Our AWESOME New RV Solar & Battery System Explained by MYT Solar
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Tom & Ely MacInnes of MYT Solar did an amazing job of designing and installing our new RV solar panel & lithium system. Today they take us on a detailed tour, explaining the operation of the entire Victron suite, our 1,500 watts of Rich solar panels, and 810 amp-hours of Battle Born LiFePO4 batteries.
We also announce that we'll be heading back to their shop in Bend, OR in late July 2024, where they'll join us for a live Q&A to answer all your solar and battery questions live on the air.
To be sure you'll get the announcement about the exact date and time of the broadcast, be sure to subscribe to our blog: www.thervgeeks.com/subscribe/
Newsletter subscribers will also be able to submit questions for the Q&A in advance, providing the best opportunity to have your questions answered live by the most knowledgable solar installers we've ever met.
mytsolar.com
If you missed our most recent video, sharing our experience getting hit by a powerful storm in our RV, you can watch it here:
• A tree CRASHED onto th...
@mytsolar @outdoorsrvmfg @BattleBornGaming820@battlebornbatteries @thompsonrvinc @richsolar5063 @VictronEnergyBV
Peter Knize & John Sullivan host The RVgeeks CZcams channel and create original articles about RVing on their blog, TheRVgeeks.com. They also co-hosted the first 5 seasons of The RVers TV show on The Discovery Channel, PBS iTunes and other outlets, also serving as co-executive producers on the show. Full-Time RVers for more than 20 years, they share DIY RV maintenance, repair, travel, upgrade and operational tips & tricks they've learned over more than 2 decades on the road.
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Even though we're handy RVers, we're not professional technicians. So although we're happy with the techniques and products we use, you should be sure to confirm that all methods and materials are compatible with your equipment and abilities. Regardless of what we recommend, consult a professional if you're unsure about working on your RV. Any task you perform or product you purchase based on any information we provide is strictly at your own risk.
#rvsolar #lithiumbatteries #boondocking - Auta a dopravní prostředky
We LOVE our new solar & lithium battery system. ⚡Tom & Ely of MYT Solar can design & install one for your RV, too. Learn more and contact them through their website: mytsolar.com
Such gorgeous organization of the system. Attention to details = Pride in their craftsmanship!
What a great explanation and quality installation.
Wow, what a beautiful installation! We will be looking at contacting MYT for any repairs and/or updates to our system. We love our 3 Battleborn 270Ah GC3 Gamechanger Batteries👍 Best upgrade we have made to our motorhome.
Glad to see things are looking up! Those rvs are solid, and we hope it hasn’t suffered to much damages.
Amazingly little damage. We were SO lucky!🍀
Great looking system. Magnificent install by MYT.
I see you have 3 vents for air getting into the main victron box. I don’t see any computer fans to move the heat out of the box. I build my victron system just as yours is but I have two 4” computer fans running off of the cerbo temperature relay. They can bring cooler air from outside on one vent and exhaust hot air from the second vent in the nose of our 5 wheel.
The mppt ‘S , charge controllers , dc to dc chargers and the inverter produce a lot of heat. Heat is the biggest cause of failures.
Simple to add a 12v fan to the cerbo.
Your system looks awesome.
Safe travels and enjoy your new trailer.
Cheers
Thanks so much, Craig! We don’t have fans in place yet, but they’re in the works!
What a fantastic setup and install. That is one of the nicest installs I've seen. MYT did a great job! Wish I wasn't on the opposite coast lol. I've been going back to your motorhome solar videos lately since we just got our motorhome and I'm looking at adding the most solar capability possible. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks Andrew!
Wow...TWO of those magical Orion XS units. Thats a LOT of power going in from the truck. Beautiful system. Form and function.
Haven’t even tried cranking it above 50% yet! 😄
Nice to see how organized they did it. Great job. When I did my system myself in '17 Victron and Battleborn wasn't really a thing. I have disparate systems. Nice how yours all works together. Mine is still going strong after 7+ years. I would keep an eye on temps in that compartment. I added fans because the inverter can get really hot when in use.
I wonder if the rail systems up top saved damage to the roof when that tree fell on it?
Thanks! We’re keeping an eye on heat, and we’re sure the rails helped the panels save us!
We flew from Pennsylvania, to Bend Oregon to buy our 05 Tioga 28SL, great little town.
Wow, first of all, so glad to see you and your rig are on the mend. That is a beautiful system and the cable management is spot on. If I can offer one suggestion. We added to ours a gps USB dongle to the Cerbo GX. Simple plug and play. It interfaces with the VRM and adds a layer of security knowing where the rig is. Can also set up a geofence within the VRM. We share our location with close family and friends. For the small cost, we feel the benefits are well worth it.
Thanks. What an awesome idea!
Hi Guys, boy has solar come a long way. We bought BattleBorn batteries about 5 years ago and installed solar panels on our Class A motorhome. It was hard to find good insulation companies at that time especially since we were newbies to RV full time life style. We have had a few hiccups over the years, but BattleBorn have always helped us out. Like you said in your video, your installation looks like a work of art.
Glad to hear you are getting your repairs done…Happy Travels
That really is a work of art - a true professional job. My do-it-yourself system works very well, but it's not aesthetically pleasing like MYTs work. Deployable panels are a great Idea for smaller RVs with limited roof space, as long as you keep an eye on them, like you would a portable generator, to prevent them from walking off. Instead of using deployable panels, that must be unplugged and secured whenever you leave camp, or risk them being stolen, we decided to build a 620-watt, liftable side mounted array. It virtually lifts itself to the precise angle needed to maximize power output with a couple of gas struts. And it's easy to clean, standing safely on the ground. We use it to charge our 560ah 12v battery (the equivalent of 2 Gamechangers).
This left the roof of my 35ft motorhome free for a 4,400-watt solar array (used to charge our 16.4kwh 48v battery) that allows us to run everything in our rig just like if we were plugged into a power pedestal. We have one of those non-walkable roofs, but we sealed it with Henry's Tropicool 887 lifetime roof coating before we did. We only have one A/C on the roof now, because we replaced our rear A/C with a 28.5 Seer-2 mini split heat pump. However, if we ever needed to service or replace our front A/C unit, all it takes is removing 4 bolts and sliding one 550w panel aside to access the A/C. The bolts can easily be accessed from underneath, because the array is mounted 15" off the roof. This allows plenty of cooling air for higher output from the panels and shade for our coach too.
We bought a battery-to-battery charger for alternator charging, but we've never needed to use it as we have so much solar. You may find this to be true for your rig too.
4,400 + 620!?!?!? We’re not worthy!!!!! 🙌🏆🤯
@@RVgeeks 🤣
Wonderful video. I definitely want to use MYT on my next RV. Thank you for sharing.
My only peve left would be, finding a place for an LG washer/dryer (at Costco) 2.5 cuft. I have the 4.5 LG in our rig.
With that system you could have induction cook top an oven and microwave.
Absolutely!
EXCELLENT Video! EXCELLENT explanation of solar by Tom! Safe travels.. 🙂
Thanks! He really knows his stuff, and made us feel so confident in what he was planning and doing for us. We can't wait for the live Q&A so he can answer specific questions anyone may have.
Nice! MYT is going to be VERY busy after this video. For 7 years I have run 1500w solar and 800a of PowerQueen Lithiums in a mixed (old) Magnum 2812 and Victron SCC combination, using dual Magnum/Victron shunts. I kept the Magnum and went with the PQ Lithiums to save $$$. Victron’s VConnect App and the old Magnum “gas gage” keeps me on-top of system monitoring. My Coach & Engine batteries we kept completely separate from the engine alternator side, and I depend on solar exclusively for the coach lithiums when boondocking or on-the-road. Your Orion’s are nice but not needed in my case and I’ve never needed that capability thanks to the solar and a large 12kw diesel generator (that I very rarely ever need). When the solar is unshaded, mid-day I can even run one rooftop Micro-Air equipped Dometic AC unit from solar without dragging the batteries down! If you do hard-Winter cold camping, LP comes in handy. However, we don’t so many years ago I went all-electric with a Kenyon induction cooktop, air fryer, convection MW, 6 gal dedicated electric WH and an oil filled space heater to supplement it all. Like our generator, the Hurricane diesel fired heating system is rarely used. You two are going to LOVE that MYT setup! Their workmanship is beautifully done!
Thanks so much for sharing! Sounds like you have a great system!
What an awesome system and a explanation like no other. My only concern with this system is weight. How has this effected your cargo carrying capacity? How close are you to your limit? Have you weighed the RV since the install?
Thanks so much. This system is indeed amazing, but it’s for people who are serious about boondocking as it does weigh a bit. In our case, we estimate approximately 500 pounds. But we figure that into our calculations and have carefully weighed our rig and are within spec, and it tows like a dream.
What a superb setup, and such great explanation for non-techno people like me to understand what each component does and how they work together. Thank you and MYT for educating me! I wonder if you can do the rails on a Ford Transit van?
We’re not sure about the transit van, but we’re guessing that MYT will be stopping by here to look at comments, and may would likely know.
Nice👍
What will you do on a really dark December day when the batteries get down to 10% to 20% overnight? Even with my 1500 watts panels, I often have to turn on my generator for an hour or two, and if my batteries get to 10%, it automatically turns off the inverter. I think you will eventually find that you will have to get a generator to prevent losing all AC power until the next day.
Great question, Jerry! The solution to that is already in place with our twin 50 amp DC to DC converters. We can literally charge the battery by idling the truck’s engine. We also have a Car Generator which serves the same purpose as the converters as a backup. We are determined not to add a generator if we can possibly avoid it, and our experience so far with parking under trees, and dealing with a substantial amount of heavy overcast and rain is showing great promise!
I have been following you for 4 years. Both of you are great communicators, and I love your knowledge. I am interested in a GMC 1500 with the 3.0 diesel. Could you give me your feedback on the truck and what is the actual towing mileage you are getting. Is the stock mattress comfortable in the Outdoor Solution RV. Keep up the great content. Thanks again Dean
Hey Dean! Thanks so much for the nice comment and great questions. We LOVE our new truck! It gets about 30 mpg when not towing and about 14-ish when towing the loaded 19MKS. We’ll be publishing info about our weights and towing capacities fairly soon, but keep in mind that we ordered it pretty maxed out with the diesel engine, max trailering package, 3.73 rear axle, and optional 7,300 lb GVWR. That said, we’re close enough to maxing it out that we’d recommend considering a 2500 for toeing this much, which would make it a no brainer instead of kinda close to limits. The stock mattress in the Titanium Series is SO comfortable - a very high quality (Heartland brand if we recall correctly). We love it!
What was the cost (assuming one is not you guys, who probably were accommodated at least some for your promotion)? Very nice video, btw
Great question and thanks for asking. We generally avoid including pricing details in videos since they stay up for years and prices change so much. That said, our system was a somewhat customized version of MYT’s own 1500W package that they currently have listed on their website here, with pricing included: mytsolar.com/?page_id=2049
Maybe I missed it in the video, but how much weight did this system add to the RV?
Great question, which we didn’t cover in the video. While we haven’t done the exact math, we’ve estimated it weighs something like 500 lbs total. Keep in mind that we chose a VERY robust system for such a small trailer, and we kept that anticipated additional weight in mind as part of the maximum allowable weight of the trailer, as well towing & payload capacities of our truck.
Great question. I think several that get solar installed don’t think about the weight and what it may add to the pin. They get enamored with the thoughts of being able to be unplugged yet still rving like they are and then damage can happen.
Until now, I've never seen an RV or a solar system that is PERFECT.Yours is exactly that. I wouldn't change a thing!
I would, but that's because I don't have a million dollars to burn on Blue brand and space to kill. My rig is only 22ft and I have almost double the battery as them, same amount of solar, and no propane. I'm 100% electric. All of the battery/solar electronics fits in a single compartment I built where the old propane tank was so there is no noise in the RV itself from that system. Every situation is different and there is no one "perfect" system. I'm sure they're super duper happy with their system, but it also probably costed 10x what mine did just in parts alone, but the difference is I can fix mine when it breaks because nothing is proprietary.
Will it run your AC?
It sure will! For hours on end, especially on sunny days.
@@RVgeeks What kind of A/C came with the trailer, Is itsomewhat efficient for an RV A/C? Just curious, how much dc current does it pull when it is running?
It’s a 15k BTU Coleman Mach. Nothing out of the ordinary, but the space is so small it doesn’t have to run long to cool things off. Pulls about 110-120 DC amps.
@@RVgeeks Just another advantage of your trailer over the class A 🙂. How many solar panels would you need to cool that thing with 2 a/cs? It really makes you think about going to a smaller RV.
Glad you survived the storm, our worst fears, tornados and hail.
@donhand1645 Thanks for the comment and question. We have no problem running one A/C for hours on 1,500 watts of solar, so we’d guess that you could still run two for quite some time on not TOO much more. We’d think that 2,000 watts would be great, assuming you have room for it. Might be a great question for our upcoming Q&A with Tom!
I met Tom and Ely back in 2019 at RVE, we parked next to each other when they had the Toyota camper, great couple. I’d like to know what the rail system is as I installed my own inverter and batteries but only have ground deploy now but will be buying panels to go on the roof soon. Any brand name for the rail system?
We’re not sure, so we’ll have to let Tom & Ely tackle that one. Might be a great question for our Q&A!
Just a novice in lithium batteries… the one I own recommended running it down a few times before keeping it topped off to condition it. Do battleborn batteries require that and if so did MYT do that prior to installing?
New to your channel. I’ll be going backwards for a bit to catch up.
Hi, and welcome! While we have heard of batteries that require cycling to condition them, that isn’t needed with Battle Born Batteries, as the BMS / battery monitoring system handles everything. They simply get put in place and used. One of the many reasons we love them!
Is it me or Tom could be Seamus McFly (Michael J Fox character in Back to the Future III) twin brother? 😄
You are absolutely right!
Could be.😅
How long can you use the AC on that system?
With no other draw and no solar coming in, we figured about 7 hours. Luckily, when it’s super sunny and hot is when we need air-conditioning the most, and that helps offset the drain.
@@RVgeeks cool. That's a great setup!
What a super superior system. What tax credits did you qualify for?
We love the system, but still haven’t checked to see if we’re eligible for any tax credits this year.
Did I miss it on discussing cost of this custom system? With the batteries alone being $7500, I'm guessing $13-15K out the door. Close?
I’m curious about the number too.
Great question and thanks for asking. We generally avoid including pricing details in videos since they stay up for years and prices change so much. That said, our system was a somewhat customized version of MYT’s own 1500W package that they currently have listed on their website here, with pricing included: mytsolar.com/?page_id=2049
@@RVgeeks Woah...$20K ! After 26 years installing inverters myself in RVs, boats, and cabins, I have to say...those folks at MYT do the cleanest install I've ever seen. And what a *magnificent* system they built for you! Thanks for having Tom on to explain what all the components do.