Solar and Battery Upgrade for 2015 Interstate

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Titus

question to amirm (or Lewster or others) on using the Sterling charger 'in series' with the engine alternator:

I assume that 'in series' means the wire between the engine alternator and the BIM. If this is in fact what is meant, wouldn't the BIM shut off the attempted charging before the AGM's reach 100% charge? I think I want to essentially bypass the BIM when the engine is running and let the engine alternator charge the AGM's per their desired charging routine BUT keep the BIM (or something) to allow shore power or solar or LPG generator to charge the chassis battery if it is low.

The BIM (well, the solenoid that the BIM logic controls) sits between the chassis battery and the house batteries, correct? Assuming this is correct, in the case where you've got a big Lithium bank for the house and the AGM for the chassis, I would think you would NOT want the BIM to close when the alternator is running (would hate to think what that much current would do to an AGM). As a result, you would have to wire things such that the Sterling sits between the alternator and the Lithium pack, NOT between the alternator and the BIM, with some sort of manual "off" switch for the BIM to ensure it stays open while the engine is running. This way, while the engine is running the chassis battery will be charged via the charge controller under the hood while the big Lithium pack will get charged through the Sterling. For solar, generator, or shore charging, you'd want the BIM to operate as it does stock, so you would need to flip that switch "on".

Does anyone know if there is a disable input on the BIM that could be used for this function?

[M and R]

[QUOTE=lewster;1917728]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Best solution is to use a Victron 100/15 Blue Solar controller with their blue tooth dongle, which reads out on a smart phone via the Victron Connect app. Simply wire the charge controller to the panels, then to the batteries and plug in the dongle. That's all that's required ......... updates and firmware programming are done automatically from the phone at first contact. No wiring to a remote monitor panel.......... EASY!!!

Lew,

I have a 2016 Grand Tour.

I purchased a Victron 100/30 Blue solar controller and the blue tooth dongle.

Can I use the Atkinson controller positive and negative wires to instal the Victron controller?

Thanks

Mike

[c21]

[QUOTE=lewster;1917728]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Best solution is to use a Victron 100/15 Blue Solar controller with their blue tooth dongle, which reads out on a smart phone via the Victron Connect app. Simply wire the charge controller to the panels, then to the batteries and plug in the dongle. That's all that's required ......... updates and firmware programming are done automatically from the phone at first contact. No wiring to a remote monitor panel.......... EASY!!!

Lew, do you know where the Neg wire coming in from the PV panel terminates? The Atkinson controller is picking up it's ground from a lug on the BIM. We would like to make a more direct connection to the panel if it's easily doable.
Thanks,
Bill

[lewster]

[QUOTE=M and R;1920101]

Originally Posted by lewster

Lew,

I have a 2016 Grand Tour.

I purchased a Victron 100/30 Blue solar controller and the blue tooth dongle.

Can I use the Atkinson controller positive and negative wires to instal the Victron controller?

Thanks

Mike

If it were my coach, I would be using 6AWG cabling from the 100/30 DIRECT to your batteries or suitable power lugs. I'm working on a '16 Interstate now and the charge wires for the Atkinson are a single 12AWG positive (perhaps 10AWG, but I doubt it) and a smaller gauge ground wire. On the AI, if you don't want to run directly to your batteries (which can be a bit of a pain), you can use the battery positive where it connects to your BIM, as this is the positive battery cable and to the large ground stud towards the back of the opening under the rear jump seat on the driver's side.

Don't forget to use a 30 amp disconnect switch on the solar positive coming from the solar array and a 30 amp DC circuit breaker on the positive solar charge line.

The blue tooth dongle will give you all of the information on your solar charging on your smart phone too.

[lewster]

[QUOTE=c21bill;1923297]

Originally Posted by lewster

Lew, do you know where the Neg wire coming in from the PV panel terminates? The Atkinson controller is picking up it's ground from a lug on the BIM. We would like to make a more direct connection to the panel if it's easily doable.
Thanks,
Bill

Airstream wires the solar negative directly into their wire harness with a but connector. That wire then disappears into the loom, but I would assume that it connects into their ground system as it is a whit wire, usually stamped with the #150, which they use as a ground designation.

You can cut that junction and use the Green solar negative wire and splice another 10AWG to it. Cap and tape the old #150 white wire too.

[M and R]

[QUOTE=lewster;1923554]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Airstream wires the solar negative directly into their wire harness with a but connector. That wire then disappears into the loom, but I would assume that it connects into their ground system as it is a whit wire, usually stamped with the #150, which they use as a ground designation.



You can cut that junction and use the Green solar negative wire and splice another 10AWG to it. Cap and tape the old #150 white wire too.

Thanks Lew, I did as you suggested, with three 100 watt panels.

Love the Victron controller. I plugged into shore power today for the first time in two weeks. When I plugged in, it immediately went to float charge. When I had the Atkinson controller it spent several hours on bulk charge. this is a screen shot of the Victron history page.

Mike

[c21]

[QUOTE=lewster;1917728]

Originally Posted by c21bill

Best solution is to use a Victron 100/15 Blue Solar controller with their blue tooth dongle, which reads out on a smart phone via the Victron Connect app. Simply wire the charge controller to the panels, then to the batteries and plug in the dongle. That's all that's required ......... updates and firmware programming are done automatically from the phone at first contact. No wiring to a remote monitor panel.......... EASY!!!

Installed the Victron and Dongle in my friends AI yesterday and it works like a champ including the Bluetooth connection to his cell phone. Thanks for the advice.
Bill

[dwoods]

I know this thread is getting a little old but I was wondering if anyone knew of a shop in the greater Houston area that was installing additional solar and controllers on Interstates? I just purchased ours in March at Holiday World and I'd rather not mess up the electrical trying to do it myself. I talked to the shop this week and they're not offering any additional solar packages.

Thanks for any advice.

[TayaraTravel]

Originally Posted by dwoods

...if anyone knew of a shop in the greater Houston area that was installing additional solar and controllers on Interstates? ...

We installed two additional panels ourselves, and are going to add the Victron controller. But we don't want to add additional batteries under the van ourselves. So we have an appointment to do that at Bob Jones RV Service http://bobjonesrv.com/ in South Houston. Right now we are waiting on back-ordered OEM battery cases. They have a good reputation, and our conversations have been very positive.

At this point we are only asking Bob Jones to add the batteries, because we had planned to do the other parts ourselves. Possibly they could have done the whole job. BTW, I would avoid having Holiday World doing any part of the job.

Welcome to the forum and Interstate world. There is a small (3) group of Houston-area Interstate owners active on this forum: MCRIDER, INTERBLOG, and myself. If you want to get together sometime for a meet-up or camping trip, you are welcome to PM me.

[dwoods]

I appreciate the quick response and let me know if you are planning an outing. If I get serious about the solar I'll take your advice.

[Camerons]

Adding the batteries underneath isn't that hard. Good step to add more solar and the victron controller as Lew recommends. Even with 4x the batteries If you are north of 45 much at this time of year the panels won't keep up with fridge and freezer unless you are in full sun. We upgraded to 400w and 4x Agm batteries. It's good if you're in full sun. In any sort of shade at this time of year and you'll need to drive a bit during the day

Battery housings are drilling four holes and installing 1/4 rivets that come from the oem kit. Be sure to install them low enough to get the batteries some room. (Easy to install to high then batteries won't fit. Measure twice drill once). From there making up the cables is not too difficult. Soldering ends on 2/0 welding cable. That part was far easier than threading 6/0 cable down thru the roof cut out.

[jsc168]

Originally Posted by Camerons

..... That part was far easier than threading 6/0 cable down thru the roof cut out.

Question for those who have run a new cable from the solar panels down to the charge controller:
How/where did you run the new cables? I'm about to put in a Victron 100/30 MPPT charge controller, and thought maybe if I ran the 3 panels in series, then maybe could get away with using the existing wiring (given that the voltage would be higher). But if I need to go to 6 or 8 guage wiring, then is there a way to fish it/pull it through with the existing wiring? Are you keeping the solar wiring running through the same path? Or are you running it through another location, maybe using the penetration already made by the XM antenna hole?

Thanks in advance.
By the way, I had upgraded my solar by just adding 2 more Go-Power panels shortly after buying my 2016 Interstate Lounge EXT. It seemed to work for a few months, but then the amps (12 amps at best) started to drop. The connection into the coach is right between two roof vents that trap water in a puddle there. On top of that, the panels oxidized and the surface clear layers have delaminated. That is why I am looking to upgrade, and ordered a Victron 100/30 as well as some new flex solar panels with a different ETFE surface that is supposed to be more durable.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by jsc168

...I had upgraded my solar by just adding 2 more Go-Power panels shortly after buying my 2016 Interstate Lounge EXT. It seemed to work for a few months, but then the amps (12 amps at best) started to drop. ...the panels oxidized and the surface clear layers have delaminated. ...I ... ordered ... some new flex solar panels with a different ETFE surface that is supposed to be more durable.

I can't answer your cable question (our model year originally had a propane fridge so a nice big roof cut was already present), but what you say above speaks to a big question mark that I have had hanging above my head. I've wondered how those plastic panels would stand up over time. People who are considering them should read and research carefully.

I'm a hobby gardener who lives in the deep south, so I spend a lot of time outdoors and can report my observation that Absolutely Nothing organic (= plastic) can stand the test of time here. We went with conventional glass-covered solar panels. Much more of a pain to install, but hopefully they are far less subject to degradation.

[rowiebowie]

So, if I have only this dinky original solar panel, is an upgrade from the Atkinson controller to one of the recommended MPPT's even worth considering?

As of now, the solar is useless. The most charge the display has ever showed is 1 amp, but usually 0 or .5. Can't detect where the charge is going, since parasitic drain (with everything off, including battery disconnect) takes 6 mo. old batteries down to 70% in about 5-7 days.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by jsc168

Question for those who have run a new cable from the solar panels down to the charge controller:

How/where did you run the new cables? I'm about to put in a Victron 100/30 MPPT charge controller, and thought maybe if I ran the 3 panels in series, then maybe could get away with using the existing wiring (given that the voltage would be higher). But if I need to go to 6 or 8 guage wiring, then is there a way to fish it/pull it through with the existing wiring? Are you keeping the solar wiring running through the same path? Or are you running it through another location, maybe using the penetration already made by the XM antenna hole?



Thanks in advance.

By the way, I had upgraded my solar by just adding 2 more Go-Power panels shortly after buying my 2016 Interstate Lounge EXT. It seemed to work for a few months, but then the amps (12 amps at best) started to drop. The connection into the coach is right between two roof vents that trap water in a puddle there. On top of that, the panels oxidized and the surface clear layers have delaminated. That is why I am looking to upgrade, and ordered a Victron 100/30 as well as some new flex solar panels with a different ETFE surface that is supposed to be more durable.

I used a combiner box from AM Solar. They are a bit expensive but work great. You can mount it right over your existing roof penetration and use whatever wire need to drop inside the van.

https://amsolar.com/rv-solar-panel-kit/combiner-boxes

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

So, if I have only this dinky original solar panel, is an upgrade from the Atkinson controller to one of the recommended MPPT's even worth considering?

As of now, the solar is useless. The most charge the display has ever showed is 1 amp, but usually 0 or .5. Can't detect where the charge is going, since parasitic drain (with everything off, including battery disconnect) takes 6 mo. old batteries down to 70% in about 5-7 days.

Probably not worth the effort since that little panel can't even keep up with a typical parasitic drain, which is around 0.5A. Best to consider adding more solar panels if you want good solar charging.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

So, if I have only this dinky original solar panel, is an upgrade from the Atkinson controller to one of the recommended MPPT's even worth considering?

As of now, the solar is useless. The most charge the display has ever showed is 1 amp, but usually 0 or .5. Can't detect where the charge is going, since parasitic drain (with everything off, including battery disconnect) takes 6 mo. old batteries down to 70% in about 5-7 days.

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Decide what you want to get out of the solar (maintain batteries while stored, recharge batteries while boondocking, etc.) and then upgrade both the panels and controller based on that. I maintain my house and chassis batteries just fine with a single 100W panel and MPPT controller. My van is parked outside and gets sun most days (I live in California), so this setup works for me. If I wanted to recover my batteries during the day while boondocking, I'd need to add more solar and more batteries.

[Paprika]

"I've wondered how those plastic panels would stand up over time. People who are considering them should read and research carefully."

Here's a research tip: compare warranties. For rigid panels, warranties typically run 15-25 years. For flexible panels, I've seen anywhere from "NO WARRANTY" to 2 years. You can draw your own conclusions about longevity. I've seen a friend's flexible panel fail after less than six months.

I'm not against flexible panels; I'm just saying that you need to have realistic expectations. I have a couple of flexible 100W HQST panels that I occasionally put out on the ground when I feel the need to supplement the power from my rigid panels on the roof. They're lightweight and easy to store in minimal space. But I wouldn't rely on flexible panels as my sole or main source of solar power.

[Titus]

I ran the new MC4 cables through the same roof fitting used for the original. It was a tight fit. Probably would have been easier had I used silicone spray.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Decide what you want to get out of the solar (maintain batteries while stored, recharge batteries while boondocking, etc.) and then upgrade both the panels and controller based on that. I maintain my house and chassis batteries just fine with a single 100W panel and MPPT controller. My van is parked outside and gets sun most days (I live in California), so this setup works for me. If I wanted to recover my batteries during the day while boondocking, I'd need to add more solar and more batteries.

I only want to maintain the chassis batteries. Glad to hear 100 watts should do it.

With my Avenue model, I only have room for a single 100w panel since space is limited. Probably flexible too, since the roof curves a lot. To go any higher, I'd have to add a mess of 2-3 smaller panels and still would be lucky to get another 50-75 watts, so not worth going above 100 watts.

Looks like I'll be basically starting from scratch.