ill.behavior
New Member
Hello, fellow nerds! First time posting here. I apologize in advance for the length, but I'm hoping that I can get some insight from veteran RVers and possibly give ideas to people scratching their heads as much as I have when considering electrical upgrades.
Background.
I recently purchased a 2009 Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel (37ft.) for my first venture into full-time RV living. She'll be pulled by my 2014 Ford F-450, so no issues there. Before you ask, I went big because it was the only way my partner would agree to the lifestyle (and I can't say she's too off-base, given we both have a dog and mine is 90lbs). The rig is in overall good condition for its age, with only minor wear and tear, so it was a great deal at $12,000 USD. I did, however, have to travel from Portland, OR to Wisconsin in January to pick it up. It was my first time towing a fifth wheel, and driving a rig totaling nearly 60ft through blizzards was a quick way to get my sea legs
Anyway, I'm entering the life because, well, I can. I'm an event photographer/videographer, and I got sick of setting up/breaking down camp at festivals. I'm getting older, and I want to be comfortable. I'm also very handy, so on-the-road fixes don't scare me. Besides, my partner has a few different chronic illnesses that make it hard for her to travel conventionally, and one of them will potentially shorten her life by 30-50 years, so having our home with us seems the best way for her to see the country.
Conundrum.
My long-term goal is to implement a system that will power the entire rig autonomously, with minimal self-consumption. All of my long-nights online tell me that the most efficient system will be centered around a 24V Victron Multiplus-II (2x120), pull at least 2kW of solar up top, and store upwards of 10kWh in LiFePO4 down below. I'm sure I'm not alone in devising such a system only to be let down by budget constraints. Which brings me to my budget: basically nothing, at the moment. I am selling off what should net me somewhere between $6,000-$9,000, and I do have some gigs on the schedule. However, I have a number of necessary expenses to make the rig more robust, considerable debt, and I will need cash for emergencies.
Here's probably the most relatable aspect of all of this: I need to be financially efficient in how I prioritize upgrades, given that I have no guarantees on future income. My current priorities (non-negotiable) are upgrading the equalizers, adding wireless internet (likely Starlink), replacing my TV shocks, renovating the interior to fit our needs, and replacing the dead battery.
That last list item is where I keep getting hung up. I have two 3500W inverter generators with a 50A parallel kit for AC, but I obviously need at least one battery. The rabbit hole I've gone down is:
probably should get LiFePO4 since I want it long-term > better to purchase all my energy storage at once to eliminate variance in cell voltage/time > converter/charger not optimized for lithium, needs solution > solution needs to handle significant pass-through current on AC > costs make more sense if off-set by solar > solar is cheaper on 24V or 48V with smaller/fewer MPPT controllers > step-down needed for 12V loads > cheap solutions have high self-consumption and need more solar...
On and on until I've re-talked myself into an expensive system I can't afford. There's also the reality that I have yet to live full-time off-grid, and what if we have to give it up in a year? Sure, I can get very cheap components, but the other reality is that I have a LOT to do before we set sail in (hopefully) a month.
What's more, our max critical loads will be very minimal, as we plan to chase 70F weather, most of our electronics run on DC, and my computer is extremely efficient (Mac Mini M1 only consumes 39W of AC at it's peak and 6.8W at idle, monitor consumes 70W, drives consume >14W). We don't plan on using the microwave much, my partner doesn't use high-power beauty products, T/V watching will be minimal, and most of my tools are battery-powered.
Solution!
Two 12V Victron Super Cycle AGM batteries upfront, either 60Ah or 100Ah. This solves several problems:
1. I couldn't justify traditional AGM batteries that may suffer an occasional emergency 100% DoD off-grid and go flat, a non-issue with Super Cycles.
2. No need to spend time/energy finding and implementing a solution to charge lithium chemistry, pass through high AC current, or re-wiring my electrical. Just drop them in and let the Progressive Dynamics converter/charger do its thing. The rig even came with extra battery cables for running two in parallel.
3. Refraining from investing in lithium today allows me to monitor my generator-power consumption to better calculate my needs, keep an eye on the rapidly-growing sector before choosing an ecosystem for companies that will realistically be around for warranty coverage, and take advantage of lowering prices down the road.
4. Purchasing two identical batteries at once would allow me to re-wire for 24V down the road if the time comes. Further, two batteries gives me redundancy in case one fails far away from civilization.
5. I won't have to deal with cheap batteries that may or may not handle significant abuse.
6. If I treat them well, they will offer great backup storage for 12V loads on an otherwise 24V/48V system upon upgrade.
7. A max cost of <$650 leaves me with plenty for a slow implementation of the dream system and an emergency expense buffer.
So, any thoughts? Tips? Directions to the nearest psych ward?
Background.
I recently purchased a 2009 Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel (37ft.) for my first venture into full-time RV living. She'll be pulled by my 2014 Ford F-450, so no issues there. Before you ask, I went big because it was the only way my partner would agree to the lifestyle (and I can't say she's too off-base, given we both have a dog and mine is 90lbs). The rig is in overall good condition for its age, with only minor wear and tear, so it was a great deal at $12,000 USD. I did, however, have to travel from Portland, OR to Wisconsin in January to pick it up. It was my first time towing a fifth wheel, and driving a rig totaling nearly 60ft through blizzards was a quick way to get my sea legs
Anyway, I'm entering the life because, well, I can. I'm an event photographer/videographer, and I got sick of setting up/breaking down camp at festivals. I'm getting older, and I want to be comfortable. I'm also very handy, so on-the-road fixes don't scare me. Besides, my partner has a few different chronic illnesses that make it hard for her to travel conventionally, and one of them will potentially shorten her life by 30-50 years, so having our home with us seems the best way for her to see the country.
Conundrum.
My long-term goal is to implement a system that will power the entire rig autonomously, with minimal self-consumption. All of my long-nights online tell me that the most efficient system will be centered around a 24V Victron Multiplus-II (2x120), pull at least 2kW of solar up top, and store upwards of 10kWh in LiFePO4 down below. I'm sure I'm not alone in devising such a system only to be let down by budget constraints. Which brings me to my budget: basically nothing, at the moment. I am selling off what should net me somewhere between $6,000-$9,000, and I do have some gigs on the schedule. However, I have a number of necessary expenses to make the rig more robust, considerable debt, and I will need cash for emergencies.
Here's probably the most relatable aspect of all of this: I need to be financially efficient in how I prioritize upgrades, given that I have no guarantees on future income. My current priorities (non-negotiable) are upgrading the equalizers, adding wireless internet (likely Starlink), replacing my TV shocks, renovating the interior to fit our needs, and replacing the dead battery.
That last list item is where I keep getting hung up. I have two 3500W inverter generators with a 50A parallel kit for AC, but I obviously need at least one battery. The rabbit hole I've gone down is:
probably should get LiFePO4 since I want it long-term > better to purchase all my energy storage at once to eliminate variance in cell voltage/time > converter/charger not optimized for lithium, needs solution > solution needs to handle significant pass-through current on AC > costs make more sense if off-set by solar > solar is cheaper on 24V or 48V with smaller/fewer MPPT controllers > step-down needed for 12V loads > cheap solutions have high self-consumption and need more solar...
On and on until I've re-talked myself into an expensive system I can't afford. There's also the reality that I have yet to live full-time off-grid, and what if we have to give it up in a year? Sure, I can get very cheap components, but the other reality is that I have a LOT to do before we set sail in (hopefully) a month.
What's more, our max critical loads will be very minimal, as we plan to chase 70F weather, most of our electronics run on DC, and my computer is extremely efficient (Mac Mini M1 only consumes 39W of AC at it's peak and 6.8W at idle, monitor consumes 70W, drives consume >14W). We don't plan on using the microwave much, my partner doesn't use high-power beauty products, T/V watching will be minimal, and most of my tools are battery-powered.
Solution!
Two 12V Victron Super Cycle AGM batteries upfront, either 60Ah or 100Ah. This solves several problems:
1. I couldn't justify traditional AGM batteries that may suffer an occasional emergency 100% DoD off-grid and go flat, a non-issue with Super Cycles.
2. No need to spend time/energy finding and implementing a solution to charge lithium chemistry, pass through high AC current, or re-wiring my electrical. Just drop them in and let the Progressive Dynamics converter/charger do its thing. The rig even came with extra battery cables for running two in parallel.
3. Refraining from investing in lithium today allows me to monitor my generator-power consumption to better calculate my needs, keep an eye on the rapidly-growing sector before choosing an ecosystem for companies that will realistically be around for warranty coverage, and take advantage of lowering prices down the road.
4. Purchasing two identical batteries at once would allow me to re-wire for 24V down the road if the time comes. Further, two batteries gives me redundancy in case one fails far away from civilization.
5. I won't have to deal with cheap batteries that may or may not handle significant abuse.
6. If I treat them well, they will offer great backup storage for 12V loads on an otherwise 24V/48V system upon upgrade.
7. A max cost of <$650 leaves me with plenty for a slow implementation of the dream system and an emergency expense buffer.
So, any thoughts? Tips? Directions to the nearest psych ward?