Geo Pro 19FBS - Solar Capabilities - Watch Before Buying
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- After owning the E Pro 19FBS for a couple of months and getting it ready for full-time living, I realized that the factory solar setup was not going to work for me.
After losing power two nights in the E Pro, I realized that the factory 160ah batteries and 100w solar panel were not going to be enough. In order to charge my laptop, camera, phone, run the lights and use the water pump I was going to need to upgrade.
I installed 2 Lion Energy UT1300 batteries and have now been able to boondock for over a week straight. Use code 7k at checkout to save 15% off all Lion Energy Products.
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I am not claiming to be an expert, but rather made this video to inform future buyers and new buyers about the limitations of the RV from the factory.
Blog- wanderusliving.com
My future upgrades -
400ah total (AGM or Lithium batteries)
400w+ of Solar on the roof
40amp MPPT solar charger controller
2000w+ Pure Sine Wave Inverter / Charger
We have a Mr Buddy propane heater we use in the camper when the batteries are low and we want to conserve power. Just make sure to crack a window. It has come in handy many times here in the mountains of Colorado.
Love your videos. I’ll be getting an FBS in a few months and going full time in it. Please keep your videos coming! Thanks
If you haven't done it yet, I'd recommend 2 190 watt or higher panels instead of 4 100 watt panels. And definitely get the solid panels instead of the flexible panels.
why solid panels instead of flexible?
@@AzWanderers They are more durable. The flex panels damage easily and get hot spots and don't pull in as much amperage over time.
Well done. Your review prompted furthers informative comments.
Good info and explanations. This will be helpful when i get our RV. Thank you
My wife and our little one are going full time. Thank you for the advice bro
Very informational. Best for this topic!
thanks about the solar, you made it easy to understand
very informative, thanks!
Yep, they come out of the box with a 'basic' solar package. You can upgrade by adding on to the roof units or you can get a portable setup and plug in by your forward cargo door and grab sunlight from where ever it needs to be.
thanks so much for your info. good job
Great info, we get our GP 20BHS in a week or so. This info will help!
Thanks. I’m new to RVing. Currently full time living staying at campgrounds. My ultimate goal is boondocking. I have a E-Pro 19FD. A city girl gone solo-RVing is certainly a learning process.😉
That's awesome! We actually originally put our deposit down on a 19fd and changed two days before we went to pick it up. We are leaving in the next two-three weeks to go full-time!
@@JamesVonwiegen What did you buy?
Right behind you! I pick up my e pro as soon as i can get a trailer brake installed!
Tina Keene they got the 19fbs....the one with the perpendicular bed orientation as compared to the driving direction of the trailer.
How is you 19fd doing for you, so far? We are looking at the same model. I did just see that they are planning a mid year upgrade to the 2021s. I don't know if it is for all of the larger geo pro's. 1st, there is a new floor plan with a full time bed and a slide out with a couch. The solar panels will be more powerful....and they are going to a 12v only fridge that has a dedicated freezer. Pluses and minuses to all of that, of course. I think we will still prefer the Murphy bed. But...the other upgrades seem to be nice.
Lady Ash that is exciting! Get that thing installed!!!
I would be looking at mostly AC because I'm in South GA. It would be nice to run the AC during the hot afternoon mostly off of solar. I'm used to just using blankets during cold weather.
Forest River stopped using the flex panels in the 2021 model year (I think).
I don’t have one of these just yet I’m just a truck driver but would 800 to 1000 W of solar panels be a little bit more than what you need just curious and the maximum lithium batteries what’s your opinion
If you are going to upgrade your batteries, consider 6V golf cart batteries In series. You get a lot more amp hours for the size taken up.
We are upgrading to lithium, thanks though!
I think I'll upgrade the batteries, have a portable panel and a generator. I cringe at messing with the roof. GREAT INFO!
I upgraded to Lion Energy UT1300 batteries (2). World of a difference compare to my old AGM batteries with the charge they hold. I get ya though, I really didn't want to drill into my roof, but I didn't trust flexibly panels to pull in enough amps and last my more than a few years.
Could you get yourself a little 2200 watt Honda gas powered generator and rig it to charge your batteries when your not getting enough solar power? You brought up a great point about being in the Mountains or other cloudy climates. You could have 20 solar panels on the roof with 10 batteries for power storage but if its cloudy and snowing for a week or longer and your using power during that time well then your gonna need another backup source of power.
HIGH COUNTRY BITTERROOTS Yes completely agree, we plan on grabbing a 2000w once we hit the road for cloudy days and raining.
Helpful!🤔
Also I’m not familiar with the propane thing but to40 gallon bottles would that be enough to last you a couple of weeks I’m not sure how long those propane bottles last somebody help me out before I buy one of these things
Hi I just want to know if you make those update 'does wires in the trailer are rated that can handle the max current you are going to put on?"
Yes the OEM charge controller can handle the amps/voltage the panels are putting out. I made sure to check all that before going ahead with buying them.
So did you change you main converter? It seems like I have read that when you go to LION batteries that your converter is set up to charge Lead batteries when connected to shore power.
I did not change anything. I had no issues, but I used this setup for maybe 6 months before I sold and had no issues.
Don't you have a extra connection on side for extra panels. I bought a great portable suitcase style panels. It will plug right into it so camper can stay in shade and panels in sun. Was 300 for a 300 watt set
Yes it does have an extra connection, but we dont like the idea of having to carry around an extra suitcase. We would rather have everything on the roof that way we dont have to mess with it. If needed we are going to get a 2000w generator down the road.
Missing from the presentation is the maximum solar input into the OEM 1,000 watt inverter.
Probably should vent the inverter due to heat, fastest way to burn up one is not venting
Hey guys. I noticed you got rid of the Jeep for the pickup. Was the Wrangler not cutting it? I have the same trailer (2019) that I’m towing with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 6200 lbs capacity. I’m the second slowest thing on the road.
Hey, it was actually kind of the opposite lol. The truck is my dads, and we used that to tow the trailer before my girlfriend bought the Jeep. It towed fine, but struggled going up long mountain passes and would overheat!
Is the solar charge control just big enough for the panel from the factory? With 4-100 panels do you need to step up to the 30 controller to handle the extra "juice" coming in? Am new at this............thinking out loud .
Good vid!
Hey yes the charge controller was enough to handle the 400w. If it was to have 500w the charge controller would not have been enough due to the voltage. All you need to do is add the panels and your good!
@@JamesVonwiegen Thank you James....very appreciated!
Where did you boondock in NY ? I’m also thinking of a GeoPro and upgrading the inverter, getting lithium batteries and adding another panel . How did your rig hold up while traveling?
I believe we stayed in Upstate Pennsylvania actually. It was within the Delaware Water Gap recreational Area, it was free. Our rig was fine, we sold it now. The 400w was enough for us, but obviously adding a larger inverter would be nice to run the microwave.
@@JamesVonwiegen DWG is a beautiful area. I know cause I live there, and we are picking up our 19FBS next weekend!!!
I just bought a 2020 Geo Pro and would love to go all electric instead of using Propane. If I increase batteries and solar do you know how I can run the fridge and heater off electric?
You could run the fridge off electric but it will use alot of power. You would need at least 400ah of batteries. You can run the heater off electric as it burns propane to heat the camper. I agree with you though, I hate needing propane!
Is this the E pro or the Geo pro? You menton in your blog that you bought a geo pro but have pictures of e pro and geo pro's so it is confusing. Can you please clear this out?
E Pro and Geo Pro are interchangeable. They are the same Trailer, just with different decals and colors on the outside!
how does it do in the winter? I'm a snowboard bum and want to go parkin lot to parking lot in the winter shredding! will it survive winter in the Rockies?
I would never drive a trailer in the snow personally, but in regards to warmth yes it can keep you warm with the propane heater. Just might have to crack a window so moisture does not build up.
@@JamesVonwiegen thanks for your advice. do you mean don't tow in the snow? i wont be towing in the snow storm buy I will be living gin them. can they handle snow if I clean the roof a lot?
You say you ran out of power so your heat shut off, does this unit not have a gas furnace?
It is gas, but the blower uses electricity to actually push out the heat into the camper.
@@JamesVonwiegen how many amps does it use ?
The real question here is what gauge wire did these guys run from the factory? Nothing like a good ok electrical fire to ruin the night
Depends what wires you are questioning, but 2 gauge for the inverter, 10 gauge from the charge controller.
Hey Mr. James V in my garage I have a gold power I think it’s 15 or 1800 minimal watts and it goes up to 2500 I forget now it’s been sitting in my garage for years since I’ve got assigned a new truck I own it if you want it I don’t know how to get a hold of you I’m not too fancy on emails and stuff like that but reply back to me and give me some sort of private way to get a hold of you if you want it and we can go from there I don’t want anything for it just helping a brother out
Is e-pro made by the same mfg as go-pro?
Yes, built in the same building also
YUP!
Do Geo Pro's have 12v refrigerators ?
Negative, I wish it only runs off propane or shore power.
My 2021 model has a 12v only fridge with a compressor. It’s great.
@@justinpedalpusher I’m waiting for mine to show up. Does the solar keep up with the refrigerator with the battery that comes with it?
Absolutely. The only time I cut it close is if I have to turn the furnace on all night. I just top up with the generator if needed on cloudy days. I’m about to add a second 185w panel. That should do it.
My 2020 has a 12v
You'd be better off just doing a separate solar setup with a 3000W inverter (6000W Peak) and plugging the trailer into the inverter when you need to. Way cheaper, way easier, and no rewiring or messing with what is already there. Then you could even run your air conditioner from it.It'll cost you less than $1000. 100W flexible panels are less than $100 each now (I just bought 4 for $84).
Don't mess with what is already there, just add this second setup you can plug the trailer into.
And even easier, but not ideal, but maybe a gene.
You're right. Watts in, watts out, that's what your basic solar power system must cope with. The basic plan the Geo Pro's come with is just that, a very basic setup (although your dealer seems to be pretty cheap with the batteries on your rig). You may want to go with rigid panels for your add on power, they generate energy better and don't transfer any heat load to the roof of your rig, and are a bit more durable than the flex solar panels. As far as the inverter, unless you're wanting to run your AC and microwave while you're boondocking, the 1000 watt factory unit would be OK after you up the watt hours of your battery bank.
Silas Longshot if I wanted to get two 100ah Battleborn Batteries (lithium iron phosphate) to connect in parallel, would they fit? Also how difficult would it be to get the AC to run off the grid? As simple as getting a larger inverter? Thanks!
@@forrestsingletary5204 Not sure what the dimensions of the batteries or the tray where they ride, but I think they are 'roughly' the size to fit. But measure first!
You would still only have 100 AH, however, just more robust system that you could discharge more deeply.
As far as running the AC, yeah, just a bigger inverter (think there's several 3000 watt units out there) but that will suck every watt you've stored VERY fast, so to run AC overnight, you'll need a battery bank the size of the trailer and solar panels over every square inch of roof!
@@forrestsingletary5204 you will never run the Air Conditioning on solar on this rig, it can barely carry its own weight much less the weight of the panels and batteries needed to run air conditioning. Just get an easy start and an westing house 2200 generator forget the solar.
The Problem with Lid-acid batteries they Suck with Solar; They don't replenish quick enough.
The stock battery box is 22” X 8”. Did you find a lithium ion battery with dimensions that will allow 2 batteries to be installed in that space? I have seen a video where the batteries were moved to a different location. Thank you
Our stock battery box was alot wider as it came with two batteries from the factory. Lion Energy UT1300 are the same size actually.
Has anyone watched the Johnny O Show On You Tube.Check it out before buying(Geo Pro/E Pro)
I hear you! I'm glad you made this video. People, really need to know how pointless the solar is on this camper. I have 100amp hour it''s still pointless, better to buy a better camper and put your own solar on it. I personally would never buy this camper ever again. watch your weight, because this is a single axle camper and can't carry much load. (ie. more panels and batteries)
Moot controllers are 130 ish right now.