Travel Trailer (1050w Solar, 3000w Inverter, 600ah LiFePO4)

[jbeletti]

Reposted from Will's old forum - per his request.

I have installed a system in my demo coach (2020 Heartland RV Sundance 262RB Travel Trailer) that I use as a "generator replacement". We are not boondockers but this system gives us the capability to boondock.

OVERVIEW

• 1050 Watts of Solar on Roof (Jaboni Power Products - 6 ea @ 175 w) - wired in parallel
• 600 AH of LiFEPO4 Batteries (6 ea Battle Born GC2)
• 3000 VA Inverter/Charger/Switch (Victron MultiPlus)
• Battery Monitoring (Victron BMV-712)
• System Monitoring and Control (Victron CCGX)

DETAIL

Solar Panels Mounted to Roof - Jaboni Power Products (6 ea @ 175 watts ea - polycrystalline)


Combiner Box - Eco-Worthy (fused, parallel bused, lighting protection, output breaker)



Battery/Inverter Box Overview Image

Top: Battle Born GC2 Batteries Bottom: MPPT Charger Controller
Left: Lynx Power In (DC bus) Right: Inverter Right (gray): 50A AC disconnect

System Monitoring and Control:

• Victron CCGX Color Display
• Local Web Browser - Display and Manage CCGX
• Victron VRM (remote monitoring via web browser and Victron VRM app)
• Victron Connect App (Bluetooth)
• GPS Antenna (mounted inside roof system)

Equipment Locations

• Solar Panels and Combiner are mounted to RV roof
• Solar Charger is mounted in box under bed
• Inverter is mounted in box under bed
• Batteries are mounted in box under bed

AC Wire Protection and Routing

• Shore AC Power input was re-routed to box under bed and into a dual pole 50 amp breaker
• Shore AC Power out of breaker box was routed inside Inverter with L2 passing back out of inverter without connecting to anything inside
• Shore AC Power L1 connects in/out of Inverter
• Shore AC Power L2 is spliced outside of Inverter into common jacketed (6-4 SOOW) wire
• Shore AC Power routes out of box under bed and to RV OEM AC breaker panel

DC Wire Protection, Busing and Routing

• Batteries are bused using 1/4 copper bar stock as 2 parallel strings of 3
• Both strings of batteries are bussed at end using 4/0 welding cable
• Combined battery + is protected with 400 amp ANL fuse, then switched with 600 amp switch
• Combined battery - is connected to shunt from BMV-712 battery monitor
• A reconfigured Victron Lynx Power In is used as the primary DC power bus with AMG fuses for branch in/out
• Branch in/out are switched with 275 amp switches
• Solar Combiner output wire gauge is 4 AWG
• Solar input to MPPT Charge Controller is protected with dual pole 63 amp DC breaker
• Inverter DC in/out is protected with 400 amp ANL fuse and switched with 600 amp switch
• DC feed to RV OEM fuse panel is 4 AWG

Future

• Alternator Charging

 

[TCgreg]

Nice build! Pretty similar to ours as far as array and battery bank size. Great amount of power for all sorts of things.

BTW those are mono panels not poly.

 

[Sojourner1]

It appears unless your perfectly aligned to the sun one of the sides are going to get shadowing from the air conditioners/ satellite dish, knocking the potential production in half.

Nice system you'll enjoy the lfp.

 

[jbeletti]

Nice build! Pretty similar to ours as far as array and battery bank size. Great amount of power for all sorts of things.

BTW those are mono panels not poly.

Online spec sheet shows poly. Maybe they changed to mono. I'll look for the spec sheet that came with the panels.

Jaboni Power Products - JPP-175

 

[TCgreg]

Online spec sheet shows poly. Maybe they changed to mono. I'll look for the spec sheet that came with the panels.

Jaboni Power Products - JPP-175

Right, look at the picture in the link. That is a poly panel. The panels on your roof are Mono though. Not really a biggie. Most people would prefer the mono panels. Note the diamonds in the corners.

 

[jbeletti]

Online spec sheet shows poly. Maybe they changed to mono. I'll look for the spec sheet that came with the panels.

Jaboni Power Products - JPP-175

Well - looking at the spec on the back of the panel, the SSM may mean Mono. Interesting. Thank you for pointing this out!

 

[jbeletti]

It appears unless your perfectly aligned to the sun one of the sides are going to get shadowing from the air conditioners/ satellite dish, knocking the potential production in half.

Nice system you'll enjoy the lfp.

Agreed. The roof is really radiused - so the panels on each side are tilted opposite of each other. Then of course, can't do much about shading from the other stuff on the roof. For us though, as non-boondockers, we're getting all that we need from this setup. Really love it.

 

[Will Prowse]

This system is beautiful!! I am going to refer people to this post and sticky it so people can see what a organized system looks like. Thank you so much for posting @jbeletti

 

[SUNEATER]

Very clean! It looks professionally done! Way cleaner than my setup. I gotta bug you with some questions: Do you have a low-voltage cutoff (other than the one in the inverter)? Were you able to get any kind of deal on the batteries? I love their specs, but coming up with the 6,000 for a battery bank like this one would be a real struggle for me. Have you considered moving to a 24v system? (3 sets of 2 panels/batteries in series) I think it would give you up to 10% more power out of this system. Thanks for sharing dude. -Sam

 

[jbeletti]

Very clean! It looks professionally done! Way cleaner than my setup.

Thanks!

I gotta bug you with some questions: Do you have a low-voltage cutoff (other than the one in the inverter)?

The BMS in the battery should do a low-voltage cut-off at I believe 10.5v

Were you able to get any kind of deal on the batteries? I love their specs, but coming up with the 6,000 for a battery bank like this one would be a real struggle for me.

I work in the RV industry The RV this system is in, is owned by my employer, Heartland RVs. Most of the gear in this system was sponsored. Battle Born partnered with me on this demo coach project.

Have you considered moving to a 24v system? (3 sets of 2 panels/batteries in series) I think it would give you up to 10% more power out of this system.

All DC systems in the RV are 12 volt, so I decided to use a 12 volt battery/inverter system. Saves the expense of a 24v to 12v converter. By the way, nearly all my entertainment, networking and automation gear is being powered directly via DC. I used a number of small DC-DC converters for that.

 

[martin17773]

First sentence of re-post seems mismatched to later revelation of 'dual industry professional demonstration vehicle'. Not begrudging the value of emulating expensive, professional work .. but it is 'diy' forum. And care required lest Michelangelo and his wealthy patrons are represented as 'diy''ers and cause discouragement. Very grateful for this forum.

 

[jbeletti]

First sentence of re-post seems mismatched to later revelation of 'dual industry professional demonstration vehicle'. Not begrudging the value of emulating expensive, professional work .. but it is 'diy' forum. And care required lest Michelangelo and his wealthy patrons are represented as 'diy''ers and cause discouragement. Very grateful for this forum.

Martin - that’s a lot of words friend.

This system was DIY installed by me. This is not my profession but I’m handy and know smart people.

 

[eddie1261]

Speechless. That is beautiful.

 

[martin17773]

Brother, they were well chosen words, not alot, but enough. Respect your ability. Respect also to your partners who have made something worthy of emulation. But caution is required for diy'ers who don't have industry partners. Thank you for your post.

 

[offgriddle]

Reposted from Will's old forum - per his request.

I have installed a system in my demo coach (2020 Heartland RV Sundance 262RB Travel Trailer) that I use as a "generator replacement". We are not boondockers but this system gives us the capability to boondock.

OVERVIEW

• 1050 Watts of Solar on Roof (Jaboni Power Products - 6 ea @ 175 w) - wired in parallel
• 600 AH of LiFEPO4 Batteries (6 ea Battle Born GC2)
• 3000 VA Inverter/Charger/Switch (Victron MultiPlus)
• Battery Monitoring (Victron BMV-712)
• System Monitoring and Control (Victron CCGX)

DETAIL

Solar Panels Mounted to Roof - Jaboni Power Products (6 ea @ 175 watts ea - polycrystalline)
View attachment 728

Combiner Box - Eco-Worthy (fused, parallel bused, lighting protection, output breaker)
View attachment 730
View attachment 732

Battery/Inverter Box Overview Image
View attachment 733
Top: Battle Born GC2 Batteries Bottom: MPPT Charger Controller
Left: Lynx Power In (DC bus) Right: Inverter Right (gray): 50A AC disconnect

System Monitoring and Control:

• Victron CCGX Color Display
• Local Web Browser - Display and Manage CCGX
• Victron VRM (remote monitoring via web browser and Victron VRM app)
• Victron Connect App (Bluetooth)
• GPS Antenna (mounted inside roof system)

View attachment 737

View attachment 735View attachment 736

Equipment Locations

• Solar Panels and Combiner are mounted to RV roof
• Solar Charger is mounted in box under bed
• Inverter is mounted in box under bed
• Batteries are mounted in box under bed

AC Wire Protection and Routing

• Shore AC Power input was re-routed to box under bed and into a dual pole 50 amp breaker
• Shore AC Power out of breaker box was routed inside Inverter with L2 passing back out of inverter without connecting to anything inside
• Shore AC Power L1 connects in/out of Inverter
• Shore AC Power L2 is spliced outside of Inverter into common jacketed (6-4 SOOW) wire
• Shore AC Power routes out of box under bed and to RV OEM AC breaker panel

DC Wire Protection, Busing and Routing

• Batteries are bused using 1/4 copper bar stock as 2 parallel strings of 3
• Both strings of batteries are bussed at end using 4/0 welding cable
• Combined battery + is protected with 400 amp ANL fuse, then switched with 600 amp switch
• Combined battery - is connected to shunt from BMV-712 battery monitor
• A reconfigured Victron Lynx Power In is used as the primary DC power bus with AMG fuses for branch in/out
• Branch in/out are switched with 275 amp switches
• Solar Combiner output wire gauge is 4 AWG
• Solar input to MPPT Charge Controller is protected with dual pole 63 amp DC breaker
• Inverter DC in/out is protected with 400 amp ANL fuse and switched with 600 amp switch
• DC feed to RV OEM fuse panel is 4 AWG

Future

• Alternator Charging

Holy Toledo that is really something else, neat, orderly, well laid out and we'll documented with superb monitoring capability! A quality job indeed!

 

[Sojourner1]

Whether all the equipment was donated or discounted for product placement after install who cares. Installation like this thread plants the seed for folks looking for ideas or just curious how the equipment played well or not with each other.

My system wasn't installed by me I paid a "professional" so would that make all post by me irrelevant? After 42 months living off the system everyday in all SOC using LFP never being turned off. Only using solar as the charging source except for the rear occasion that a hold over is needed from a generator. This kind of experience might help a beginner with something they didn't think about or realize.
I knew what I wanted more or less and at the time there wasn't forums like this to help along the way and having the ability to ask questions after the installation if needed, which it hasn't. The system has been running like a swiss watch.
A lot can be learned from real life experience and the ability to see what's happening live time just like from bench testing equipment.

 

[Will Prowse]

This forum is only against blatant advertising. You guys can post whatever you wish. Even if you pay a professional to do it.

"DIY" is a relative term. Even in my advanced "DIY" LFP systems, I am using BMS and other products that I did not make, and were clearly manufactured by a professional. I still consider it DIY.

I personally have physical disabilities that prevent me from building a full sized shed in my backyard, so I paid someone to do it, then I added solar. And I still consider it "DIY". It's all good!

 

[martin17773]

The question of fairness remains. Recasting my reply as dismissing jbeletti's work or WP's endorsement as "irrelevent", when I made pains to show I didn't think that, is as unfair as making people work to discover 'diy' can mean 'tens of thousands of dollars invested by two industries for a 'front-of-house' demonstration project'. Or as unfair as equating shed building with the potentially deadly electrical work. I didn't think my point was such a difficult one to concede. Best wishes.

 

[SUNEATER]

I straight up wouldn't be able to sleep at night with a $6,000+ battery bank not directly protected by a low-voltage cutoff, lol. I would have nightmares. But in fairness, I've never worked with Battleborn, maybe it's fine

 

[Will Prowse]

I straight up wouldn't be able to sleep at night with a $6,000+ battery bank not directly protected by a low-voltage cutoff, lol. I would have nightmares. But in fairness, I've never worked with Battleborn, maybe it's fine

it has low voltage disconnect and individual cell monitoring etc. its fine