Recommendations for New 2017 23' Coach

[rjbrown99]

Hi Airforums, thanks for the great info and we're looking for a battery/solar recommendation.

We're in the final stages of acquiring our 2017 Airstream International Signature 23FB and are immediately looking into converter/battery upgrades followed by a solar install. My understanding is this ships with 2 deep cycle Interstate SRM-24 batteries, a Parallax 7355/8355 converter, and 30 amp service.

Our plan is to boondock more often than not, and despite the fact that there are only 2 of us we are power hungry in numerous respects with the TV, laptops, lights, etc. We're well aware of the constraints and don't expect miracles, but we are interested in a plan to push the upgrades considerably. It is likely that we'll also buy a generator but we enjoy the quiet and would like to avoid using it.

We live in Southern California and the coach will be stored indoors out of the sun. I'd estimate that ~80-90 percent of all usage will be in the southwest US out of the range of cold/freezing temperatures. Lithium appears to be a viable option for us. We are not full-time RVers, but we're looking for at least 4 consecutive days off grid with reasonable comfort. I'd like the tanks to be our 'bottleneck' and not the power.

I have read forum post after forum post and have a rather extensive list of options, from new lead acid batteries and upgraded converters to circuit protection, battery monitors, and solar panels.

Taking a step back, I thought I would just start with a few questions.

• Should we focus on the batteries and converter first before solar? Feels like yes.
  
• If we're looking at lithium options, does that change or impact the converter or just the batteries? In other words, can we replace the Parallax now and keep the lead acid batteries without having to replace it again later if we move to Lithium?
  
• Should we just go Lithium from the get-go?
  
• How about circuit protection, that seems like it would be important but does not seem to be addressed in the default/stock setup?
  
• Any current recommendations for a battery monitor?
  
• Any considerations if we are looking to roll into a solar system within the next few months? Our initial thought was to tackle the batteries, see how it goes for a few months, then move to solar. We could do it all now if that makes more sense.
  
• We're somewhat wary of the dealership service departments really understanding solar+power, hence the questions ahead of making any decisions. We'd like to avoid bad advice and a multi-thousand dollar outlay for the wrong system.

Thanks in advance for suggestions and ideas!

[PKI]

First - get a battery disconnect switch. The parasitic loads will kill the batteries in storage if left connected. A simple, but important upgrade. Of course in the interim, you can just disconnect the cables.

The rest, you will figure out through your research. Your experience is part of the path, so get out there and do it. Pat

[AWCHIEF]

What ever you do keep in mind your warranty period and the possible consequences of early modifications.

[Troutboy]

We just purchased a 2017 23D. Haven't taken it out once yet, because cold weather here in Colorado. In the middle of a full solar install because we boondock exclusively. 4 day minimum was our target.

The big thing is cost. If you have the budget, I would just go all in. If a tight budget, that changes things and you can phase.

I am installing the following:
500W solar on roof, with 200W on ground if needed.
Solar charger
320 amp-hour lithium bank
2400W inverter charger
battery monitor

All of this and the material to install as a do it yourself job was around $8,000. Half of that was the batteries and required BMS. I used an all Victron component system purchased from amsolar.

I looked at AGM batteries as well, and could have saved $2500, but weight was a huge driver for me. Lithium saved almost half the weight.

The first system I costed out was around $2500, so you can do it for lower cost. I liked the Bluetooth capabilities and tech of Victron, as well as the integrated solution. I just put $8k less down when I bought it.

Happy to share drawings, knowledge, info, just let me know.

[rjbrown99]

Thanks to the replies so far! I'm all-in on the purchase and closed it yesterday so here's where we are.

Had not thought about a battery disconnect switch so that will be something I look into shortly. Thank you @PKI.

And @Troutboy I was thinking of doing the same thing but I backed off a bit so we can better understand our usage versus needs. I'm very interested in your feedback as you go.

I did have the default batteries swapped out with 2 6V batteries which should be a happy medium between the defaults and Lithium. I'll know soon enough how long they last when boondocking. To @AWCHIEF's warranty point, this will keep the warranty intact as the dealer directly supported this as an option whereas they did not work with lithium. I was also told that the battery box for the '17s was made larger so they can drop these in without modification.

New Airstreams have a 1000W inverter built-in so that's positive. The unfortunate part is that's not quite enough to power AC, microwaves, and other larger appliances. For now I'm going to leave it as-is but that might be an early upgrade.

I was discouraged by our dealer to swap out the converter to a 3 stage. Not for any negative reason, he just didn't see the need because the current converter shuts off the charging when the batteries are full. I don't quite understand this well enough yet so I held off for the moment. Opinions would be helpful here as I've read that this is pretty important. I should also mention that our indoor storage place has a charger so I'll also keep the coach plugged in when not in use. Again this is a 2017 model so maybe this improved in the past few years?

I was also discouraged on picking up additional AC circuit protection. Again not because of anything other than 'you don't need it'.

Finally, I'm going to pick up a Honda EU2000i generator, likely one from Genconnx that runs off of propane. That will be the short-term option for additional power.

Still pondering an inverter upgrade, the 3 stage converter versus the default single stage, AC circuit protection, and solar. The solar is likely last once I have a feel for how much power we will consume. Input is very welcome and I'll continue to update this thread with what we learn. Thanks!