Extra Solar for our small RV...

[WSix]

Good Day.
I'm despertly looking for advice on using extra solar to suplament our factory GoPower equipt TT.
We have a '25 Grand Surveyor 202RBLE which we plan on trying our for boondocking in the SW this winter.
It's factory equipt with 400 watts of panel on the roof, and I installed a set of LiTime 100amp, self heating batteries, which I've tried out, and will run the 12 refrigerator and roof fans with no issue over an extended time, sitting in full sun during this summer.

In theory, we can get by with this as the only 110v item we use regularly is our TV.
I have just finishe moving the batteries into the front storage compartment.

The rig is "Inverter Ready".

I had collect parts to install solar on our previous rig, but never did.. here's a list of what I have on hand:
2ea Bouge RV 120amp panels
1ea LiTime 30 amp MPPT SCC
1ea LiTime battery charger
1ea LiTime battery monitor
As well, we hav an original Kickstarter Bluetti AC200 and it's two 120 folding panels

Here is where my ideas have went...
Add the two panels to the roof and call it god. Use the AC200 and panels as backup..
Then I thought, instead of adding an inverter, why not put the AC200 into that circuit? I can do it, but we can do without the 120 plugs, which is all we'd accomlish.
Well, what about just plugging the AC200 into the RV shhore plug? Tried it but even sutting off the TT converter, to AC was drained over night. I've given up on a work around.
Then, it dawned on me since the RV seems just fine with the 200 amp batts, even running the Microwave for a short period, and last nite I found the hearter ran and barley put a dent in the batteries, why not just wire the extra panels from Bough and Bluetti, grount mounted so I can move them around to cathc the sun bettter than the roof mounted ones will do during the winter? I could just link them in parralel, connect them to a pig tail to run them into the battery storage, install th LiTime Mppt SCC there, and then from here to buss bars, connect the leads from the roof panels there as well, then they'd go to the batteries??
This would be ab extra 480 watts of movable panels supplementing the rooof panels..

I could then add a pig tail to the AC200 and connect the ground pannels to it if it needed to be charge as well, which could let me use it to get our 12v freezer up and running in the back of the truck, for grocery runs.

Well, that's where I'm at..I joined this site soon afte Will started it, followed along and planned on learning, then life happend and here I am, feeling very overwhelmed at something that should be so simple..

If anyone can offer me any advice or dirrection with this, I'd greatly appreciate the help.
Have a great day.

 

[scrubjaysnest]

Check out my thread "scrubjaysnest trial error method of rv installs.

 

[wme]

I did what your thinking about. I mounted a second 40 amp Mppt controller and connected it to the battery and ran the PV leads to a flush mount Anderson connector. 25ft leads for the 2 solar panels. Just set up and plug in, works great. My 250w ground array will normally out produce my 350w flat mounted roof panel. The separate MPPT controllers seem to play well together.
Only problem is dragging the panels around.

 

[WSix]

@scrubjaysnest , thanks for the info. I don't think I want to go that far. The only electrical items we have are the 12v fridge, microwave, two phones and a small tablet. also we have a small fireplace heater, 110v, but thats more for esthetics.
Maybe after our factory warranty is up we may go that direction.
Oh, and i'm at the age my balance is as good as it used to be, so I'd like to go on the roof unless it was for maintenance or some such.

 

[WSix]

@wme
Thanks for that.
Did you use buss bars for both sets of panels or just connect to the batteries with the other set already on the rig?

 

[wme]

@wme
Thanks for that.
Did you use buss bars for both sets of panels or just connect to the batteries with the other set already on the rig?

MPPT 10 ga to buss bar, 6ga from buss bar to battery. +,- buss bars.

 

[Boomerweps]

You only mention the installed SCC brand but you did mention the unmounted SCC capacity. Might the factory one be PWM vice MPPT?
Do you have space on the RV to install more panels? Portable panels have their place but requires physical action on your part to operate. Mounted panels work without your action
Are the mounted 400 watts of panels 2 or 4 panels? If 4 you could likely use those and the 2 unmounted ones in 2S3P depending on your SCC.

 

[WSix]

@Boomerweps : The other SCC is a LiTime MPPT 30 amp controller.
I do believe there is room for the other two panels (120watts each) on the roof.
I generally have heard negatives about the GoPwer systems and the converter charges in these rigs, but ours has been working out, dispite it not even being a current production item from the comany.
sitting here thinking about all of this, makes me wonder if I can just replace the GoPower with the LiTime If I wouldn't have to rerune the wiring . One thing I noticed is that the batteries from the GP SCC do not have a manual breaker in the run to the batteries. There is a small RV style, 2 lug circuit braker under the belly up front where all the other battery connections were. I had to run new wre from it to the new battery location, the whole time wonding why there was no manual disconnect of the power from the SCC to the batteries..

 

[HRTKD]

One thing I noticed is that the batteries from the GP SCC do not have a manual breaker in the run to the batteries. There is a small RV style, 2 lug circuit braker under the belly up front where all the other battery connections were. I had to run new wre from it to the new battery location, the whole time wonding why there was no manual disconnect of the power from the SCC to the batteries..

Because a manual breaker adds cost. The auto-reset breaker you found is probably not easily accessible. The manual breaker would be just as difficult to access. There is usually a disconnect switch (not a breaker) somewhere in the system that is easy to access. I used to bang my shin on the disconnect switch in my prior camper.

If the existing solar charge controller is MPPT and it isn't maxed out on input watts/volts, nor on the output amps, you could tie the ground deployed panels into that with a parallel connection. The ground deployed panels would have to be almost the same panels as those on the roof. Very close is good enough. Not close is not optimal for actual output.

I considered putting in a parallel connection for my ground deployed panels (when all the panels were exactly the same). But in the end decided on separate solar charge controllers for roof and ground. Whatever you put in, there should be a disconnect or circuit breaker on the line going outside the trailer. You don't want some kid sticking a fork in your outside outlet and getting 60 volts.

I'm using four Renogy 100 watt panels for my ground deployed system. Today I was seeing about 370 watts from it. I didn't get real technical when I setup the panels on the ground. I eyeballed south (missed by a bit) and guesstimated at 45 degrees of tilt. I normally am not a fan of Renogy but the panels were exactly what I was looking for at a killer deal. My previous camper had 320 watt panels for ground deployment. Those were heavy and it sucked storing them in the camper.