What will adding solar and lithium do for me?

[winnielife]

I have a 2022 2801bhs with 200w solar, not sure what converter I have. If I go to 600w and batteries to handle it, what will I be able to do? Can I run one ac unit? Power everything inside? Not worried about the fridge as it’s a two way.

Is this DIY?

[SWRick]

Probably have Xantrex XC 2000 inverter if like the 2021s. That will handle the lithium, but your solar controller probably can't handle more than 500w of solar if using the factory port. I am adding 600w to the 200w installed, but adding Victron MPPT solar controller for that (keeping PWM controller factory setup too, as new panels not compatible with the Zamp factory panels). So I will have 800w thru 2 controllers into 400ah of lithium.
Might be able to run AC if you have 3000w inverter, but only for an hour or two, depending on size of lithium bank. Might need an AC soft start. Should be able to power everything but AC with no problems, of course subject to whether you have a 2000w or 300w inverter and the total load you'd be drawing at any one time.

[winnielife]

Thanks Rick. The breaker box is WFCO WF-8930/50. If I added solar, would I run it into this box or would I need a new converter or inverter?

[SWRick]

That's beyond my "expertise" ��. As I understand it, Winnebago made all Views after about 2021 "solar-ready", assume same for you. The inverter on my View is 2000w, is solar ready and will work for what i want it to do. I have no plans for AC use, would use generator for any brief stops needing AC. We are able to find elevations suitable for summer without AC, so not a factor. With 2000w, we can run the microwave or the Keurig or.., but not at same time, not a problem for us. You'd gain flexibility by having a 3000w inverter, but additional cost to upgrade. Had a 2000w inverter in our Class B, did fine, YMMV. We are using an RV solar installer, leaving the tech stuff to them. Good luck!

[winnielife]

So you’re saying my Winnie has a 2000w inverter already? It has one 200w panel, considering adding a couple more. Is there an easy way to make some outlets usable when boondocking for a night?

[Marine359]

Hi Winnielife
The only Winnebago towable that come standard with an inverter are the FLX series. The FLX comes with everything: Solar, LFP, and inverter/charger. For us plebeians who didn’t get a FLX, we have to add everything if we bought before 2022 model year.

If you have 200w of solar already on the roof, that means your 2801 came with a solar charge controller. There is sufficient wire gauge from the gland to support additional panels if you like. Since you have an absorption fridge, the big question is why do need more solar, or more batteries. Do you want to boondock for more than a couple of days without running a generator?

What kind of battery do you now have? How much power (KWh) do you consume in one 24 hour cycle? What I’m getting at here is that the answer to the question you asked lies in what you have versus what kind of camping you want to do. That equation is different for everyone.

Forget about running the A/C for a moment, as that is a fools errand, unless you want to spend a whole lot of money. If you just want to be able to run your other ac appliances, you’ll need an inverter capable of servicing the highest load you plan to run, and a battery bank with sufficient output to send the all the dc to the inverter that it needs to service the load. If you want to run your microwave, that typically means you’ll need a 3,000w inverter, and at least 200amphrs (2,400w) of useable battery power.

You can accomplish that inexpensively with 2x 6v gc2 flooded lead acid batteries, and a 3,000w inverter with transfer switch, or you can go the more elegant solution of switching to 200ah of LiFePo4 and an inverter/charger. An inverter/charger gives you the ability to charge at higher amperage which fills your battery bank up several times faster than the standard converter that came with your trailer

In our case, the upgrading was 80% DIY. The only reason I couldn’t do it all is because the upgrade were in dead of winter which made it too demanding to do the under-frame part of the installation. Additionally, I’m over 70, and couldn’t get in and out of the pass through where all my components are installed. So, I pre-installed onto a 3/4” ply backer, and hired a young guy to finish the inside wiring. Our power needs are greater than yours because we have a 12v compressor fridge which eats 50ah per day. Our perfect combination, so far has been 300w rooftop solar, 110w sidewall portable solar, 2,000w inverter/charger, and 170ah LiFePo4 battery. We can boondock now as long as our waste tanks hold out. But we do have a tote to haul away gray water, and jugs to replenish fresh water.

Do yourself a big favor and buy a Bluetooth negative shunt monitor. You’ll then be able to get accurate info on your consumption, and battery state. Cost very little, easy 30 minute install.

Now back to A/C without hookups. Our inverter/charger will run our easy start equipped A/C, but the battery craps out pretty quickly. I estimate that we would need twice the battery power, and 600w of solar to run the A/C for a couple of hours. It’s just not something we really need because we don’t spend the hottest part of the day inside the camper, and a good exhaust fan combined with a couple of 12v fans is enough to keep it cool enough for us. If it gets too hot, we just run our generator. Only have experienced a few nights when it was so hot during quiet hours that we were uncomfortable.

For an idea of what an install entails, take a look at the photos in my mods and upgrades album.

[SWRick]

I think Marine359 covers it- I assumed you had an inverter already. I have no idea how you are set up. In my 2021 View, all 120v outlets are powered off the inverter. If you don't have an inverter and want to 120v power appliances from your batteries, you will need one 2000-3000w. Check the appliances you would want to power and get the amps they draw, figure out your time usage and plug that into the many online calculators. Remember that your wet cell batteries (incl AGM) can only be used to 50% capacity without damaging them. Lithiums can be drawn down to approx 10% +/- depending on who is writing, so much more useable. Also, solar panels are not 100% efficient, so don't assume so. If you have Zamp panels installed like I do, adding Zamp panels like them is very expensive compared to "normal" solar panels, but they are probably not compatible with each other.

[SWRick]

If you go the lithium route, pay close attention to the specs of cheaper batteries. You want a Battery Management System (BMS) which includes high and low temp protection, etc. in the battery. Many of the cheaper "no-name" imports lack some or all of these features. I know people use them, to each his or her own.

[SWRick]

Just saw this option which is interesting and might make sense if you are not a tech persona and want something very simple and easy to install and use. You'd still need some way to charge the battery, as with any system. While not cheap, it isn't outrageous, and has the added benefit of being able to be used at your house if you lost power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLcCU29riWE

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by SWRick

If you go the lithium route, pay close attention to the specs of cheaper batteries. You want a Battery Management System (BMS) which includes high and low temp protection, etc. in the battery. Many of the cheaper "no-name" imports lack some or all of these features. I know people use them, to each his or her own.

Buying from a US company is just plain safer. If the battery manufacturer doesn’t have a customer service department, imagine how hard it will be if you needed warranty service.

[Marine359]

The larger models of powerstations can power your rv instead of buying batteries/inverter/chargers. Charging it can be done the same way as a permanent system is done. Just connect your pv array wires directly to the powerstation though provided adapter. When your house battery gets low, you can plug your 30amp cord into the powerstation which will then feed your ac breaker circuit. You’re looking at $2,000 or more for one, like Anker that can substitute for a permanent install. If the Anker 767 was available when I did my permanent upgrade, I would have done that instead of a LiFePo4 battery and a inverter/charger.

[winnielife]

Thanks for all the info guys. I do think a powerstation is the way to go as I am boondocking one night at a time on road trips. If boondocking becomes a more common thing, a generator is definitely in my future. But with a power station I can run a fan at night, the coffee maker and toaster in the morning and charge devices, mostly all I need.

The eco flow seems fairly priced for what you get, think the MAX would work for me. Are there other brands I should look at or is eco flow the class of the group?

[Ray,IN]

I agree with marine359, it's all about the size and capacity of your battery bank first, next is inverter size, then comes recharging ability.
A newbie on a different RVing forum was told he could run his A/C because he had a 5,000W inverter, but he only had one house battery.:(.
The math is easy once one knows the 10X factor; A/C draws 13A, means the battery bank draw is 130ADC.