Just a tip in an otherwise really good electrical set-up, please change out the 3 x blade fuses on the solar controllers (and any others that are likely to see current over 7A for a prolonged period of time) as they will offer to much resistance (at the blades) under prolonged solar load, and they will eventually get hot and melt the plastic holders and fuse cases, this is a very common problem. Best to swap them out with bolt on fuses or really good quality circuit breakers.
Hello Everyone! If you are interested in learning more and getting a copy of the schematic head over to our site -- mortonsonthemove.com/overland-solar-off-grid-power-system/ Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on the build and daily content about RVing.
The upgrades are looking awesome, I can't wait to see more upgrades. I hope it suits you both well. Y'all are a super nice couple. Take care and stay safe always.😊👍🙏
Wow haven't seen anyone do such a good breakdown. Thanks. We are building an overlander box van conversion from a E450 box van chassis. It will be used as a promo and beach rig for a documentary film. So tons of electronic components. Trying to see ok what can we run off gas vrs what will need to run all the time off electricity. Being in Florida a/c is a must and needed to fight humidity and mold, add 2 tvs, lighting, computers, constant charging for electric bikes beach toys, etc. You should have seen the face of our builder when I started listing everything we needed and wanted to have or use on-site. 😆 Again thanks and great point about having fuses to protect one bad component from frying another right down the line.
@@MortonsontheMove its called ScreamingTangerine Living and Working Outside Of The Box. It's about how generation A will no longer need traditional 9-5 jobs. Many are becoming content creators and earning money online from adsence, merch sales, ebooks, courses, memberships, brand deals etc. In fact it is focused on our 10 year daughter and her journey to becoming an influencer and then content creator. Her branding is around beach life and fashion (her niches) she will be interviewing other influencers and RUclipsrs to see how they make money online then showing how that can be applied to what she does. Ie. One tiktoker makes online courses for skill share and udemy. So we will film Epiphany (our daughter) on that interview then show how she applied it. Like her then making a class on the basics of t shirt design using canva then uploading the designs to 6 different print on demand shops. Then going to pinterest and Facebook groups to market them. Cut to scene of her at the beach reaching in her beach bag that has her design on it while she has one of the other designs on her tablet shirt. Each time she will give real world examples of other tweens and teens doing the same thing. We are getting ready to launch a crowd funding program asking people just to give $1 or the price of a smoothie. Then after she earns the equivalent amout raised to fund the whole project she will donate that to a winning charity. We want to teach her not only to be independent but charitable as well. Sorry for that long explanation but we are very excited about it.
Hi there, have you ordered or built the box yet? If not I’d consider these guys… Total Composite For the box & build it on top of a subframe to allow movement/torsion that doesn’t transfer to the box. Leak proof, super insulated & things inside don’t get twisted and fall apart. Cheers…. Yvon
@@yvonlapalme7008 Thanks. Our builder Blackhawk over @carefreecamperco is doing the complete build out on a 20ft chassis with a E450 cab. It is hybrid box that will have 16ft 10inch of floor space. With a 3ft extension on the back not shown in the line drawings. Will be putting a rendering together soon.
I ran my generator exhaust up and just above the roof and it gets rid of the exhaust on ground area and does put you exhaust up and away from where you would and sounds good to .
Great video. I had a Bigfoot and was planning a project similar to yours. Unfortunately, it perished in one of the many fires we had in Southern Oregon. I'm currently in the market for a replacement. My original plan called for rebuilding all cabinets, going 100% solar, no ac and no generator. But, was planning on a 12 volt refrigerator. Don't think I could do both ac and 12v refrigerator with 440 watts of solar and 600 ah of battety. I'll be looking forward to additional projects on the camper, especially how you handle heating. (Or is that part of the ac unit?) Blowers seem to be electricity hogs. Keep us updated.
im very happy with dometic , i recently like a week ago went to a garage sale and picked up one othe 35 qt portable fridges that dometic makes for $25, it use to belong to a truck driver well after purchasing it i plugged it in to test it and it was down to freezing in about 30 minutes anyway with that said if that ac system is anything like u say it is and i believe it is i would love to put one in my van , anyway thank u for your timely information i love inverters and im always looking for the best
I have been blown away by the Air conditioner. I was not expecting it to perform as well as it has, but i have been very very pleased.... will give an update when we have some real world miles on it tho.
Sorry I have been gone so long, been busy, but had to come back, been thinking in the back ground of the big picture. The 5er/this/and the toad. Have to say in efficiency, ditch this design for a Ford F750 on 22,5 tires and 15 inch brakes. Sell the current 5er tow vehicle. Then weld a 1/4 inch plate steel by 7 feet onto the F750. This allows the F750 to tow the 5er in the flatlands,,, then ditch the 5er for the F750 & flat bed that can haul a jeep on it's back to mid mountain. It is a 3 way conversion that deals with flat land, mid mountain. then the jeep on the back of the F750 takes you to summit & brings you back home to the F750. Which in charge takes you back to the 5er. Energy, development/storage is great, but does not exceed mobility. A tri-fectia 5er/F750/jeep summit, and back, nationwide.
This breaks down costs of 3 insurance policies 3 registrations 2 inspections it is more simple this way. /cost/agreget. Yea, I'm blowing up design because of insurance companies rates.
Current tires to feed. 4 on the 5er 6 on the tow truck 6 on this vehicle. --------------------------- My design; 4 on the 5er 6 on the F750 @ 22,5 4 on the Jeep that sits on the back of the F750 + camper GCWR of almost 27,000 lb's Only downside is wife has to drive the jeep, when F750 (with camper) is towing the 5er. Looking at the math of Weight, the F750 (crew cab) could pick up the camper and the jeep on it's back & tow the 5er at the same time. The rig would be nearly 70 feet long, but it could do it. The F750 max's out @ 30.000 lb's GCWR aired up, air brakes. -------------------------- Downside we lose propane generation in favor of diesel electric, but make up hot water in electric in solar peak of day showers in electric hot water. This is truly an energy storage battle VS Diesel electric efficiency VS a nice hot shower, @ peak solar/energy storage.
Please consider installing a wireless temp sensor so you can let us know how much heat your inverter install builds up. I am installing same inverter under sink in our Navion 24J. Victron calls for 10 cm (4") around inverter. I'm in process installing 6 Battle Born 100AH batteries, for my 640w solar system which like you Ive broken into 3 individua MPPTl sets of 2 panels each (6 panels total). 2 sets in series and one set in parallel so A/C shading only degrades one panel depending on sun's elevation. Love, love the Lynx and the DC-DC charger. You may want to consider installing the "AMP-L-START REV H2 15amp STARTING BATTERIES CHARGER/MAINTAINER" so the coach batteries trickle charge the truck batteries when camping long in one spot. Rev H2 engineered for lithium to lead acid batteries. Works great since our MB always using power.
Very well done and reported! My question is more about the schematic in your blog than the video. How are you handling grounding to the truck chassis? I'm pondering this currently for my own build and I didn't see this on the schematic. Many thanks for the work you do.
Tom.. Very nice system install. Love the DC to DC charger. After reviewing your total solar kit package, I have one question. I will be installing a 50 amp system, operating within 120 volts. Would you recommend (other or additional) Victron components to review? Thank you
A couple of questions. 1.What does the 4 stand for in LiFePo4? 2.Do you think the flexible panels will last as long a rigid panels? Looks like a nice system. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thank you! PO4 is the chemical symbol for phosphate. For your question about flexible solar panels, check out this article we wrote on our blog: mortonsonthemove.com/flexible-solar-panel-performance/
Wait a minute Doc Morton, you're telling me you built a time machine out of an Overland truck camper build? But will it go 88mph? 😁 (nice project as usual, you are definitely in your element)
Hello and again thanks for the video. I would appreciate it if you could take a moment and tell me how the new 12V AC is working out. Is 8000 BTU enough in the sun? How long does it last? You might park under the trees to keep the unit cool, but then there is no charging unless using a suitcase panel. Thank you. Henri (RVing with Henri)
Loved the video - very informative. I plan to do something similar. Which alternator did you connect the DC-DC to, primary or secondary? Love your RUclips and e-mails. Thanks, Kevin
Ive watched this video a few times as im in the planning stages of a similar truck and camper built. The camper will either be a bigfoot 3k like the one you have of a northern lite 10-2 and a 550/5500 truck to tote it for fulltime living as I want to go smaller then my current truck and 28ft TT. This setup, although is costly and there are ways to trim down the cost a little bit, seems to be very much what i was looking at doing. Although without the 12v AC as those are quite pricey at the moment and not really made for the RV side of things just yet. Thanks again for giving me the kick in the rear to get going on my next RV step before I was ready. lol BTW how has the power consumption been with everything so far? Have you had to fire up the generated much or is the solar and truck keeping everything charged up without issue? I was looking at doing 600aH of sok Lithium batteries and about 800watts of solar up top with the panels mounted on a sliding mechanism to increase their exposure while parked for my future setup.
When is the New Zealand adventure starting? I'm not really into the technical stuff but that's oke you got followers who are so no problem but New Zealand that's an amazing country. I can't wait seeing your adventure there
It's coming soon. It just takes a lot of time to edit and put a series like that together, and we've had very busy year. We appreciate your patience and can't wait to share it with you too! :)
How did you go about fiberglassing the battery door? This is something I want to do but don't have much experience with fiberglass. Thanks for any help and great video!
Wow! I love it! I have 3 - 100ah lithium Battleborn Batteries and 400 watts of solar on the roof of my 303rls G.D. Reflection. I would appreciate any schematic to show how you wired the DC to DC charger. Can't wait for your next video!
Check out the blog post with the schematic. Its pretty simple, black to black, red to red.... although the negative is shared at the non isolated controllers like this one.
Hi guys… great job… I’ll be there soon. Q - I looked at your electrical diagram and see that you have a 500 A fuse/ shunt on the positive side & 1000A on the negative- why the differences ? Q - does it matter where you install your battery disconnect on the positive or negative? Cheers --- Yvon.
Good questions. The 1000a is just the rating of the busbars, not a fuse. We install the battery disconnect on the negative because it's safer to disconnect the negative in general. If you disconnect the positive you still have a path from battery terminals to ground through the RV frame... Thus when working on batteries there Is still a short potential. If you disconnect the negative the short potential is gone. Always disconnect the negative first on any battery.
Umm, that is $5000 worth of batteries not $1800. The air conditioner is $2500. The rest of the solar and electrical is over $2000 as well. Seems a bit overkill for camping.
@ 12:05, you show all three of the 75/15 SCC being individually fused, but landed on the same spot on the Lynx Distributor... are you just stacking the ring terminals on the buss bar studs, or something else? How are you bridging the gap for the fuse on the Lynx - or are you just running the positive wires up and thru?
Those all terminated in one larger ring terminal along with the power from the truck ( all charging) they are individually fused but there is a lynx fuse on the main as well.
@@MortonsontheMove so three #12 and one #6 AWG wires (each individually fused) all crimped together, and then another fuse on the bus bar as well? I guess that does solve the problem I was looking at of trying to figure out where to fit a second Lynx distributor!
Very nice. I just did the same basic install on my Lance TT but with 2 100 amp-hr BB batteries and a Victron Multiplus 2000/80. I still need to install the DC to DC Charger. The Victron product are fantastic and so are the BB batteries. I really like being able to use the microwave or toaster while stopping for lunch. We can even use the AC for short periods of time.
No they do not which is frustrating. They do have Bluetooth so you can log into it individually (so yes on the app) but its not shown like a solar charge controller. You can change settings via Bluetooth however. Maybe they can be smart networked but i have not tried it yet.
I have a very similar setup with the same camper. I am curious if you can show how you integrated the new solar/interter setup to the existing Bigfoot electrical system so the 100v outlets work all the time? Thanks
I’ve seen efficiency numbers for good inverters in the 90 to 95% range. When I look at the SEER efficiency differences between different air conditioners, I would’ve thought that a more efficient air conditioner would more than make up for the losses? (To put precise numbers on it, the most efficient mini split is 42 SEER, most of the units I’m looking at are 21 to 23. I need two indoor units and I want mini duct units rather than a ductless mounted to my wall. I have a 36’ class A so I want cooling to go to the ends of it…)
Yes you can get very good efficiencies out of a setup like that . One thing you need to consider is efficiency at load however. Most inverters are most efficient around 90 percent loaded and with a small load you can have much lower efficiencies. Properly matched they can be a good setup and will still exceed the capacity of this little 7kbtu unit. Not sure what the efficiency of this unit is but like the high efficiency mini splits this unit is fully variable to find the most efficient run.
That setup looks confusing does it come with good directions where all the wires go & I know battle born battery's are very very good but 🤔 Very expensive,Great setup I'm a dummy when it comes to solar when talking about all what u did unless I had a reference to go off of EXCELLENT VIDEO 👍 And now I'm subscribed
Hey Tom and Cate I’m in the final stages of putting together my build and I’m following your wiring schematic for the most part. I noticed there’s not a house fuse. Are you using the fuse on the Lynx shunt as the house shunt and is that sufficient? Wanting to do the same thing since space is limited. Thanks Kevin
Just more control over the current. The isolator would have worked fine in this build, but in our previous build we had too much current even for short durations and we're overheating the alternator. With the DC to DC you can control the current.
It would of been more complex if he went 24v, the AC unit is 12v and so are all the other DC loads, he only has small charge controllers and there's 3 of them so again 12v is best, for a small system like this 12v is the most logical setup. He would of needed a large 24>12v inverter so the wiring would of been allot more complex and have larger losses than staying 12v 24v only really starts making sense when you're going 1200w ish plus of solar, longer cable runs, 50amp service and allot of AC loads etc
All good points, and we run and prefer 24 volt in out fifth. At the time of this build I could only get the dometic ac that I wanted to try in 12v tho and that is what defined it. If it were the 24v version ( European model) then we would have gone that way for sure.
@@MortonsontheMove a 24-12 converter is admittedly "just one more thing" that could break, but curious why you decided that it wasn't useful to allow a 24v system.
Yea biohazard is right, it is true 12V but it runs brushless motors for interior, exterior and compressor.... thus its modulated power. Not sure what the motors run at but im thinking a few hundred volts. Its not a 120 or 240v AC unit with a built in inverter if that's what your asking, it is truly a dedicated DC unit.
I have a 30ft airstream with 2 ac’s. Do you think 2-dometic DC air Conditioners will cool it? What’s the biggest btu AC run off of 12v that dometic makes?
Very nice! I’ve been waiting for someone to tackle a Bigfoot electrical renovation. I have a 1994 1500 series BF and while is has significantly less space, I want to do this on a smaller scale. My biggest question though; how does the original converter/dc fuse box hold up to the updates? I took my rig into a solar company and was told solar/lithium batteries wouldn’t work with old converters like ours and we’d have to update the ENTIRE system..
It will work, but won't get them fully charged. Ours is disabled (but still there as a backup) I would recommend a small programmable inverter charger for sure if your going to do lithium..
How is the AC keeping up?? 6800 BTU seems lower than industry standards for RVs. I'm guessing the Bigfoot insulation and windows help, but still curious to hear if it keeps up in the hottest conditions.
Nice setup, I went with Renogy and it's ok but if I could do it all over again I would go with Victron. Where are you going this time ? South for the winter ?
I noticed you said the controllers and other equipment had to be Mounted vertical for heat dissipation as Victron‘s instructions also says the same thing. I mounted my 100/50 Victron controller upside down, meaning the fins are on the top. I have been using it this way for almost 4 years without any problems. When I am making close to 40 A it does get hot to the touch but not too hard to hold onto so I figured it’s not a problem. Any thoughts from your side on this? Thanks for the video it was very informative.
I noticed you said the controllers and other equipment had to be Mounted vertical for heat dissipation as Victron‘s instructions also says the same thing. I mounted my 100/50 Victron controller upside down, meaning the fins are on the top. I have been using it this way for almost 3 years without any problems. When It’s making close to 40 Amps it does get hot to the touch but not too hot to hold onto so I figured it’s not a problem. Any thoughts from your side on this? Thanks for the video it was very informative.
That's a good question. I have mounted them in different positions before as well and have not seen a failure yet either. But like you said they do get hot. Bring vertical it just allows the heat to rise off it a bit better, not sure how much difference it really makes tho. Since I had the space I figured I would mount it vertical.
@@MortonsontheMove I haven’t been able to find in their literature how hot they can actually get. But I have used an infrared gun and seen 140° on the blue part. So I put a little USB fan pointing at it from a shell 3 feet away and it really cooled it off.
So just for clarification, the new DC AC; was it a skylight hole you put it in (hence not fitting/needing opening up) or it didn't fit in the standard AC hole? (which if the case, is a serious misstep by Dometic) Hopefully the later isn't the case and it would fit a standard AC hole for drop in upgrading. Thanks. Just sub'd and looking forward to more of the reno!
We installed it in one of the vent holes. However, this unit was designed for semi-truck cabs, so we would have had to do modifications to make it fit anyway.
The rig has a 30k BTU propane furnace built in. I have already had this unit below freezing and it stays very comfortable with little effort so I didn't feel it needed changing.
If you're referring to the original solar system we built for our fifth wheel using a Tesla battery, you can find the info on our blog: www.mortonsonthemove.com/updated-tesla-module-rv-installation/
nice of you to provide the schematic, nothing talks better than a schematic especially when you note the wiring sizes. Essentially I am building the same system but at 1/3 your cost. with 12.6Kw - Think about installing a an external regulator on the Alternator side. - battery bank, 3 times the cost... hmmm! - Victron stuff... yeah! gOOOd move! - Solar panels... again way too much money... get these soft panels on a light frame so air can flow under them to keep them much more cool... and have them last way more than the short life you now have.
It's amazing what people spend on batteries. Can build a 560 ah 12v lithium bank with a 250 amp bms for a tad over a grand. Battleborns are nice though.
How about you get 10 lead acid batteries and you put them in series and you get 120 V and then you just get a charger on them how about that let’s make it easier and then you could run 120 V and you could just plug in the regular stuff and you don’t have to get 12 V batteries and run your car and with the power inverter and all kinds of other crap didn’t even need a power inverter if you get 120 V with 10 batteries if they did this $3000 how much are those batteries you talking about those lithium batteries do you like what $500 each $800 each what is the point of it and then you still have to use the generator and you still have to use the car the alternator the gas that’s insane I don’t think you guys are making any sense about what you guys are talking about you’re spending how much money on this and you’re getting what out of it and then you have to use four different systems are five different systems to run all the stuff
Still gotta invert it, 120DC won't do you and good. Yes 120-120 conversion is much more efficient and I have done that before with high power industrial builds (I'm an electrical engineer) but with native 12v DC needs it's just easier to do this.
Content producers really need to get away from saying that "you can access this system from anywhere in the world". No you can't unless camper and RV are in 4g coverage areas. Park this thing in Needles District of Canyonlands national park and there is no signal there at all, even with boosters. There needs to be somewhat of an understanding in RV community that this is a limitation. Now let's assume that camper is in 4g territory... and you are out hiking in say mountains of colorado where there is no signal...same thing. I spent 6 weeks in moab and 6 weeks in colorado and coverage was spotty as hell. Step 1 ft in any direction and bam. Zip zilch nada. Sometimes you get signal and then it magically disappears permanently.
It's more so a reference to being able to connect to it from anywhere there is net. Ironically tho I am on the other side of the world from the camper now and it's in an area where there is no cell so its running on Starlink and I can see what's going on with it :). We're still working on the connectivity setup but will do a video on it in the future for sure!
Love the DC Air Conditioner! Much better concept for off grid. Hopefully more of this will be integrated into the RV/Camper industry.
I hope so!
Just a tip in an otherwise really good electrical set-up, please change out the 3 x blade fuses on the solar controllers (and any others that are likely to see current over 7A for a prolonged period of time) as they will offer to much resistance (at the blades) under prolonged solar load, and they will eventually get hot and melt the plastic holders and fuse cases, this is a very common problem.
Best to swap them out with bolt on fuses or really good quality circuit breakers.
Hello Everyone! If you are interested in learning more and getting a copy of the schematic head over to our site -- mortonsonthemove.com/overland-solar-off-grid-power-system/ Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on the build and daily content about RVing.
WOW, 12v AC and new BBB this video ROCKS! MM Best of Luck.
Thanks so much! :)
The upgrades are looking awesome, I can't wait to see more upgrades. I hope it suits you both well. Y'all are a super nice couple. Take care and stay safe always.😊👍🙏
Thanks 😊
Great system and explanations. Quality is everything when your off grid. Cheap stuff never last.
Absolutely! Thank you!
What an amazing setup! Thanks for the excellent tour. Looking forward to hearing how everything works together once you get on the road.
Can’t wait to see this beast in person…. and plug into it if we need a little power boost! 😁
Lol! I think the plugging might be the other way round :)
I know right.. LOL
First time hearing somebody use the word “mitigation” in a RUclips video! Excellent!
🤓 Thanks!
Great video and thx for the blog post,!!
I can see you guys learned alot of power lessons in the past. Nice electrical setup.
Yes, thank you!
Wow haven't seen anyone do such a good breakdown. Thanks.
We are building an overlander box van conversion from a E450 box van chassis.
It will be used as a promo and beach rig for a documentary film. So tons of electronic components.
Trying to see ok what can we run off gas vrs what will need to run all the time off electricity.
Being in Florida a/c is a must and needed to fight humidity and mold, add 2 tvs, lighting, computers, constant charging for electric bikes beach toys, etc.
You should have seen the face of our builder when I started listing everything we needed and wanted to have or use on-site. 😆
Again thanks and great point about having fuses to protect one bad component from frying another right down the line.
Love it! It's all possible with the right system! Good luck with the build. What show/ documentary are you filming for?
@@MortonsontheMove its called ScreamingTangerine Living and Working Outside Of The Box. It's about how generation A will no longer need traditional 9-5 jobs. Many are becoming content creators and earning money online from adsence, merch sales, ebooks, courses, memberships, brand deals etc.
In fact it is focused on our 10 year daughter and her journey to becoming an influencer and then content creator.
Her branding is around beach life and fashion (her niches) she will be interviewing other influencers and RUclipsrs to see how they make money online then showing how that can be applied to what she does.
Ie. One tiktoker makes online courses for skill share and udemy. So we will film Epiphany (our daughter) on that interview then show how she applied it. Like her then making a class on the basics of t shirt design using canva then uploading the designs to 6 different print on demand shops. Then going to pinterest and Facebook groups to market them. Cut to scene of her at the beach reaching in her beach bag that has her design on it while she has one of the other designs on her tablet shirt.
Each time she will give real world examples of other tweens and teens doing the same thing.
We are getting ready to launch a crowd funding program asking people just to give $1 or the price of a smoothie.
Then after she earns the equivalent amout raised to fund the whole project she will donate that to a winning charity.
We want to teach her not only to be independent but charitable as well.
Sorry for that long explanation but we are very excited about it.
Hi there, have you ordered or built the box yet? If not I’d consider these guys… Total Composite For the box & build it on top of a subframe to allow movement/torsion that doesn’t transfer to the box. Leak proof, super insulated & things inside don’t get twisted and fall apart. Cheers…. Yvon
@@yvonlapalme7008 Thanks. Our builder Blackhawk over @carefreecamperco is doing the complete build out on a 20ft chassis with a E450 cab. It is hybrid box that will have 16ft 10inch of floor space.
With a 3ft extension on the back not shown in the line drawings. Will be putting a rendering together soon.
loving the new rig. defiantly putting your stamp on it and what a slick install
As an old EE I love the great explanations. Great design!
Thanks Stephen .
Wow...12 volt AC...very cool
Been waiting for this episode for a minute
I ran my generator exhaust up and just above the roof and it gets rid of the exhaust on ground area and does put you exhaust up and away from where you would and sounds good to .
Great video. I had a Bigfoot and was planning a project similar to yours. Unfortunately, it perished in one of the many fires we had in Southern Oregon. I'm currently in the market for a replacement. My original plan called for rebuilding all cabinets, going 100% solar, no ac and no generator. But, was planning on a 12 volt refrigerator. Don't think I could do both ac and 12v refrigerator with 440 watts of solar and 600 ah of battety. I'll be looking forward to additional projects on the camper, especially how you handle heating. (Or is that part of the ac unit?) Blowers seem to be electricity hogs. Keep us updated.
That’s all well and good if you have $7k or more to spend on power solutions but realistically most of us don’t. Great information though.
4k camper with a 7k power system in it...
Well ... I have used Renogy for the batteries, panels etc and my 800W system with 400Ah of LFP batteries (4) cost me ...
@@brettallenthomas let me know where ya get a Bigfoot camper for 4K. Some people don’t know shit. Nice setup bud
im very happy with dometic , i recently like a week ago went to a garage sale and picked up one othe 35 qt portable fridges that dometic makes for $25, it use to belong to a truck driver well after purchasing it i plugged it in to test it and it was down to freezing in about 30 minutes anyway with that said if that ac system is anything like u say it is and i believe it is i would love to put one in my van , anyway thank u for your timely information i love inverters and im always looking for the best
I have been blown away by the Air conditioner. I was not expecting it to perform as well as it has, but i have been very very pleased.... will give an update when we have some real world miles on it tho.
@@MortonsontheMove if you ever decide to retire any of your first inverters and panels let me know lol ,no seriously
@@MortonsontheMove would love a breakdown of it once you're more familiar for sure!!
Nice set up.
Thanks!
Nice setup.
Thanks!
Nomadic Innovations has a new 12v mini split that’s pretty cool… and it’s not a closed system.
Gonna take a look!
Sorry I have been gone so long, been busy, but had to come back, been thinking in the back ground of the big picture. The 5er/this/and the toad.
Have to say in efficiency, ditch this design for a Ford F750 on 22,5 tires and 15 inch brakes. Sell the current 5er tow vehicle. Then weld a 1/4 inch plate steel by 7 feet onto the F750.
This allows the F750 to tow the 5er in the flatlands,,, then ditch the 5er for the F750 & flat bed that can haul a jeep on it's back to mid mountain.
It is a 3 way conversion that deals with flat land, mid mountain. then the jeep on the back of the F750 takes you to summit & brings you back home to the F750. Which in charge takes you back to the 5er.
Energy, development/storage is great, but does not exceed mobility.
A tri-fectia 5er/F750/jeep summit, and back, nationwide.
This breaks down costs of
3 insurance policies
3 registrations
2 inspections
it is more simple this way. /cost/agreget.
Yea, I'm blowing up design because of insurance companies rates.
Current tires to feed.
4 on the 5er
6 on the tow truck
6 on this vehicle.
---------------------------
My design;
4 on the 5er
6 on the F750 @ 22,5
4 on the Jeep that sits on the back of the F750 + camper GCWR of almost 27,000 lb's
Only downside is wife has to drive the jeep, when F750 (with camper) is towing the 5er.
Looking at the math of Weight, the F750 (crew cab) could pick up the camper and the jeep on it's back & tow the 5er at the same time. The rig would be nearly 70 feet long, but it could do it.
The F750 max's out @ 30.000 lb's GCWR aired up, air brakes.
--------------------------
Downside we lose propane generation in favor of diesel electric, but make up hot water in electric in solar peak of day showers in electric hot water.
This is truly an energy storage battle VS Diesel electric efficiency VS a nice hot shower, @ peak solar/energy storage.
Loved all the info. I just finished installing the Dometic Coolair RTX 2000 in my Lance 1062.
Awesome!
You are gonna love it! Best and most efficient AC I have used yet!
I was happy waiting on the Heated ones, now these space savers...mmm???
I have made room for 4 heated ones.. = 400 amps maybe 540 is better?
Cheers Mate!
Very nice!
Thanks!
Please consider installing a wireless temp sensor so you can let us know how much heat your inverter install builds up. I am installing same inverter under sink in our Navion 24J. Victron calls for 10 cm (4") around inverter. I'm in process installing 6 Battle Born 100AH batteries, for my 640w solar system which like you Ive broken into 3 individua MPPTl sets of 2 panels each (6 panels total). 2 sets in series and one set in parallel so A/C shading only degrades one panel depending on sun's elevation. Love, love the Lynx and the DC-DC charger. You may want to consider installing the "AMP-L-START REV H2 15amp STARTING BATTERIES CHARGER/MAINTAINER" so the coach batteries trickle charge the truck batteries when camping long in one spot. Rev H2 engineered for lithium to lead acid batteries. Works great since our MB always using power.
So awesome !!
You done a excellent install of your upgraded electrical system, also it seems that 12Vdc RV air conditioning is showing up in several blogs.
Thanks, I think DC air conditioners are the future for smaller rigs for sure!
Very well done and reported!
My question is more about the schematic in your blog than the video. How are you handling grounding to the truck chassis? I'm pondering this currently for my own build and I didn't see this on the schematic. Many thanks for the work you do.
Pretty cool.
Fantastic video.
Thanks!
Tom.. Very nice system install. Love the DC to DC charger. After reviewing your total solar kit package, I have one question.
I will be installing a 50 amp system, operating within 120 volts. Would you recommend (other or additional) Victron components to review? Thank you
Love the series, motivating me to get rid of small camper and upgrading. Quick question on your Bigfoot 3000, I the roof fiberglass?
A couple of questions. 1.What does the 4 stand for in LiFePo4? 2.Do you think the flexible panels will last as long a rigid panels? Looks like a nice system. Keep the good stuff coming.
Thank you! PO4 is the chemical symbol for phosphate. For your question about flexible solar panels, check out this article we wrote on our blog: mortonsonthemove.com/flexible-solar-panel-performance/
I’m sorry but, your music is an extreme turn off and much to loud!!!!
Your content is awesome!
Thank you
Wait a minute Doc Morton, you're telling me you built a time machine out of an Overland truck camper build? But will it go 88mph? 😁 (nice project as usual, you are definitely in your element)
Lol, thanks! 88mph tho, not sure about that, lol. I think our tires are only rated for 81 ;).
Subscribed
Hello and again thanks for the video. I would appreciate it if you could take a moment and tell me how the new 12V AC is working out. Is 8000 BTU enough in the sun? How long does it last? You might park under the trees to keep the unit cool, but then there is no charging unless using a suitcase panel. Thank you. Henri (RVing with Henri)
We love the 12V AC! It's kept the inside of the truck camper quite cool on hot days.
Loved the video - very informative. I plan to do something similar. Which alternator did you connect the DC-DC to, primary or secondary? Love your RUclips and e-mails. Thanks, Kevin
Ive watched this video a few times as im in the planning stages of a similar truck and camper built. The camper will either be a bigfoot 3k like the one you have of a northern lite 10-2 and a 550/5500 truck to tote it for fulltime living as I want to go smaller then my current truck and 28ft TT. This setup, although is costly and there are ways to trim down the cost a little bit, seems to be very much what i was looking at doing. Although without the 12v AC as those are quite pricey at the moment and not really made for the RV side of things just yet. Thanks again for giving me the kick in the rear to get going on my next RV step before I was ready. lol
BTW how has the power consumption been with everything so far? Have you had to fire up the generated much or is the solar and truck keeping everything charged up without issue? I was looking at doing 600aH of sok Lithium batteries and about 800watts of solar up top with the panels mounted on a sliding mechanism to increase their exposure while parked for my future setup.
What is the cost just for parts with the solar? My fiance and I are renovating our camper and solar has been a topic.
Very Good Video!!!
Thanks!
When is the New Zealand adventure starting? I'm not really into the technical stuff but that's oke you got followers who are so no problem but New Zealand that's an amazing country. I can't wait seeing your adventure there
It's coming soon. It just takes a lot of time to edit and put a series like that together, and we've had very busy year. We appreciate your patience and can't wait to share it with you too! :)
How did you go about fiberglassing the battery door? This is something I want to do but don't have much experience with fiberglass. Thanks for any help and great video!
Wow! I love it! I have 3 - 100ah lithium Battleborn Batteries and 400 watts of solar on the roof of my 303rls G.D. Reflection. I would appreciate any schematic to show how you wired the DC to DC charger. Can't wait for your next video!
Check out the blog post with the schematic. Its pretty simple, black to black, red to red.... although the negative is shared at the non isolated controllers like this one.
@@MortonsontheMove Thank You!
Does each mppt have their own battery bank
Nope, they are all connected together. Because they are programmed and connected at the same point they all operate the same.
Hi guys… great job… I’ll be there soon.
Q - I looked at your electrical diagram and see that you have a 500 A fuse/ shunt on the positive side & 1000A on the negative- why the differences ?
Q - does it matter where you install your battery disconnect on the positive or negative?
Cheers --- Yvon.
Good questions. The 1000a is just the rating of the busbars, not a fuse. We install the battery disconnect on the negative because it's safer to disconnect the negative in general. If you disconnect the positive you still have a path from battery terminals to ground through the RV frame... Thus when working on batteries there Is still a short potential. If you disconnect the negative the short potential is gone. Always disconnect the negative first on any battery.
@@MortonsontheMove good point… thanks…Y.
Personally i would not leave a stack of $900 ea. battle borns visible through that window. Good video though🤙🏼
Umm, that is $5000 worth of batteries not $1800. The air conditioner is $2500. The rest of the solar and electrical is over $2000 as well. Seems a bit overkill for camping.
@ 12:05, you show all three of the 75/15 SCC being individually fused, but landed on the same spot on the Lynx Distributor... are you just stacking the ring terminals on the buss bar studs, or something else? How are you bridging the gap for the fuse on the Lynx - or are you just running the positive wires up and thru?
Those all terminated in one larger ring terminal along with the power from the truck ( all charging) they are individually fused but there is a lynx fuse on the main as well.
As for bridging on the lynx for the inverter I just created a custom busbar using a lug that I flattened and drilled a new hole. It worked very well.
@@MortonsontheMove I must have missed that part 🤣 Why not use the fuse spot on the Lynx (for the inverter)?
@@MortonsontheMove so three #12 and one #6 AWG wires (each individually fused) all crimped together, and then another fuse on the bus bar as well? I guess that does solve the problem I was looking at of trying to figure out where to fit a second Lynx distributor!
If that dc air conditioner even half works…I want one!
So far it does! I Wasent expecting it to work as well as it does.
@@MortonsontheMove I’m sure you noticed that they have an inside plastic bezel that goes with it, but probably no real need…
Very nice. I just did the same basic install on my Lance TT but with 2 100 amp-hr BB batteries and a Victron Multiplus 2000/80. I still need to install the DC to DC Charger. The Victron product are fantastic and so are the BB batteries. I really like being able to use the microwave or toaster while stopping for lunch. We can even use the AC for short periods of time.
Love it! Having a power system that functions all the time makes like so much better :)
Does the Orion DC-DC charger show up in the Cerbo GX display, or on the phone app? I'd seen it mentioned somewhere that they do not... 🤔
No they do not which is frustrating. They do have Bluetooth so you can log into it individually (so yes on the app) but its not shown like a solar charge controller. You can change settings via Bluetooth however. Maybe they can be smart networked but i have not tried it yet.
What software did you use to design your schematic? I kindly thank you in advance.
Just a free program called draw.io online.
@@MortonsontheMove Thank you!
I would have made the counter frame from plastic instead.
I have a very similar setup with the same camper. I am curious if you can show how you integrated the new solar/interter setup to the existing Bigfoot electrical system so the 100v outlets work all the time? Thanks
I’ve seen efficiency numbers for good inverters in the 90 to 95% range. When I look at the SEER efficiency differences between different air conditioners, I would’ve thought that a more efficient air conditioner would more than make up for the losses?
(To put precise numbers on it, the most efficient mini split is 42 SEER, most of the units I’m looking at are 21 to 23. I need two indoor units and I want mini duct units rather than a ductless mounted to my wall. I have a 36’ class A so I want cooling to go to the ends of it…)
Yes you can get very good efficiencies out of a setup like that . One thing you need to consider is efficiency at load however. Most inverters are most efficient around 90 percent loaded and with a small load you can have much lower efficiencies. Properly matched they can be a good setup and will still exceed the capacity of this little 7kbtu unit. Not sure what the efficiency of this unit is but like the high efficiency mini splits this unit is fully variable to find the most efficient run.
you have the power needs covered (charging batteries with solar or generator or truck alternator)
Victron manual states you need 4" of clearance around the inverter.
That setup looks confusing does it come with good directions where all the wires go & I know battle born battery's are very very good but 🤔 Very expensive,Great setup I'm a dummy when it comes to solar when talking about all what u did unless I had a reference to go off of EXCELLENT VIDEO 👍 And now I'm subscribed
price tag on the complete system? what are we talking here folks.
Can you install this on the flat bed itself? Pros and cons on doing that? Ty for the video
Hey Tom and Cate
I’m in the final stages of putting together my build and I’m following your wiring schematic for the most part. I noticed there’s not a house fuse. Are you using the fuse on the Lynx shunt as the house shunt and is that sufficient? Wanting to do the same thing since space is limited. Thanks Kevin
My primitive solar power controller got burn because to much amp and no fused wire. :-)
Tom, why didn’t you use the solenoid isolator instead of the DC to DC converter from battleborn?
Just more control over the current. The isolator would have worked fine in this build, but in our previous build we had too much current even for short durations and we're overheating the alternator. With the DC to DC you can control the current.
@@MortonsontheMove but doesn’t the DC DC only allow 30amps?
Another great install and informative video, just wandering why you didn't go with 24v system to reduce wiring complexity to the inverter and the AC.
It would of been more complex if he went 24v, the AC unit is 12v and so are all the other DC loads, he only has small charge controllers and there's 3 of them so again 12v is best, for a small system like this 12v is the most logical setup. He would of needed a large 24>12v inverter so the wiring would of been allot more complex and have larger losses than staying 12v
24v only really starts making sense when you're going 1200w ish plus of solar, longer cable runs, 50amp service and allot of AC loads etc
converter
@@Drifty325i all good points but still, DC air conditioners are available in 24v and 24-12 converters are not expensive and very efficient.
All good points, and we run and prefer 24 volt in out fifth. At the time of this build I could only get the dometic ac that I wanted to try in 12v tho and that is what defined it. If it were the 24v version ( European model) then we would have gone that way for sure.
@@MortonsontheMove a 24-12 converter is admittedly "just one more thing" that could break, but curious why you decided that it wasn't useful to allow a 24v system.
Is the air conditioner a true 12v or a 12v input with built in inverter? I was under the impression only cruise n comfort was true 12v?
That's a complicated question. When you get into variable speed compressors the power circuitry gets a lot more advanced.
Yea biohazard is right, it is true 12V but it runs brushless motors for interior, exterior and compressor.... thus its modulated power. Not sure what the motors run at but im thinking a few hundred volts. Its not a 120 or 240v AC unit with a built in inverter if that's what your asking, it is truly a dedicated DC unit.
@@MortonsontheMove That's what I was wondering, thank you.
Were you able to buy everything for your solar setup (i.e Victron, wiring, etc) from Battleborn directly?
10k in electrical, fuck yeah. I'll take 2 ...
I have a 30ft airstream with 2 ac’s. Do you think 2-dometic DC air Conditioners will cool it? What’s the biggest btu AC run off of 12v that dometic makes?
I bet it would, it's only 7500 BTUs I think, but it seems to do as well as 13k units we have used.
Very nice! I’ve been waiting for someone to tackle a Bigfoot electrical renovation. I have a 1994 1500 series BF and while is has significantly less space, I want to do this on a smaller scale. My biggest question though; how does the original converter/dc fuse box hold up to the updates? I took my rig into a solar company and was told solar/lithium batteries wouldn’t work with old converters like ours and we’d have to update the ENTIRE system..
It will work, but won't get them fully charged. Ours is disabled (but still there as a backup) I would recommend a small programmable inverter charger for sure if your going to do lithium..
what about building a 48volt system? Is that doable yet?
How is the AC keeping up?? 6800 BTU seems lower than industry standards for RVs. I'm guessing the Bigfoot insulation and windows help, but still curious to hear if it keeps up in the hottest conditions.
Our Dometic 12V AC has worked very well so far and has kept up just fine. :)
Nice setup, I went with Renogy and it's ok but if I could do it all over again I would go with Victron. Where are you going this time ? South for the winter ?
I noticed you said the controllers and other equipment had to be Mounted vertical for heat dissipation as Victron‘s instructions also says the same thing. I mounted my 100/50 Victron controller upside down, meaning the fins are on the top. I have been using it this way for almost 4 years without any problems. When I am making close to 40 A it does get hot to the touch but not too hard to hold onto so I figured it’s not a problem. Any thoughts from your side on this? Thanks for the video it was very informative.
upside down is not a problem at all
Guaranteed tho you will get a leak around the sink eventually if you’re bouncing around off road.
I might have missed it, but what tape are you using to attach the flexible solar panels?
You can use 3M Extreme Sealing tape, but it’s not readily available. Eternabond, Flex Seal or Gorilla tape are excellent options too!
I noticed you said the controllers and other equipment had to be Mounted vertical for heat dissipation as Victron‘s instructions also says the same thing. I mounted my 100/50 Victron controller upside down, meaning the fins are on the top. I have been using it this way for almost 3 years without any problems. When It’s making close to 40 Amps it does get hot to the touch but not too hot to hold onto so I figured it’s not a problem. Any thoughts from your side on this? Thanks for the video it was very informative.
That's a good question. I have mounted them in different positions before as well and have not seen a failure yet either. But like you said they do get hot. Bring vertical it just allows the heat to rise off it a bit better, not sure how much difference it really makes tho. Since I had the space I figured I would mount it vertical.
@@MortonsontheMove I haven’t been able to find in their literature how hot they can actually get. But I have used an infrared gun and seen 140° on the blue part. So I put a little USB fan pointing at it from a shell 3 feet away and it really cooled it off.
So just for clarification, the new DC AC; was it a skylight hole you put it in (hence not fitting/needing opening up) or it didn't fit in the standard AC hole? (which if the case, is a serious misstep by Dometic) Hopefully the later isn't the case and it would fit a standard AC hole for drop in upgrading. Thanks. Just sub'd and looking forward to more of the reno!
We installed it in one of the vent holes. However, this unit was designed for semi-truck cabs, so we would have had to do modifications to make it fit anyway.
I may have missed it in earlier comments... How much battery capacity did you put in?
540ah @12v
Where is your surge protector mounted or do you use a plug in? 🤔😉
Since this rig is designed primarily for off grid were just using a plugin.
What do you use for heat if anything?
The rig has a 30k BTU propane furnace built in. I have already had this unit below freezing and it stays very comfortable with little effort so I didn't feel it needed changing.
Trying to find the Tesla info....
If you're referring to the original solar system we built for our fifth wheel using a Tesla battery, you can find the info on our blog: www.mortonsonthemove.com/updated-tesla-module-rv-installation/
what was the retail of the solar you installed?
Very expensive, about $1200. You can do the same for so much less but as far as peel and stick panels go I feel these are the best.
Great video check out Minute Man Prep video Best off Grid DC Fridge , Sweet review with a SOGEN or a Battery Box.
For my critique of typical RV builds, see: ruclips.net/video/l3BPKGvdV8I/видео.html
nice of you to provide the schematic, nothing talks better than a schematic especially when you note the wiring sizes.
Essentially I am building the same system but at 1/3 your cost. with 12.6Kw
- Think about installing a an external regulator on the Alternator side.
- battery bank, 3 times the cost... hmmm!
- Victron stuff... yeah! gOOOd move!
- Solar panels... again way too much money... get these soft panels on a light frame so air can flow under them to keep them much more cool... and have them last way more than the short life you now have.
It's amazing what people spend on batteries. Can build a 560 ah 12v lithium bank with a 250 amp bms for a tad over a grand. Battleborns are nice though.
Can you post more info on this?
Or r they connected by diodes
👍👌🇨🇦❤️
How about you get 10 lead acid batteries and you put them in series and you get 120 V and then you just get a charger on them how about that let’s make it easier and then you could run 120 V and you could just plug in the regular stuff and you don’t have to get 12 V batteries and run your car and with the power inverter and all kinds of other crap didn’t even need a power inverter if you get 120 V with 10 batteries if they did this $3000 how much are those batteries you talking about those lithium batteries do you like what $500 each $800 each what is the point of it and then you still have to use the generator and you still have to use the car the alternator the gas that’s insane I don’t think you guys are making any sense about what you guys are talking about you’re spending how much money on this and you’re getting what out of it and then you have to use four different systems are five different systems to run all the stuff
Still gotta invert it, 120DC won't do you and good. Yes 120-120 conversion is much more efficient and I have done that before with high power industrial builds (I'm an electrical engineer) but with native 12v DC needs it's just easier to do this.
Content producers really need to get away from saying that "you can access this system from anywhere in the world". No you can't unless camper and RV are in 4g coverage areas. Park this thing in Needles District of Canyonlands national park and there is no signal there at all, even with boosters. There needs to be somewhat of an understanding in RV community that this is a limitation. Now let's assume that camper is in 4g territory... and you are out hiking in say mountains of colorado where there is no signal...same thing.
I spent 6 weeks in moab and 6 weeks in colorado and coverage was spotty as hell. Step 1 ft in any direction and bam. Zip zilch nada. Sometimes you get signal and then it magically disappears permanently.
It's more so a reference to being able to connect to it from anywhere there is net. Ironically tho I am on the other side of the world from the camper now and it's in an area where there is no cell so its running on Starlink and I can see what's going on with it :). We're still working on the connectivity setup but will do a video on it in the future for sure!
Nice setup.