Recommendations on 2021/22 View and Modifications

[crah]

Originally Posted by Elkman

The cooktop was changed in 2020 and again in 2021. The 2021 cooktop has one induction burner and one propane burner. With our previous RV the cooktop had 2 propane burners and without shorepower we had no issues with cooking our meals. We used the microwave only when we had shore power. The RV did not have a generator and we never missed it.

With the Navion 24D and shore power we will be using the microwave and the induction burner for the most part. Dry camping we will need to decide whether to run the generator so we have power for the induction burner and the microwave or try to manage with a single propane burner. I expect with then 2021 Navion that we will be running the generator a great deal of the time. At least the Onan diesel generator is exceedingly fuel efficient and draws from the cab chassis fuel tank.

The 2020 and 2021 are identical. They both have all same induction/single propane stove combo. Actually the entire rv is exactly identical with the exception of tail light change and tv having a soundbar/ent option.

Either though the fridge is a power hog, you never have to worry about maintaining temps in really hot weather. Any Norcold or Dometic propane fridge I've ever had in any motorhome struggled in the desert southwest heat. Lithium batteries are definitely a must if you plan on dry camping a lot or else frequently run the generator.

With Lithium batteries and 400 watts of solar its almost there. I still need to add another 100 watt panel and that should mostly do it.

[rprochnow]

The auto transfer switch on our 21VD went out on a trip last week, and we ended up boondocking over the weekend, since we couldn't hook up shore power.

We have two Lithionics 125Ah batteries plus 480W of solar panels.

Overnight, using only the gas heat, we had about 50% of battery power left in the morning.

We found the solar panels weren't able to provide enough energy to fully recharge the batteries, even though we had clear skies - could be due to shorter days and sun sitting lower on the horizon.

Fortunately, the ATS did work with the generator, so we ran the generator for 1-2 hours each day to fully recharge the batteries before dark - and got through the weekend before the ATS was replaced on Monday.

We were disappointed that the solar panels weren't able to fully recharge the batteries.

But based on some rough estimates, it seems (at least with short days and lower sun), the solar panels shouldn't be expected to fully recharge the batteries.

The Lithionics batteries hold more than 3KWh of power.

Assuming we got about the equivalent of 4 hours of "full sun", with about 50% of solar panel efficiency due to the sun lower on the horizon, that would produce (480 x 4 x .5) only around 960W of solar power.

Since we're using power during the day (refrigerator, lights, devices, ...) - not all of that goes to recharging the lithium batteries, so either shore power or generator will likely be needed - at least in winter months.

During the summer - with longer days and sun higher up - say 6 hours of "full sun" with 75% efficiency, then we'd get over 2KWh of solar power, which probably would be enough to recharge the batteries and run for several days without shore or generator power.

[Coffie Drink]

The previous gen View with a 3 Way Refrigerator is the best for boon-docking. The power draw on the 12 VDC Refrigerator is too high.
Winnebago stopped shipping the 3 way. Too bad but if you spend a lot of money on solar and LI Batteries and get the Diesel Generator you may be OK. Or just find a full hookup and save some money?

[rprochnow]

We've found the 12 VDC refrigerator is worth the extra power consumption - cooling down faster at the beginning of a trip - and staying cold in the freezer and refrigerator.

The lithium batteries ensure you have enough power to last overnight - with power to spare to last into the next day.

With our 480W of solar panels, even if you can't fully recharge the batteries during the day, it should reduce the time required to run the generator during the day to recharge batteries before the night.

It was already a challenging weekend, getting Amazon to overnight us an ATS and then hunt for somewhere in Phoenix to install the ATS - would have much worse if we'd also been struggling to have enough power to keep the refrigerator running - and run the gas heater overnight...

[Elkman]

With the two 125AH Lithionics batteries the solar panels can do a much better job of compensating for the draw by the Norcold fridge than before with the two lead acid batteries from Winnebago. After 2 days of only having the fridge running and nothing else the lead acid would be at 50% SOC as compared to the same situation with the lithium phosphate which dropped to 80% SOC.

I did a test today and had the two lithium phosphate batteries at 80% SOC and then ran the Onan diesel generator. After 25 minutes the two batteries were at 99% SOC. So I can go twice as long before needing to run the generator and I can run it for less than a third the time needed for the lead acid batteries.

I had an RV with a 3-way fridge and a single 100 AH battery was enough to power the fridge and the furnace and the water pump and the TV and our two laptops with recharging entirely from two 100W solar panels. Runnng the propane cooktop and the furnace and the fridge required less than 1/3 lb of propane per day during the winter months and far less when the weather was warmer. I would never recommend a DC only fridge over a 3-way one.

Before a trip we would run the 3-way fridge using shore power overnight and then load it for our trip. No issues with getting the freezer at the right temperature in 12 hours time.

[Elkman]

Something to check on the 24D is the installation of the paper towel bar holders. On my 2021 Navion they were installed sideways and off by 90 degrees. I removed the holders and put in a spring loaded rod to get a better setup.


With the two factory installed Zamp panels I found that if I moved the port side one further forward (somebody was asleep at the factory) I had space for a $218 Grape 190W panel crossways and a $105 Renogy 100W panel forward of the port side Zamp panel that brought to total production to 490 Watts.

For now I am keeping the Zamp roof cap and the Zamp PWM charge controller. Would like to find a good way to install a Victron 100/50 MPPT controller but it is not a priority with all the other mods we are doing to get the Navion ready for the road.

[rprochnow]

Lichtsinn was able to install two residential style panels in addition to the stock 100W flex panels, bringing us to a total of 480W, within the specs for the Zamp ZS-30 controller.

We had discussed (and later decided against) adding a satellite dish onto the roof, and they weren't sure there would be enough room after adding the solar panels and the Wineguard WiFi booster.

If Winnebago has shifted to residential panels, away from the flex panels, wonder if there was a problem with either the panels or damage to the roof underneath, that caused them to make the change.

[crah]

Originally Posted by rprochnow

Lichtsinn was able to install two residential style panels in addition to the stock 100W flex panels, bringing us to a total of 480W, within the specs for the Zamp ZS-30 controller.

We had discussed (and later decided against) adding a satellite dish onto the roof, and they weren't sure there would be enough room after adding the solar panels and the Wineguard WiFi booster.

If Winnebago has shifted to residential panels, away from the flex panels, wonder if there was a problem with either the panels or damage to the roof underneath, that caused them to make the change.

I've seen many posts on the panels causing damage to the fiberglass (especially Leisure Travel Vans). And the flex panels definitely get roasting hot. I removed the factory 200 watts install (pain in the butt) and reinstalled with 3M VHB (no screws) as well as putting a layer of coroplast under the panel to dissipate the heat. It was a lot of work. If I had to do it again, I would use the hard panels with VHB tape and no screws.

[misteracng]

Originally Posted by crah

I've seen many posts on the panels causing damage to the fiberglass (especially Leisure Travel Vans). And the flex panels definitely get roasting hot. I removed the factory 200 watts install (pain in the butt) and reinstalled with 3M VHB (no screws) as well as putting a layer of coroplast under the panel to dissipate the heat. It was a lot of work. If I had to do it again, I would use the hard panels with VHB tape and no screws.

Reinstalling those flex panels does seem to be a pain. On mine, at least they went with hard panels on mounts, looks like a zamp kit. At least one small improvement winnebago made. I will go with the lithium batteries to run the fridge. I hear the LP fridge being great for low power consumption, but I did want the 12V fridge. It did sway be towards the view/navion vs some others. I like not having to worry about being level and simplicity compared to the LP fridge. It also just cools down so quickly. I have my RV stored where there is no power and its nice to to get going quickly and the fridge cooling down quickly. It would be hard in my situation to have to go and turn on the LP fridge overnight to get it ready to use.

[crah]

Originally Posted by misteracng

Reinstalling those flex panels does seem to be a pain. On mine, at least they went with hard panels on mounts, looks like a zamp kit. At least one small improvement winnebago made. I will go with the lithium batteries to run the fridge. I hear the LP fridge being great for low power consumption, but I did want the 12V fridge. It did sway be towards the view/navion vs some others. I like not having to worry about being level and simplicity compared to the LP fridge. It also just cools down so quickly. I have my RV stored where there is no power and its nice to to get going quickly and the fridge cooling down quickly. It would be hard in my situation to have to go and turn on the LP fridge overnight to get it ready to use.

The 12 volt fridge was a positive for me as well. Some hate it because it takes lots of power comapred to the propane fridge ( which it does) but I'm satisfied with its temperature performance compared to the propane fridge. I've never had a propane fridge do well in Vegas during the summer. You just have to make up for it with some better batteries, and upgrading solar or other method of recharging.

Many love the propane fridge and I'm sure it works fine for most.

[Elkman]

I would consider replace the Zamp flex panels with something like the Renogy 100W traditional panel that sells at Home Depot for $103 with free delivery to your house. I needed to relocate the incorrecly placed Obsidian panel on our Navion and put in 4 new feet to relocate it where it was aligned with the other Obsidian panel. It would have not been a problem had the installer at Winnebago read the Zamp mounting instructions which call for the feet to be located 10 inches in from the corners. The person at Winnebago put them right at the corners and so no adjustment was possible and so 4 new feet were needed. Sales at Winnebago were up 39% over the prior year and this has definitely impacted quality control at their factory.

[crah]

Originally Posted by Elkman

I would consider replace the Zamp flex panels with something like the Renogy 100W traditional panel that sells at Home Depot for $103 with free delivery to your house. I needed to relocate the incorrecly placed Obsidian panel on our Navion and put in 4 new feet to relocate it where it was aligned with the other Obsidian panel. It would have not been a problem had the installer at Winnebago read the Zamp mounting instructions which call for the feet to be located 10 inches in from the corners. The person at Winnebago put them right at the corners and so no adjustment was possible and so 4 new feet were needed. Sales at Winnebago were up 39% over the prior year and this has definitely impacted quality control at their factory.

I'v had (2) 100 watt Renogy traditional panels on my class B wired in series with a Renogy MPPT charge controller for the last 4 years. I have a Novakool DC only fridge in the Class B. I've never struggled with enough power on the class B. In the 2020 View with the stock charge controller and adding 200 watts more than stock panels, it seems the View struggles to keep up. I'm sure it's a combination of many things. 1. The flex panels are known for it's lesser performance. 2. The charge controller is a cheaper PWM controller. 3. The charge controller is located with a very long wire run to the batteries (and behing a 12 volt system, this even causes bigger problems). It's a shame, as these are all simple fixes that cold be done at the factory. Seems the marketing of solar and the upcharge they charge is not worth the price paid. I would rather have had the "prep" only done, but it came standard with the 200 watts. Good idea from Winnebago but poor execution. I hope they take that feedback and improve on future units as it would be a minimal cost on their end, with great reward for an owner.