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03-09-2019, 05:19 PM #1
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260RD dual battery install and solar "upgrade"
Haven't even spent a night in the new camper yet but already upgrading things. We have some land in the mountains of CO that is way off grid, so we will primarily be boondocking up there and want to make our camper more capable of longer trips. We're far enough away from neighbors that we can just run a generator and nobody will hear it, but I'll hear it, and I love the peace and quiet of being in the middle of freaking nowhere.
So we got a 2nd group 27 battery from the dealer when we picked up the camper. Ordered some stuff from Amazon, found some stuff locally, and a trip to Harbor Freight. We got the new-ish 100w solar panel kit from HF and plan to use that while we're up at the land to keep our batteries to topped off. I ordered the plug to make it adapt to the Furrion plug on the front of the coach as well. I haven't done this part yet, but I'm going to wire it so it goes panels - Furrion Plug - Charge Controller - Batteries. This way I can keep the charge controller out of the weather and nice and cozy in the front storage area. The wiring harness for the panels will plug right into the camper (with a little soldering) and everything should be hunky dory.
As for the battery, I know people have ordered the matching parts for the factory battery tray and hooked thing up that way, and I love the cleanliness of the install, but I'd rather just DIY it. I got a couple Group 27 boxes (unfortunately one from Amazon and one locally so they don't match) and mounted them to some OSB I had laying around. I cut the OSB to fit the depth of the front storage area and also added a control panel of sorts to the front of it. This houses the HF charge controller and a real battery disconnect switch. I didn't like that the factory batt disco still left some stuff hooked up. I get why it's that way, but I want it completely disconnected. The switch I originally ordered wasn't what I ended up wanting so I have more of a flush mount style on the way.
To vent the marine boxes I taped off one of the vent holes, and drilled the other out with 1 1/2" hole saw. Then using various fittings from Home Depot, a 90 off each box and a T, I'll connect it into the factory vent hose. I know they're supposed to be "sealed" but if the gas is lighter than air it should be just fine. And the lack of a true seal from where the cables come in should provide some replacement air to help the gasses move on out the hose. The flange off the box has a small (1/16" maybe) lip on it, so I spread some RTV on top and bottom make sure it gets a good seal.
Once I get it positioned in there where I like, I'll drill some holes through the OSB and the floor of the storage area and bolt it down. I'll probably leave the bottom half of the factory box in place as that's the easiest thing to close off that opening. If I end up liking the layout and how it all works, I'll pull it back out and paint all the wood black, but that's just another item on a to-do list that is way too long.
This is the current state of the project, waiting for the RTV to cure so I can attach the soft lines to the plastic fittings and test fit everything.
Last edited by BigDaveZJ; 03-10-2019 at 01:00 PM.
2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-09-2019, 05:38 PM #2
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- Dec 2017
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- NW Florida
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Dave,
Your post caught my attention as I'm knee-deep in my own project right now. I hope you don't mind if I comment?
How are you going to monitor the battery's state of charge? As I understand the interaction of the components, the solar controller won't perform this function (I could be wrong).
What I'm suggesting is something like the Victron BMV-712. It was recommended to me by a very reputable forum member. (I have one ready to install in my system.) It would be very easy to incorporate into your setup to ensure you don't mistakenly over-discharge your batteries. There's lots of info on the device on YouTube.
Food for thought...
-Howard
P.S. Chuckled at the opening line in your post: Haven't even spent a night in the new camper yet but already upgrading things. I see someone just like that every time I pass a mirror...2017 Ford F-350 DRW 6.7L Platinum
2019 315RLTS (purchased 16 Jul 18 from Campers Inn RV in Byron, GA)
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03-09-2019, 05:47 PM #3
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Dont have a real good way of monitoring how charged the battery is at this point. I will probably add some additional monitoring capabilities down the road. I have a Yamaha 2000w generator from our old TT as a backup, and have a bit of a baseline of how long my batteries will last from the old camper. I think the solar will keep them topped off during the day, our land is a 9500' and there is a LOT of sun up there. And we really dont use much electricity.
As for modding things, between DW and I we have 5 cars (4 of them are "mine") and every one of them is modified to some extent so it's kind of a thing at our house lol.
Sent from my SM-G955U using TapatalkLast edited by BigDaveZJ; 03-09-2019 at 05:55 PM.
2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-09-2019, 05:47 PM #4
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Dave
Great write up on a great project.
I am interested in a report on how well this all works, especially the HF solar panel set up, I was thinking of purchasing one of these as well.
Thanks
Brian
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03-09-2019, 05:55 PM #5
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The panel kit is on sale for $149 this weekend! I stopped in a few weeks ago and got it for $159 with the 20% coupon. Most people have had good luck with it from what I've been reading. If it lasts me 3-5 years I'll be happy as we'll have a full solar array up on our land by then for the cabin we're going to build.
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-09-2019, 06:13 PM #6
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I wish there was an easy way to store the solar panels in the front area too. I probably could make some shelves for them, but then I'd have to put the generator somewhere else.
Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-09-2019, 07:26 PM #7
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Maybe a couple brackets on the ceiling of the pass thru if you have room.
Brian
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03-09-2019, 09:46 PM #8
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2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-10-2019, 01:04 PM #9
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- Denver, CO
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The RTV didn't set up as quick as I wanted it to so it's not quite ready to put in the camper, but I did get the piping hooked up and messed with the solar a bit.
As I mentioned earlier I wanted the panels to plug into the solar port, and then have the charge controller mounted near the batteries. I tested the polarity of the solar panels and ribbed wire is the positive wire, so I cut off the HF quick connect and soldered in the adapter to match the Furrion port. This is the piece I bought from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is the panel mount battery disconnect switch that should be arriving tomorrow: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Once I have that and the RTV has fully cured I'll hook the vents up to the factory vent tube and get everything mounted and wired. If I like it, then I'll bolt it to the floor.
2019 Reflection 150 260RD - 2018 Ford F350
Rest of the fleet: 95 Grand Cherokee with a lot of stuff, 15 JKU Rubicon with less stuff, 98 5.9 Grand Cherokee with a little stuff
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03-10-2019, 01:51 PM #10
As for monitoring the battery. A simple (and cheap) way to do this is by monitoring the voltage with a volt meter. Unplug the solar charger, and turn off any large 12V items like the furnace or the lights. Wait 5 minutes for the batteries to stabilize and then measure the battery voltage. Use the chart below to find out where your state of charge is. Try not to let it get under 50% (12.1 Vdc) before recharging. As long as your 12V batteries are hooked in parallel, this method will work no matter how many batteries you have.
Jim
Morryde Safe-T-rail install issues
Today, 12:55 AM in Mods and DIY