2205S solar panels vs. battery disconnect

[18LT]

You're right, the Predator 3500 is really quiet. The price sure has gone up though. Our local HF recently had two "new returns", never fueled or oiled, for $550 each. I should have bought one.

[Aussieguy]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

I wonder if something like a Portable Power Station (EcoFlow, BLUETTI etc.) would be better than a gas generator?

NO.... nothing more than a smallish battery with an inverter sitting on top
if you want to spend $$$ get more battery or solar

[Bob.n.Denise]

Aussieguy – the 120v mini split air conditioner sounds interesting. I will look into them. Be nice to use it in my garage, and then take it on trips. But it's probably not portable.

[18LT]

There's a recently posted video on youtube by DIY outdoors (I think) in which he shows his power system for running his Bushwacker's 5000-btu air unit. I think he has an Ecoflow and he says he has an absurd amount of money in it.
The solar generators capable of running an ac unit that I've seen have all been pretty heavy. That said, they are "all-in-one" power stations with the battery, inverter and mppt charge controller built in.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

... Need to look at extended fuel kits as one 2200i would run out of fuel in the middle of the night. …

An alternative is a propane conversion. I've never used one and my understanding is they're less efficient. Fuel management might be easier and, with larger bottles, might last longer.

Hutch Mountain Generator Propane Conversion Kit EU2200i https://a.co/d/5puT4Th

[18LT]

I converted one of my camper generators to propane. The conversion carb will allow the use of gasoline, natural gas and propane.
It’s an electric-start Gentron 3500-watt generator, not an inverter-generator.
Propane can result in a power loss of up to 15% on a conversion. I haven’t noticed any power loss on ours but we’re at 600 feet above sea level (MSL), whereas folks at higher elevations will see a big drop in output, regardless of fuel source.
Someone referenced cost associated with AC operation. So far, we have roughly $3000 invested in batteries, inverter-charger and battery cables.
An inverter that doesn’t have a built-in charger is less expensive than ours though.

[Bob.n.Denise]

Lots of great ideas guys. Appreciate all the feedback.

I have the snowplow package in my RAM, so the Cummins has two good-sized alternators. Could they be wired to “supercharge” the house batteries as we travel from harvest host to harvest host? Especially if I swap to lifepo4?

So the advantage of propane is extended generator run times? Does propane reduce the noise of the Honda 2200i inverter generator? I’ll have to do the math comparing fuel run time/noise of 1 2200i with extended fuel kit vs. hooking both my 2200i & 2200ic together. And compare them on propane vs. gas.

Speaking of gas. The ’23 2205 had a receiver hitch on the back. A first for me. Will fuel jugs on the back shake so bad it could become a problem (pressure build up)?

Soooo many questions…

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

... I have the snowplow package in my RAM, so the Cummins has two good-sized alternators. Could they be wired to “supercharge” the house batteries as we travel from harvest host to harvest host? Especially if I swap to lifepo4? …

Look into DC-to-DC chargers. (Example: https://a.co/d/675yWuZ) They will do exactly what you suggest but you'll need to upgrade the conductor from the engine compartment to the trailer to be most effective.

TitanMike may chime in. I believe he added a separate Anderson connector (e.g.: https://a.co/d/792K52R) at the rear of the TV to bypass the 7-pin trailer umbilical completely.

Re: the accessory hitch, it's rated for 300#, I believe. In that calculation you have to consider the effect of leverage, and bouncing down the highway.

[Bob.n.Denise]

Thanks Chris – I bookmarked the Amazon sites. The multiple electrical options seem overwhelming to a non-electrician like me. Appreciate the info and legwork you've provide.

I wonder if there are electricians specializing in RV systems?

I'm giving myself 1 year to get everything squared away.

Regarding the rear hitch... 300lbs capacity is correct. My concern is the bouncing will agitate the gas and burst the jug. But guessing it will not.

[Bob.n.Denise]

18LT,

Your upgraded power setup cost ~3k?

One 300ah lifepo4 battery
Two 100ah lifepo4 batteries
3000/9000 inverter-charger, 85 amp charging capability
Four 190-watt panels on the roof
60-amp mppt charge controller

Plus misc. ancillary items such as cables, digital thermostat, etc.

Given 100% battery SOC, the above gives you ~8 hours of 15000 BTU AC @ ~ 75 degrees nighttime temp w/ the thermostat set at 72 degrees? Plus use of 12V frig and misc. low draw items?

Good benchmark to work towards. Assume you did the installation?

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

Aussieguy – the 120v mini split air conditioner sounds interesting. I will look into them. Be nice to use it in my garage, and then take it on trips. But it's probably not portable.

That would not be practical--unless maybe you are a licensed HVAC guy.

The reason a mini-split is called "mini-split" is that there are two parts. One is inside the cabin and one is outside. When it is installed the HVAC person runs two lines of refrigerant between them, evacuates them for an hour or more and then introduces refrigerant. Not something you would move from garage to trailer for a weekend at a campground.

[18LT]

Yes, I did the installation but it’s always a work in progress.
I was about $600 low in my estimate of the bucks I have in our system. I neglected to add the cost of three 190-watt solar panels and the MPPT charge controller.
If you want, I can list the brand names of the components.
Our gas generator runs slightly quieter on propane.
The new Mastervolt system offered on the 2205S looks interesting. I don’t know what it costs though.

[Bob.n.Denise]

18LT – The more specs the better! Would very much appreciate the specific components. Trying to wargame various courses of action. Yours’s can serve as the benchmark.

I almost bought the '23 2205S Mastervolt package. The dealer wanted ~ 10K for the option. I backed out when I talked to several stateside dealers and they all said that specific battery was already OBE. Too proprietary,

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by 18LT

... The new Mastervolt system offered on the 2205S looks interesting. ...

What is that?

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

18LT – The more specs the better! Would very much appreciate the specific components. Trying to wargame various courses of action. Yours’s can serve as the benchmark.

I almost bought the '23 2205S Mastervolt package. The dealer wanted ~ 10K for the option. I backed out when I talked to several stateside dealers and they all said that specific battery was already OBE. Too proprietary,

OBE?

[18LT]

Originally Posted by chriscowles

What is that?

It’s an optional battery/inverter/MPPT charge controller/solar panel package that fully integrated into the camper. It’s pretty neat. There should be some YouTube videos of it. I’m betting the system is a serious chunk of change though.

[Bob.n.Denise]

Overcome by events...

I almost bought it. It's an option available for '23 2205S. A $10,000 option! 5ea 200 solar panels, 400 ah lithium battery, etc.

I called several Mastervolt dealers in USA (IIR - company is in Denmark?) to research the components. They said the specific 400 ah battery listed in the specs was no longer available for purchase. Said it was old tech.

[18LT]

Originally Posted by Bob.n.Denise

18LT – The more specs the better! Would very much appreciate the specific components. Trying to wargame various courses of action. Yours’s can serve as the benchmark.

First of all, the factory installed WFCO 1000-watt inverter is still intact and operable. I can switch everything back to it's original configuration in a day or two.
We have one Pionergy 12-volt 300ah lifepo4 battery and two no-name 100ah 12-volt lifepo4 batteries. Batteries are connected in parallel for a total of 500 amp hours at full charge. There's also a Qwork (Amazon) state of charge meter's shunt on the big battery's negative post, with all negative leads connected to the shunt. All energy consumed or generated will pass through the shunt, which will be displayed on the meter.
Batteries are connected via 2-0 awg welding cable to a 3000/9000-watt SunGoldPower inverter-charger with a max charge rate of 85 amps. The inverter-charger has a transfer switch that passes 120-volt power through the inverter to the camper. If shorepower is disconnected, the inverter automatically powers the camper.
We have four 190-watt solar panels on the roof. They are connected in 2s2p configuration. The leads from the roof are connected to a MakeSkyBlue 60-amp mppt charge controller through a dual pole 63-amp DC circuit breaker, which acts as a solar panel disconnect switch. The charge controller is connected to the battery bank through another dual pole 63-amp DC circuit breaker. In full midday sun, I've seen the charge controller's display showing 58 amps being generated by the panels and mppt charge controller. By 9am its not uncommon to see the doc meter's display showing 10 amps either supporting the energy needs of the camper or being used to charge batteries.
Presently I have a shorepower cord that I cut into two pieces; one is connected to the inverter-charger's 120-volt output terminals. This length of cable then plugs into the camper's shorepower inlet. The other length of power cord is connected to the inverter-charger's 120-volt input terminals. This cord plugs into a campground power pedestal or into one of two generators that I bought for the camper.
I wanted to have the option of powering the camper by connecting a power pedestal to the camper like a regular trailer, but I also wanted to be able to power the inverter-charger from a campground pedestal or generator so that the inverter-charger can charge the battery bank.
Now that you're scratching your head and wondering if I'm a mad genius with a white coat and frizzy hair,,,,,,,,,,no, I'm not Professor Hobo.
When I add another 300ah battery I'll also upgrade battery and inverter-charger cables to 4-0 welding cable.
I'm really happy with the performance of this setup.

[Fineline]

That looks like a nice trailer and just slightly larger than ours. The big difference between ours is the 12v refrigerator and the fireplace. Our refrigerator is gas/elect. When boondocking obviously we run the refer on gas. We have 200 amp of solar and two wet 64 amph batteries. A furnace will eat gas and power. We can easily boon dock for four to five days without worry. With the caveat that we have some sun. We do most of our cooking outside. The biggest draw we have is lighting which is all LED. We also charge our iPads, phones etc with the onboard plugs. I would give it a shake down run before looking for improvements. A word of caution about the solar. If they are Zamp panels and system make sure you check polarity on the wires before plugging anything in. Of course I would do that with anything anyway. Don’t buy a “suitcase” setup. You can do much better buying from any of the name brands. One more thing, maybe two. You have a controller and it will take care of over charging cut off. If you have the famous “plug on the side” for solar, most do not go through the controller. They go straight to your batteries so you need a controller there, however, your roof may have a plug in all the connections and you can buy solar extension cords. That will go through your controller. The weak link in solar systems, no Matt what isn’t the panels, it’s the storage. You can have 6000 amps on the roof but if you only have 100amphr storage, that’s all you got. You can always test your longevity in your driveway or a friends or a KOA or something where you can plug in if you need to.

[PhilSR5]

I have 2 disconnect switches, one at the battery (AGM Renogy 200A/H) and one at the solar panel charger.
Our fridge runs on propane while boondocking and on a 2000w inverter while driving.
I have added a switch at the breaker panel to select either Grid power or Inverter power