diy solar

diy solar

Hello from Ohio

Vanholio

New Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2021
Messages
6
Hi there, I'm getting ready to put a solar and B2B powered system in a Transit van. My rough plan is a 24 volt system with three 200 watt panels and appropriate MPPT charge controller, a Victron 12 to 24 volt B2B charger, 280 ah / 24 volt Chinese DIY battery with a good BMS, and a 2000 watt inverter. I know 24 volt may be overkill for that inverter but I feel there are safety benefits to not having as much resistive heat in the build. I've now heard of two vans destroyed when a hot inverter started a fire. Plus I like working with more manageable cables.

My first solar build was my 2011 Transit Connect. I have two 100 watt Renogy panels on the roof, a 12-volt system wired into the van, and power the whole thing from a Goal Zero 1000. It has met my needs for the last couple of years and what I learned planning and wiring the 12 volt system makes me comfortable taking on the new build.

I've been watching Will Prouse videos for years, so I was bound to wind up here. Cheers!
 
Hi there, I'm getting ready to put a solar and B2B powered system in a Transit van. My rough plan is a 24 volt system with three 200 watt panels and appropriate MPPT charge controller, a Victron 12 to 24 volt B2B charger, 280 ah / 24 volt Chinese DIY battery with a good BMS, and a 2000 watt inverter. I know 24 volt may be overkill for that inverter but I feel there are safety benefits to not having as much resistive heat in the build. I've now heard of two vans destroyed when a hot inverter started a fire. Plus I like working with more manageable cables.

My first solar build was my 2011 Transit Connect. I have two 100 watt Renogy panels on the roof, a 12-volt system wired into the van, and power the whole thing from a Goal Zero 1000. It has met my needs for the last couple of years and what I learned planning and wiring the 12 volt system makes me comfortable taking on the new build.

I've been watching Will Prouse videos for years, so I was bound to wind up here. Cheers!
Welcome fellow Buckeye. I live just north of Columbus and am building my first system now for my RV. I'm using all Victron components except for my battery packs, which I am building much as you are. For a variety of reasons I went with a 12v system, even on my MultiPlus 12/3000/120. I'm assembling and wiring up all the bits now while I'm waiting on my cells from China to arrive. They supposedly "shipped" on January 28th. I'm hoping they actually got on a boat before Chinese New Year. If so, the cargo ship is probably sitting off the coast of California waiting their turn to be unloaded. More likely, they didn't get on the ship before CNY. In either case, I have no idea when I'll get them.
 
Welcome fellow Buckeye. I live just north of Columbus and am building my first system now for my RV. I'm using all Victron components except for my battery packs, which I am building much as you are. For a variety of reasons I went with a 12v system, even on my MultiPlus 12/3000/120. I'm assembling and wiring up all the bits now while I'm waiting on my cells from China to arrive. They supposedly "shipped" on January 28th. I'm hoping they actually got on a boat before Chinese New Year. If so, the cargo ship is probably sitting off the coast of California waiting their turn to be unloaded. More likely, they didn't get on the ship before CNY. In either case, I have no idea when I'll get them.
Hey back! I keep bouncing back and forth between Victron and cheaper alternatives. I think I'll end up with a mix, the Victron B2B and MPPT, but a cheaper 24 volt inverter (recommended by Will Prouse) because with 700 watts of solar on the roof and B2B charging I don't think shore power is a big deal for me. If I'm at a place with shore power and I'm out of power I can just run an extension cord out the window and plug straight into it. The other Victron components seem to add convenience, simplicity and better system monitoring but I can accomplish the functions cheaper with a pieced out system - BUT then I look at the beautiful Victron setups with Lynx cable management and lovely displays and smart shunts and I feel wistful :) What made you decide to go all high end Victron environment?
 
Hey back! I keep bouncing back and forth between Victron and cheaper alternatives. I think I'll end up with a mix, the Victron B2B and MPPT, but a cheaper 24 volt inverter (recommended by Will Prouse) because with 700 watts of solar on the roof and B2B charging I don't think shore power is a big deal for me. If I'm at a place with shore power and I'm out of power I can just run an extension cord out the window and plug straight into it. The other Victron components seem to add convenience, simplicity and better system monitoring but I can accomplish the functions cheaper with a pieced out system - BUT then I look at the beautiful Victron setups with Lynx cable management and lovely displays and smart shunts and I feel wistful :) What made you decide to go all high end Victron environment?
Two reasons, and I'll try to keep it short, which is hard for me. First, I'm a licensed radio amateur and keeping RFI to a minimum is important. If you search for my name you can go back and read all about that on this forum if you'd like. Secondly, I want stuff to just work and not have to second guess as much as to where the problems might lie. I'm old enough and have enough resources now that cobbling together systems is not something I want to spend a lot of time on. The money I saved on the batteries by fiddling with them myself allowed me to save money on storage and put it into higher-end components. Right now I have more money than time. When I retire that will reverse again and perhaps I'll be more willing to spend time tinkering, troubleshooting, etc.

If you're on the fence and live nearby, feel free to stop over and take a look and what's happening here.
 
I'd like to take you up on that offer to swing by once the van is here and I'm getting ready to actually buy stuff. Regarding the all Victron system, it seems to me that once the system reaches a degree of complexity, or if the need/desire for automation is high then the benefits of a unified system for monitoring and managing becomes really important. As a radio operator you've got much stricter requirements, as you say. I need a certain amount of energy available for the work and hobbies and appliances I bring, but none of them are finicky or sensitive. I'm on the fence as to whether adding automation adds work or saves it in my situation. So yes, looking at your system would be really helpful!
 
I'd like to take you up on that offer to swing by once the van is here and I'm getting ready to actually buy stuff. Regarding the all Victron system, it seems to me that once the system reaches a degree of complexity, or if the need/desire for automation is high then the benefits of a unified system for monitoring and managing becomes really important. As a radio operator you've got much stricter requirements, as you say. I need a certain amount of energy available for the work and hobbies and appliances I bring, but none of them are finicky or sensitive. I'm on the fence as to whether adding automation adds work or saves it in my situation. So yes, looking at your system would be really helpful!
There won't be a high degree of automation, but high and low temp readings will be shared across all components and the BMS from the battery will be used to trigger charging shutdown also if for some reason they don't shut themselves down first. Being able to see how the whole system behaves (except for the battery cells themselves) in one view is another nice feature. I don't have everything setup yet and won't for a while, so right now my experience is limited to reading :)
 
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