don’t discount that roof area. That’d probably be a better spot for a sliding roof rack apparatus anyway since you’ll have a little more height to play with.

Maybe! Which BMS?

If you’re going to do it this way, I’d encourage you to sign up for a free Victron professional account and watch the couple of webinars on just this topic. https://professional.victronenergy.com/accounts/login/?next=/

7,9,11, and 18. :). I thought there was a 12, but 11 should work up front. https://lghvac.com/residential-light-commercial/product-type/?productTypeId=a2x44000003XQyN&iscommercial=false

It’s an open question currently— I don’t see why they wouldn’t work since they’re the same physical size and take the same hoses. It seems silly to me to have a 30k ODU and only plug 18k worth of IDU into it knowing full well I’m in 120°+ during the summers. I don’t care how well insulated...

Yes...I’m specifically having it built with minimal roof protrusions and have some wiggle room in placement of components and whatnot. No TV antennas, no vent for a propane fridge that will never exist, no skylights, mini split ODU in the basement, etc.

I’m still in draft...we’re pretty sure the ODU will occupy space for one bottle. If I have my way, I’ll have 18k/12k cassettes. My climates tend to very hot/dry or very cold (in which case I’ll have a external tank set for the winter). I’d give up a bit of cabinet space or have low static...

I’m probably going with the static 100lb tank and *maybe* a 40 lb bottle— but I’m at a 33’ floor so fitting the mini split in that basement is a new world for NH. I’ll likely be their shortest build yet with one in place. I really wanted a diesel aqua hot but had to draw the line somewhere in...

I’d let the solar handle the top off/absorb portion and only use the AC mains charger for “bulk”. Ou don’t *need* to take them to 100% every single day but just use the day’s excess to take care of top off/balancing :) It’s a “poor-boy” version of Victron’s ESS.

Actually, his RV was built by the same outfit I’m using (and a FB post of his pointed me here). Our loads are similar but his use case is a tad different from mine— his spare time seems to be more evenly distributed and gets to chase better weather. I saw >120° F swing this year in my RV. I’m...

I’m like 99% there. My current setup up is 4 parallel 24V packs, 0 BMS but that’s a different animal entirely. I considered Batrium, but that would double my BMS cost and the WAF is near zero on this as it is, lol.

Thanks. I’d run these in FET bypass mode (or whatever you want to call it)— limp mode of two packs will likely draw more than I’m comfortable sending through one overkill BMS. I’d like a FETless version of overkill: it’d likely save a few bucks and suit the kind of big cell stuff so many of...

That’s 1/3 of the capacity for twice the dollars (at least). I don’t mind putting in hours up front— I work ~26 hard weeks a year with 26 weeks off so I have time to get it set up right (and I *like* to tinker when I have the time)

Yeah, but it seems easier to my (admittedly compromised engineer brain) to identify one bad pack of three vs one cell of 48. And that gives me options until I get back to days off and have more time to tinker. Shifting problems to days off seems to be my biggest hobby ?

I have 48 202Ah Lishen cells on a slow boat from China for my new build. During the wait, I’m considering the rest of the system. At a glance: Mobile 48VDC/240VAC split phase system in a RV with 240VAC/120VAC/12VDC loads Blue Box electronics with Victron inverters (undetermined exact VA...

With those two? Victron without question. If budget is the primary driver, then I’d look outside of those two. (But I’d still even consider budgeting elsewhere in the system and going good quality with the electronics) No reason a cheap android phone or tablet can’t sit around or be...

I’m really happy with my Temco wire and lugs I used in my ‘18 build and crimped with their hammer crimper (all 1/0). For my ‘21 build I think I’m going to buy a legit crimper like the FTZ.

Thanks!