Could you just rewire your inverters so you can just use one inverter while on a 15 amp shore power or use some kind of transfer switch? Sounds pretty complicated but you have a good understanding on how things work.
That would completely defeat the purpose of this setup. Not all that worried about it. Just clearing the air from all the previous comments and suggestions I received.
Good video! I was actually half way through suggesting to get one of their smaller separate chargers for when you are mooch docking. Thankfully our Quattro's can go down to 13.5 amps so that totally works for us, I just set my input limiter and automagically turns a mooch docking situation into full-blown 50amp split phase service basically. Only took me over a year to figure it all out! Victron has some serious work they need to do with prioritizing Solar over Grid, it should just be right in the Cerbo GX an option to use the Shunt for battery SoC, along with the current limiter right there. I.E. Set 80% battery for the daytime, 50% battery for quiet hours beep-bop-boop DONE. Power assist is one of the main attractions to Victron and it would work perfectly like this. During the day, too much solar, battery is at 100% and they are in inverter mode, unless hit overload or overheat then start pulling some power from shore. I don't understand why it's that hard for Victron to figure that out, but it is WAY too complicated to get this stuff just right. There is multiple workarounds, the easy one for you IMO is using 2 wires from the Cerbo GX running to the inverter/charger and then "generator autostart' options to easily turn on and off the relay, which turn shore power in the Multiplus/Quattro based on multiple conditions, but that doesn't work for someone like me with an autostart genny setup.
We are totally the Loud ones sometimes! Not intentionally disrupting other people, but if someone comes over to talk face to face, we 100% appreciate that. Tell me what is a reasonable volume for the surround sound and we will get along just fine. If you guys go to bed at 6pm, I get it, just let me know and we wont work on anything or jam out after that ya know? The RV community is great and we all live WAY too close to each other ;)
It works! Thank you! I like this method just in case it fails on a trip you can just plug back your wires . I Got a cheapo with no instructions... 😂. Works with my 2500W inverter generator.
Wish there were more resources for people wanting REAL solar power on RV. I’ve spent almost $24k at 4 shops (plus many mobile RV techs) trying to get a REAL solar power system to work, but still can’t get REAL power. * 12v Battleborn Lithium Gamechanger batteries 270ah each, x4 (total of 1,080 ah battery bank) * 2 inverters/chargers: Victron 3,000w * 2 solar controllers; Victron 100 | 50 * 1,600 watts of solar panels The RV shops know how to sell and know how to hook things up (kind of) but they’ve never actually walked the walk and tried boondocking themselves on with a REAL setup so they only know what the books tell them and hope stuff actually works (or does not) in the field. I’ve had every problem in the book; generator /victron inverter-charger randomly wont charge batteries for hours on end. Gfi outlets pop every time inverter or generator kicks on, batteries never fully charge, etc. Victron won’t help, and Battleborn is limited in help they can provide. 4 shops in 3 western states have built this system, and we still cannot get it to function anywhere near how it should; and no one will help. They all just want their $225/hr to hook it up then they kick you to the curb. It’s up to you to figure it all out and get it to work right and fix any issues. In wish i could start all over. I would’ve gone 24v probably and tried to find s good group to connect with (instead of letting Battleborn sell me some batteries and other stuff then every shop selling me their stuff and ideas). I like your monitor screen on your wall, showing battery percentage and power source. Where can i get that and is it easy to install? Also, your Victron phone app looks much better than mine (less confusing). Are their different Victron apps? Lastly, is there a one stop shop for simple tutorials on how to read and use the app? Victron’s website is info overload and creates more questions than answers. Thanks for your video. You make it look so seamless and simple.
Look up "Terminal Fuse" Blue Sea makes some that are like 30 bucks, some other cheaper brands as well. I would consider putting one directly on each battery, or maybe just one directly on the lynx power-in where the 4/0 goes to the main disconnect...
@@robertnasser9937 one is a Lynx Distributor 1000 with mega fuse holder and the other is a Victron Energy Lynx Power In Battery Connector which is basically a bus bar with no fuse holders.
There’s a glitch that causes your AC loads to read incorrectly. The fix we’ve been informed to use is to take an audio headphone plug and insert it into the current sensor port a few times and it resets this. It worked for us.
I think your batteries got warm while you were charging them is because you have a 24v system with pre-made batteries with BMSs inside. Our 48v system uses 1/2 the amperage for the same wattage, so our 320ah 48v (16.4kwh) battery never gets warm. We built our battery with prismatic cells and a 200a BMS that is on the side of our cells, not sealed up inside a battery box with the cells, which allows any heat generated by the BMS to dissipate, extending its life too - though the most current we ever see going through the BMS is around 75 amps.
victron charge controllers only need 4v above battery voltage to charge currently running 2 arrays on my rv one runs at 90v the other at 110v no problem at all. *I am running a 48v system that small wire is nice and easy to work with.
… and performing flawlessly, have seen so many tear downs with of over priced batteries with same exact cells and similar if not same BMS. Battle Born would have cost over $14,000 for the same amount of power and these cost me $4,000. Thats just stupid waste of money, with the money I saved on Batteries it paid for the rest of the entire system. Have had a generic lithium for my 36v trolling motor for year and that thing takes a beating in the chop offshore. To each his own 👍, thanks for watching.
@@saltytrips We have been running 4x 12v 300ah Ampere Time in series to make a 48v300ah bank. Bought the batteries in August 2021 and still running strong! Just have to make sure not to charge them below freezing. Our last capacity test came in at like 90%-95% of advertised when brand new! We can run all 3 rooftop A/C, a portable A/C, plus microwave and more (BMS finally shut down at like 250amps). I've been very impressed so far, though I cringe a bit seeing the price now being almost half of what we paid.
Another thing you can try is to look at your vents on each end of the trailer. I looked at mine and the duct work ran 2 to 3 feet past them crating a dead air area, so I just cut out 7-1/2" pieces of pipe insulation and stuffed on the back side of those vents. I can actually feel the air coming out the back side of the vents on each end now!
One suggestion. Having the equal length battery cables is important. However, with your current hook up, you will still get unequal draw on your batteries. The battery closest to the OO cables connection on your Victron Linx power in is going to work harder than the battery next in line. This will be true of each battery in the bank. The remedy would to be connect the positive and the negative cables to opposite ends of the Linx. One on the right and the other on the left. That makes the draw on each battery equal. If neither of your OO are long enough to reach the other side, you can reverse the order that your negative battery cables are connected to the negative busbar and accomplish the same thing. Under most conditions it probably won’t matter much but under heavy draw cycles it could make a difference.
I thought of that but I checked all the cables under load with my clamp meter and they were all pretty close in amperage reading, wasn’t enough deviation to worry about it. It stays in absorption mode plenty long enough for them to even out quite well so far. I’ll keep check and if I notice any deviations I’ll probably rearrange the wires.
One suggestion. Having the equal length battery cables is important. However, with your current hook up, you will still get unequal draw on your batteries. The battery closest to the OO cables connection on your Victron Linx power in is going to work harder than the battery next in line. This will be true of each battery in the bank. The remedy would to be connect the positive and the negative cables to opposite ends of the Linx. One on the right and the other on the left. That makes the draw on each battery equal. If neither of your OO are long enough to reach the other side, you can reverse the order that your negative battery cables are connected to the negative busbar and accomplish the same thing. Under most conditions it probably won’t matter much but under heavy draw cycles it could make a difference.
In theory I would agree that it would be best practice to alternate them. However the Lynx uses a 1.5/.25" copper bus bar. The resistance in that bar is only 21 Microohms per foot. The variation in crimps and the bolted connections is going to be pretty close to that much resistance.
I now have 8 525 watt Bifacial panels and 230ah 48v.Still not enough to run 1 AC all night. Kinda though. It will recharge 200ah discharge and run 1 ac during day.By 6-7 I’m minus 9-10ah.Longest sunny day was just a few days ago.Solas? So days getting shorter now! A mini split will help me when I find the time. 24k btu usises 1500 watts plus inverter,100 watts ,240v. From 6k split phase inverter. Thinking about a 48v 314 ah bat bank to add to the 230ah 48v system.But there’s no way pv will charge both in a day,period ! My whole roof plus over hanging rear ramp is covered with panels. In a few weeks I’ll see how long it takes to recharge from 240v generator.😊
With our four 24v 200ah batteries (20,400wh) we can easily run both AC through the night here during the florida summer. Mini splits are definitely a good option, if our AC ever dies we’ll look into getting one. Good luck with your build, let us know how it goes.
@@saltytrips 11776wh here 48v will kick it down to 68* in Florida from about 7pm to 11pm then shut off and will rise to 78* in morning and have used 200ah of 230ah.Operating one 15k btu roof top ac in 36 footer toy hauler. I have a 6k watt 120/240 inverter that puts out 3k watts at 120v ac only using one leg.That’s why I can only run one ac. 3675 watts of panels on roof for that 48v and 525 watt for 12v battery that runs lights and refrigeration. My plan was to put a 240v mini split in this year.Maybe 18-24k btu 240v. And an other battery bank of 314ah 48v bank next month. One of the 8 525 panels charges from the house 30 amp converter.The other seven 525 watt panels charges the 48v bat bank. 1 charger controller for 525 watt pv for 12v 100ah bat for fridge. 1 charge controller for 2s2p pv = 2100 watts for 48v bank 1 charge controller for 3s pv = 1575 watts for 48v bank. I might turn 3s into 2s2p and just charge the 12v from 48v because the 12v is fully charged by 10am. Dang that was a lot to write lol have a good day n see yah sometime and I’ll show yah how to eat a fish lol
What you need is a high-efficiency mini split. It makes all the difference. I only use about 32ah (at 48v) to run my 12k btu EG-4 28.5 SEER-2 heat pump all night when we're asleep (from midnight to 8am). We keep the thermostat set at 72. When the sun goes down, my 16.4 kwh battery is almost always at 100%. So, from about 6pm to midnight (about 6 hrs), my 320ah battery usually drops about 10-12% running my heat pump, big screen TV, computer, etc., This means I use a total of 65-70ah from sundown to sun-up. If it's real hot and I need to run both my roof mounted 14.5k Furrion a/c and my heat pump during this time, my battery can drop down to 70%. The lowest I've ever had it was 66% one time when it wasn't topped off when the sun went down, due to overcast skies and high heat in Yuma. I have 8, 550w panels mounted 15" off the roof of our 35' MH, which give us a nice shade. We use an all-in-one Sungold power 5,000w inverter/100a charge controller/battery charger, for reference. Btw, my MH is well insulated and has dual pane windows, which helps a lot. If you have a big fiver or toy hauler with only moderate insulation, and a kid or two, you'll use a lot more power than we do. BTW, my 28.5 SEER EG-4 mini split is on sale now at Signature Solar for $1,350. I paid $1,500 for mine last November.
@@SuperSushidog if our rear AC dies definitely thinking about replacing with MiniSplit, but its working great right now so can’t justify throwing it away but Mini split is definitely on our radar
@@SuperSushidog Looking at a 38 seer 9k. Or 30 seer 12k btu units.For night time use.Use roof tops during the day while the sun runs it. Thanks for info I took a screen shot for future reference. I also have 8 525 watt Bifacial panels over roof top AC’s.
I cut my shore cord and wired into the inverter (90lbs); with electric heat I only draw 2300w through the rv electrical when the microwave is on. Good thing you did not buy lead carbons, 4 batteries 12kw and 800lbs w cable. A 12v460A for the rv battery is an easy swap 5.5kw.With 2 inverters should be enough pv input to vastly expand. Maybe glue down flexible panels on top of the slides, make sure the wire is inside the seal when extended. I am buying 600-watt panels for $200 CAD 93"x44" maybe more power per sq/ft?.
Show me a pic of flex panels going under a slide seal? I taped into shore power with cut off switch for inverter to run rv.Switch for shore or inverter option.
@@2hotscottpro was just a thought , unknown to me when I put my slide out first time there was a disposable camera on top of the slide, it ended up outside ripping a small hole in the rubber, was over and 1" thick so I figured a slim panel would fit.
@@bobmonztrI tapped into shore line where it came in.Very close where I put inverter.Just T’D off.Simple for me but not in all rv’s.Thanks for commenting.I like this Chanel.
I recommend not using the in line watchdog ems, I just installed that on my friend's parallel system and the watchdog doesn't play well with the victron inverters. The error code was the RV didn't have a neutral. We double checked the connections, and had others double check the connections, and nothing we did removed the error code. We were able to use 30 amp power, but with 50 amp it was not working at all. My friend did eventually buy a different EMS Surge protector and it worked great. It's something with the hughes power watchdog in line EMS Surge protectors that is having issues.
Love your channel. Great breakdown on what you have done and what you are looking at in the future. At some point, I think you are stepping on a dollar to pick up a dime? I know you are concerned about the pups, I am as well. I am also concerned about the pin weight with everything you added. Not sure how much you have spent but?, how long will it take to recoup your investment? Trailers are not like houses and at some point they really start to degrade. Once again, I love your channel and watch everything you post.
This is not a financial investment, this is an investment in adventure and life experiences without having to sacrifice how we live inside the RV no matter where we go. If they trailer begins to degrade, we can easily get a new one and move this whole system over to it.
Huh? I’ve seen 20 year old rv’s still rocking with maintenance. Heck most places cut off 10 year old Prevost ($MILLION BUCKS) let alone a tow or 5’er! Grasshopper you will learn lol Wax on wax off hahahha
Victron inverters require a minimum pf 4 inches between inverters to prevent overheating. could be a problem in the making in the summer months! an expensive one.!!😉
Says it needs the gap for ventilation, theres no vents on the side, air flows out the top just fine. We’ve been running them both hard through this Florida summer and they barely get warm. Zero issues, one of the reasons we went 24v. 😉😉
I didn’t even know you can get enough 250 with anything smaller than 373s, what I tow 12,000 pounds with 355s, no way I see you’re doing it but boy I would get the 430s or the 373 at the very least but great video thank you
The 10 speed transmission makes the lower gear pretty much irrelevant once you’re moving but it definitely does not struggle to get up to highway speeds at all.
I was looking at Nate's (Explorist Life) multi-splitter box and yours is basically the same setup - the only difference being his has breakers and yours has fuses/jumpers... So, technically you could use Power Assist with your setup. If the neutral overloads, it just blows the corresponding fuse/jumper... Unless I'm missing something? If so, please let me know. I'm thinking of the same setup you have here and can't afford Nate's setup. Two of his boxes (required for this setup) runs $700 !!! That's way out of my budget.
The jumpers are not fuses, they just combines flow to the two Dinkle connectors. Like I said at the end, you can use with power assist just don’t exceed the neutrals 50 amp rating. Keep your draw under 6,000 watts and shouldn’t have any issue.
Great video! this information was super helpful, and I considered internet like T-Mobile and Starlink, but the costs and connectivity drove me away. I'm a full time RVer and I use HomeFi. Its been the best for me, and its download and upload speeds have been great due to the strong signal! It has been affordable and reliable, and has great customer service too!
I actually have a video coming out soon discussing 12v vs 24v vs 48v. Two of the main reason is they don’t make the 48v in the 2 x 120 configuration and the solar has to run at high voltage to charge the banks.
Great informative video, i like the tailgate air strut, i have always worried about grandkids playing the the truck bed, my fear is that they will open the tailgate and let it slam down on my youngest granddaughters head severely injuring her, i alway jump out and lock the tailgate this will be my backup plan if i forget to lock it, thanks for the ideal. Must be my day ford ford truck videos i just watched a u-tube videp where you can store extra supplies and tools behind the rear seat.
I get thatost camp griddles will be used for the season and then stored, most people would ruin the rolled steel seasoning, but the non-stick coated aluminum really ruins this for me.
Great video, nice system. BattleBorn Batteries are very expensive for what you get, to many other options. We are planking on doing a similar system. Safe travels
We’ve upgraded a lot sense this video, you can check em out here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HmhbyLoQnng.htmlsi=i_M0n8Dk3ThR4tzF And our solar install here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sUMpSowNvSk.htmlsi=d7iDtEgvcAgiaHpO
