Chickery's Travels

Chickery's Travels logo. A blue-green Earth globe with continents surrounded by dots with an arrow denoting movement or travel and "Chickery's Travels" as part of the dotted circle. Next to this is a photo of their blue and white Arctic Fox 5th Wheel with the awning out.
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  • Campground Reviews
    • Alternatives To National Park Campgrounds
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    • Alabama
      • Gunter Hill Campground (Montgomery, Alabama)
    • Arizona
      • Best Campgrounds in Arizona
      • Aspen Campground (Payson, Arizona)
      • LazyDays KOA (Tucson, Arizona)
      • Lost Dutchman State Park (Phoenix, AZ)
    • Arkansas
      • Catherine’s Landing (Hot Springs, Arkansas)
      • Downtown Riverside RV Park (Little Rock, Arkansas)
    • California
      • Best Campgrounds in California
      • Crescent City Redwoods KOA (Crescent City, California)
      • Sea Breeze RV Park (Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station)
    • Delaware
      • Cape Henlopen State Park (Lewes, Delaware)
    • Florida
      • Best Campgrounds in Florida
      • Blue Angel Naval Recreation Area (Pensacola, FL)
      • Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Southeast FL)
      • LazyDays RV Resort (Tampa, FL)
      • MacDill AFB FamCamp (Tampa, FL)
      • Military Camping in Key West
      • Patrick AFB FamCamp (Cocoa Beach, FL)
      • Rainbow Springs State Park & Campground (Ocala, FL)
      • Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness (Orlando, FL)
        • Halloween at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
        • Chickery’s Travels Podcast Episode 5: Fort Wilderness Campground Review
    • Maryland
      • Cherry Hill Park (College Park, Maryland)
    • Michigan
      • Port Huron KOA (Kimball, Michigan)
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      • Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village
      • Boondocking Near Las Vegas
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      • Lincoln / Woodstock KOA (New Hampshire)
    • New York
      • Round Pond Recreation Area (West Point, NY)
    • North Carolina
      • Outer Banks West / Currituck Sound KOA (Coinjock, North Carolina)
    • Oklahoma
      • Oklahoma City East KOA (Choctaw, Oklahoma)
    • Texas
      • Best Campgrounds in Texas
      • Alsatian RV Resort (Castroville, Texas)
      • Maverick Ranch (Lajitas, Texas)
      • Texas Wine Country Jellystone (Fredericksburg, Texas)
    • Tennessee
      • Camp Margaritaville (Pigeon Forge, TN)
      • Crossville I-40 KOA (Crossville, TN)
      • Midway RV Park (Memphis, TN)
    • Virginia
      • Fort Belvoir Travel Camp (Alexandria, VA)
      • Harrisonburg / Shenandoah Valley KOA (Broadway, Virginia)
      • Luray KOA (Luray, Virginia)
      • Lynchburg / Blue Ridge Parkway KOA (Monroe, Virginia)
      • Shenandoah River State Park (Bentonville, Virginia)
    • Washington
      • Crescent Bar RV Resort (Quincy, Washington)
    • West Virginia
      • Harper’s Ferry KOA (Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia)
  • USA
    • Arizona
      • Apache Trail: A Crazy, Scary, Beautiful Drive
      • Lost Dutchman State Park (Phoenix, Arizona)
      • Phoenix Faves
    • District of Columbia
      • Budget Friendly Fun in Washington D.C.
      • Favorite Hikes near Washington DC
      • Indoor Skydiving and TopGolf: Just Another Day of Family Fun!
    • Florida
      • Best Walt Disney World Festivals For Adults
      • Blowing Rocks Preserve – Jupiter Island, Florida
      • Bok Tower Gardens
      • Daytona Beach – The World’s Most Famous Beach
      • Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
      • Gasparilla – Tampa’s Pirate Invasion
      • 3 Days on the Nature Coast 
      • Florida Freshwater Springs on the Nature Coast
      • Halloween at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
      • Kennedy Space Center – Cape Canaveral
      • Island Hopping at Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island State Parks
      • Must See Sights in St. Augustine, FL – America’s Oldest City
      • Rainbow Springs State Park & Campground (Ocala, Florida)
      • Sunny Sarasota
      • Tampa
        • Get Back to Nature in Tampa Bay
        • Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Spring Training in Tampa, FL
        • The 5 Best Beaches in the Tampa Bay Area
        • Why We Love Tampa
      • Tarpon Springs – The Gulf Coast Town with Greek Flavor
      • Top 5 Things to Do on Florida’s Space Coast
      • What Not to Do When Kayaking on the Weeki Wachee River
      • Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
    • Georgia
      • Visiting Atlanta? Don’t Miss These Civil Rights Museums
    • Illinois
      • One Day In The Windy City – Chicago Itinerary
    • Maine
      • Coastal Maine Vacation
      • Monhegan Island Maine
      • Two Days in Acadia National Park
    • Nevada
      • Planning an RV Trip to Nevada
      • Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village
    • Tennessee
      • Burgess Falls: 3 For 1 Waterfall Special
      • National Civil Rights Museum – Memphis, TN
      • Window Cliffs, TN – I’m Not Afraid of Heights, But I am Afraid of Falling!
      • WWII History in Tennessee
    • Texas
      • Best Eats in Fredericksburg
      • Enjoy a Bird’s Eye View of Texas Hill Country
  • RV Resources
    • 3 Simple Steps to Find the Best RV Campgrounds
    • 5 Years Full-Time RV: Lessons Learned & Biggest Regret
    • Boondocking – What We Learned From Our First Dry Camping Experience
    • Tips for Boondocking Success
    • Essential RV Gear
      • Essential RV Gear Guide
      • DIY RV Power & Solar Upgrade
      • RV Must Have: Tire Pressure Monitoring System
      • RV SnapPads Product Review
      • RVLOCK Keyless Entry Door Handle Installation and Review
      • Shop “RV Local” With TechnoRV
      • Top RV Gadgets & Accessories
      • WeBoost Cellular Booster Review
    • Living in an RV
      • 9 Lessons From 2 1/2 Years on the Road
      • Biggest Regret Full-Time RV Living
      • Dealing with my Biggest Full-Time Travel Struggle, Missing Family While Traveling
      • Downsizing: 3 Areas That Make The Biggest Impact
      • Full-Time RV: 2019 Year in Review
      • Full-Time RV: 2018 Year in Review
      • Full-Time RV Travel – 2017 Year In Review
      • How Full-Time RVers Celebrate the Holidays
      • How to Prepare for Full-Time RV Travel
      • Internet Solutions for RV Travelers
      • Learn How to RV Full-Time
      • Living in a Tiny, Traveling Home
      • Making Friends (and reconnecting with old friends) While Traveling Full-Time
      • Pros & Cons of Full-Time RV Travel
      • RV Organization & Storage Ideas
      • Short-Term RV Storage: Leaving The RV Behind
      • Top 3 Lessons Learned & Biggest Regret: 3 Years Full-Time RV Living
      • What We Wish We Knew Before Full-Time RVing
      • What You Need To Know Before Selling Everything And Moving To An RV
      • Why We Are Traveling Full-Time In Our RV
    • Maintenance Tips
      • DIY Power Upgrade – “Solar Ready” Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel
      • DIY RV Power & Solar Upgrade
      • Easy DIY Project to Protect Your RV Water System
      • An Easy Way to Protect Your RV Water Heater
      • How to Reduce the Likelihood of Tire Blowouts on your RV
      • Odor Free RV Black Tank Tips
      • RV Condensation: What It Is, What It Does, and How To Stop It
      • RV Roofs – What You Need to Know
    • Must Read Books Before Becoming A Full-time RVer
    • RV Organization & Storage Ideas
    • RV Remodel
      • Planning an RV Remodel
      • RV Kitchen Cooking Videos
      • Painting Your RV Interior
      • Update the RV Kitchen – Backsplashes & More
      • Updating Your RV Window Treatments
      • RV Bedroom Makeover
      • RV Remodel Costs with Before & After Photos
      • Vintage Camper Renovation
    • RV Holiday Tour – Decorating Our Small Space
    • RV Hurricane Evacuation
    • RV Misery Can Be Overcome By The Generosity Of Others
    • RV Travelers: How to Read Books While Saving Space and Weight in Your RV
    • Slow Travel
    • Small Kitchen Cooking
      • Cooking Videos
      • Eating Healthy on Travel Days
    • Staying Healthy
      • Traveling with Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and Other Chronic Pain Conditions
    • Trip Planning
    • Traveling with Pets
      • RVing with Your Cat
      • Traveling with Restricted Breed Dogs
    • Why I Prefer RV Travel Over Flying
    • Your Guide To Planning The Best Family Vacation This Summer
  • Travel Finance
    • 5 Tips to Save on RV Travel
    • 5 Ways to Fund Full-Time Travel
    • Full-Time RV Expenses
      • Annual Full-Time RV Expenses – The Big Three
    • Five Credit Card Strategies To Improve Travel
    • How Much Do Campgrounds Cost?
    • How Much Does it Cost to RV Full-Time?
    • How to Camp for Free
    • How to Start a Profitable Blog
    • How to Save Money on RV Fuel Costs
    • How to Save on Food While Camping
    • How We Earn A Living While Traveling Full-Time (And How You Can Too)
    • How We Paid $139,000 of Debt in 2 Years While Full-Time RVing
    • Learn How to Finance Your Dreams
    • The Top 7 Ways to Save Money While Traveling Full-Time
    • Roadmap to Financial Freedom
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report April 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report May 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report June 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report July 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report August 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report September/October 2018
    • RV Purchasing
      • RV Purchasing: Understanding RV Types
      • Benefits of Renting an RV
      • Should I Buy A New or Used RV?
      • The Costs of RV Ownership
      • The True Cost of Financing an RV
      • Why You Should Attend An RV Show
    • Save Money Using the Public Library (On More Than Just Books)
  • Military Travel
    • Guide To Using Military Campgrounds
    • Health Care for Retired Military Full-Time RVers
    • Why Military Retirees Should Fly Space-A
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September 3, 2018 by Guest Post 5 Comments

DIY RV Power & Solar Upgrade

Considering upgrading your RV power system? How about adding a little solar? In this article, I’ll share how I was able to successfully upgrade our power system with lithium batteries, a new converter & inverter, as well as a basic solar panel installation. I’ll also list all of the component costs, and my thoughts on the performance of the new system so far.

Read about this simple DIY RV power and solar upgrade. I share my process and all costs.

Why Update?

A few months ago, we were at a location for a project and found ourselves with little to no power for a few weeks. We quickly tired of going to the gas station every single day to get gas for our on-board generator. This prompted some serious research into a completely new electric system including lithium batteries, more powerful inverter/charger, new power converter, and a solar set-up.

Learn how to pay off debt, earn an income, and save money all while traveling full-time.

After serious searching, we decided to go with Battle Born Batteries as our source for all of our components. As you will see below, we were very impressed with the customer friendliness of Battle Born Batteries as well as the assistance from the RV community. They were helpful from the initial design of our system based on our needs and support through the installation.

Because I’m also trying to learn more about my RV and its systems, I thought a DIY project would be the way to go.

Installation

Electricity is not something I was very familiar with, but I enjoy a challenge and enjoy learning. Although initially intimidating, this ended up not being a difficult project. I took my time and was sure to read the manuals as I went to each component. There also are some RVers out there that are very good at this stuff and are also very helpful. Dan from Always on Liberty, Justin from Opting out of Normal, and Gary from Pau Hana Travels were very helpful and really gave me the confidence to get this started.

In addition the folks at Battle Born Batteries were very responsive to all my questions during the process. Some companies wash their hands of you once the sale is done, but Battle Born Batteries is not like that and were very quick to help when I had a question. Overall, I would rate this as entirely possible for anyone to tackle as a DIY project.

I completed the upgrade in 3 parts:

Part I consisted of replacing our 2 original lead acid batteries with 4 lithium batteries for increased capacity. I also replaced the original converter.

In Part II, I installed a new inverter/charger and battery monitor.

Finally, in Part III I added solar panels and a solar charge controller.

UPDATE: About a year after this post, we purchased a new RV that was “solar ready.” Read here for the upgrade I made to that system. 

Performance

I have nothing but good things to say about the performance of the products so far. I did have to reset the battery monitor after installing the solar because it was stuck on 62% even though the batteries were fully charged. It has worked perfectly ever since. I also had a bad fuse that took some troubleshooting. It ended up being my fault and was not any of the core products, but was a fuse I installed between the solar panels and the charge controller.

As far as testing the system components, I have run the batteries without any additional power and was impressed with the performance. They have no problem maintaining a steady 13.2 volts for many hours. I have used the inverter/charger with the batteries and they charge incredibly fast. I have used only the solar panels, which let me know that I need to at least triple my solar to maintain the batteries with how I use them. 200 watts is not enough juice to keep the batteries charged with our usage. I also used the converter and it performed as expected. After running the system for a few weeks, I really think the entire subject of performance comes down to how well the batteries are designed and perform. They really are the key to a successful system, in my opinion.

Costs

Let’s now talk about the costs. We will admit up front that it was not what we consider an inexpensive project. All of the components, except the solar panels, were purchased from Battle Born Batteries. Although I did not have them do it because I wanted to do a total DIY install, if you purchase the main components from them, they can do all of the programming so it becomes a plug and play system and saves some time and costs during the installation.

Costs of the Major Components

Item Cost
Battle Born BB10012’s LiFePO4 Batteries (4) $3,796
3000 Watt Victron Inverter/Charger $1,400
150/85 Victron Smart Solar Charge Controller $   800
Victron BMV712 Battery Monitor $   220
Progressive Dynamics Inc 9180LV Converter $   351
Battery Guard Autoselect $   175
Victron Mk3 to USB to program the inverter $     81
HQST Slim Design 100 Watt Solar Panels (2)* $    218
Major Components Total $7,041

*In our new RV, we went with Zamp solar instead of the panels listed above. Click here to learn more about that project.

Costs of the Miscellaneous Items

Besides the major components, there are other things I had to purchase in order to complete the installation.

Item Cost
Renogy Pair of 30Ft 10AWG Solar Cable $   38
Renogy MC4 Assembly/Disassembly Tool $     7
Dewhel Battery Switches Battery Disconnect Isolator $    18
Dicor White Non-Sag Roof Lap Sealant $    12
Pico Battery Cable 3/8″ Lug $    21
Panel Mounting Brackets w/ Nuts & Bolts $   115
Ultra-Flexible Car Battery/Welding Cable-4/0 Ga $     81
Premium Extra Flexible Cable 600V-4 Gauge $     40
Other miscellaneous items $   249
Miscellaneous Items Total    $   520

These items consisted of all of the wiring, screws, nuts, bolts. Basically everything needed to get the components connected and mounted on the RV. Depending on what parts and pieces you have already, this miscellaneous cost may be a little more or a little less.

This brings the Grand Total for the install to right at $7,561. If I add the additional 600 watts of panels that I need to get it where I want it, the total will be around $8,257. This is a large expense by our definition, but there is some scalability as you will read below. This means the overall expense can be broken-up over time as it becomes affordable.

Is it worth it?

I can definitely say that the batteries and inverter upgrades were 100% worth it. We took our RV in for service and did not worry about it sitting in a bay for 6 or 7 hours because we knew the batteries and inverter would keep our refrigerator running. In fact, the batteries did not go below 70% during that time. We would not have been able to do that with our factory installed batteries and inverter. This is not a knock on the factory equipment, it is just that they are not designed to be compatible with that type of use.

I definitely recommend updating the batteries and inverter for peace of mind. I think the solar will end up being extremely beneficial for us when we make stops in areas without hook-ups and for a few days of boondocking. We never expect to go several days or weeks without power, so not going overboard in building an elaborate system was important to us. I think this system is a nice balance, giving us flexibility without totally wiping out our maintenance budget.

The other major benefit that we are passionate about is that solar is an environmentally friendly source of electricity. Even though we are at a campground with full service, I am using the solar because I can use a little less of the planet-destroying type of power that is connected to the pedestal at the RV park. We want all of the beautiful scenery we are experiencing to be around for future generations. Solar power is one small way to protect the environment from destruction. The next thing that needs to be made in to a consumer product is an affordable, alternative-powered vehicle that can pull the fifth wheel!

So, if you are considering going through the upgrade, but do not have the money to do all of this, start with Battle Born batteries and an inverter/charger. These will provide you with a much more reliable 12-volt power source. Then, upgrade further to solar when you have more money to invest. The entire set-up is scalable, which gives the flexibility of scaling up everything from the number of batteries to adding solar when it is affordable and makes sense for you travel style and budget. Ending-up with a complete solar system will provide the ability to stay unplugged for extended periods of time and is an environmentally friendly source of power.

Additionally, try and tackle it as a DIY project. You can always pay someone if you get stuck, but I am confident you will get through it. Succeeding provides a great sense of accomplishment and you will end up knowing more about your RV and how it works.

Sharing is Caring! Feel free to share this image on Pinterest! 

Follow this step by step guide for a DIY Rv solar installation. Also includes a power system upgrade with lithium batteries and a new converter & inverter.

Filed Under: Maintenance Tips Tagged With: DIY solar install, lithium battery upgrade, RV power upgrade

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