New Solar Install
Guys, a good friend of mine reached out to the folks at camping world. They gave him a quote for 510watts of panels, some GC batteries (AGM) and controllers etc. We all agree before you start d...
Forum Discussion
Nice to have a local vendor. But I ordered mine from the experts at Northern Arizona Wind and Sun. They have been selling solar for decades and have a useful website that answers questions about solar (and wind). They can be relied upon to have fair pricing on their solar choices and their packages offer complete systems. I ordered my system there with some substitutions. I have 2 180 W PERC panels (Solarland SLP180S-12 180 Watt 12 Volt PERC Cell High Efficiency Monocrystalline Solar Panel) and Victron MPPT controller plus the DC breakers, box and fuses. https://www.solar-electric.com/ I was trying to get the highest power I could from limited roof space and the measurements of these panels yielded the best performance for the space.
I ordered the wiring from Amazon. Before the basic install I put in a Victron Battery Monitor with built in Bluetooth, a Progressive Dynamics 9155L converter/charger a Progrssive Industries electricity monitor EMS for surge suppression, and after I added a Renogy 30 amp DC to DC charger. Then I decided to add an inverter and because the Victron was so expensive I ordered a Samlex Pure Sine with a wired remote controller. Then I installed a transfer switch to keep the inverter from trying to charge the batteries. That is a Go-Power T-30 amp.
The inverter is a bit large for my system. 3000 watts But I can run it down the road and use it for short microwave use or to pump up the Intex boat or charge a computer without running the generator. I bought two 105 amp hr LION Energy batteries from Cosco and they are amazing. They hold the charge well. Have a temp sensitive BMS so they don’t charge when it’s too cold and if I don’t ruin them should last a decade.
I’ve also been reading this forum for for 12 years and learned a lot from the experts here. So I asked questions about the install logic and read about each piece of equipment and figured it out.
Since I enjoyed this project so much I installed a 5G hotspot added to my cell phone bill. I installed a Victron Cerbo that reads the battery monitor and solar controller data and a WiFi temp stick in the battery compartment. I also added a Govee WiFi temp sensor for the interior. Like all things RV it’s addicting.
I ordered the wiring from Amazon. Before the basic install I put in a Victron Battery Monitor with built in Bluetooth, a Progressive Dynamics 9155L converter/charger a Progrssive Industries electricity monitor EMS for surge suppression, and after I added a Renogy 30 amp DC to DC charger. Then I decided to add an inverter and because the Victron was so expensive I ordered a Samlex Pure Sine with a wired remote controller. Then I installed a transfer switch to keep the inverter from trying to charge the batteries. That is a Go-Power T-30 amp.
The inverter is a bit large for my system. 3000 watts But I can run it down the road and use it for short microwave use or to pump up the Intex boat or charge a computer without running the generator. I bought two 105 amp hr LION Energy batteries from Cosco and they are amazing. They hold the charge well. Have a temp sensitive BMS so they don’t charge when it’s too cold and if I don’t ruin them should last a decade.
I’ve also been reading this forum for for 12 years and learned a lot from the experts here. So I asked questions about the install logic and read about each piece of equipment and figured it out.
Since I enjoyed this project so much I installed a 5G hotspot added to my cell phone bill. I installed a Victron Cerbo that reads the battery monitor and solar controller data and a WiFi temp stick in the battery compartment. I also added a Govee WiFi temp sensor for the interior. Like all things RV it’s addicting.
