RV Solar and Lithium: Our Extreme 48 Volt System
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- RV Solar and Lithium: Our Extreme 48 Volt System | Building Our Dream RV
Important Note: This video was filmed in 2021. Master Tech last performed work for us in 2023. As of 2024, we are hearing that they have shut their doors.
Next up in our tour series on our new 2021 Newmar New Aire, we're giving you a full tour and behind the scenes of building our custom 48 volt solar and lithium battery system! This is an extreme RV solar and lithium system that will allow us to run both of our roof air conditioners for more than 30 hours off of our batteries! And that's just the beginning!
In this video, we walk you through highlights of the install and share why we chose this particular 48 volt system for our new full time RV home. We'll also discuss why we chose Master Tech RV in Elkhart, Indiana to complete the project and how it all turned out.
This is the 3rd in our series of videos giving you the details of building our dream RV. If you missed the first 2 videos in the series, you can watch them here:
Episode 1: The Inside Tour: • Inside Our New RV | 20...
Episode 2: The Outside Tour: • Exterior Tour Of Our N...
You’ll find our Padre Island video here: • Escape to Padre Island...
Thanks to Austin Klenk for filming the drone footage.
Music Credits:
storyblocks.com
Important Note: This video was filmed in 2021. Master Tech last performed work for us in 2022. As of 2024, we are hearing that they have shut their doors.
We went solar three years ago, when someone asks the question. How long till it pays off for it self. Answer, the first day I had the freedom to do what I wanted .
Thats a silly question for a solar system on a rv. The point of solar on a rv is to be able to go anywhere at anytime and have power. Only a house solar system would a pay off be a question worth asking.
@@randybobandy9828 Read his comment again.
That was really interesting. Being able to run AC is kind of the Holy Grail of RV solar or any solar, house or RV. If you can do that, everything else is a subset. Nice state of the art system.
Love your new RV, the new solar add makes it even better. Safe travels and we'll be watching for you!!!
OMG, That's incredible!! Congratulations, absolutely love the way the solar is attached with no holes in the roof!
Enjoyed your detailed video covering the installation of your 48 volt solar and lithium battery installation. Like the commenter below said, Perfection at its finest. Thanks.
Very Very happy for you all, we all not getting younger, you all did it in the right time. You all relax and kick your feet up. Very good videos
One hell of a great set up. I can understand your going to some over the top, I'm a "what if guy", now your covered, no worries. Be looking forward to more videos of your travels and updates of your home. Safe Travels
I look forward to reports on how this continues to work for you. Solar gives you so many options that are not always available. I love that you can plug into a 30 amp and still run like a 50 amp. Very creative. Happy journeys!
Just an incredible system. The new solar benchmark for sure.
Excellent video. You guys are at the tip of the spear with solar systems for RVs. I hope many of the RV manufacturers out there will take note and make these types of systems more available. This is the first solar video I've seen out there where they didn't punch your roof full of holes and then dump copious amounts of rubber sealant on your roof. Thanks for sharing.
Truly an awesome setup. Thank you so much for sharing all this information. Safe travels.
Thank you Tom and Stacy for sharing with us on CZcams!
I'm impressed with your solar setup guys! Just think, you can now park on a cliff overlooking the ocean and stay now - as long as you want to, and only have to worry about having enough water and groceries! Pretty amazing way of life if you ask me! Congrats!
Thanks for getting this system and sharing your experiences with us. I know this kind of solar and lithium has been used in the last few years on Class B and Cs. But I didn't know that Class As are coming to prime time now. Will be interesting to see how you use and like yours!
Awesome video and wow what a system you’ve put together. Looking forward to following your future travels unhooked!
Should be fun!
Finally, someone does what I dream of doing one day. Mounting the panels on a raised rail and not putting all those holes in the roof. It also provides a lot of shade on the roof with it full of panels and that means less air-conditioning needed to begin with. Throw in 48v and you are set for boon docking heaven. Great job!!!
Awesome Solar you two! can not wait to follow your results as I follow you two!
Thank you for all the great content! You have inspired my husband and I to get out on the road. Just bought our first RV a 2020 Class C Entegra Odyssey 24B! Hope to meet you some day on the road!
I know this is an older video, but this is by far one of the best setups I’ve seen. The redundancy to charge your batteries is top shelf innovative thinking. Would love to see a follow up video now that you’ve used it in our on the road!full time.
We will definitely have follow up videos this year!
Just listened to your 1 year review video, nice job! Very informative and useful information for new rv’ers. Ok…onto this one!
Thanks 😊
We haven’t watched yet but extremely excited. We are going to get some chicken wings, beer, kick back and enjoy 😊 thank guys for taking the time to create these great videos. Cheers!
Well the wait was worth it, your solar set up is awesome and good for you guys! I will definitely check out Master Tech for our system installation but at a much less extensive and I'm sure less expensive system, still your system is envious!!
Congrads....see ya out there
The solar options are endless, so exciting! So well thought out. Hiring the professionals imo is worth the money & I 💜 the redundancy. I wish you all the best.
Thanks so much!
Very impressive! The feeling of freedom and not having to concern yourselves with hookup availabllity, parked or rolling down the road is worth whatever you paid. Congratulations!
Great video! It is so interesting to see how Master Tech pieced it all together. We totally understand your choice (greater flexibility), your timing (life is too short) and your discretion. We look forward to seeing you next month! Have a great time with Grammy Kay.
❤❤❤
WOW! That is some serious "Tim the Tool Man" solar up there! We want to do the same on ours! Now you can get out there and enjoy!
Amazing! Love it for y’all!
Wow well done…I am speechless! Congratulations
Absolutely fantastic. Love it. Looking forward to hearing more how it does. Totally understand the reasoning for the investment and totally agree. Just great.
Nice video! I just read that typical home solar has 5000w. I have been reading because the videos on alternative energy methods are very interesting, including the sand battery tests and implementation in Finland. I heard one guy who did the 'heat tubes' method for heating a small building stated he'd probably would go with solar because of the economics today.
In Florida, a solar system can increase home value by $40,000 according to consumer reports. That is a lot!
Heat tube is a heat pump that cools or heats air by pumping underground by a hundred or more feet. The 6 feet under, the ground is typically cooler than outside in summer and warmer in winter. Running air through a pipe cools in summer by a significant amount enough where it is economically viable in many areas of the country.
Thanks for sharing all this information, we love it as well! 😊
Awesome! Having it now was definitely the way to go! Live your best lives!
Thanks
What a set up!!!! You will be comfortable where ever you go now.
That's the plan Vernon. 😁 We're loving it so far.
That was awesome. I'm also planning on a 48V system for my RV for spring of next year. I just ordered a Quattro 48/10000/140 100/100 120V inverter/charger and 4 of the BBGC3 Battleborns. I should be getting those next week. For now, I'll be using them for backup power in my sticks and bricks in case I lose power this winter. But, early next spring, they'll go into the RV and I'll be hitting the road to explore this beautiful country of ours.
Yea. When I was planning on my large investment into the charger and batteries, others said why not wait a few years until the prices come down. Well, at 66 years old, it is dangerous to wait for tomorrow before enjoying things. We work all our lives. Now, after retirement, I'm going to travel and enjoy whatever number of healthy years I have left on this earth.
I love your videos. Health and Happiness!
Enjoy your new system and travels Peter! We agree... tomorrow is not guaranteed. Glad to hear you're going out to experience life. 😁
Whoa--now that's an impressive solar set-up! Well done!
Thanks!
Very interesting, looking forward to updates on the road.
Unbelievable setup, congrats, I’m totally blown away, enjoy
Thanks so much Willy!
Great video, love the detail of the installation and equipment used. Thanks!
You’re welcome ☺️
I am glad you talked about this not being a money saving move. Not everything in life is about saving money. Quality of life and peace of mind is truly invaluable and not always the cheapest way to go. I'm really happy for you guys!!!
There's a difference between money saving and money blowing. $3600 for a 12V 300Ah LiFeP04 battery is money blowing. (I'm looking at their batteries and it seems to be $1200 per 1280wh)
@@ericklein5097 One man's stepping stone is another man's stumbling block. Same stone, different outcomes.
@@jlarm3 you wanna know how millionaires become millionaires and stay millionaires?
They're frugal. To quote my mother "if it isn't on sale we aren't buying it" is something I heard every time I went to the grocery store with her.
@@ericklein5097 I can appreciate what you are saying, but I don't agree with you. If you have the money to enjoy the finer things of life, why not? If I applied your way of thinking, everyone would be driving the cheapest car available. Are you?? I'll bet not! All cars do the same thing, but people still buy more expensive ones because they can afford them.
I just finished a pretty large system in my travel trailer that's going to let me run my air conditioner all night which lets us stay at campgrounds in Florida during the summer that don't have hookups. This is awesome because there are a lot less busy during the summer than full hookup ones.
That’s awesome, freedom to go where you want! 🙌🏻
Wow what great setup! Thanks for sharing!🖖🏻👍🏻😘🙏🏻
Love, love, love your new system!
Thanks so much Donna!
you guys go!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it and your life style, BUT I think you over did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love It ThomyT
I was so excited for you both and have been waiting to watch all of the changes that you’ve made. It so nice to see that you’ve tried to maximise the solar energy available to you and allow you both to rv in total comfort from now on, and all without compromising the integrity of the roof itself.
Not drilling any holes is so impressive in itself to accommodate everything, my only concern is regarding the future maintenance of the roof and accessories on it, i.e. ensuring it’s weatherproof and being able to seal anything that will require annual maintenance etc...
I was asked by the techs at Newell about solar installations and I asked why the industry install solar like it currently does, i.e. placing solar panels side by side. I suggested that instead they design it a different way. One where the panels could be placed in a rack (on top of each other and end to end) that can then be moved to cantilever not only over the roof area when access to the roof isn’t required but, also extended and cantilevered over the other way, i.e. over the side of the extended rv awnings.
I can’t wait to see you both enjoying the fruits of your labour from this side of the pond here in England (Brexitland 🇪🇺🤭), take care y’all, party 🎉 🎈 time. 🤗👍🏻😉
Check out the video of the fifth wheel off grid buddy plug solar set up. He has what your talking about. With electric levers that cascade another full set of 8 panels out over the slides. It produces so much solar power for him that he can even allow others to plug into his rig and actually give them 500 watts of continuous power without limiting himself. Lithium and solar are the wave of the future for class a rv’s. Liberty coach has been using lithium that you can run all air conditioners on since 2012.
@@lukeelwood2391 sounds great, how do I find it?
Awesome setup guys!!!
Wow! Those guys are good. Hot temps are definitely my limitation in my new camper. I have a solar package that runs everything, but no AC in Texas is no fun. I had a similar experience this summer in Manzano Mountains where I thought it would be cool enough with no hook ups. Wrong! Thankfully the camp host moved me to a full hook up site for no extra money. It was during the heat wave. I would love to have a set up to have ac sans a generator.
That is an AMAZING system!!! Is it possible to know ballpark cost?
I have aich aller motorhome that i am installing my 800w arrays on and i know getting the attention to detail right is HARD it takes time and a LOT of messing with this and that until you finally get it dialed in and then and ONLY then can you start installing. This was VERY well done great job guys!
Thanks Chris, good luck on your installation
Holy cow guys. That’s insane. Love the work they did! If we ever run into each other I’ll plug into your coach!
Very neat set up Y'all!! Bet you are enjoying all of that solar! We appreciate the 6 solar panels we have.
Thanks so much y’all! We’re loving it.
Wow that’s a beautiful set up!!
Thanks so much!
This is a BEAST of a system. Probably cost more than my house🤣😂but if you’ve got it, it’s certainly worth it!! Beautiful!
Sweet Setup.
Holy smokes. Incredible
Thanks Leona
Definitely the largest solar ive seen on a rig ! Well done peace of mind and redundancy and RVs go hand and hand.
Proud of y'all
Thanks 😊
I have a 40 ft motorhome with 4,350 watts of solar, 15,360 watts of battery (48 volt system), and a 6,000 watt 240/120 split phase inverter. been running it for 2 years, in sunny parts of the US I save about $75 a month on shore power bill. Went boondocking out west for 27 straight days, only solar for power. System has been working good, I can run AC, electric hot water, heat pump, what ever I need on solar. The cost was $8k with no labor.
Wow 🤩 That’s incredible, congrats on the setup and somehow making it economical! I would love to see your system!!!
Which vendor did you use for your installation?
I did all the design, purchase, and install of my system
Amazing system
Thanks 😊
THIS IS THE FUTURE: 48 VOLTS. A system like this is not only UL Listed and SAFE, but, it cuts out the pollution (global warming) caused by generators that have no emissions control. Lithionics Battery is very passionate about offering 12, 24 and 48 volt systems. Your RV is just amazing and a real show piece. You must be proud of what you did. Thanks for showing it to the world.
Thanks so much Steve! We are very happy with our setup.
Great presentation! Solar power to the max. Glad that you received Tax Credit. Hope to do the same with my RV. Best, Steve from Western Mass.
I need to save up money but someday, maybe, I get a small work van and use solar! It's a fun pasttime to watch the videos on this stuff, including you who are very interesting! Solar really truly has come down significantly as many people have said. $100 or less for 100w boards these days (uninstalled price) is what I have been hearing about, in videos made in the last 2 or so years.
Yeah, we were early adapters and knew we would pay a premium, glad to see the pricing coming down!
Fantastic setup great video
We love it, thanks!
Great video. Very impressive setup.
Thanks Anthony! 😊
Congratulations on installing a state-of-the-art system. 48-volt is definitely the way to go for a whole bunch of reasons. Plus, your Onan genny will have reduced runtime and therefore a longer time between maintenance intervals. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Duncan! We’re really happy with it.
@@rvamericayall It's the future for RV's. :-)
Better to have too much than not enough as weather permits. Now that we are back to normal are we going to see some cooking, hiking, Star/Astro videos. Both of you plus Granny Kay mean a lot to me so please be careful in your travels. Hope you have a great security set up as times have changed. I do care ok. Can't wait to see you back on the road doing what you do best. Love y'all and thanks.
very impressed
After hearing your explanations for your solar panels , it seems to me this should be an add on for all motor homes. I didn’t know of those restrictions and obstacles that can occur in motor homes.
We are really happy with the solar and lithium modifications, but it does add to the cost. And a lot of RVers only go to campgrounds where they are plugged into power.
What you did makes perfect sense. I'm just cost curious
Love your system. All I need to do it is the pretty penny to do it. Enjoy your freedom!
Love the set up!! Learning a lot from ya'll. Just a question about if you encounter hail how will it stand up to it?
I host for the US Forest Service in a campground in northern WI and have considered doing something similar to my Camper. Currently I have about 500 watts of solar charging a single 12V 150 Amp LiFePO4 battery with a 1000W Pure Sine Wave inverter for the computer, TV, etc. When I want to run the AC I have to go to the generator which is not my favorite option. I was considering going 48V to get a bigger inverter and was stuck on the 12V side of things. You definitely gave me some ideas. Thank you.
You’re welcome ☺️
Hey y’all! We hope you enjoyed this tour of our RV’s 48 volt solar and lithium setup! It was a HUGE project, but we are loving the results! If you missed the first 2 episodes in this series, you can watch them here: Inside Tour: czcams.com/video/YXWfv9mFzRU/video.html , Outside Tour: czcams.com/video/p3drc3GfbAk/video.html . And you’ll find the Padre Island video we mentioned here: czcams.com/video/nA1Z1LJ4bLY/video.html
🙂💚 Wow, Thank You Both so much for sharing your knowledge
Thanks so much for watching Kim!
8 solar panels and I want to see end caps sealed on the sub structure before the install. Tom and Stacy need to have the best as full time RV'rs.
Awesome setup... :-) so badgering the better half to get out and do this life style. Would you share what that solar setup cost you?
Wow! Fantastic system and video. I know you said it was expensive but it would be helpful to know how expensive it was. We’ve been talking about solar but as you outlined it’s not about ROI but the up front cost is important to know. Thanks for a great video!
I guess 40K
Great Rv. I know y’all will have many great adventures in it. Hope to meet down the road and see it in person.
Thanks Dennis!
Beautiful system, we went 24v in our 5R. Our ac is in our basement. Standard household ac, 2 compressors. we have 4 24vx200ah lithium batteries. Haven't put the solar up yet, but want as much as we can fit. One day at a time.
Sounds like you're building a great system Marell!
Unreal setup. You gave to be millionaires to gave that rv and battery and solar setup. Awesome
Thanks, I guess! 😂
Keep removing the obstacles that hold you back from chasing your dreams. Enjoy to the max.
Good evening guys. This is such a great video. Thank you very much for sharing. I've watched it many times already and today, a question popped up in my head... Hehehe... How will you ever be able to do maintenance and inspection on your roof with this installation? Check for leaks, inspect the seals, clean the roof, replace broken fan covers or repair/clean the a/c units, to name a few. I'm sure that you thought about it and I'm curious to find out. You guys are the best. Please bring back some of your delicious cooking recipes. Finally, very sorry to hear that your RV got damaged but I trust that NIRVC will make it new again! Take care and keep up the great work!
Hi Michel! Thanks so much. NIRVC is doing a great job getting us all fixed up. And thanks for the request for cooking videos. We'll work on some of those soon. As far as the roof maintenance. That's a great question. We can access all around the edges of the roof. The front panels are made to tilt up so we can access the air conditioners and other components that are installed up there.
Absolutely beautiful setup! I am very impressed with your install and what a great job those guys did. For all of the folks that simply want to know what it cost, "who really cares?" Do your own research. If you only want to know what someone else spent so that it justifies you using your generator and calculating a break-even date or how little "solar credits" you get, then you aren't the target audience that this was created for. Enjoy the ability of others, their skills and learn from that. We boondock constantly in our Airstream with a very similar system but carried on the roof of our 3500 Ram and I always simply agree to whatever cost estimate everyone else gives.
Thanks Andrew! Hope to see y'all out there somewhere.
Pus50 watscram truck too
Mount Comfort RV had a used 2018 New Aire with basically the same set up. I believe Master Tech did that work as well.
You’re right Tom. We know the folks who were the first owners of that coach and had the install done. It’s a 12 volt system. Their next New Aire is the first 48 volt system that Master Tech completed.
You guys could power up a small town!
Would you please do a 6 month follow up video?! Amazing solar array!
Wow!!! Happy and safe travels!
Thanks Brendan! We plan to do a lot of camping this year that will really put our system to the test. And we will absolutely share how it performs. Stay tuned!
What great information..!!!
Glad you enjoyed it Dennis!
1) 30 hours on battery power sweet 2) your red color with stripes is really an awesome look 🌻
Thanks Jimmie!
Holy shitbtme himevyiu say cstvrun stiff overc24 hur on solar bster t s
Very Logical, Very Well Thought Out! Excellent Video. Some people are "dollar foolish". After all this is your lifestyle and home. I'm looking at models that have a range of under $100K to over $250K. Small example: do I really need an automatic reel for hose and wire? No, but it makes it so much easier. Do you really need a hidden TV? Or automatic wind controlled awnings? No, but it makes things easier. We think alike.
Thanks Joe! We are loving the New Aire and all the mods.
Awesome. I listened to the pod cast where this system was explained and it is waaaay over my head but I love the technology. I really enjoy your videos and wish you well. Also, hope to meet you on the road some time. The Newmar is beautiful as well. How is it doing?
.
Hello well im starting my solar adventure with an Ecoflow Delta Pro and 10 200 watt panels for my 40 feet RV, those roof air conditioners are a joke on any RV, im thinking about going the mini split route but i already have a couple of Kapsul Air Conditioners, those things use a fractions of the energy, and i think the best for heating would be the famous 'Chinese Diesel Heater' that uses a fraction, well who know if there is ever any apocalypse type of scenario, only a few will surive, great info in your vid, enjoy ur RV :)
Absolutely incredible! This is by far the best solar setup I have seen for RV'ing, and that says a lot. Perfection at it's finest, y'all should be set for a good while now! Congrats again on everything, well deserved. Y'all enjoy it!
Note - Out of curiosity what was the cost of just the solar set up alone?
very cool
First of all great vid and awesome upgrade. I may have missed it but how did they secure the grid that the panels were secured to?
Thanks! They secured the grid to the side rails that house the Girard awnings on the camping side and their "dummy" counterparts on the driver side. They did not drill any additional holes.
Texas sized solar system!! Very impressive! Thx!
Thanks Rob! That's a good way to put it! 😁
I thought I heard one of you claim that you could run your lithium batteries down to almost 0 Volts.
Just a word of caution. You infact can only run the South down to about 3.2 V if I remember correctly. Others will chime in and correct me cuz I'm sure I have that wrong but I know it's not very far below there. Charge capacity when looking at voltage. Aside from that I have super much solar battery Envy. You guys did an awesome job and you're probably up the top two or three solar installs out there.
AMAZING design!! How often do you need to clean the surfaces?
Wow now i know what is possible !
Yep, it is possible!
Just ran into this video for the first time. Subscribed and gave a thumbs up. Started looking for an approximate price but didn’t find one. Will unsubscribe and move on to other videos.thanks for the install video.
Great video 😁 nice solar system that had to be expensive I guess about 20 to 30 thousands dollars that the biggest system I ever seen 😀
Glad you enjoyed it Stephen!
That’s one heck of a piece of mind. I love it. Is it easy to remove the solar panels to access the ac units and other items on the roof?
thats what I was thinking and to service the roof seams for leaks and be able to walk around still
Looks like easy access to any panel from roof or ladder. Great setup.
We were just finishing the specs for our 48v system when we saw this video. Great stuff! Our system will be about half the size of yours, but will also have a rack system on top (much better than screwing, gluing, and Dicoring). We were wondering if your AC units are 12v or 110? Thanks!
The A/C control boards are 12 volt but the A/C runs on 110!