400w solar system on Scamp travel trailer - feedback!

[scamp89]

Hey all.

I just bought a Scamp travel trailer for the family to do a bunch of camping and national parks this year, and I have a solar plan for it based on reading here, but have no solar experience, so I wanted to double check with ya'll to see if my head is screwed on straight (spoiler alert, that would be a first).

My plan is as basic is it gets (budget oriented), but I'm just not sure the easiest way to go about integrating shore power charging/switching, which is the main part I'm hoping for insights and feedback on.

My goal is: A 400w/200ah closed system diy solar setup that can keep up with a few 12v and 120v loads (propane furnace fan and 120v dorm fridge being the biggest) when boondocking AND be switchable to shore power when available.

Vehicle: 16' Scamp travel trailer (ie. not a lot of roof real estate, but four panels will just fit laid sideways)

Plan:
4 x 100w Renogy
2 x WattCycle 100ah batteries
Blue Sea 12v fuse box
Victron 100/30 mppt controller (is this the right size?)
2000w ish inverter with ATS (would this cheapo work, theoretically?)
A 20amp lithium charger that only comes on when shore power is plugged in...

The Scamp has a breaker panel with two 15a circuits that shore power currently runs into.

Other note - I'm going to leave tow vehicle DC - DC out of the equation, since distanced towed and how often will change so much. I want the system to work well without it, and if we add a DC - DC in the future it's just a bonus.

Based on the experiences of ya'll - will these parts play nice together?

And how do I wire up the shore power into the inverter/ATS in such a way that the battery charger then only comes on with the shore? If anyone has pictures of how they've done this, I'd love to see it. Or a diagram. Anything helps!

Huge thanks in advance!

 

[0truck0]

When you plug in to shore then the charger will come on, it will not come on if you are not plugged in, that is the easy one.

This is pretty straight forward build.

You have an AC unit on the roof? That will be an issue with shade given you will not be able to put panels away from the tall ac unit. Any, any, amount of shade on a single panel will reduce output 90% or more.

Put tow vehicle back into equation. IS not a big deal. Does Scamp have a 7-pin or 4? If 7 then you are already set up. You can probably be fine without a DCDC because by time current reaches trailer batts it will be lowered from thin/long wire run. Put a 20 amp breaker between batt and car alternator.

Get one 200 amp battery, not two 100s.

Get more than 200 as both the furnace and the AC fridge will eat up all your power.

What tow vehicle? If I hada Scamp I would consider putting the 400 solar on SUV roof instead where there is a clean flat unshaded surface to capture light. Keep controller in camper.

Campgrounds will be shaded. Solar works great in the sun and ok in the shade if you dont use much amps overnight. WHere u camp that u need the solar or is solar just a stop-gap inbetween campgrounds?

If money allows, ditch the dorm fridge and get a proper DC fridge.
maybe room does not allow...

Pure sine wave inverter works. I cannot comment on this specific one. Power them up every now n then so caps can charge.

20 amp charger will take 5 hours to charge 100 amps back, 10 hrs for 200, little less in reality sometimes.

I'd get ebay panels for 49 cents per watt and put the saved money into more battery. there are cheaper mppt too that do the same thing.

Your wiring needs are basic. Panel to mppt to battery. The charger is plugged into camper and when camper is plugged in the charger turns on, or you can unplug it yourself if not needed, no need to make it automatic other than on when camper is plugged in, off when camper not.

 

[Aussieguy]

get up on the roof and actually measure the spaces you got
you just might find 200w panels will fit better

make a cardboard template of the panel..... if it helps visualize it better
the 100/30 should LIST in the specifications the max panel wattage

The front of my trailer I can get 4 x 200w
Tetris style around the protrusions
800w would need a 50amp

I don't have an Inverter.... quite happy to camp without it
I use Ipad for TV and make coffee on the stove

Microwave is nice to have sometimes
but I still remember the days before they were available... we got by without em

400w in Oregon is wishful thinking 800w nice but still a bit of a challenge unless you can find sunny spots
plan on some sort of ground array or generator
you only need a small generator if you just want to charge battery

you can use a small inverter for the TV or cpap and charging a laptop
OR you can use a small 12-24 buck converter ...
many TV s are 19v DC at the power BRICK
we got USB on the 12v side for Ipad and phone charging

what we mostly do is travel longish distance ... stopping at several overnight places (Cracker barrel has great coffee)
during the next days drive.... the solar will recharge the nights usage while on the road as most of the roads don't have trees on them

then at our destination we either pay for a campground for longer stays
or mooch dock at relatives house using a 15 or 20amp outlet
always carry a good extension cord + 30amp ADAPTER ... but practice power sharing No a/c and water heater at same time

ON my todo...
a decent ventilation fan/vent I can have running while driving to stop the excessive heat buildup

 

[HRTKD]

If you buy an inverter/charger then you don't have to add the converter. Nor would you have to worry about how to wire in the converter so you don't create a loop. Inverter/chargers are going to cost more though.

We can't give you any guidance on the solar charge controller because we don't know the specs of your solar panels. Specifically, we need to know the Voc and Isc numbers.

I'm skeptical that you can fit four 100 watt panels on the roof. Do you have the A/C unit?