*I use this solar **Generater.Systems** at work. The building is 80 years old so there’s not a lot of electrical outlets. I use it for lights, fans, charge phones etc. works great !*
I got an iffy MWXNE 2000 Watts pure sine inverter because it was all I could afford to run my window air conditioner from a 12v 300ah LiFeP04 battery in my camper after hurricanes and other storms. Putting it on solar once I finish my system piece by piece. I need two more panels to match up a series/parallel 24v input through 10 gauge MC4 cable to a 60 amp MPPT controller and a few switches and battery meter. I`ve been using a 20 amp plug-in charger in the meantime to top it off before storms. I started with a collection of power banks for tiny fans and Onite LED bulbs then started getting various solar power stations from 250w up to 700w for emergency power for a dorm fridge, freezer, rice cookers, Dash griddle, and sometimes an electric blanket. I need to get a backup inverter for sure.
Thanks for the info i was going to run an extension cord up through the floor to run a cpap. Your idea to run the cord to the dogbone is a great idea thanks.
Thanks for the video's. I watched both of your videos about this set up. This gives me new options that make sense. My question is why a 20 Amp 12 guage extension with 15Amp adapters? Will a 15Amp 12 guage extension not work, or heat up or ?? In my situation I might run the inverter power to an "inverter" plug in on the rig exterior. Then use my 30 Amp shore power cord with the 15Amp dongle to run the inverter power back over to the shore power inlet. It's only using 1 leg anyway, I already have the cord and it's plenty of cable so it might work. Thanks again
Initially I wasn’t sure if a standard extension cord would handle the load, so I went heavier just to be safe. I have also thought of hard wiring a 30a outlet to the inverter so I could plug our normal shore power cord in with an adapter, great idea!
Sweet, how are those AGM’s holding up for you? I’m still using two standard lead acid batteries for 3 years now, I have to charge them daily for at least 3 hours though. The Lithium’s look great but that’s a lot of money to dish out.
The AGM’s held up great, I am a huge fan of the Northstar/Odyssey batteries! I have since made the switch to 2 100ah lithium and they are a game changer as far as weight savings and run time!
Yeah, I think I’m gonna take the plunge over to lithium myself. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more development in the future towards better batteries. Enjoy your camping adventures this summer.
Just in Time ! Thank you for this video. I have a 2021 Reflection 278BH 5th-wheel. I replaced the cheap dealer battery with a SOK 206aH lithium, planning on adding a 2nd, so over 400aH of capacity. Just received a Renogy 3000watt pure sine wave inverter. Another fellow suggested running a dedicated power line from the inverter to the living area? Then seeing this was like a "duh" moment! Running the line directly to my 50amp plug-in like you did. Hoping that you have a video of the actual install, since I'm clueless with this.
After reading many reviews and watching a lot of videos, I chose this option for my first backup power station. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxHypYDKHAN93Lp2RQpfvU_ksc70wJ00pt I was between this and a larger option that could power a wider range of items, but the price/size/capacity blend seemed right for this unit. Hasn't gotten a ton of use yet, but the build quality is solid and it charges fine via the Rockpals solar panel I purchased to pair with it. One thing to note is that the screen is optimized for a top down viewing angle, which makes sense, but this means it washes out at other angles - especially low angles. Not a huge deal, but perhaps a better option for the display could be used to provide wider viewing angles.
Instead of running an extension cord everyrytime just hardwire it into the back of the plug and zip tie it up under the 5th wheel. You won't have to run the cord ever again just unplug at the inverter if needed.
A hard wired connection requires a Dual-input, single-output power supply selector switch. This is the safe/correct way to have convenient and 100% accident proof dual input power for your rv
I found another alternative to turn off the converter without having to turn off the breaker in the panel. I installed a remote controlled (wireless) grounded plug on the backside of my power distribution panel, where the converter plugs in. I then plugged the converter into the remote controlled plug. I can tell from my battery monitor if the converter is on or off and with the push of a button I can turn the converter/charger off when powering my camper off the inverter. Much easier than installing a transfer switch in my case.
How do you charge you batteries without the solar panels if you don’t have sun as an additional power source? I want to do this with my RV as I have several spare lipo batteries. Any help would be much appreciated thanks.
Microwave is not a plus because you have a propane stove and oven , ac is important some times when a fan alone can not do the job...and if that is your concern you have 3 options when camping in remote areas 1. Build a more powerful solar system 2. Use a powerful generator or the RV one 3. Don't go camping in an RV
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. Melted terminals are caused by a loose battery cable connection at the battery 99% of the time. The loose connection combined with the high amperage draw creates a tremendous amount of heat which melts the terminal. I saw this happen to batteries on numerous occasions while working in the battery industry for 14 years.
I love how incredibly simple this is. I feel like it also insures you don't have the inverter on when you eventually connect to shore power and ruin your inverter.
Thanks! This setup has proved to be simple and effective for our needs without being overly complicated. And yes, there’s no chance of accidentally having the shore power and inverter hooked up at the same time! Thanks for watching!
I have 400 watts of solar, 200Ah of lithium batteries, a 3000 watt inverter. Remote power switch for the inverter. My trailer is a 30 amp unit. My setup is the same as shown in this video. Just avoid the microwave except for my wife’s tea. Fan only for the air conditioner. I tent camped for years, then a small tent trailer, so am accustomed to normal outdoor weather. Didn’t carry a microwave or air conditioner, didn’t spend daytime inside, so am content. I am a boondocker.
@@jonedwards2107 I am looking at a similar setup. Does using the microwave create significant battery drainage? How much would you estimate using it for 20 minutes?
@@azcanuck3131 haven’t tried yet. Typically you might use a microwave for a minute or two at a time.if you have the inverter plugged into your shore power inlet be sure to turn off your converter. Solar should fully recharge your batteries daily.
@@azcanuck3131 That depends on the rest of your setup? do you have solar? assuming worse case no solar and you have 2 lithium batteries (2X100ah=200ah) you could run your A/C for an 1.5 hours. So I see no reason that you could not run your microwave for 20 minutes. Assuming your batteries are at full charge and your not running any other heavy electrical devices, fridge, water heater etc.
I have used this setup for years. I run 4-100ah Power Queen batteries into a 3000w pure sinewave inverter and run the output to the trailer 110v input. I can run everything in the trailer for days as long as I have sun for the 600w panels on the roof. It will even run the roof air for about 4 hours if I have to. More batteries and solar would be nice but I've run out of roof room. LOL It's only a 20' trailer. LOL
Good use case in a sea of hard to understand videos. I wasn't sure if plugging in directly to the 50amp input was doable. I was also concerned about my converter and you showed me the quick and easy work around.......the freegin breaker!! Love it. I never comment on videos , much less like or subscribe. I feel like you earned this one.
Excellent video. Simple and elegant way to avoid the need for a transfer switch. I'll be installing a 2000W pure sine wave inverter this spring for my GD 5th wheel. Considering your method vs using a transfer switch to add some flexibility to the system. Keeping things simple is usually the best alternative. The detail about turning off the converter breaker is very important when using the inverter for powering the rig using your method.
You can get 20amps with that inverter if you hard wire it to a 20amp receptacle. Then it can run a Keurig, Microwave, or a blow dryer easily. 1 at a time of course. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing. Made my life a lot easier while boon docking. I always take a backup generator for emergency power.
I just installed a Renogy 2000w inverter. I Used a 30amp locking trailer adaptor to a 50 foot 30amp extension cord. Then from the extension cord I added a 30amp to 20amp adaptor. That plugs into a 20amp receptacle installed beside the inverter. Now I have 20amp service to my trailer.The reason I went down to a 20amp receptacle is that I hard wired it to my inverter. Renogy told me that the 3 plugs were 15amps, but the hard wire ports were 20amps. Thank you for your excellent video on how to power the whole trailer with the 200watt sokar panels and 2000watt inverter.
Why don't you bypass the converter completely, and run your inverter directly to the breaker box for ac,and jump your DC directly to the batteries, most converters are inefficient anyway, also if your inverter doesn't charge batteries you can add a 80 amp charger and run it to your generator 😊
For some reason this exact same set-up in my Imagine 2970RL will not work. The inverter goes into a fault and shuts down. I have tried turning off all the breakers in the camper, but it does the same thing every time. I have connected the inverter into the camper using a longer extension cord, and it works fine, runs the microwave and TV when directly connected to them. Is it possible that the bog bone adapter is bad? Do I need something bigger than a 14Ga extension cord? Pretty stumped now, and have a trip coming up in two weeks that demands I figure this out... Thanks for any assistance.
Much easier to mount two auto switches and wire directly. Primary is shore power. secondary is generator, third is inverter, and all the switching is automatic. 'Idiot' proofs the whole setup which is needed for my family.
Great video! Have you been able to safely run your air conditioner off the batteries and 2000w inverter without shore power or a generator? I have a similar setup but the air conditioner trips after a minute on hot days, it works fine at night time for some reason.
If you run this setup, isn’t your converter trying to charge the house batteries off the inverter (which is running off the house batteries)? Since both the inverter and converter are not 100% efficient I would think this endless loop of power would drain your batteries fairy quick.
I mention in the video that it is critical to turn the breaker to the converter off so this scenario doesn’t happen. If I forget to turn it off, with the battery monitor in place, it’s obvious pretty quickly that something isn’t right due to the high amperage draw. Thanks for watching!
I am using 3000W 12v to 220v pure sine inverter for power and also I am using a battery charger at night from the same inverter to charged the battery.The battery is maintaining constant voltage.Recycled power.
Wait you charge your battery off the same power from the inverter? Thats pointless, it's working 12v power to 220v then dropping back down to charge the battery. That won't be efficient?
I was hoping this system would help run my AC unit & microwave oven Maybe it’s not your entire RV 😢or did I misunderstand what he meant to say in the beginning?
With a large enough inverter and battery bank you could run all of that. The issue would be having enough solar panels to recharge the batteries while using the A/C. This is a simple way to power the RV and use everything except the A/C. The microwave oven is possible to use with this setup, it would need to be the only thing you were running though. Thanks for watching!
My question to anybody looking at this and reading the reviews or questions can you put more batteries and have more battery storage so you could run longer that's the first question, second question is is that when the batteries go low and there is no sun for 3 or 4 days can you charge the batteries up with your generator and how do you do that
Hi there, yes, you can add more batteries in parallel to increase your capacity. The caveat to that is you would need a big enough charger to charge a large battery bank effectively. The rule of thumb is at least 10 amps for every 100 amp hours of battery bank capacity. Charging with the generator is simple, just plug the trailer into the generator and turn the converter or charger on depending on your setup. If you are thinking of a large battery bank, it would be worthwhile to look into an inverter/charger vs using this method.
If the trailer is plugged in to the generator, your converter will charge the batteries. Or, if you had this setup minus the solar panels, you could plug a separate battery charger into the generator with the leads attached directly to the batteries. That would serve the same purpose as the solar panels in this scenario.
On my '05 dynaquest, all that's hooked to inverter output is frig and tv: nothing else. When converter no longer see shore or genset, it passes dc to lights and ceases charging of course.
You would need a large enough battery bank to get through the night with out draining the batteries below 50% and enough solar and wind to recharge them during the day. The inverter would need to be sized properly to accommodate everything you want to run. Thanks for watching!
I went with the 15 amp adapter because I’m using a heavy duty (20 amp) extension cord to power the trailer from the inverter. This provides more than enough amperage for our needs since we do not run any high load appliances.
Bump up the DC wind turbine/motors at 3-10 kWh via 2-5 + DC generator/motors turned by plugged in DC Motor shaft cog belts (no wind no solar needed) to the 4000w 8000w peak to run the cooker & refrigerator full electric plug-in. Most government solar power schemes are schemers. Any more power you make paying off the solar system installed invertor when too much they Take and sell it you back When no wind or sunlight. Unless you bought solar power online Invertor with battery to save as much as you don't give away to the Grid electric companies will still take what they want units until you totally disconnect them to run on wind/solar power battery 🔋 banks?? You'll still be buying From grid cable needs to stay. Solar and wind together? Unless you live across the Equator or move to Chile for all-round wind you're definitely buying added full battery and or gas or electric or gas to use at home otherwise wood pellets to turn Steam generator heat and power voltor LTD
This is a meticulous system. No batteries in parallel. 24 volt theme. You might consider a totally independent 12 volt plus solar just for 12 volt appliances. Tiny 12 volts can use a car battery diluted to become a deep cycle, or you can use golf cart battery pairs, diluted for the longest lifespans.
This is actually a 12 volt system with 2 batteries in parallel. It’s not really that complex, simply plugging our trailer into the inverter via an extension cord. Thanks for watching
@@JouppiOutdoors If you have batteries in parallel, you will need a battery isolation system. The show had 24 volt charging. Batteries in series. Fundamental and trouble free.
Thanks for the video! I’ve been trying to figure this out for the past 1.5 years I’ve been on the road. I have finally acquired everything I’ll need I think but that’s why I’m writing this comment. I have 2 6v batteries each having 225ah. All of my equipment is 12v but I noticed you had 2 batteries. Do I need another pair of 6v ran in series? That way I’d have the equivalent to having two 12v batteries. I also have 2 100w renogy panels but they’re the permanent ones. From your experience how long does it take to charge your battery bank? Do you ever run out of power?
You can wire the 2 6 volts in series to make one 225ah 12 volt bank. My 2 12 volt batteries are 105ah each wired in parallel for a 210ah bank. You essentially have the same capacity as I do and we can run overnight easily with the batteries at 12.4v in the morning. It would probably take all day with full sun for your solar to recharge that bank if it were 50% depleted. That is why I installed the Victron BlueSmart 12/25, so when my generator is running, the batteries can fully recharge quickly.
My wife says we will never boon dock so this may be the way to go. I don't want to spend money on a power transfer switch or an inverter with a built in trans for switch. Just in the event that we lose power at an RV park and we need to have power inside out trailer short term this may be the way to go for us. I'm looking at buying the Renege 2000 watt inverter, Maybe the 3000 watt I'm not sure if the 3000 watt inverter will benefit me. I have 165 watt solar power on roof and 2 deep cycle marine batteries.
Our boondocking is very limited and even then, only a few days at a time. This setup has been very useful during a few campground power outages though! I believe the 2000 watt inverter will be more than sufficient for you.
Ok im new so bear with me please. Why not wire the inverter into the rv instead? So with this set up you did if you were boondocking and batteries needed to be charged do you just turn off the inverter and turn on the converter then plug in the generator? Thank you
That can be done, however, the correct way to do that is with a transfer switch wired in so you never get multiple sources feeding the RV at the same time. I have considered doing this, but the effort isn’t worth it given the limited amount of dry camping that we do. It would be nice though!
@@JouppiOutdoors I originally did the cord thing like you are, but recently added another battery and saw the open slot so figured I’d use that instead.
The battery monitor shunt is connected in the negative side of the battery bank. Basically one cable from shunt to battery negative, then all other negative cables in the other side of the monitor shunt. Then just mount the monitor inside and run the supplied cable from the shunt to the monitor. It’s very simple and comes with great instructions.
Great video. I do have a question. Can I use any 12v car battery to power my new 1000watt inverter? Or does it have to be a marine, or RV battery? I'm new to this. Thanks.
Thank you! It would need to be a marine deep cycle battery. A regular car battery would technically operate it, but it would not last long and is not designed to be drained and recharged over and over like a deep cycle battery is. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out, I’m happy to answer if I can! Thanks for watching!
The issue with mine is when the converter is off I have no access to DC power, which means no lights, radio or dc plugs, chargers, chest fridge, and TV. They save a large portion of power using DC. There must be a way to just disconnect the charging part while still having access to DC power. Wasn't aware that the converter ate enough power to do this. I was only interested in running the inverter for heavy AC loads like microwaves and Air/heat
The converter supplies 12 volt DC power when the RV is plugged into shore power. Your DC should be supplied by the batteries when the RV is not plugged in or when the converter is off. You may have a battery issue if you lose DC power when the converter is off.
@@JouppiOutdoors oh ok, thank you I will look into it. I finally wrapped my head around the solar and wind wiring but the RV side was still a little confusing, batteries are new so I think I may have wired things a little funny, I basically followed the RVs previous owners wiring job when I replaced a few wires. I will have to diagnose it. I can wire servers together but for the life of me this stuff still escapes me. Still learning.
@@JouppiOutdoors little bit of a tip for the help in the tech world. Type C plugins are more than just charging and data transfer. Usb companies are making the move to make DC powered items more reliable with Type C. They are a version of smart DC conversion and they make kits available to change your old DC powered items to Type C. They are reducing the use of wall wart type inverters saving electricity costs. They used an NES game console as their example which is actually impressive. Type C is the new LED for energy savings. I run my TV off of it since I tried the conversion. it needs a Type C 100 watt capable car plug in for safety. An lcd tv runs typically 12-14v 60w and without the conversion through its inverter it drops to 45w usage. Which is 15w to run the inverter at the most. The Type C Converters might use 1-5 watts dependent on the circuit quality. So if you take 10-15w off everything that you plug in the wall, the power savings add up fast.
Its crazy how fast technology is moving in the battery/solar world. I purchased two 200 amp hour lithium batteries that have built-in heating elements and Bluetooth function so all I have to do is look at my phone and I could see how much power is going in and out and turn them off manually from my phone. I don't have to deal with anything on the wall other than the inverter switch
It is pretty amazing! I got into the battery industry in 2006 and the technology that is available to the consumer now, compared to back then, is incredible! Thanks for watching!
It’s been a great option for us given the limited amount of boondocking we do. It’s also great to have when the campground power goes out! Thanks for watching!
You can easily use a microwave using that inverter. Of course id shut down the water heater and/or AC while i was using the microwave because of running watts as peak watts is only for very short times in surge when devices start up. Pretty nice looking inverter though. I want to get a 3000+ watt one. If you run those 2 batteries in series, you'll use half the amps which extends battery usage.
If you have a 12v refrigerator it should be powered by the batteries when the converter is off. Our refrigerator is electric/propane so we just turn it over to propane when we use the inverter.
This is exactly what I was planning to try, despite being told it would not work. Thanks for sharing. I also have the Renogy 2000W Pure in my Amazon cart and was researching to ensure I was ok with such a setup. Would you please share the brand of the battery monitor? Sounds like an important item I should add to my setup. Thanks again!
It will absolutely work! This setup has been a great option for us since we do not boondock very often. The battery monitor has been a great addition also. Here is a link to the one we have. Thanks for watching! AiLi Battery Monitor: amzn.to/3t7AV7Q
@@EarlBalentine if your battery monitor shows you the real-time battery voltage you wouldn’t need a 2nd one. My factory battery monitor just gave me a generic reading and did not show my amp draw which is why I added this one.
I have a 24v forklift battery that I want to use to power my rv completely including ac and heat when needed. How would I do that simply? Thank you for your time.
24 volt power is a fantastic option! The easiest way to do it would be a 24 volt inverter/charger. Victron makes an awesome 3000 watt 24 volt inverter charger. Then you could connect your solar panels in a series/parallel configuration to charge the battery when you are off grid camping. Thanks for watching!
Hey brother! Few questions! I love your setup it looks fairly simple. I own a rockwood roo travel trailer. I've purchased and installed a 200ah lithium battery, a new charge converter 120v - 14.6v to charge the battery (when im plugged into shore power). When im off grid it works wonderfully to power all of our 12v appliances.... I now want to incorporate a 2000w renogy inverter to use t.v the odd time and toaster.... Few questions... 1. Do i just connect the 2000w inverter directly to the batteries terminals, (the battery already has two wires coming from charge controller (a red and a black). attached to the battery. 2. I do have one of those "solar on the sides" pre-wired to plug in a solar panel which i plan on getting... so I will have 200w of power charging the battery during the day... is it possible to set it up like this? having two wires per terminal? one potentially feeding the battery 200w from solar and the other pulling 2000w from battery? Does this make any sense??
Correct, you can wire the inverter directly to the batteries. 200 watts of solar should offset your usage during the day while still providing a slight charge to the batteries (provided there is full sun on the panels).
In this video, I am using 2 12 volt group 31 AGM batteries in parallel for a total of 210 amp hours capacity. I have since upgraded to 2 100ah lithium batteries (given to me to test)
The Renogy 2000 Watt inverter is not an upgrade. It uses the cheapest short lived, low surge inverter technology on the market. It not only provides a short life expectancy but can also be dangerous them installed in your rig. It uses lightweight, outdated, high frequency, transformerless inverter technology. The reason for this is that all of these lightweight, high frequency inverters lack a very critical component. That critical component is an iron core, copper wound output transformer. Without an output transformer to act as a buffer to absorb electrical surges provided by the “Flywheel Effect” inherent in the physical amount of a transformer’s iron, these surges and damaging reverse voltage spikes must be handled directly by the inverter’s MOSFET transistors, essential shortening their life. You might be able to start and run some high surge loads when these high frequency inverters are new, but every time you fire up one of those inductive loads, you're shortening the life of the MOSFETs in these inverters. Lightweight. high frequency inverters run much hotter than low frequency, transformer-based inverters which makes the low cost, off spec, Chinese made components such as capacitors, diodes, resistors and ICs that are used in the cheap inverters that are used in these inverters, far more prone to early failure. Another major consideration with these lightweight, high frequency, transformerless inverters is safety. All it takes is for the AC output monitoring circuitry to fail and one of the MOSFETs in the inverter's H-Bridge circuit to short to ground, and these inverters can dangerous, high voltage, high amperage DC current straight to your connected AC loads which will not only damage most AC appliances but can also set those AC appliances on fire. a far better alternative is to purchase a hybrid, low frequency, transformer based inverter charger. Low frequency transformer based inverters last many years longer than these high frequency solar generators, and can easily power high surge loads without being damaged and without damaging your appliances. That's why the big name brand inverter manufacturers like Schneider Electric, Outback Power, Sigineer Power, Victron Energy and others, all use a low frequency topology in their offerings.
I want to take my 5th wheel to state parks when shore power isn't available. I have a 1500 watt sine wave inverter from Harbir Freight that backs up my sump pump on my marine deep cycle battery. What would you see as issues using 2 deep cycle batteries with the inverter set up your way? I only want to have lights, tv, phone or laptop charging. I don't have generator yet. Parks limit the hours of operation. On that, can you recommend a good quiet model? My only issue is not having ac if it's hot. I don't like 80 plus temps. Doing this would provide more opportunities to be off grid. Thanks for your comments in advance.
There would be no issues using 2 deep cycle batteries, you would need a way to recharge them. The 200 watt portable solar panel does a great job. The 1500 watt inverter is plenty to power what you are wanting to run. The Predator 3500 is as quiet as you can get for that size generator, and you can run an A/C with it!
I have heard (but not confirmed) that the full output of that converter can only be achieved if you utilize the provided hard wired port located next to the plug outlets. That might explain why you aren't happy with the way the inverter powers your microwave oven.
I have 5th same . Same Ali monitor even . But when you plug inverter to shore power . Make sure the got water tank switch is off. Because it's sneaky. Lp heater and fridge I'm guessing. But water heater I got screwed up on .
Good point, I should have mentioned that. I took it for granted that people would know to switch the water heater and fridge to propane. That’s where the battery monitor comes in though, you would know instantly if something like that was on because the amperage draw would be very high. Thanks for watching!
Great content. Perhaps look into a microphone with a wind sock etc. Lots of wind noise and hard to hear what you are saying. Great job otherwise and thanks for sharing!!
Thank you! We have already upgraded our equipment to avoid the wind noise in the future. Agreed, the audio in this video is terrible. Thank you for watching!
I just got the 3,000 watt RENOGY and 2 x 230 amp hour REDODO LifePO4 batteries. QUESTION; My plan is to run 4/0 battery cable fused. Then run 10 gauge wire hard wired to the inverter, to a 30 amp female RV plug mounted beside the inverter, inside the compartment. Make an access hole that has the plastic reclosable big enough to run the 30 amp cord through it. Seems as long as the inverter functions as stated, it should power a microwave for 5 hours, the AC for 2 to 2.5 with no solar. I have a 190mwatt solar that came with camper, can expand to 600 watts with the 30 amp charge controller that came with the camper. WILL add solar soon.
So you could just keep your "RV" battery separate, instead of turning off the convertor. Heck you could have a completely portable system so you could move the batteries/inverter in/out of the RV, say if you wanted to use them in the bed of the truck etc. (Yea batteries are heavy to move).
In theory, yes you could but the battery also provides 12 volt DC power to the trailer. You could use a separate battery as long as you had a way to recharge it.
I would recommend at least a 2000 watt inverter for this setup to be worthwhile. Technically you could probably use a 500 watt but it would really be defeating the purpose. A 500 watt would not allow you to use multiple items at the same time. Thanks for watching!
My current battery set up ( lead acid ) is in a battery box that has a vent to the outside... if i install agm batteries, will i have to vent them the same way ?
No, AGM batteries do not gas like a regular flooded battery. They are internally vented so there are no fumes that escape from the battery. Thanks for watching!
Just about have my 800watt solar / 3000watt Renogy Inverter / 412 aH lithium setup finished. I had planned on using the drop cord technique as you do, but am thinking that there must be a way to wire the power directly into the power distribution panel ?? And I don't want to hard-wire a dedicated outlet since I will need the AC power in a few different places. Any ideas ?
You could install a sub panel with the outlets you want to power being fed from it. It’s not something I have personally done, but have seen others do it to accomplish what you are trying to do. Might be worth looking into. Thanks for watching!
Holy crap am I happy I stumbled onto this video. I had my ‘ah ha’ moment watching this, runnin this setup the way he did. Thank you! Now thanks to you, my Amazon accounts gonna be takin a serious hit lol
Hi my name is Frank when you hook up your inverter did you hook it up to existing house batteries or added two new batteries. I have no room to add new batteries.
I removed the single battery that came in the 5th wheel and replaced it with the 2 group 31 AGM batteries that you see in this video. If you absolutely cannot add more batteries, you could get a higher capacity house battery and still wire your inverter to it. Thanks for watching!
With your 20amp extension cord, are you using a plug adaptor on the 15 amp end of your 50 to 15amp plug that's coming from your rig? You're going from 15amps to a 20 amp extension cord. Do the adaptors get warm/hot after being plugged in for extended periods of time?
There is no adapter needed on the 50 to 15a adapter going to the trailer. I do have to use a 15a to 20a adapter on the inverter end of the cord. They never get hot. Thanks for watching!
I don’t really understand the need to be doing this. If you can’t run your AC or microwave off this then just get a Bluetti or similar box to charge devices then simply recharge it. You keep making reference to “running everything as normal” but fans and lights runoff if 12v so this only powers the 110 outlets.
I think I explained it pretty clearly in the video. You can power your trailer minus the heavy load appliances. It is incredibly convenient to have all of your outlets powered up. Thanks for the feedback and the Bluetooth is a great option as well!
I have a progressive Dynamic converter. It does not have a separate on/off breaker. I wonder if it with detector it, and turn off by itself. It switches to the battery type.
I did the exact same thing with my little pop up slide in truck camper. 300 watts of solar, 2 100 ah batteries. I installed a 30 amp plug in on the outside that plugs into my inverter. I then take my shore plug and plug it back into the 30 amp plug. With that all the plug-ins work like I'm on shore power.
I set my camper up this way. It was the simplest and safest way to use the existing power distribution system installed in the camper without any fuss. Thankfully my solar batteries and inverter were much closer to my input power port so a much shorter cable was required.
So when connecting to shore power you have to makes sure your inverter circuit breakers are oof and the power on the inverter is off? when you have no shore power (off grid) you flip the inverter's circuit breakers on and turn on the inverter power button? is this how it works?
Since I am using 2 separate power cords, there is no chance of shore power and inverter power being fed to the RV at the same time. It’s one or the other, so yes, I do turn the inverter power off…but I am disconnecting the power cord anyway.
Reason why you can’t power your microwave is because you’re using the low amperage output, which is the extension cord when you should be using the high output which is plugging directly into the inverter with the little box that you unscrew and screw the wires directly into the inverter, as opposed to plugging into the inverter with the extension cord.
EXCELLENT Video... Great information... HINT: Next time... do the video... but do a VOICE OVER so we are able to HEAR you better... This is a fantastic video... You are one smart man... just sad I couldn't HEAR you very well over the WIND... Do you have a "Dead Cat" on your Mic? Are you using a Rode Mic?
Thank you! Typically I’m pretty aware of the wind when recording, we filmed this in New Mexico and I was so focused on the info that I was oblivious to the wind picking up! I have since bought the necessary accessories to cut that wind noise down in the future. Thank you for the feedback and thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors Holy Cow.... That is Crazy! I swear... I looked at your background and thought it looked like you were in New Mexico... but I thought I was silly... Where in New Mexico was this shot? I love y'alls RV... Wow so Beautiful... I "Flip" RVs... On my 25th one right now... but I have never been able to go Solar... and now that I'm 66 years old and do not want to tote around heavy Propane Bottles (as much)... I'd love to see what I can do to go Solar... And I am getting ready to LIVE in my Vintage 1972 Tiny Travel Trailer.17' .. moving back to Albuquerque New Mexico... I have watched every video there is imaginable on portable solar generators ... and for the live of me... still do not know which way to go... I dont' think portable is where I need to be... even though I have such a small travel trailer...??? Vintage Travel Trailers are hard to find... and mine is 1972... so I want to keep in mind when I get ready to sell it I want it to be top notch... or at least quirky... LOL OR a cute Mobile OFFICE... Your video was really good... Thank y'all for making this video in New Mexico too... Did I ask you where you filmed this? (Good Lord, I'm writing a Novel here... LOL... that's funny because I really am a writer)... Question: Did you find any (out of the way) ... what is that word they're calling people that camp out without any RV hookups? Displacement? Right... Did y'all find any good places to camp out in the forest? I want to be "Displaced" (LAUGHING SO HARD) Somewhere around Albuquerque NM before I have to go back to work... Hey... If I do this Vintage Tiny Travel Trailer (17 foot... with a Bathroom)... I might just work out of it... I am a NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programing) Hypnotherapist... (Hypnotist). I can just see me putting my sign out for my NLP/Hypnosis I'll look like the Cartoon of Lucy on Peanuts having her little Psychiatric Sign saying "The Doctor is In" .... LOL Seriously... I should do that... going down the road... (Advertisement on the back of the Travel Trailer: ... "Quit Smoking... Lose Weight... You got a Problem? Pull over... We'll talk") If I have my solar hooked up... there is no stopping me... "Look Out" I think the New Mexico Heat is getting to me ... today. LOL One more question... I took notes of your video, but apparently didn't get this info... Do you have panels on TOP of your RV or do you just use the portable ones?
We recorded this video at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. I think the term you mean is “dispersed camping” or “boondocking”. We don’t do much dispersed camping but there is an area right outside Oliver Lee State Park called Dog Canyon dispersed camping area that looked like a pretty good spot! We do not have panels on the roof, prefer to keep it simple and just use our portable panels. They do a great job!
So turning off the breaker for the converter in the rv do your 12 volt lights work? I thought the converter charges the battery and converts shore power to 12 volts for lights vent fans ect
*I use this solar **Generater.Systems** at work. The building is 80 years old so there’s not a lot of electrical outlets. I use it for lights, fans, charge phones etc. works great !*
A 200 watt solar panel will provide around 12 amps (DC) in full sun. Our trailer uses 7-9 (DC) amps for lights, refrigerator fan, and roof vent fan.
Any of the "Generator dot Systems" comments are bots, folks. Just a heads up.
I got an iffy MWXNE 2000 Watts pure sine inverter because it was all I could afford to run my window air conditioner from a 12v 300ah LiFeP04 battery in my camper after hurricanes and other storms. Putting it on solar once I finish my system piece by piece. I need two more panels to match up a series/parallel 24v input through 10 gauge MC4 cable to a 60 amp MPPT controller and a few switches and battery meter. I`ve been using a 20 amp plug-in charger in the meantime to top it off before storms. I started with a collection of power banks for tiny fans and Onite LED bulbs then started getting various solar power stations from 250w up to 700w for emergency power for a dorm fridge, freezer, rice cookers, Dash griddle, and sometimes an electric blanket. I need to get a backup inverter for sure.
That’s going to be a great setup once you finish it!
Nice to see your family in the video.
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Thanks for the info i was going to run an extension cord up through the floor to run a cpap. Your idea to run the cord to the dogbone is a great idea thanks.
You’re welcome! It’s nice to have all the outlets working with this setup. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video's. I watched both of your videos about this set up. This gives me new options that make sense. My question is why a 20 Amp 12 guage extension with 15Amp adapters? Will a 15Amp 12 guage extension not work, or heat up or ??
In my situation I might run the inverter power to an "inverter" plug in on the rig exterior. Then use my 30 Amp shore power cord with the 15Amp dongle to run the inverter power back over to the shore power inlet. It's only using 1 leg anyway, I already have the cord and it's plenty of cable so it might work. Thanks again
Initially I wasn’t sure if a standard extension cord would handle the load, so I went heavier just to be safe. I have also thought of hard wiring a 30a outlet to the inverter so I could plug our normal shore power cord in with an adapter, great idea!
Sweet, how are those AGM’s holding up for you?
I’m still using two standard lead acid batteries for 3 years now, I have to charge them daily for at least 3 hours though. The Lithium’s look great but that’s a lot of money to dish out.
The AGM’s held up great, I am a huge fan of the Northstar/Odyssey batteries! I have since made the switch to 2 100ah lithium and they are a game changer as far as weight savings and run time!
Yeah, I think I’m gonna take the plunge over to lithium myself. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more development in the future towards better batteries. Enjoy your camping adventures this summer.
Just in Time ! Thank you for this video. I have a 2021 Reflection 278BH 5th-wheel. I replaced the cheap dealer battery with a SOK 206aH lithium, planning on adding a 2nd, so over 400aH of capacity. Just received a Renogy 3000watt pure sine wave inverter. Another fellow suggested running a dedicated power line from the inverter to the living area? Then seeing this was like a "duh" moment! Running the line directly to my 50amp plug-in like you did. Hoping that you have a video of the actual install, since I'm clueless with this.
I have a video of the original inverter installation and battery monitor. That was before the Renogy inverter but the installation is the same.
Thanks just way to noisey to follow
The audio was pretty bad…that’s why I made a follow up video to it. You can watch it here if you’d like to: ruclips.net/video/ekA39_o3jDA/видео.html
You need to use a wind sock.
We have since purchased one. Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors Thank you.
Did this 30 amp version. So I can run the big stuff.
Awesome! Thank you for watching!
Can you run your AC off this setup?
@@jjuarez77 yes
See I want to be able to run my window AC in a tent
That would require a large battery bank and inverter.
After reading many reviews and watching a lot of videos, I chose this option for my first backup power station. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxHypYDKHAN93Lp2RQpfvU_ksc70wJ00pt I was between this and a larger option that could power a wider range of items, but the price/size/capacity blend seemed right for this unit. Hasn't gotten a ton of use yet, but the build quality is solid and it charges fine via the Rockpals solar panel I purchased to pair with it. One thing to note is that the screen is optimized for a top down viewing angle, which makes sense, but this means it washes out at other angles - especially low angles. Not a huge deal, but perhaps a better option for the display could be used to provide wider viewing angles.
Thanks!
Instead of running an extension cord everyrytime just hardwire it into the back of the plug and zip tie it up under the 5th wheel. You won't have to run the cord ever again just unplug at the inverter if needed.
Definitely something to think about! Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for watching!
A hard wired connection requires a Dual-input, single-output power supply selector switch. This is the safe/correct way to have convenient and 100% accident proof dual input power for your rv
@@liftviagra Absolutely, thanks for watching!
Your info about turning off the converter was the final missing piece of information I was looking for. Thank you.
Glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I found another alternative to turn off the converter without having to turn off the breaker in the panel. I installed a remote controlled (wireless) grounded plug on the backside of my power distribution panel, where the converter plugs in. I then plugged the converter into the remote controlled plug. I can tell from my battery monitor if the converter is on or off and with the push of a button I can turn the converter/charger off when powering my camper off the inverter. Much easier than installing a transfer switch in my case.
@@lgmoon40 Sounds good to me. I bought the same remote plug for my little fan so I didn't have to get out of bed to turn it off : )
How do you charge you batteries without the solar panels if you don’t have sun as an additional power source? I want to do this with my RV as I have several spare lipo batteries. Any help would be much appreciated thanks.
The only way would be to run a generator so your onboard converter would charge the batteries.
entire 5th wheel except it won't run the 2 things you need/use the most - the microwave and the air conditioner.
Not the 2 things we need when we are dry camping in comfortable temps. Thanks for watching!
Microwave is not a plus because you have a propane stove and oven , ac is important some times when a fan alone can not do the job...and if that is your concern you have 3 options when camping in remote areas
1. Build a more powerful solar system
2. Use a powerful generator or the RV one
3. Don't go camping in an RV
I operate a 1500W microwave, no problem
so i plugged my trailer up and i melted my terminal, is this cause i didnt have enough battery or panels ?
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. Melted terminals are caused by a loose battery cable connection at the battery 99% of the time. The loose connection combined with the high amperage draw creates a tremendous amount of heat which melts the terminal. I saw this happen to batteries on numerous occasions while working in the battery industry for 14 years.
I love how incredibly simple this is. I feel like it also insures you don't have the inverter on when you eventually connect to shore power and ruin your inverter.
Thanks! This setup has proved to be simple and effective for our needs without being overly complicated. And yes, there’s no chance of accidentally having the shore power and inverter hooked up at the same time! Thanks for watching!
I have 400 watts of solar, 200Ah of lithium batteries, a 3000 watt inverter. Remote power switch for the inverter. My trailer is a 30 amp unit. My setup is the same as shown in this video. Just avoid the microwave except for my wife’s tea. Fan only for the air conditioner. I tent camped for years, then a small tent trailer, so am accustomed to normal outdoor weather. Didn’t carry a microwave or air conditioner, didn’t spend daytime inside, so am content. I am a boondocker.
@@jonedwards2107 I am looking at a similar setup. Does using the microwave create significant battery drainage? How much would you estimate using it for 20 minutes?
@@azcanuck3131 haven’t tried yet. Typically you might use a microwave for a minute or two at a time.if you have the inverter plugged into your shore power inlet be sure to turn off your converter. Solar should fully recharge your batteries daily.
@@azcanuck3131 That depends on the rest of your setup? do you have solar? assuming worse case no solar and you have 2 lithium batteries (2X100ah=200ah) you could run your A/C for an 1.5 hours. So I see no reason that you could not run your microwave for 20 minutes. Assuming your batteries are at full charge and your not running any other heavy electrical devices, fridge, water heater etc.
I have used this setup for years. I run 4-100ah Power Queen batteries into a 3000w pure sinewave inverter and run the output to the trailer 110v input. I can run everything in the trailer for days as long as I have sun for the 600w panels on the roof. It will even run the roof air for about 4 hours if I have to. More batteries and solar would be nice but I've run out of roof room. LOL It's only a 20' trailer. LOL
Sounds like a great setup!
Good use case in a sea of hard to understand videos. I wasn't sure if plugging in directly to the 50amp input was doable. I was also concerned about my converter and you showed me the quick and easy work around.......the freegin breaker!! Love it. I never comment on videos , much less like or subscribe. I feel like you earned this one.
Thank you, glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Excellent video. Simple and elegant way to avoid the need for a transfer switch. I'll be installing a 2000W pure sine wave inverter this spring for my GD 5th wheel. Considering your method vs using a transfer switch to add some flexibility to the system. Keeping things simple is usually the best alternative. The detail about turning off the converter breaker is very important when using the inverter for powering the rig using your method.
Thank you, my main goal was a simple way to power the RV. Glad the video was helpful! Thanks for watching!
You can get 20amps with that inverter if you hard wire it to a 20amp receptacle. Then it can run a Keurig, Microwave, or a blow dryer easily.
1 at a time of course.
Thanks for your knowledge and sharing.
Made my life a lot easier while boon docking.
I always take a backup generator for emergency power.
You’re welcome. Great info, thanks!
Could you just buy a 15amp to 20amp adapter for the inverter?
I just installed a Renogy 2000w inverter. I Used a 30amp locking trailer adaptor to a 50 foot 30amp extension cord. Then from the extension cord I added a 30amp to 20amp adaptor. That plugs into a 20amp receptacle installed beside the inverter. Now I have 20amp service to my trailer.The reason I went down to a 20amp receptacle is that I hard wired it to my inverter.
Renogy told me that the 3 plugs were 15amps, but the hard wire ports were 20amps.
Thank you for your excellent video on how to power the whole trailer with the 200watt sokar panels and 2000watt inverter.
Solar. Lol
That sounds like a great setup! I have been considering hard wiring a receptacle to the inverter. I like your idea, thanks for sharing!
1:05 so mu 1:13 😮 in😅 1:13x13Ceiling 😮😮😮😅space 8😅😅😅69😅⁸o 1:30so1:13x10 😅so 1:14 1:14😮 1:14 1:14 1:16 😅
Why don't you bypass the converter completely, and run your inverter directly to the breaker box for ac,and jump your DC directly to the batteries, most converters are inefficient anyway, also if your inverter doesn't charge batteries you can add a 80 amp charger and run it to your generator 😊
All that could be done, however, this is intended to be a simple way to power up your RV for those of us that rarely boondock. Thanks for watching!
For some reason this exact same set-up in my Imagine 2970RL will not work. The inverter goes into a fault and shuts down. I have tried turning off all the breakers in the camper, but it does the same thing every time. I have connected the inverter into the camper using a longer extension cord, and it works fine, runs the microwave and TV when directly connected to them. Is it possible that the bog bone adapter is bad? Do I need something bigger than a 14Ga extension cord? Pretty stumped now, and have a trip coming up in two weeks that demands I figure this out... Thanks for any assistance.
You are shutting off the converter and have the fridge set to propane along with the electric water heater off correct?
Much easier to mount two auto switches and wire directly. Primary is shore power. secondary is generator, third is inverter, and all the switching is automatic. 'Idiot' proofs the whole setup which is needed for my family.
Thanks for watching!
Great video!
Have you been able to safely run your air conditioner off the batteries and 2000w inverter without shore power or a generator? I have a similar setup but the air conditioner trips after a minute on hot days, it works fine at night time for some reason.
We do not run the A/C as the draw would drain the batteries too quickly. Perhaps adding a soft start capacitor would help your situation.
Finally, someone explains it in a manner I understand. Thanks so much
You’re welcome! Glad the info was helpful. Thank you for watching!
Hard wire the inverter in, this is a nice hack. This is how I started using our 3000w inverter until I pulled wire under the rig and hard wired.
Thanks for watching!
If you run this setup, isn’t your converter trying to charge the house batteries off the inverter (which is running off the house batteries)? Since both the inverter and converter are not 100% efficient I would think this endless loop of power would drain your batteries fairy quick.
I mention in the video that it is critical to turn the breaker to the converter off so this scenario doesn’t happen. If I forget to turn it off, with the battery monitor in place, it’s obvious pretty quickly that something isn’t right due to the high amperage draw. Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors ahhh! Shoot I missed that tidbit. Great easy way to get power to your outlets. Thanks for sharing!
Have you ever looked into a go power transfer switch?
Instead of buying the extension cord, could you have also just used the power cord that came with the trailer?
Ours wouldn’t reach to the inverter.
I am using 3000W 12v to 220v pure sine inverter for power and also I am using a battery charger at night from the same inverter to charged the battery.The battery is maintaining constant voltage.Recycled power.
Sounds like a great setup! Thanks for watching!
Wait you charge your battery off the same power from the inverter?
Thats pointless, it's working 12v power to 220v then dropping back down to charge the battery. That won't be efficient?
This doesn't make sense... You can't charge your battery from your battery. You would lose power due to the power consumption and parasitic drain.
@@JouppiOutdoors how many amps does the inverter pull while just “on” ? Not powering anything.
The draw is about .75 amps with the inverter on and no load.
I was hoping this system would help run my AC unit & microwave oven Maybe it’s not your entire RV 😢or did I misunderstand what he meant to say in the beginning?
With a large enough inverter and battery bank you could run all of that. The issue would be having enough solar panels to recharge the batteries while using the A/C. This is a simple way to power the RV and use everything except the A/C. The microwave oven is possible to use with this setup, it would need to be the only thing you were running though. Thanks for watching!
You should use your A/c terminal block on the inverter. That would allow you to pull more power.
Great point, thanks for watching!
My question to anybody looking at this and reading the reviews or questions can you put more batteries and have more battery storage so you could run longer that's the first question, second question is is that when the batteries go low and there is no sun for 3 or 4 days can you charge the batteries up with your generator and how do you do that
Hi there, yes, you can add more batteries in parallel to increase your capacity. The caveat to that is you would need a big enough charger to charge a large battery bank effectively. The rule of thumb is at least 10 amps for every 100 amp hours of battery bank capacity. Charging with the generator is simple, just plug the trailer into the generator and turn the converter or charger on depending on your setup. If you are thinking of a large battery bank, it would be worthwhile to look into an inverter/charger vs using this method.
How do you recharge the batteries without solar panels. I would rather use my generator but not sure how that part of the wiring would work
If the trailer is plugged in to the generator, your converter will charge the batteries. Or, if you had this setup minus the solar panels, you could plug a separate battery charger into the generator with the leads attached directly to the batteries. That would serve the same purpose as the solar panels in this scenario.
I did the same thing but I’m only getting power to the gfci outlets. All other outlets have no power.
You have your RV plugged directly into the inverter? I would recommend plugging into shore power to see if all outlets are actually working.
On my '05 dynaquest, all that's hooked to inverter output is frig and tv: nothing else. When converter no longer see shore or genset, it passes dc to lights and ceases charging of course.
How hot does it get inside the compartment? had the inverter ever shut down due to summer heat ? Thanks!
It never runs at a full load but there’s never been an issue with heat.
How can a guy do this for 24/7 power as we are starting the off grid living
Wind and solar are on the way
You would need a large enough battery bank to get through the night with out draining the batteries below 50% and enough solar and wind to recharge them during the day. The inverter would need to be sized properly to accommodate everything you want to run. Thanks for watching!
Does this method also power on the onboard battery charger? Is there a way to shut that part off?
When I talk about turning the converter breaker off, that is also your battery charger.
On the 50a to 15a adapter, how did you decide on 15a? Is that what your inverter is rated at?
I went with the 15 amp adapter because I’m using a heavy duty (20 amp) extension cord to power the trailer from the inverter. This provides more than enough amperage for our needs since we do not run any high load appliances.
Bump up the DC wind turbine/motors at 3-10 kWh via 2-5 + DC generator/motors turned by plugged in DC Motor shaft cog belts (no wind no solar needed) to the 4000w 8000w peak to run the cooker & refrigerator full electric plug-in.
Most government solar power schemes are schemers.
Any more power you make paying off the solar system installed invertor when too much they Take and sell it you back When no wind or sunlight.
Unless you bought solar power online Invertor with battery to save as much as you don't give away to the Grid electric companies will still take what they want units until you totally disconnect them to run on wind/solar power battery 🔋 banks??
You'll still be buying From grid cable needs to stay.
Solar and wind together?
Unless you live across the Equator or move to Chile for all-round wind you're definitely buying added full battery and or gas or electric or gas to use at home otherwise wood pellets to turn Steam generator heat and power voltor LTD
Great info, thanks for sharing
@@JouppiOutdoors Witts free energy is for real.
1 smaller Motor turns
1 AC alternator runs AC current lights and heating or microwave..
My ideas go back to 2007/2008 ©®™
Meter & locked down #RECYCTRIXUNO pay as you go power anywhere anytime Facebook.
If you set up a solar/wind turbine invertor all-in-1 power USA plugs x2 or more & 2 USB.
You'll run the DC stepper motor and sun planetary gear ALL-IN-1.
Step
1 solar Wind turbine to RV DC invertor/s
Step
2 battery charger or without
Step
3 USA plug DC stepper motor controller to set speed for +/- MANUAL marking power on device appliances you'll realise when turning 2+ DC generator (buying 3 bolt Over edge) on fast enough.
Wind turbine can't run so fast facts because of the pole fan vibration.
You'll spin them silky smooth silly bolted 1 smaller Motor geared tutnd6 2-3 x 5kwh DC Motors are generators using 1 as main motor to Run 2+ GENERATOR.
Alternator AC invertor or direct Witts free energy 1 Alternator pumping AC pure power can will run 1.5kwh AC heaters convector heater example.
If anyone wants NEEDS to setup Motor controller to DIY marker/etch knob turn speed up manual around 1500/5000 RPM+ X 2 or 10000000000000+ DC generator (Or AC generator) Will be turned by azipod turning massive 4 X double decker bus size wind turbine which rock vibration stupid.
They'll eventual breakdown decommissioning.
We stack them row/s and column/s
This is a meticulous system. No batteries in parallel. 24 volt theme. You might consider a totally independent 12 volt plus solar just for 12 volt appliances. Tiny 12 volts can use a car battery diluted to become a deep cycle, or you can use golf cart battery pairs, diluted for the longest lifespans.
This is actually a 12 volt system with 2 batteries in parallel. It’s not really that complex, simply plugging our trailer into the inverter via an extension cord. Thanks for watching
@@JouppiOutdoors If you have batteries in parallel, you will need a battery isolation system. The show had 24 volt charging. Batteries in series. Fundamental and trouble free.
Thanks for the video! I’ve been trying to figure this out for the past 1.5 years I’ve been on the road. I have finally acquired everything I’ll need I think but that’s why I’m writing this comment. I have 2 6v batteries each having 225ah. All of my equipment is 12v but I noticed you had 2 batteries. Do I need another pair of 6v ran in series? That way I’d have the equivalent to having two 12v batteries. I also have 2 100w renogy panels but they’re the permanent ones. From your experience how long does it take to charge your battery bank? Do you ever run out of power?
You can wire the 2 6 volts in series to make one 225ah 12 volt bank. My 2 12 volt batteries are 105ah each wired in parallel for a 210ah bank. You essentially have the same capacity as I do and we can run overnight easily with the batteries at 12.4v in the morning. It would probably take all day with full sun for your solar to recharge that bank if it were 50% depleted. That is why I installed the Victron BlueSmart 12/25, so when my generator is running, the batteries can fully recharge quickly.
Wonder inverter video, seen so much complicated ones, yours really hit the mark for me, thank you.
Glad the video is helpful! Thanks for watching!
Is your fridge running off the inverter at 110-120V?
No, we switch it to propane when we use this setup.
My wife says we will never boon dock so this may be the way to go. I don't want to spend money on a power transfer switch or an inverter with a built in trans for switch. Just in the event that we lose power at an RV park and we need to have power inside out trailer short term this may be the way to go for us. I'm looking at buying the Renege 2000 watt inverter, Maybe the 3000 watt I'm not sure if the 3000 watt inverter will benefit me. I have 165 watt solar power on roof and 2 deep cycle marine batteries.
Our boondocking is very limited and even then, only a few days at a time. This setup has been very useful during a few campground power outages though! I believe the 2000 watt inverter will be more than sufficient for you.
@@JouppiOutdoors Did you need to install a power transfer switch or just turning off the converter breaker does it?
If I turn the converter off whe. Using inverter will my 12 volt dc still work? The fridge is on 12 volt dc
All of your 12 volt will run off of the batteries when the converter is shut off.
None of my plugs inside are hot when i shut the converter off. What am i doing wrong?
Ok im new so bear with me please. Why not wire the inverter into the rv instead? So with this set up you did if you were boondocking and batteries needed to be charged do you just turn off the inverter and turn on the converter then plug in the generator? Thank you
That can be done, however, the correct way to do that is with a transfer switch wired in so you never get multiple sources feeding the RV at the same time. I have considered doing this, but the effort isn’t worth it given the limited amount of dry camping that we do. It would be nice though!
@@JouppiOutdoors thank you
That’s so cool , I was breaking my head how to do it and you gave me a simple solution. Thank you!!
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching!
What amp battery I will need to put together the 2000wt inverter? Can I use a 320wt solar panel?
I have 2 100ah batteries in parallel to give me a 200ah battery bank.
So you have a regular breaker panel in the rv , and then u plug the inverter to the breaker panel? Sorry iam new on this
I found an open breaker on my panel so wired it directly to that, no cords needed…
That’s awesome! Definitely more convenient than dealing with the cords!
@@JouppiOutdoors I originally did the cord thing like you are, but recently added another battery and saw the open slot so figured I’d use that instead.
A year later, is the inverter still functioning as it should?
Yes, the inverter is still performing perfectly! Thanks for watching!
How do you hook up your battery monitor? Thank you
The battery monitor shunt is connected in the negative side of the battery bank. Basically one cable from shunt to battery negative, then all other negative cables in the other side of the monitor shunt. Then just mount the monitor inside and run the supplied cable from the shunt to the monitor. It’s very simple and comes with great instructions.
Great video. I do have a question. Can I use any 12v car battery to power my new 1000watt inverter? Or does it have to be a marine, or RV battery? I'm new to this. Thanks.
Thank you! It would need to be a marine deep cycle battery. A regular car battery would technically operate it, but it would not last long and is not designed to be drained and recharged over and over like a deep cycle battery is. If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out, I’m happy to answer if I can! Thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors Thanks a million!!!
The issue with mine is when the converter is off I have no access to DC power, which means no lights, radio or dc plugs, chargers, chest fridge, and TV. They save a large portion of power using DC. There must be a way to just disconnect the charging part while still having access to DC power. Wasn't aware that the converter ate enough power to do this. I was only interested in running the inverter for heavy AC loads like microwaves and Air/heat
The converter supplies 12 volt DC power when the RV is plugged into shore power. Your DC should be supplied by the batteries when the RV is not plugged in or when the converter is off. You may have a battery issue if you lose DC power when the converter is off.
@@JouppiOutdoors oh ok, thank you I will look into it. I finally wrapped my head around the solar and wind wiring but the RV side was still a little confusing, batteries are new so I think I may have wired things a little funny, I basically followed the RVs previous owners wiring job when I replaced a few wires. I will have to diagnose it. I can wire servers together but for the life of me this stuff still escapes me. Still learning.
@@JouppiOutdoors little bit of a tip for the help in the tech world. Type C plugins are more than just charging and data transfer. Usb companies are making the move to make DC powered items more reliable with Type C. They are a version of smart DC conversion and they make kits available to change your old DC powered items to Type C. They are reducing the use of wall wart type inverters saving electricity costs. They used an NES game console as their example which is actually impressive. Type C is the new LED for energy savings. I run my TV off of it since I tried the conversion. it needs a Type C 100 watt capable car plug in for safety. An lcd tv runs typically 12-14v 60w and without the conversion through its inverter it drops to 45w usage. Which is 15w to run the inverter at the most. The Type C Converters might use 1-5 watts dependent on the circuit quality. So if you take 10-15w off everything that you plug in the wall, the power savings add up fast.
Its crazy how fast technology is moving in the battery/solar world. I purchased two 200 amp hour lithium batteries that have built-in heating elements and Bluetooth function so all I have to do is look at my phone and I could see how much power is going in and out and turn them off manually from my phone. I don't have to deal with anything on the wall other than the inverter switch
It is pretty amazing! I got into the battery industry in 2006 and the technology that is available to the consumer now, compared to back then, is incredible! Thanks for watching!
Great low cost setup as you said. Will definitely replicate as we boondock a lot but can’t afford these in depth setups. Thanks again.
It’s been a great option for us given the limited amount of boondocking we do. It’s also great to have when the campground power goes out! Thanks for watching!
You can easily use a microwave using that inverter. Of course id shut down the water heater and/or AC while i was using the microwave because of running watts as peak watts is only for very short times in surge when devices start up. Pretty nice looking inverter though. I want to get a 3000+ watt one. If you run those 2 batteries in series, you'll use half the amps which extends battery usage.
Thanks for watching!
I mean hey it works...as long as it makes a pot of coffee...that's all that matters to me...lol
It will definitely do that! Thanks for watching!
Perculator on the stove is the route we went for this issue, works well with zero electric draw!
You’re video is exactly what I was looking for!
Great! Thank you for watching!
QUESTION; does turning of the converter cut off power to the 12 volt refrigerator
If you have a 12v refrigerator it should be powered by the batteries when the converter is off. Our refrigerator is electric/propane so we just turn it over to propane when we use the inverter.
Thanks, mine is thankfully 12 volt fridge
I want to get some Renogy equipment but I run Wind and Solar. Will it still work okay?
Your son looks like he loves being involved and helping you out. Great work dad!
Hoping he absorbs a little bit along the way! Thanks for watching
This is exactly what I was planning to try, despite being told it would not work. Thanks for sharing. I also have the Renogy 2000W Pure in my Amazon cart and was researching to ensure I was ok with such a setup. Would you please share the brand of the battery monitor? Sounds like an important item I should add to my setup. Thanks again!
It will absolutely work! This setup has been a great option for us since we do not boondock very often. The battery monitor has been a great addition also. Here is a link to the one we have. Thanks for watching! AiLi Battery Monitor: amzn.to/3t7AV7Q
@@JouppiOutdoors I already have a battery monitor that gave with the trailer to monitor batteries solar etc. Why do I need a 2nd one?
@@EarlBalentine if your battery monitor shows you the real-time battery voltage you wouldn’t need a 2nd one. My factory battery monitor just gave me a generic reading and did not show my amp draw which is why I added this one.
I have a 24v forklift battery that I want to use to power my rv completely including ac and heat when needed. How would I do that simply? Thank you for your time.
24 volt power is a fantastic option! The easiest way to do it would be a 24 volt inverter/charger. Victron makes an awesome 3000 watt 24 volt inverter charger. Then you could connect your solar panels in a series/parallel configuration to charge the battery when you are off grid camping. Thanks for watching!
Hey brother! Few questions! I love your setup it looks fairly simple.
I own a rockwood roo travel trailer. I've purchased and installed a 200ah lithium battery, a new charge converter 120v - 14.6v to charge the battery (when im plugged into shore power). When im off grid it works wonderfully to power all of our 12v appliances.... I now want to incorporate a 2000w renogy inverter to use t.v the odd time and toaster.... Few questions...
1. Do i just connect the 2000w inverter directly to the batteries terminals, (the battery already has two wires coming from charge controller (a red and a black). attached to the battery.
2. I do have one of those "solar on the sides" pre-wired to plug in a solar panel which i plan on getting... so I will have 200w of power charging the battery during the day...
is it possible to set it up like this? having two wires per terminal? one potentially feeding the battery 200w from solar and the other pulling 2000w from battery? Does this make any sense??
Correct, you can wire the inverter directly to the batteries. 200 watts of solar should offset your usage during the day while still providing a slight charge to the batteries (provided there is full sun on the panels).
Sorry question what battery setup ate you using?
In this video, I am using 2 12 volt group 31 AGM batteries in parallel for a total of 210 amp hours capacity. I have since upgraded to 2 100ah lithium batteries (given to me to test)
The Renogy 2000 Watt inverter is not an upgrade. It uses the cheapest short lived, low surge inverter technology on the market. It not only provides a short life expectancy but can also be dangerous them installed in your rig. It uses lightweight, outdated, high frequency, transformerless inverter technology. The reason for this is that all of these lightweight, high frequency inverters lack a very critical component. That critical component is an iron core, copper wound output transformer. Without an output transformer to act as a buffer to absorb electrical surges provided by the “Flywheel Effect” inherent in the physical amount of a transformer’s iron, these surges and damaging reverse voltage spikes must be handled directly by the inverter’s MOSFET transistors, essential shortening their life.
You might be able to start and run some high surge loads when these high frequency inverters are new, but every time you fire up one of those inductive loads, you're shortening the life of the MOSFETs in these inverters. Lightweight. high frequency inverters run much hotter than low frequency, transformer-based inverters which makes the low cost, off spec, Chinese made components such as capacitors, diodes, resistors and ICs that are used in the cheap inverters that are used in these inverters, far more prone to early failure.
Another major consideration with these lightweight, high frequency, transformerless inverters is safety. All it takes is for the AC output monitoring circuitry to fail and one of the MOSFETs in the inverter's H-Bridge circuit to short to ground, and these inverters can dangerous, high voltage, high amperage DC current straight to your connected AC loads which will not only damage most AC appliances but can also set those AC appliances on fire.
a far better alternative is to purchase a hybrid, low frequency, transformer based inverter charger. Low frequency transformer based inverters last many years longer than these high frequency solar generators, and can easily power high surge loads without being damaged and without damaging your appliances. That's why the big name brand inverter manufacturers like Schneider Electric, Outback Power, Sigineer Power, Victron Energy and others, all use a low frequency topology in their offerings.
Thanks for the insight, very informative! This setup is for occasional use running very low draw electrical loads. Thank you for sharing.
I want to take my 5th wheel to state parks when shore power isn't available. I have a 1500 watt sine wave inverter from Harbir Freight that backs up my sump pump on my marine deep cycle battery. What would you see as issues using 2 deep cycle batteries with the inverter set up your way? I only want to have lights, tv, phone or laptop charging. I don't have generator yet. Parks limit the hours of operation. On that, can you recommend a good quiet model?
My only issue is not having ac if it's hot. I don't like 80 plus temps.
Doing this would provide more opportunities to be off grid.
Thanks for your comments in advance.
There would be no issues using 2 deep cycle batteries, you would need a way to recharge them. The 200 watt portable solar panel does a great job. The 1500 watt inverter is plenty to power what you are wanting to run. The Predator 3500 is as quiet as you can get for that size generator, and you can run an A/C with it!
Do you have a built in surge protector?
No, we have a Progressive EMS that plugs into the pedestal.
Where is the cord being stored while moving?
I just keep in in the front basement storage. Thanks for watching!
I have heard (but not confirmed) that the full output of that converter can only be achieved if you utilize the provided hard wired port located next to the plug outlets. That might explain why you aren't happy with the way the inverter powers your microwave oven.
I believe you are correct.
I have 5th same . Same Ali monitor even . But when you plug inverter to shore power . Make sure the got water tank switch is off. Because it's sneaky. Lp heater and fridge I'm guessing. But water heater I got screwed up on .
Good point, I should have mentioned that. I took it for granted that people would know to switch the water heater and fridge to propane. That’s where the battery monitor comes in though, you would know instantly if something like that was on because the amperage draw would be very high. Thanks for watching!
Great content. Perhaps look into a microphone with a wind sock etc. Lots of wind noise and hard to hear what you are saying. Great job otherwise and thanks for sharing!!
Thank you! We have already upgraded our equipment to avoid the wind noise in the future. Agreed, the audio in this video is terrible. Thank you for watching!
I just got the 3,000 watt RENOGY and 2 x 230 amp hour REDODO LifePO4 batteries. QUESTION; My plan is to run 4/0 battery cable fused. Then run 10 gauge wire hard wired to the inverter, to a 30 amp female RV plug mounted beside the inverter, inside the compartment. Make an access hole that has the plastic reclosable big enough to run the 30 amp cord through it. Seems as long as the inverter functions as stated, it should power a microwave for 5 hours, the AC for 2 to 2.5 with no solar. I have a 190mwatt solar that came with camper, can expand to 600 watts with the 30 amp charge controller that came with the camper. WILL add solar soon.
Sounds like a great setup!
So you could just keep your "RV" battery separate, instead of turning off the convertor.
Heck you could have a completely portable system so you could move the batteries/inverter in/out of the RV, say if you wanted to use them in the bed of the truck etc. (Yea batteries are heavy to move).
In theory, yes you could but the battery also provides 12 volt DC power to the trailer. You could use a separate battery as long as you had a way to recharge it.
Can I use 500 watt inverter for this ? Or wattage needs to be higher ?
I would recommend at least a 2000 watt inverter for this setup to be worthwhile. Technically you could probably use a 500 watt but it would really be defeating the purpose. A 500 watt would not allow you to use multiple items at the same time. Thanks for watching!
I have 17foot small trailer, I just want to be able to run Refrigerator and charge a phone. You think 500watts is enough for that ?
My current battery set up ( lead acid ) is in a battery box that has a vent to the outside... if i install agm batteries, will i have to vent them the same way ?
No, AGM batteries do not gas like a regular flooded battery. They are internally vented so there are no fumes that escape from the battery. Thanks for watching!
Just about have my 800watt solar / 3000watt Renogy Inverter / 412 aH lithium setup finished. I had planned on using the drop cord technique as you do, but am thinking that there must be a way to wire the power directly into the power distribution panel ?? And I don't want to hard-wire a dedicated outlet since I will need the AC power in a few different places. Any ideas ?
You could install a sub panel with the outlets you want to power being fed from it. It’s not something I have personally done, but have seen others do it to accomplish what you are trying to do. Might be worth looking into. Thanks for watching!
Video I was looking for, thank you so much buddy..
You’re welcome! Thank you for watching!
Holy crap am I happy I stumbled onto this video. I had my ‘ah ha’ moment watching this, runnin this setup the way he did. Thank you! Now thanks to you, my Amazon accounts gonna be takin a serious hit lol
Glad the video was helpful! It’s been a great setup for us. Thanks for watching!
Hi my name is Frank when you hook up your inverter did you hook it up to existing house batteries or added two new batteries. I have no room to add new batteries.
I removed the single battery that came in the 5th wheel and replaced it with the 2 group 31 AGM batteries that you see in this video. If you absolutely cannot add more batteries, you could get a higher capacity house battery and still wire your inverter to it. Thanks for watching!
With your 20amp extension cord, are you using a plug adaptor on the 15 amp end of your 50 to 15amp plug that's coming from your rig? You're going from 15amps to a 20 amp extension cord. Do the adaptors get warm/hot after being plugged in for extended periods of time?
There is no adapter needed on the 50 to 15a adapter going to the trailer. I do have to use a 15a to 20a adapter on the inverter end of the cord. They never get hot. Thanks for watching!
Toooo much outside noise to heer you. !!!!!
I agree! There is a link to a follow up video I did without all of the wind noise.
Is it powerful enough to run a 1200w electric oven ?
If you have a battery bank with enough capacity, you could run it.
That's the good thing of having batteries with a lot of CCA like 860cc and up like 1,000cc
I don’t really understand the need to be doing this. If you can’t run your AC or microwave off this then just get a Bluetti or similar box to charge devices then simply recharge it. You keep making reference to “running everything as normal” but fans and lights runoff if 12v so this only powers the 110 outlets.
I think I explained it pretty clearly in the video. You can power your trailer minus the heavy load appliances. It is incredibly convenient to have all of your outlets powered up. Thanks for the feedback and the Bluetooth is a great option as well!
I have a progressive Dynamic converter. It does not have a separate on/off breaker. I wonder if it with detector it, and turn off by itself. It switches to the battery type.
You would need a way to shut the converter down to use this setup correctly.
What happens if your rv does not have a separate switch for the converter power to battery bank?
You would need a way to kill the power to the converter for this setup to work correctly.
@@JouppiOutdoors
I did just that now it works fine in my system/ thanks
I did the exact same thing with my little pop up slide in truck camper. 300 watts of solar, 2 100 ah batteries. I installed a 30 amp plug in on the outside that plugs into my inverter. I then take my shore plug and plug it back into the 30 amp plug. With that all the plug-ins work like I'm on shore power.
It’s definitely a convenient way to power all the outlets. Thanks for watching!
I set my camper up this way. It was the simplest and safest way to use the existing power distribution system installed in the camper without any fuss. Thankfully my solar batteries and inverter were much closer to my input power port so a much shorter cable was required.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and thank you for watching!
So when connecting to shore power you have to makes sure your inverter circuit breakers are oof and the power on the inverter is off? when you have no shore power (off grid) you flip the inverter's circuit breakers on and turn on the inverter power button? is this how it works?
Since I am using 2 separate power cords, there is no chance of shore power and inverter power being fed to the RV at the same time. It’s one or the other, so yes, I do turn the inverter power off…but I am disconnecting the power cord anyway.
Exactly how I did mine for on the road and keeping the fridge on and phones charged while traveling. The best thing ever.
Awesome! It’s been a great setup for us, thanks for watching!
I just want to watch "Wagon Train" when we lose shore power : )
Reason why you can’t power your microwave is because you’re using the low amperage output, which is the extension cord when you should be using the high output which is plugging directly into the inverter with the little box that you unscrew and screw the wires directly into the inverter, as opposed to plugging into the inverter with the extension cord.
Agreed, I may wire a direct connection at some point
How is your Renogy inverter holding up? I'm thinking about this model but was seeing some failures in their review section. Thanks.
No issues so far! Thanks for watching!
These people should have more subscribers.. I couldn't believe that they had less than 10k subs.. Good videos.. 👍 👍
Thank you for the kind words and thanks for watching!
Done
Thank you!
EXCELLENT Video... Great information...
HINT: Next time... do the video... but do a VOICE OVER so we are able to HEAR you better...
This is a fantastic video... You are one smart man... just sad I couldn't HEAR you very well over the WIND...
Do you have a "Dead Cat" on your Mic? Are you using a Rode Mic?
Thank you! Typically I’m pretty aware of the wind when recording, we filmed this in New Mexico and I was so focused on the info that I was oblivious to the wind picking up! I have since bought the necessary accessories to cut that wind noise down in the future. Thank you for the feedback and thanks for watching!
@@JouppiOutdoors
Holy Cow.... That is Crazy!
I swear... I looked at your background and thought it looked like you were in New Mexico... but I thought I was silly...
Where in New Mexico was this shot?
I love y'alls RV... Wow so Beautiful...
I "Flip" RVs... On my 25th one right now... but I have never been able to go Solar... and now that I'm 66 years old and do not want to tote around heavy Propane Bottles (as much)... I'd love to see what I can do to go Solar...
And I am getting ready to LIVE in my Vintage 1972 Tiny Travel Trailer.17' .. moving back to Albuquerque New Mexico...
I have watched every video there is imaginable on portable solar generators ... and for the live of me... still do not know which way to go... I dont' think portable is where I need to be... even though I have such a small travel trailer...???
Vintage Travel Trailers are hard to find... and mine is 1972... so I want to keep in mind when I get ready to sell it I want it to be top notch... or at least quirky... LOL
OR a cute Mobile OFFICE...
Your video was really good...
Thank y'all for making this video in New Mexico too...
Did I ask you where you filmed this?
(Good Lord, I'm writing a Novel here... LOL... that's funny because I really am a writer)...
Question: Did you find any (out of the way) ... what is that word they're calling people that camp out without any RV hookups?
Displacement?
Right... Did y'all find any good places to camp out in the forest?
I want to be "Displaced" (LAUGHING SO HARD)
Somewhere around Albuquerque NM before I have to go back to work...
Hey... If I do this Vintage Tiny Travel Trailer (17 foot... with a Bathroom)... I might just work out of it...
I am a NLP
(Neuro Linguistic Programing) Hypnotherapist...
(Hypnotist).
I can just see me putting my sign out for my NLP/Hypnosis
I'll look like the Cartoon of Lucy on Peanuts having her little Psychiatric Sign saying "The Doctor is In" .... LOL
Seriously... I should do that... going down the road... (Advertisement on the back of the Travel Trailer:
... "Quit Smoking...
Lose Weight...
You got a Problem?
Pull over... We'll talk")
If I have my solar hooked up... there is no stopping me... "Look Out"
I think the New Mexico Heat is getting to me ... today. LOL
One more question... I took notes of your video, but apparently didn't get this info... Do you have panels on TOP of your RV or do you just use the portable ones?
We recorded this video at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. I think the term you mean is “dispersed camping” or “boondocking”. We don’t do much dispersed camping but there is an area right outside Oliver Lee State Park called Dog Canyon dispersed camping area that looked like a pretty good spot! We do not have panels on the roof, prefer to keep it simple and just use our portable panels. They do a great job!
So turning off the breaker for the converter in the rv do your 12 volt lights work? I thought the converter charges the battery and converts shore power to 12 volts for lights vent fans ect
The 12 volt lights will run off the batteries, but the batteries will not charge with the converter off.
what amp alternator are you running in your vehicle?
It is just the stock alternator for the Ram 2500.
@@JouppiOutdoors what year? They went from 180amp to 220amp
Thank you! Simple and works is awesome. Oh and ignore the trolls. Not like you have them in head lo k forcing them to watch. IMHO :)
You’re welcome and thank you so much for watching!