Zombietacopolypse

[JacoTaco]

So here’s my solar Tacoma zombie Rona Karen escape vehicle. 100w permanently mounted solar over the roof. 100w semi-permanent over the shell and 2 more 100w foldable panels in the shell just in case.

The panels feed a Renogy Rover 20amp lithium MPPT charge controller. The charge controller maintains a Valence u27-12xp battery. In between the battery and fuse block is an inline DC watt/amp meter from Amazon. From the fuse block I installed a triple 12v socket, dual USB outlet that has another voltage meter built in. I use that meter for a quick glance reference and the inline meter to get a more detailed analysis of what amps I’m pulling.

Wired directly to the battery is a 1000w Bestek pure sine wave inverter and a NOCO Genius-10 lithium capable charger (I love this thing) that I use to top off the battery when needed.

Also from Amazon I got a weather proof penetration box to bring the solar panel’s wires into the shell.

Under the bed in the rear passenger side wheel well I installed a 120v A/C male receptacle that I can just plug into a regular extension cord for shore power when I need the Genious10 charger to do its thing.

I have a semi-permanently mounted dc compressor Fridge/freezer installed in the bed of the truck. This particular piece of equipment was the beginning of this whole project.

Just in case we get some really cloudy days while we are out adventuring I have an extra foldable 100w hard suitcase panel as well as an extra 100w soft panel foldable suitcase stored in the bed of the truck along with 30 feet of MC4 wires and splitters.

I use my truck for work and need to be able to use the racks on top of my truck to occasionally carry ladders, lumber, or whatever else I get talked into transporting. I couldn’t find a mount for the permanent solar panel that didn’t obstruct the use of my Yakima racks over the roof so I made my own mount that hangs below the Yakimas and I can still get an 8’, 10’, or extension ladder (or kayak) safely mounted above my truck.
Thanks for reading this and I’m really glad I found this forum. Well I didn’t really find it, I’ve been watching Will for a long time and it’s great to see him doing so well.

Cheers

 

[offgriddle]

Excellent, detailed write up thank you!

 

[JacoTaco]

Excellent, detailed write up thank you!

Thank you

 

[cypher2001]

Seems like a worthy setup. Couple of questions:
Are the semi-permanent installed panels just wrapped to the rack? I assume if thats the case they are removed for transport and you leave the wires on the roof?
Any statistics on runtime/loads with the 144AH battery?
Whats the make/model of the fridge? Happy with it? I'm in the market.
Whats the purpose and setup of the Wyze cam? Connected to a hotspot router?

 

[tim0shel]

Love it I like to know more also on the Wyze cam setup?

 

[Supervstech]

Not bad at all! Looks great, and VERY useful!

I don’t like losing cargo space, I’m working on my suburban plans with everything below cargo area.

possibly under frame... I haven’t decided yet.

 

[JacoTaco]

Seems like a worthy setup. Couple of questions:
Are the semi-permanent installed panels just wrapped to the rack? I assume if thats the case they are removed for transport and you leave the wires on the roof?
Any statistics on runtime/loads with the 144AH battery?
Whats the make/model of the fridge? Happy with it? I'm in the market.
Whats the purpose and setup of the Wyze cam? Connected to a hotspot router?

The semi-permanent panel on the roof is held down with nite ize reusable twist ties. I have several lift-rings installed on the rhino rack that can be moved around for whatever needs to be fastened down. I can’t tell you enough how useful those twist straps are, and I trust them.

From the charge controller through the roof are MC4 3-way splitters that allow me to unplug the panel when needed. More twist straps are used to keep the wires and splitters in place.

I have two coolers. A 35 liter Alpicool and a 20 liter Iceco. The Alpicool stays in the truck and the Iceco is used as a freezer when camping. The Iceco has Bluetooth which is a very handy feature to have. I will probably replace the Alpicool with a newer larger model. I’m looking at another Alpicool that is 50 liters with Bluetooth.

Right now I place the Iceco on top of the Alpicool fastened with a bungee cord on the rear of the Alpicool and 30 lbs Velcro on the front. This setup is a bit cumbersome but it works and I can still easily access the Alpicool. I’ve had both the coolers for about 6 months and they have given me no problems. The Alpicool has not left the truck since I bought it and the Iceco is for camping.

So I bought the Alpicool before everything else. I had an old deep-cycle lead acid battery that I used to power it. It did not want to run heavy wires from the engine to the bed of my truck. This setup worked but I have OCD and suffer from instant gratification syndrome. I found the Valence battery on Craigslist and installed it the day it showed up via UPS. I already had the NOCO charger installed. For the first couple of months of having the Valence battery and only the Alpicool I had no solar installed. I would charge the battery on Sunday night and the battery would keep the cooler running all week. Mind you the was late winter, early spring. I got tired of having an extension cord going thru the wing window of the shell so I installed receptacle in the wheel well. This setup worked fine until I left for work one Monday morning and forgot to unplug the extension cord. Apparently my install was exceptional because I ripped the cord from the outlet in my garage. Actually the end of the cord ripped from the plug and was ruined and I drove to my job site with 50 feet of cord trailing behind my truck. This made me unhappy because it was a new cord. Luckily the job site was only a couple of miles away but I still got laughed at when I arrived to work. This is when I got my first panel.

But I will say that before I installed the panel we went on a camping trip. For three days I ran both coolers, charged phones, and made coffee with a kcup machine running from the inverter. This was in July at Lake Shasta, Ca. It was hot. The battery ran everything with no problems for over three days.

So I keep Pepsi’s and sandwiche stuff in the cooler at all times. Also usually some snack stuff. Smoked salmon, fruit, etc. Our six year old son was recently diagnosed with Diabetes 1. He’s actually very well adjusted now, but the doctors put a real fear in us about his diet and staying on top of his blood sugar. He knows I always have Pepsi in my coolers and loves it as much as I do. I also used my truck for work. Sometimes I can have over $5k just in tools in the bed. The battery/cooler setup has over $1k invested. I do have a mobile hotspot that stays in my truck. So that’s what the Wyze cam is for. I have multiple 20,000 maH phone chargers. Before solar I ran the Wyze and hotspot from these and it worked fine.

I also have a dog. He rides in the shell with me occasionally and when we go camping. So installed a 6 inch usb fan that has a built in 10,000 maH battery. Recently I had both coolers, the camera and fan running in the truck. It’s been very hot lately, +90 degrees for almost two weeks and even above 100. I usually park my truck in direct sunlight and with 200 watts of solar I haven’t had to plug the charger in for a few weeks but lately my parking spot has changed to a much shadier spot. I depleted the valence and got quite the scare. After three days in the shade the battery went down to less than 11 volts and everything shut off. This had been my only issue with everything installed.

 

[JacoTaco]

The semi-permanent panel on the roof is held down with nite ize reusable twist ties. I have several lift-rings installed on the rhino rack that can be moved around for whatever needs to be fastened down. I can’t tell you enough how useful those twist straps are, and I trust them.

From the charge controller through the roof are MC4 3-way splitters that allow me to unplug the panel when needed. More twist straps are used to keep the wires and splitters in place.

I have two coolers. A 35 liter Alpicool and a 20 liter Iceco. The Alpicool stays in the truck and the Iceco is used as a freezer when camping. The Iceco has Bluetooth which is a very handy feature to have. I will probably replace the Alpicool with a newer larger model. I’m looking at another Alpicool that is 50 liters with Bluetooth.

Right now I place the Iceco on top of the Alpicool fastened with a bungee cord on the rear of the Alpicool and 30 lbs Velcro on the front. This setup is a bit cumbersome but it works and I can still easily access the Alpicool. I’ve had both the coolers for about 6 months and they have given me no problems. The Alpicool has not left the truck since I bought it and the Iceco is for camping.

So I bought the Alpicool before everything else. I had an old deep-cycle lead acid battery that I used to power it. It did not want to run heavy wires from the engine to the bed of my truck. This setup worked but I have OCD and suffer from instant gratification syndrome. I found the Valence battery on Craigslist and installed it the day it showed up via UPS. I already had the NOCO charger installed. For the first couple of months of having the Valence battery and only the Alpicool I had no solar installed. I would charge the battery on Sunday night and the battery would keep the cooler running all week. Mind you the was late winter, early spring. I got tired of having an extension cord going thru the wing window of the shell so I installed receptacle in the wheel well. This setup worked fine until I left for work one Monday morning and forgot to unplug the extension cord. Apparently my install was exceptional because I ripped the cord from the outlet in my garage. Actually the end of the cord ripped from the plug and was ruined and I drove to my job site with 50 feet of cord trailing behind my truck. This made me unhappy because it was a new cord. Luckily the job site was only a couple of miles away but I still got laughed at when I arrived to work. This is when I got my first panel.

But I will say that before I installed the panel we went on a camping trip. For three days I ran both coolers, charged phones, and made coffee with a kcup machine running from the inverter. This was in July at Lake Shasta, Ca. It was hot. The battery ran everything with no problems for over three days.

So I keep Pepsi’s and sandwiche stuff in the cooler at all times. Also usually some snack stuff. Smoked salmon, fruit, etc. Our six year old son was recently diagnosed with Diabetes 1. He’s actually very well adjusted now, but the doctors put a real fear in us about his diet and staying on top of his blood sugar. He knows I always have Pepsi in my coolers and loves it as much as I do. I also used my truck for work. Sometimes I can have over $5k just in tools in the bed. The battery/cooler setup has over $1k invested. I do have a mobile hotspot that stays in my truck. So that’s what the Wyze cam is for. I have multiple 20,000 maH phone chargers. Before solar I ran the Wyze and hotspot from these and it worked fine.

I also have a dog. He rides in the shell with me occasionally and when we go camping. So installed a 6 inch usb fan that has a built in 10,000 maH battery. Recently I had both coolers, the camera and fan running in the truck. It’s been very hot lately, +90 degrees for almost two weeks and even above 100. I usually park my truck in direct sunlight and with 200 watts of solar I haven’t had to plug the charger in for a few weeks but lately my parking spot has changed to a much shadier spot. I depleted the valence and got quite the scare. After three days in the shade the battery went down to less than 11 volts and everything shut off. This had been my only issue with everything installed.

 

[ianganderton]

Cool, I really like the roofrack panel mounts, thinking how to incorperate that idea into my build. I'd like the option of carrying kayaks

So when the Zombietacopolypse comes about (are we talking living dead style?) what do you see as being on your power needs?

Friends of friends who live in a cyclone area and who have a solar set up that works when the grid is down found their power sockets maxxed out with other peoples mobile phones, they literally become the charging station/power bank for the whole neighbourhood

 

[JacoTaco]

Cool, I really like the roofrack panel mounts, thinking how to incorperate that idea into my build. I'd like the option of carrying kayaks

So when the Zombietacopolypse comes about (are we talking living dead style?) what do you see as being on your power needs?

Friends of friends who live in a cyclone area and who have a solar set up that works when the grid is down found their power sockets maxxed out with other peoples mobile phones, they literally become the charging station/power bank for the whole neighbourhood

So I'm a bit of a techie. I have some electrical theory background as well as some fabrication skills. I originally had the first solar panel mounted to the rhino rack. It took up some valuable real estate. I needed something else. I googled away to my dismay. The wheels in my head started spinning. I was Home Depot bound. I found some 2 inch angle-aluminum, 2 inch flat stock aluminum, self etching primer, and matte black rustoleum. Also some aluminum rivets and stainless steel hardware. I even picked up some 10" gas struts that I ended up not needing but might still utilize for some awe factor in the near future. The aluminum can be cut with a fresh skill saw blade and two sturdy hands as well as PPE.

I'm also an outdoorsy type. My idea of going out involves large bodies of water, rapidly moving water, big trees, dirt, mud, and rocks of all shapes and sizes. I'm not a fan of large crowds even before the Rona. I don't think camping should involve asphalt or well lit showers. And I like gadgets.
I also have a kid with diabetes1. I won't let that stop us from adventure and need a safe reliable way to keep his medication stable when we are adventuring. Ice won't cut it.

I use a lot of tools that run off batteries. Those batteries need to be charged and one too many times Ive gone to my chargers only to find that someone else needed the outlet I was using more than I did. I don't have that problem anymore. The Sun now keeps my batteries fully charged.

The solar setup has turned our camping trips to more of a glamping experience. We use air mattresses and tents. We have abundant led lighting and air pumps. I know its a sin but rather than a French press I have a single cup coffee maker in our camp kitchen bin. Sometimes I just want coffee with out stoking a fire or setting up the propane stoves. And we have ice-cream with our s'mores. Try it, its amazing. Vanilla.

I am a fan of The Walking Dead. I hope it doesn't come to anything like that but I was a Boy Scout and I've listened to that Hank Williams Jr. song a few times. If it came down to it we could hit the road and find a spot but we do live among the trees, know our neighbors very well, and have the real estate for a very large garden.

All in all my truck is setup up for my lifestyle. I went to work for years with an ice-chest. I've ate one too many soggy sandwiches and during the summer have spent more than $100 on ice a month, just for my cooler. It's inconvenient. I've also found myself needing a fully charged battery for my tools and ended up finding something else to do while my batteries were charging. That problem no longer exists. Also I don't need to worry about my phone being left on a flat surface next to a 110v outlet with gorillas, heavy materials, falling objects, tempers, and the occasional flying object turning my phone into a paper weight. Thanks to the Sun, Bluetooth, and my Apple Watch I can still rock out, receive phone calls, and annoy the hell out of people while my phone charges safely in my truck, next to my ice cold water and Pepsi.

It's amazing the possibilities that can be imagined when you are in the middle of nowhere and have a clean, reliable source of 1000 watts AC as well as a steady 12v power supply.

 

[JacoTaco]

Seems like a worthy setup. Couple of questions:
Are the semi-permanent installed panels just wrapped to the rack? I assume if thats the case they are removed for transport and you leave the wires on the roof?
Any statistics on runtime/loads with the 144AH battery?
Whats the make/model of the fridge? Happy with it? I'm in the market.
Whats the purpose and setup of the Wyze cam? Connected to a hotspot router?

When the compressors are running the coolers pull about 50 watts a piece. Depending on the weather they cycle anywhere every 10-20 minutes per hour. I bought the Alpicool 30L thinking it would be large enough, and it is, for me. But when we go camping I have 5 mouths to feed. It's not large enough. It also doesn't have bluetooth, which is a very convenient feature to have. For this reason I'll be replacing it with a larger unit with bluetooth. But as a unit, this cooler is awesome and I really appreciate having it. However a larger unit would still pull the same wattage. More volume, same energy consumption, and bluetooth. Hindsight... If I were to do it again I would have purchased the 50 liter cooler that can act as a freezer and fridge, dual zone at the same time, or just fridge, or just freezer. And Bluetooth. its almost a must have for sanity. I looked at the Dometic and the ARB. If I was living out of my vehicle I might have spent the extra coin on the the cooler. But this cooler was a fraction of the cost of the top-shelf models and in my opinion has worked just fine. its worth noting I've only had it for about 6 months. Time will tell. If I get three years out of it I will be happy.

 

[tim0shel]

When the compressors are running the coolers pull about 50 watts a piece. Depending on the weather they cycle anywhere every 10-20 minutes per hour. I bought the Alpicool 30L thinking it would be large enough, and it is, for me. But when we go camping I have 5 mouths to feed. It's not large enough. It also doesn't have bluetooth, which is a very convenient feature to have. For this reason I'll be replacing it with a larger unit with bluetooth. But as a unit, this cooler is awesome and I really appreciate having it. However a larger unit would still pull the same wattage. More volume, same energy consumption, and bluetooth. Hindsight... If I were to do it again I would have purchased the 50 liter cooler that can act as a freezer and fridge, dual zone at the same time, or just fridge, or just freezer. And Bluetooth. its almost a must have for sanity. I looked at the Dometic and the ARB. If I was living out of my vehicle I might have spent the extra coin on the the cooler. But this cooler was a fraction of the cost of the top-shelf models and in my opinion has worked just fine. its worth noting I've only had it for about 6 months. Time will tell. If I get three years out of it I will be happy.

If I were you Id stick with a larger VL series ICECO and not really pulling more power for a larger unit. You will pull about same power with one of the larger units. I have the GO20 and ordered a VL60D which is the dual lid. I about pulled the trigger on a Snomaster because of the remote they offer with theirs. But giving you want the bluetooth that ICECO VL series will not offer that so might be a slight change of mind due to that. I do like that feature about the smaller ICECO.