DIY LiFePO4 build
so this started because I gave away my first DIY build (280amp) to a good friend, because I also wanted to upgrade the 5th wheel but standardize the batteries between the 5th and truck camper so I ca...
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Nice job, I am looking at doing my dads motorhome for him if he decides it will be worth it for how much they use it lately. I won't build the batteries myself, for him I'll get store bought, because he likes to tinker with things for no reason so the less exposed stuff the better 😁
I have always run everything off battery, we rarely get plugin sites, unless we are traveling for a wedding or something where we are just using the 5th wheel to save money over a hotel, but camping it is a rare site for either the 5th or the camper to be plugged in. what made that possible wasn't necessarily the LiFePO4 batteries, but more the solar and having enough batteries just to do a long weekend with out solar. I would highly recommend solar, it is the cheapest part of your build if you plan it right and can install the panels yourself. I am in the middle of planning the solar upgrade for the 5th wheel as I want to run the outdoor kitchen fridge 24/7 and found out I lose 20% of my capacity a day when it is really hot and try run it. right now it has three 160watt panels, I am looking at three 450watt panels for the upgrade, maybe four. I am at the stage when I am on the roof with a chunk of cardboard the same size as the panels trying to pick a layout for laying them out.
seriously though you can get those big panels for 250ish Cdn then its the controller and your installation and your done. I am toying with the idea of using a micro inverter on the panels instead of a traditional solar charge controller, but I am still hashing that one out.
All valid points about solar. Reasons I’m hesitant to pull the trigger on solar is a couple things:
- Not sure how effective it will be, when 90% of the places we like to camp are out in the woods, very shaded, where solar panels would not bring in much power.
- Presently, we never camp off grid more than a few days, and as long as we don’t need air conditioning, batteries I have now can easily handle such without needing any recharging.
- Not crazy about expensive solar panels permanently mounted on roof, where they can be easily damaged by falling branches, tree debris, etc.
- After a recent trip to the scales, I found our Motorhome (fully loaded) is a bit heavier than I thought, closer to limits than I’d prefer. Not anxious to add even more weight and make that worse, at least not until I can find some ways to drop some weight (whole nother discussion).
- With an onboard built in 5500 watt generator to fall back on that will generate power rain or shine, really question if solar is really worth the trouble, expense.
I probably will do it one day, just cause I really like tinkering, upgrading (it’s addictive, hahaha). But, not for a while.
Will
ya, I camp in heavily wooded places but there is usually still sun for a couple hours at least from directly above, they also do put out in low light and shade, some better than other, at a reduced rate. so in lots of shade depending on your electrical usage you might be able to extend instead of being self reliant like me. so if you can normally go out for 3 days, now maybe 4 or 5 in shaded areas.
I don't worry much about tree debris hitting the panels, they can handle large hail stones with ease. if its going to break the solar panel I would rather than as the same impact would damage your roof which is way more expensive.
easy way to shed weight, trade the genny for panels 🤣
that actually would be my call if it was up here as Genny's are next to useless on a rv now with all the genny rules, our camping is a bit different, we can't really just drive out onto government land and camp, well we can, but any government land isn't really accessible by anything short of a 4x4. then you have to make sure it is government land, not leased out to a company, not native land, not private land and so on.. lets just say getting an RV to any real boon docking place, while it can and has been done, is not recommended in any way shape or form,. but to counter this we have a good network of provincial campground (like state campgrounds) and something called forestry sites. logging companies build small campsites for the Provence in nice places that are only accessible because they built longing roads. these are owned by the Provence, but managed by local logging companies or partnerships with first nations bands. I like them, most I couldn't take my 5th wheel in, well some I could but there are no reservations allowed, but the truck camper is perfect, and they range from free to 15 bucks a day. in both these system the genny rules are from 8am to 10am and from 5pm to 6pm, some places till 7 pm. any genny use outside of these times can have you removed from the park.
some people hate the rule, I actually wish it was limited more as I find the older I get the more I just like the piece and quiet 🤔
so what I did was size my battery bank for my normal trip, so the truck camper the battery will let me go 9 days if the solar craps out. if the solar is working I get 100% charge ever day. if I have 2 or 3 bad solar days I have enough solar to recharge three days of use in one day.
but your points are all valid, up here if its to hot and you think you need a ac, just go to a campground that's higher up, might be real hot during the day but by 10pm its around 40 degrees
