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03-13-2018, 08:51 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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5th Wheel Solar Planning...
I'm starting to lay down plans for my 5th solar package.
Here's what I have currently.
2x 6 volt batteries (likely to be replaced)
1x Zamp 160 watt panel
1x Zamp Controller (to be replaced)
I think what I'm wondering first are the following couple of questions.
Can I get away with 2x 6 volt Crown or should I try to squeeze 4.
Can I reuse my Zamp Panel?
Can I get away with 3 160w-180w panels total?
Additional Equipment =
1x TM2030A
1x ??Trimark Charge Controller
I figure in order to make this work, I'll need a new hole on my roof instead of using the Zamp collector, which has a 10 gauge wire running from the very front of the 5rv alllllll the way to my panels and buttons at the door, and then 10 gauge to battery compartment. I'm thinking new junction box, 8 gauge (6??) wire straight down to the storage to hit the charge controller, and then a short jump to the batteries through the storage bay wall.
I don't have an actual number on our usage as the unit is new to us... but I would place us in the moderate to moderate-heavy use category.
1x CPAP all night, some TV on some evenings, some TV on some days, some DVD use, Norcold 1210, We've lived without a microwave at home for years, although I've considered an inverter .. now that we have the baby that might be handy. Lots of laptop x2 use because we work, cell phone charging. We have a coffee maker, lights.. things like this. Nothing too crazy. We have a couple of car style inverters we can use if we do not install a full size inverter.
We boondock maybe 20% or less of our traveling days.
Open to any and all thoughts. Would like to accomplish this shortly and would prefer self install if I can manage it. If I can get this done before our 2 month trip july thru sept, that would be awesome.
I've poured all over handybob now for weeks. But he uses a lot of words.. I'm ready to condense in actionable items.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-13-2018, 09:20 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 2,009
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Plas....
Oops forgot to attach pic...
I bought this from Amazon for my CPAP...lasts two full nights except you have to shut your humidifier off to conserve bat life. Works awesome...would buy again...about the size of a dozen golf ball box...little thicker...very pleased. You'll have to buy the 12 adapter also for your machine...charges cell phone over 15 times...ipad 5 times...won't be disappointed. I paid about $95 from Amazon Prime and got free case which is nice...bought during Christmas Sale. This may solve one of your problems. Please keep me posted on your progress as DW and I will be Full Time by June 1 this year...both retiring end of April.
Also looking seriously at Northwoods OR ORV Fiver...not sure yet.
All the best...
__________________
Mike, Betty & Sophie (Guard Cat)
Full Timers from the Great Lakes State of Michigan
2013 Silverado 3500HD Duramax Diesel & 2013 Cedar Creek Silverback
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03-13-2018, 09:29 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oroville, CA
Posts: 3,133
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The more batteries, the better. Solar is only a battery charger. Use #6 between roof and controller, mount controller close to batteries. Priority is battery capacity. Might not even need solar. LED lights in 5ver? Honda 2000i generator to charge batts instead of solar? Just sayin!
__________________
Bill, Kathi and Zorro; '05 Beaver Patriot Thunder
2012 Sunnybrook Harmony 21FBS (SQEZINN)
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
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03-13-2018, 02:53 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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well i have an onboard onan 5500, but I know it's going to suck propane like crazy, so in my estimation, the onan is an road stop A/C operating device.
I would like to be able to keep my single zamp panel, from what I understand, the wires in the connector are backwards or something like that.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-13-2018, 02:55 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wundertaker
Plas....
Oops forgot to attach pic...
I bought this from Amazon for my CPAP...lasts two full nights except you have to shut your humidifier off to conserve bat life. Works awesome...would buy again...about the size of a dozen golf ball box...little thicker...very pleased. You'll have to buy the 12 adapter also for your machine...charges cell phone over 15 times...ipad 5 times...won't be disappointed. I paid about $95 from Amazon Prime and got free case which is nice...bought during Christmas Sale. This may solve one of your problems. Please keep me posted on your progress as DW and I will be Full Time by June 1 this year...both retiring end of April.
Also looking seriously at Northwoods OR ORV Fiver...not sure yet.
All the best...
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I dunno if I could live without my humidifier.. maybe. The dealer was kind enough to rig me up a 12 volt cigarette style plug near the bed that goes directly to my battery bank on board. And I need that 12 volt power brink to complete that circuit.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-13-2018, 03:34 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Denver
Posts: 818
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasma800
well i have an onboard onan 5500, but I know it's going to suck propane like crazy, so in my estimation, the onan is an road stop A/C operating device.
I would like to be able to keep my single zamp panel, from what I understand, the wires in the connector are backwards or something like that.
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Still plus and minus, you need to get a roof box and a couple dist. posts and either parallel all of them or series anyway, so put MC4s on the Zamp with the correct polarity and away you go. The Zamp panels are good, it's the cheesy connectors that are the problem.
Parallel or series is a big topic, read up and decide.
__________________
2017 WGO Fuse
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03-13-2018, 04:15 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 2,009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by plasma800
I dunno if I could live without my humidifier.. maybe. The dealer was kind enough to rig me up a 12 volt cigarette style plug near the bed that goes directly to my battery bank on board. And I need that 12 volt power brink to complete that circuit.
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You'd still have the water benefit...it just wouldn't be heated... no biggy!
__________________
Mike, Betty & Sophie (Guard Cat)
Full Timers from the Great Lakes State of Michigan
2013 Silverado 3500HD Duramax Diesel & 2013 Cedar Creek Silverback
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03-13-2018, 06:27 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by garbonz
Still plus and minus, you need to get a roof box and a couple dist. posts and either parallel all of them or series anyway, so put MC4s on the Zamp with the correct polarity and away you go. The Zamp panels are good, it's the cheesy connectors that are the problem.
Parallel or series is a big topic, read up and decide.
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can you point me in the direction of a roof box and posts?
How does one decide which is better.. in series or in parallel?
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-13-2018, 06:28 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-14-2018, 09:18 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Ok so where do I even start... I know the basics, but I once we get to the very details, I get confused.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-14-2018, 11:25 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 2,009
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Plasma.... If you only dry camp 20% of the time, why do you need so much Solar? Seems like a small 2000 watt genny would be the ticket for charging as long as you have a "good set of Batts in your Bank"!
Jus' curious...
__________________
Mike, Betty & Sophie (Guard Cat)
Full Timers from the Great Lakes State of Michigan
2013 Silverado 3500HD Duramax Diesel & 2013 Cedar Creek Silverback
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03-14-2018, 04:32 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wundertaker
Plasma.... If you only dry camp 20% of the time, why do you need so much Solar? Seems like a small 2000 watt genny would be the ticket for charging as long as you have a "good set of Batts in your Bank"!
Jus' curious...
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Why not? Plus I don't want to burn all of my propane running the genset. I mean, i have the genset on board, but I would love to be able to pull off the beaten path at a moments notice without having to worry about it.
Plus, I can't help but tinker with stuff... man I swear, if it weren't for tinkering, I don't know what I would do with my life.
Regardless, I truly feel all I need is a smallish system to cover my needs. A quality controller, 3 - 4 panels, good batteries, right setup. bang, done for ever.
You're probably right though, with 4 quality batteries and full propane tanks... plus my existing zamp panel and gen set.. I bet I could set out in the boondocking for a good 4 to 5 days and not have any issues.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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03-14-2018, 07:52 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 558
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To start add 2 more generic 6v (there is a right/wrong way to add a battery string) batteries. These will last you 3-4 years while you learn.
Pick up a good battery hydrometer. Use it to compare SOC to the battery voltage.
Add a battery monitor. Trimetric or Magnum/Victron that can be upgraded to a battery/inverter(pass through)/ MPPT solar system.
Use the trailer, record the monitor data, empty the propane tanks (even carry an extra tank) and in the fall you'll know ALLOT more.
At that time you can consider all you options even a 24V battery bank and a DC-DC converter.
In the mean time if you want pick up some portable panels. These are always useful.
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03-14-2018, 09:14 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 4,580
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ALLOY
To start add 2 more generic 6v (there is a right/wrong way to add a battery string) batteries. These will last you 3-4 years while you learn.
Pick up a good battery hydrometer. Use it to compare SOC to the battery voltage.
Add a battery monitor. Trimetric or Magnum/Victron that can be upgraded to a battery/inverter(pass through)/ MPPT solar system.
Use the trailer, record the monitor data, empty the propane tanks (even carry an extra tank) and in the fall you'll know ALLOT more.
At that time you can consider all you options even a 24V battery bank and a DC-DC converter.
In the mean time if you want pick up some portable panels. These are always useful.
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Point me.. TM2030?
Also, the current batteries don't open.. maint free of some sort and a brand I've never heard of.. but no water door that's for sure.
__________________
RVM#78 - -USAF- F-15 Eagle Radar Vet
'5 Fleetwood Revolution- '15 Airstream Intl Sig. 27FB
Jay, Andrea, Stella '14 Ram 3500 Aisin '18 ORV F30RLS
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