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10-24-2018, 10:17 AM
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#21
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1 Rivet Member
2016 26' Flying Cloud
Arlington
, Virginia
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 15
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Wwbsite
Can you post the Web URL for Gateway Engineering?
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10-24-2018, 10:25 AM
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#22
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4 Rivet Member
2016 22' Sport
2020 25' International
Clinton
, Land of Purple Mtn Majesty,Montana
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 312
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Very nice install....what should one expect to pay for a system like that?
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10-24-2018, 10:40 AM
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#23
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Rivet Master
1976 25' Tradewind
.
, Maine to Arizona
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 622
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Southeners Don't Need Battery Warmer, Mostly
Know a fellow with a $50,000 solar system he did himself.
Likes to show off how much e- he gets on cloudy days with his smmart phone.
After doing a bunch of research, I concluded like the op that Lithium was the way to go.
Talking with this engineer friend, asking about what kind of batteries he had, wet mat, I asked his opinion of lithium.
He said they burn in a horrible way.
We do know that you do not want to throw a charge into them at a below operating temperature.
Pretty sophisticated charge controller.
My question, are the batteries under your bed or the wife's?
__________________
"Talk is cheap, Airstreams are expensive," Wally Byam.
25' Tradewind
'18 Promaster 1500 High Roof
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10-24-2018, 12:16 PM
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#24
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4 Rivet Member
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Victoria
, BC
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 340
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fastrob
Know a fellow with a $50,000 solar system he did himself.
Likes to show off how much e- he gets on cloudy days with his smmart phone.
After doing a bunch of research, I concluded like the op that Lithium was the way to go.
Talking with this engineer friend, asking about what kind of batteries he had, wet mat, I asked his opinion of lithium.
He said they burn in a horrible way.
We do know that you do not want to throw a charge into them at a below operating temperature.
Pretty sophisticated charge controller.
My question, are the batteries under your bed or the wife's?
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LiPO4 batteries do not burn. Your friend is misinformed.
-evan
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10-24-2018, 01:51 PM
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#25
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3 Rivet Member
2014 25' FB Flying Cloud
2005 30' Classic
Keswick
, Virginia
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 158
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ghaag
My Lithium/Solar upgrade is complete so I thought I would post some pictures in case it might be helpful to someone else thinking about this. I did not do this myself, but spent a bunch of time with the guys that did, my primary takeaway is that I was glad I did not try doing this myself.
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Beautiful work on a great system. You are going to love it. I have had a 400AH similar system for almost two years.
__________________
Greg
2014 25' Flying Cloud FB
2015 GMC Sierra Denali 6.6L diesel
Charlottesville, Virginia
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10-24-2018, 02:03 PM
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#26
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TinCan
2016 30' Classic
Apache Junction
, Arizona
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 880
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Just about done with mine.
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TinCan
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10-24-2018, 02:34 PM
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#27
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1 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
SLC
, Utah
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 6
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Wow
And to think that if it got hot I always went to a higher elevation. I still don't have AC in my 63, but I also have Lithium, 7.6 cubic upright 12v dc fridge/freezer and a 160 watt portable solar. No generator though.
Very nice.
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10-24-2018, 08:23 PM
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#28
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by graysailor
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Looking great, let me know how it works for you.
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-24-2018, 08:24 PM
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#29
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mythbuster88
Really nice upgrade.
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Thank you!
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-24-2018, 08:27 PM
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#30
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShannonDavis
Can I ask a round about cost not counting the remodel of the bedroom?
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I spent about 15k on order from AM Solar and about the same on labor and a few misc parts (I.e. soft start for ac).
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-24-2018, 08:29 PM
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#31
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jcooper0
Can you post the Web URL for Gateway Engineering?
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http://www.gatewayengineering.us/
Dwight Gary is the owner
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-24-2018, 08:29 PM
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#32
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gregwall
Beautiful work on a great system. You are going to love it. I have had a 400AH similar system for almost two years.
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Thank you!
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-24-2018, 10:20 PM
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#33
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Site Team
2017 30' International
Broomfield
, Colorado
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,555
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My Lithium/Solar Upgrade is Complete
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghaag
I spent about 15k on order from AM Solar and about the same on labor and a few misc parts (I.e. soft start for ac).
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Mine was similar cost. Don’t forget to file your IRS form F5695 to get your 30% tax credit back for the install when you file your FY2018 taxes [emoji4]
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10-25-2018, 05:56 AM
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#34
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GB
2016 27' International
1997 34' Limited
Saint Cloud
, Florida
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 132
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Your installation looks great.
What happens if your inverter fails?
Is there any way to bypass the inverter to be on shore power?
I ask this because this actually happened to a friend of mine on a trip to Alaska this summer.
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10-25-2018, 07:39 AM
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#35
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4 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Fort Davis
, Texas
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 257
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gblackburn
Your installation looks great.
What happens if your inverter fails?
Is there any way to bypass the inverter to be on shore power?
I ask this because this actually happened to a friend of mine on a trip to Alaska this summer.
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Yes there is. Below is a excerpt from a schematic showing the AC wiring/components. It can be accomplished by wiring in a Source/Selector breaker pair with a lockout so only one AC source (Inverter or Shore Power) is used to power the AC Loads. The 62A Source Selector switch is user to select between Generator or Shore Power. The Toggle Source select breaker pair is used to select the Inverter or External AC Source for the loads. Below is a URL to the Toggle Source Selector breaker:
https://www.bluesea.com/products/806...or_120V_AC_50A
Pat
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10-27-2018, 09:36 AM
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#36
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New Member
2008 25' International
Spokane
, Washington
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 2
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The Million Dollar Question
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghaag
My Lithium/Solar upgrade is complete so I thought I would post some pictures in case it might be helpful to someone else thinking about this. I did not do this myself, but spent a bunch of time with the guys that did, my primary takeaway is that I was glad I did not try doing this myself.
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Might you be willing to give a ballpark figure on the total cost here? Also, how much do you think you gained over using two six volt batteries and the same solar setup?!? Thanks!
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10-28-2018, 04:15 AM
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#37
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wulfraat
Mine was similar cost. Don’t forget to file your IRS form F5695 to get your 30% tax credit back for the install when you file your FY2018 taxes [emoji4]
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Thank you for the reminder!
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-28-2018, 04:26 AM
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#38
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4 Rivet Member
2023 30' Classic
2014 30' FB FC Bunk
Jonesboro
, Arkansas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JanMark
Might you be willing to give a ballpark figure on the total cost here? Also, how much do you think you gained over using two six volt batteries and the same solar setup?!? Thanks!
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I spent about 30k, but I did a few things extra. Not sure how to give you a comparison on what you asked about, since I had no solar before this. My goal was to be able to dry camp for 4 or 5 days, use microwave some and use ac enough to cool camper down after hot day and not have to run generator. However, I did convert one of my Honda 2000 generators to propane and I carry that along just in case.
__________________
__________________
WBCCI #8996
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10-28-2018, 07:34 AM
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#39
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4 Rivet Member
2016 27' Flying Cloud
Hartsburg
, Missouri
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 465
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Very nice install. Thanks for showing how your system can bypass the inverter to use shore power directly because I have been considering this option for my system.
__________________
Frank & Fran
2016 27' FC FB with 600 W solar
2016 Ford F150 EcoBoost
Equalizer Hitch
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10-28-2018, 08:24 AM
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#40
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,210
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My Lithium/Solar Upgrade is Complete
We put in a similar system at AM Solar. Labor was roughly half the cost. The overall installation, parts and all, was roughly $20+K. This was March/April of 2018, so parts prices (especially for panels) have probably gone up since then.
- 400 AH Victron LiFePO battery bank (2 x 200 AH batteries)
- 650 watts of solar (6 x 100, 1 x 50) because that’s the most we could fit up there
- 3000 watt Victron hybrid inverter / charger
- Victron MPPT 100/50 solar controller
- Victron BMV-712 Smart
- Victron CCGX Color Monitor
- Victron multi-control panel for the inverter
- Victron BMS for the batteries
- While they were in there, we had them add a line from the power center to the fridge, because if our Demonic ammonia-based fridge dies we will yank it and replace it with a Vitrifrigo. A Vitrifrigo will pull more DC power to run the compressor, so we needed a heavier gauge wire to support that demand when the time comes.
- Incredibly neat wiring job with big red switches that let us turn off elements of the system for service or for winter storage, and labels on everything. The wiring job is beautiful, with big fat juicy cables throughout and gorgeous control boards. (It puts Airstream's original rats' nest of "good enough" wiring to absolute shame.)
Stuff we yanked out of the trailer:
- The original WFCO 1000 watt inverter.
- The charger that used to live in the power center.
- The flooded Group 27 batteries that used to live on the tongue. Now we store chocks and Lynx Blox in there.
With this system we were able to camp for a week at Yosemite with no hookups, mostly in the shade, and still come out with batteries at nearly 50 percent. Power demands were fairly low, as nighttime temps were cool but not frigid.
We can also driveway surf with only 15-amp shore power and still run the AC without popping our host’s breaker. To achieve this, the inverter assists from batteries while AC runs. The batteries recharge via solar. Between demand cycles, the batteries also recharge from shore power when AC isn’t actively cooling the trailer. The batteries catch up completely again by early in the evening once things have cooled down a bit because sunshine is no longer blasting the trailer.
Just for fun we now travel with the fridge running on AC power instead of propane. When we arrive at camp after a reasonable day of traveling, depending on the amount of sun we get and on outside temps, our batteries are usually at 85-95% because of solar input and charging from the truck. If we know we'll have hookups when we stop, this is a no-brainer. We'd rather run the fridge on solar power than burn propane. [emoji6]
We still have the propane-fired Honda EU2000i we bought before making this upgrade, though we've not needed it since the upgrade. So, that's something we'll leave behind once we have a sticks / bricks location to store it.
Hope that's helpful!
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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