Have you seen a channel called Nomadic Fanatic? He also has battleborn batteries, but has 1280 watts of solar on the roof and can run one roof AC for up to 6 hrs before having to turn on the engine or generator as long as there is good sun.
We could run our A/C for about 2 hours with our battery bank, but would need to install an additional component to do so. However, The 400 watts of solar we have would not be able replenish the energy draw from the batteries nearly as fast. Thanks for watching!
Just a tip they make a 390 watt house panei. It is 39 x 79 pretty big but awesome. I have one on my sprinter van and it runs my 5000btu. Your rig looks large enough to hold two of these panels. These panels are very durable and although made to go on a house roof they are better than those 100 watt renogy panels. I upgraded my one 340 watt panel to the 390watt one and couldnt be more happier. I only travel 3 months during the summer and boondock with no problem with this panel last year, i have a roof rack on my van so the panel is tied to the roof rack and no holes in the roof.
Btw Santan Solar is somewhere in Arizona so maybe you can checked them out if you have time while your there. I bought my panel from someone who sells them here in Sarasota. It was less than $200.
Great video Brian, we have done some of the same upgrades on our fifth wheel. Our 4 battleborns and victron inverter set up are on the way, hopefully my sons will help me with the install for Father’s Day. Larry
I didn't see you mention anything about a dc to dc charger, the altenator charge to the lithium. I have seen that you may need to install one to protect the alternator as the lithium can put a large draw on it. any comment? additionally, I am happy to have come across your channel as the information you have provided here and other is very useful to us. We subscribed and will be benefiting from your experience and advice. we just sold our house and go full time in our Thor Vegas Sept, been preparing for 6 months now. thanks, and best wishes, Dave and Julie.
Hi Dave and Julie! You can use a DC/DC charger or a LBIM (Lithium Battery Isolation Manager) with lithium batteries. Since we have solar, I asked BattleBorn about installing a LBIM. Their advice was that I wouldn't need one unless we drove with the batteries in a low state of charge which would put a large draw on the alternator. As long as the batteries are kept nearly full (prior to driving) from the solar system there really is no need for a LBIM either The Lithium Battery Isolation Manager monitors voltage and connects batteries when needed. Under normal charging conditions, the LBIM will connect for 15 minutes every 35 minutes. That means that the LBIM will connect for 15 minutes, disconnect for 20 minutes, and repeat this cycle until the coach battery is charged. If the coach battery resting voltage exceeds 13.4 V then the LBIM will disconnect. A resting voltage greater than 13.4 V indicates a fully charged battery. Note that “resting voltage” means that no current is flowing to the coach battery. The LBIM will disconnect if the alternator voltage exceeds 14.4 V. This protects the coach battery from over charging. The LiFePO4 Battery Isolation Manager will disconnect if the voltage difference between the alternator and the coach battery is less than 0.1 V. If the voltage difference is too low, then there is a negligible charging current, and no need to connect to the coach battery. The LBIM will disconnect if the alternator voltage drops below 13.3 V. If the alternator voltage is too low, then it cannot adequately charge the coach battery, so there is no reason to connect. Thanks for watching and good luck!
Mike Clewis Hi Mike. We didn’t mention the Banks system because it was already installed when we bought the coach. The previous owner said there was a noticeable difference in power and performance after it was installed. The system he had installed is the Banks PowerPack system with a programmer. Cost is around $4000 installed. www.bankspowerproducts.com/Banks-Power-49494-PowerPack-System-p/49494.html. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for all the great info. Regarding your cell booster..how do your phone and the router talk to teach other? Do you have to use a hotspot from your phone? Or is there a way to use your internet without a hot spot? Our Verizon plan has unlimited for the phones but not for the hot spots... I am trying to figure out how. To use my signal from my phone w/o using the hot spot feature.
Think of a cellular modem as a cell phone, except you can connect many devices to it and it is much more powerful. Cellular modems have own SIM card and service plan just like a cell phone. The booster we use is only for the cell modem and cannot be used by a cell phone or hot spot device. There are specific boosters available for those devices. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
hey, my wife and I are seriously thinking about going full-time and we've been doing a lot of research. Videos like this are extremely helpful thank you so much and keep up the awesome work!
Excellent! There are a lot of nice ones out there. If you go with a used one I would highly recommend getting it inspected by a qualified RV inspector.
You guys are awesome. Thanks so much for the shout out and I'm so glad to hear that the inverter is doing well for you guys. Victron equipment is amazing. Looking forward to maybe seeing you guys again this winter out in the Q. Safe Travels
We definitely like it. I had to do some minor reprogramming so that it and our genny would play nice together. Other than that it performs flawlessly. Thanks again for your help. Safe travels!
Hi Kim. Solar panels are built to withstand some pretty harsh pounding. So far so good for ours, but then again we’ve only experienced marble sized hail.
Greetings, Wow ! a plethora of information, bundled perfectly. This ol' man even went to school. Great informative video. Keep up the great work ! and... Happy Trails.. Larry @ Tonopah R.V.
We are looking to install the similar setup as your solar and batteries. I have a 100/50 victron solar charge controller and plan to install 4 100 amp hour battle borns, a victron 3000watt inverter charger, victron battery monitor, a lithium converter charger and 7 100 watt panels. I expect that we will have to spend between $7000 and $8000 probably more depending on installation fees.
Very cool! I was able to install everything myself except for the Inverter, so we saved a ton on installation fees. Probably could have researched how to do it, but the installer only charged me $150! Materials were about $60. Thanks for watching!
Hi Deana and Duane! Thanks for stopping by. We pretty much have it dialed in with the possible exception of 400 more watts of solar. All is well here. Safe travels!
Hi Jerry. It is the first item in the RV Upgrades & Equipment page of our store. We would provide a direct link, but that is a violation of Amazon''s terms for us to do so. Sorry.
Thanks for asking. The modem and booster are in our Amazon Store. www.amazon.com/shop/lyfuninterrupted. As for provider, we have an AT&T unlimited data plan that has been discontinued, but we are grandfathered in. Our recommendation would be to go with AT&T as the coverage is excellent across the US. At least as of today. LOL! Hope this helps.
And another $10,000 for an engine rebuild! Sure is easy to drop cash in a boat or RV. Excellent tips and safety/convenience upgrades. Surprized that 400 watts of solar is enough. Most people need closer to 800 watts. And I really like your composting toilet upgrade.
Hi Jim! UGH! The engine rebuild was not fun that's for sure, but it's running like a top. 400 watts is fine in mostly sunny climates, but not so good in cloudy or rainy climates for days on end. Luckily our generator helps when needed. Thanks for watching!
We bought our class c in 9/2019 and used it once winterized in 10/2019, so we have no RV experience (we have pop-up experience though). So being so new to having a self-contained unit I have a (dumb) question....the pedestal table-like thing on the front right, what is that? Our unit has one and we don’t know what it is...don’t laugh 🤔. Thanks for a very informative video.
Hi Diana! Sorry, but we’re not sure the “pedestal-table like thing” you’re referring to. You can send us a phot of yours so we can see what your referring to. lyfuninterrupted@gmail.com. Thanks!
What it takes to get VHB tape to fail: use only a few square inches on glass in the sun, holding a light weight subject to constant but light lifting force.
Do you have any independent test data contrary to 3M test data? Have you used VHB tape? Do you have any practical experience or knowledge about the product, or are you just offering an opinion? I can provide the 3M data if you need it.
@@LyfUninterrupted Hi -- data no, experience yes. First, opinion: VHB tape is an excellent product. I have used it to help attach a 30lb LFP battery to a sheet metal mounting plate and the attachment is virtually permanent. But I tried using about 3-4 sq in on a south-facing window to help keep a suction cup holding a lightweight signboard in place. Additionally, the glass surface has a tinted film coating. Adhesion was gradually lost, even though the tape remains tacky -- most likely due to the film coating. Even a metalized HVAC tape rated to 400 plus degrees F doesn't like this surface much, but it has not failed. Though your roof is undoubtedly hot at times, I suspect there is not a continuous lateral force on the panels sufficient to overcome what is undoubtedly a fairly large surface area bond at the points of attachment.
Thanks for the info. I chose 4950 as it provides excellent sheer strength. Each panel has 3 inches of tape per (4) bracket then each bracket is covered with Dicor sealant. I suspect wind loads are relatively light since I limit speed to about 63 mph. Would be interesting to see what the true loads are on the panels though.
We have an AT&T unlimited data plan for $35 a month. It’s a plan that is no longer offered but we are grandfathered in. Not sure how long that will last. Thanks for watching! How have your travels been going?
Most of the items highlighted this video, including the LED light, are available in our Amazon Store. www.amazon.com/shop/lyfuninterrupted. Thanks for watching!
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