John-in-Texas

I'm still "designing" the Build Sheet for the E19 I'm in the process of ordering. I'm studying ETI's offerings and costs for solar panels, inverters, batteries, etc. and weighing my options. Naturally, I want the biggest and best bang for my buck.

Now, I'm a brand new beginner in RVing, with just enough knowledge to be dangerous. This is where I hope all you good folks in the forum can help me stay out of trouble and get the best results. Here's what I'm looking at:

1) I respect ETI's reputation for quality, and find that quality comes with a price.
2) I also get the sense that self-sufficient energy technology for RVs is evolving rapidly. I want to tap into this progress, but I only want to consider companies with a solid footing that can provide excellent customer service.
3) In addition to ETI, other providers I'm considering include Renogy, Battle Born and Big Beard (associated with NRVTA, National RV Training Academy, an hour away from me in Texas). I'm sure you folks know of and can recommend others.
4) Maybe it's because I come from a small town or am old school, but I'm looking for a dealership / certified installer whom I can meet and discuss my plans with face-to-face.

One line of thinking (dreaming?) for my system goes like this: Order the E19 with pre-wired rooftop solar, pre-wired portable solar and a basic battery. Then upon delivery I would go to a dealership that would install and stand by my system. At the core of the system, I would add the Renogy 48V 3500W 48v Solar Inverter Charger ($599). Add two 200 W Solar Panels that would fit on the roof (ETI mays maybe 3 would fit) (I would opt for 48v units if possible). And start with one 48v LiFePO4 battery. With this system, I would want to run the 12v condenser Fridge, the Houghton 9500 BTU and the rest of the E19’s electrics as much time as possible. To fill in the gaps I would run a 2500W dual fuel generator.

If I stay on the ETI reservation, I will have to cut way back on my wish list. If I do go off the ETI reservation, I will want to work with a company (hopefully in Texas) that can supply, install and back the entire system with no hiccups. In ten years I want to be able to look back and say that I made the best decision.

So there you have it, my friends. I'm reaching out to you folks who have more experience with Escape trailers and more experience with RV energy systems ... and probably more RV wisdom. I look forward to hearing your ideas: 1) about the workability of this plan, 2) about your ideas about the best equipment provider to go with, and 3) about a trustworthy company that can install and stand behind the system. Thank you in advance, wishing you all the best.

John-in-Texas

Hello everone,

We’re discovering that NE Texas is too far from areas with used E19s for us to “get there” in time, so now we’re planning our new E19. As part of this process I’m mostly complete in assembling my tool kit for maintenance and unexpected repairs. One remaining item is a portable 12v air compressor. I bought the Viair 88P from Home Depot which failed immediately out of the box. Don’t know if it was the bad 1-out-of-100 or if a truck tire just overworked the unit. Now I’m trying to decide among: a) another Viair 88P, b) Viair 300P, c) Dewalt 20V MAX Tire Inflator, or d) something else that you might recommend. What do you suggest?

Please note that I’ve changed my email address from seeking-escape-19@use.startmail.com to john-in-texas@use.startmail.com Thanks in advance,

John-in-Texas