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Land Sailer · 08-02-2020, 04:00 PM

Thanks. Seems all Interstate owners have shared that they have 10 gauge, so wondering if the technition was correct. I do have a Victron mppt controller. How can I determine if I have 10 or 12 gauge wire? Will stripping the wire and using a wire gauge help or is that just for solid not stranded wire?

jhayesas · 08-02-2020, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dena m

Thanks. Seems all Interstate owners have shared that they have 10 gauge, so wondering if the technition was correct. I do have a Victron mppt controller. How can I determine if I have 10 or 12 gauge wire? Will stripping the wire and using a wire gauge help or is that just for solid not stranded wire?

I would recommend doing a google search for your make and model manual. The schematics usually start around page 120+. That manual will answer all your questions for the most part.

Update: Reference page 120. It has 10 gauge wiring according the the schematics.
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...manual-193.pdf

Titus · 08-03-2020, 06:47 AM

It wasn't easy, but I was able to push some 10 Ga MC4 wires through the same roof fitting that Airstream used for their original (14 Ga.?) wiring. I used 10 Ga. from the two 100 W panels (that replaced the original 50 W panel) to the Blue Sky 2512iX MPPT controller (that replaced the original Sunexplorer controller). But when I got to the Blue Sky I found that their terminals were too close together to accept the 10 Ga. wire, so I trimed off a few strands to make the connection. Odd that the Blue Sky controller could not physically accept the large wire that is needed to utilize their full wattage capacity when panels are connected in series. And with only two 100 w panels I didn't see the need to connect them in parallel.

DavidEM · 08-03-2020, 07:52 AM

Titus:

I think you got your series/parallels mixed up. But no matter, how far a wiring run do you have from the panels to the controller. At a 20' one way run you will see about 0.5 volt drop at maximum sun with your 10 gauge wire and the panels wired in parallel. Any more and I would wire them in series. No downside (except shading and on an RV roof that is probably irrelevant) and you will pick up a little more power due to less voltage drop.

Also how far is it from the controller to the batteries and what size wire do you have. You want to keep that voltage drop very low, less than 0.2V.

David

Titus · 08-03-2020, 11:19 AM

David,
You are correct, I meant that I have them in parallel. I have about 15' from the closest panel to the controller, about another 6' to the second panel. Controller to battery is less than 5'. I think I used 10 ga for that too, but don't remember for sure.

DavidEM · 08-03-2020, 11:50 AM

Titus:

You should be good on both sides of your controller given the distances you stated. But if you ever add more panels, particularly if they are divisible by two, consider wiring them in series/parallel. That way the #10 wiring size on the panel side will work fine. But upgrade your battery side wiring to #8.

David

David

lewster · 08-09-2020, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Titus:

You should be good on both sides of your controller given the distances you stated. But if you ever add more panels, particularly if they are divisible by two, consider wiring them in series/parallel. That way the #10 wiring size on the panel side will work fine. But upgrade your battery side wiring to #8.

David

David

Hi Gang!

While some of the wire gauges quoted will work, I never use any wire gauge less than 6AWG for up to 400 watts of solar. Above that, it goes to 4AWG up to 700 watts and 2AWG above that.

This gauge of cable guarantees that you get the maximum voltage and amperage return from your panels.........works every time!!

n2916s · 08-10-2020, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewster

Hi Gang!

While some of the wire gauges quoted will work, I never use any wire gauge less than 6AWG for up to 400 watts of solar. Above that, it goes to 4AWG up to 700 watts and 2AWG above that.

This gauge of cable guarantees that you get the maximum voltage and amperage return from your panels.........works every time!!

Lewster!

Good to see you back.

Land Sailer · 12-29-2020, 05:58 PM

Just spoke to the local Airstream shop. They are using Lion lithium batteries because of their smaller size. Although this shop is just completing their first Interstate lithium retrofit, they are installing in the AGM mounts under the chassis.
I live in a mild climate, but not sure if this is a good idea or not.
Feedback, please.

jhayesas · 12-30-2020, 07:08 AM

Devil's advocate regarding Airstream upgrading ones rig with lithium. I went to Airstream in Jackson Center, OH 12/15-12/16 and had them complete the upgrade for me. I did this for a couple of reasons but the primary reason is I didn't want my warranty voided by having outside vendor perform the work, yes that's an actual thing and issue. I also had them do some minor warranty work as well.

Pre-trip upgrades. I upgraded my Magnum ME-MR with a ME-ARC remote controller so it would support lithium. I upgraded my Atkinson solar controller with a Victron 100/30 MPPT controller. I installed a Victron SmartShunt.

Post-trip upgrades done by Airstream. Replaced my 2x Lifeline GPL-24T with BattelBorn 2x 100 ah 12V GC2 LifePO4 Deep Cycle. These batteries have the internal heating elements. Replaced my Victron TS800 Buck Boost with the same device but a new unit that was configured for lithium batteries vs my old one that was configured for my AGMs.

Overview.

Positive: I've owned this rig since November 2019 and after the upgrade, I finally can go a couple of days worth of boondocking with virtually no solar power being generated. I don't have to plug up to shore power daily in order to keep the AGMs topped off. I can run the engine for 30-60 minutes to top off the batteries vs using the loud generator and/or engine for the AGMS which take alot longer to get to full status.

Negative: The one thing that should've been replaced/upgraded is the Magnum MMS1012 that I currently have installed. When connected to shore power, the Magnum will not top off the batteries unless the battery voltage reaches 12.9V. According to Magnum, this is hard-coded in the firmware and can't be changed via a firmware update. I'm looking to install a Magnum MMS1012-L which is the exact same footprint as the MMS1012 and it's made specifically for lithium platforms.

Pez Vela · 12-30-2020, 10:43 AM

After 3 years, I just replaced the batteries with the same spec battery from Dracell at Batteries Plus. Same exact size but you need to put 3/4 inch blocking in the box because they do not have the boxed out hollow pieces on top. $199 each with 1 year full replacement warranty.

I am using the portable $169 (on sale) portable hard Solar panels with long cable and controller from Harbor Freight. I wanted the portable panels because most times we park in the SHADE. I am just clipping the controller wire to the batteries for now.

I will be working on a quick disconnect for the external controller. The angled panels in the sun seem to work really well.

Replacing the batteries is not fun. Inconvenient location and they are heavy.

We boonrock more than shore power. I did not fully respect the battery
protocols. I will follow them more diligently in the future. Here is the pertinent video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK1cjcg3CGs

MamaG · 01-31-2021, 02:08 PM

Which is a better investment/product for out interstate? Install more batteries/solar or buy a Honda generator and box to carry on back of van?

Boxster1971 · 01-31-2021, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaG

Which is a better investment/product for out interstate? Install more batteries/solar or buy a Honda generator and box to carry on back of van?

Huh? Your 2018 Interstate should already have a generator under the van unless you removed it for some reason.

MamaG · 02-01-2021, 06:47 AM

Our interstate does have a generator under the bed. It is very noisy and vibrates a lot when we try to sleep. We tryed per recommendation of our dealer that they put an expensive shock absorber in with no change in anything except our checkbook. We don’t use it a lot but when traveling we would like to run the ac occ. in the evening .

Titus · 02-01-2021, 07:07 AM

I'd try other noise reduction techniques people have given on this forum before giving up of the Onan.

Also: Even when plugged into the shore power the AC is terribly noisy. Would hate to see you invest $ in a quiet generator only to have the noise problem remain.

Tronadora · 02-02-2021, 02:44 AM

Re: Noise reduction on the Onan generator.... I applied Noico sound deadening stick-on mats (about .160 thick) on all the surfaces I could reach, maybe 80% of the surface area. Before and after, I used a decibel meter at exactly 50 feet away to the right of the vehicle and 50 feet behind the vehicle. Result: ZERO reduction according to the decibel meter.

Not a productive use of my afternoon. Tempted to rip out the generator to save weight and upgrade to lithium batteries and new inverter/charger. Either that or fashion a way for a Honda generator to be mounted where the generator currently sits.

I'm too lazy to search but I know some folks here were mulling that over and maybe they succeeded. ?

B. Cole · 02-02-2021, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaG

Which is a better investment/product for out interstate? Install more batteries/solar or buy a Honda generator and box to carry on back of van?

If you want real / available Amps, the generator.Solar is like hitching a horse to a new Corvette

B. Cole · 02-02-2021, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

I'd try other noise reduction techniques people have given on this forum before giving up of the Onan.

Also: Even when plugged into the shore power the AC is terribly noisy. Would hate to see you invest $ in a quiet generator only to have the noise problem remain.

It "Sounds" like thats what you get with a super expensive Airstream Interstate.Thats some awesome quality control/ engineering, using the best available machinery.
Ouch!

Titus · 02-03-2021, 04:30 PM

Compared to many on this forum we have had very few problems with ours (knock on wood). And given how we use it the battery capacity/charging issue has been easily managed/remedied. But knowing what I do now I might have opted for an Advance RV. Though without this first-time RV experience with the Interstate I wouldn't have know what I wanted to specify in an Advanced RV.

**Rocinante** · 02-03-2021, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus

Compared to many on this forum we have had very few problems with ours (knock on wood). And given how we use it the battery capacity/charging issue has been easily managed/remedied. But knowing what I do now I might have opted for an Advance RV. Though without this first-time RV experience with the Interstate I wouldn't have know what I wanted to specify in an Advanced RV.

Good point. Our new-to-us Interstate is our first van, though it's our third RV. If we had tried to custom-design a van via ARV, we probably would have made some big mistakes. While ARV seems to build really great vans, it also knows exactly what to specify for its customers: Great big huge fat juicy wallets.

Give our current situation, we'd hold off on a custom ARV build or any other custom build (Hello Humble Road!) until we have enough van experience to specify a unit that wouldn't quickly become a collection of newbie design mistakes.