Freddythunder
I'm lost, please help
Hello strangers. I think I have somewhat of a grasp on what I want to do, but it may just be Dunning-Kruger. I have been digging into solar stuff in YouTube, here, irv2, etc. for a few months now. I wanted to do more research before posting, but I'd like to get some stuff bought on Black Friday sales so I'm hoping to get some more direct info. I have to do this in phases because I do not have a palette of money in my garage.
Vehicle current stuff:
We have an 03 WB Journey 32 foot Class A. We're new and naive to RVs so bear with me. Currently there are 3 house batteries, 2 engine batteries, all lead acid, from 2022, group 31, 12 volt. There's a Onan 7500 Generator that if you run that or plug in the 50Amp plug, turns the inverter on for A/C, microwave, refrigerator, etc. I have not learned if I can turn on the inverter without doing one of these two things, but I'd like to. The inverter is a Xantrex freedom 15 mounted in a compartment just East of the battery drawers.
Future phases:
In a future phase, I think I want to upgrade the batteries to 24v batteries for the storage but it's too expensive (maybe 48v depending on cost in the future). I want to move to Lithium batteries (which I heard charge at a different voltage level than what my current charger pushes) and I'm not sure if I can change them one at a time or if I have to change all 5 at one very expensive time. Just the words "mixing battery chemistry" makes me feel like it's a bad idea.
This phase:
Okay, so that's the backstory.. Here's the what would you do question. My first phase, I want to put solar panels up and charge the batteries - but planning for the future. Maybe figure out how to turn on the inverter from the batteries. I currently own 2 100W panels and am planning to purchase more. I think I've learned the best thing to do is wire them in serial and deal with a higher voltage - please correct me.
I want to start with 4 200 Watt panels and a charger. Currently Renogy has a deal (possibly, maybe it's like this all the time, I don't know) https://www.renogy.com/renogy-800w-12v-general-off-grid-solar-kit/ that contains 800W panels and an MPPT, but I've been reading to stay away from Chinese and pay the extra money for Victron. I'm going to install 10 to 14 foot rails on the roof to hold panels for now and in the future.
What would you get if you were me to solve your immediate charging needs while keeping in mind your future plans?
Last thing first - I know the first thing I was supposed to do is figure out how much wattage I'm going to use in a day, but I don't have that figure yet so I'm just trying to shoot high and start measuring. I know I'll be using AC, residential refrigerator, 3 laptop chargers, let's say about 30Amps on the 12 volt system (lights and fans and stuff) in the evening).
Vehicle current stuff:
We have an 03 WB Journey 32 foot Class A. We're new and naive to RVs so bear with me. Currently there are 3 house batteries, 2 engine batteries, all lead acid, from 2022, group 31, 12 volt. There's a Onan 7500 Generator that if you run that or plug in the 50Amp plug, turns the inverter on for A/C, microwave, refrigerator, etc. I have not learned if I can turn on the inverter without doing one of these two things, but I'd like to. The inverter is a Xantrex freedom 15 mounted in a compartment just East of the battery drawers.
Future phases:
In a future phase, I think I want to upgrade the batteries to 24v batteries for the storage but it's too expensive (maybe 48v depending on cost in the future). I want to move to Lithium batteries (which I heard charge at a different voltage level than what my current charger pushes) and I'm not sure if I can change them one at a time or if I have to change all 5 at one very expensive time. Just the words "mixing battery chemistry" makes me feel like it's a bad idea.
This phase:
Okay, so that's the backstory.. Here's the what would you do question. My first phase, I want to put solar panels up and charge the batteries - but planning for the future. Maybe figure out how to turn on the inverter from the batteries. I currently own 2 100W panels and am planning to purchase more. I think I've learned the best thing to do is wire them in serial and deal with a higher voltage - please correct me.
I want to start with 4 200 Watt panels and a charger. Currently Renogy has a deal (possibly, maybe it's like this all the time, I don't know) https://www.renogy.com/renogy-800w-12v-general-off-grid-solar-kit/ that contains 800W panels and an MPPT, but I've been reading to stay away from Chinese and pay the extra money for Victron. I'm going to install 10 to 14 foot rails on the roof to hold panels for now and in the future.
What would you get if you were me to solve your immediate charging needs while keeping in mind your future plans?
Last thing first - I know the first thing I was supposed to do is figure out how much wattage I'm going to use in a day, but I don't have that figure yet so I'm just trying to shoot high and start measuring. I know I'll be using AC, residential refrigerator, 3 laptop chargers, let's say about 30Amps on the 12 volt system (lights and fans and stuff) in the evening).