Buildsheet Electric Choices

[hugh]

Prices for lithium seem to have come down substantially....even within the 18 months since I took delivery. I'll probably convert once the original 6v batteries give up the ghost.

You're not kidding. I just bought a decent quality 150Ah/12V LifePO4 battery with a Bluetooth BMS and low temperature cutoff for $160! That's cheaper than a lead acid battery!

 

[Selkirk]

You're not kidding. I just bought a decent quality 150Ah/12V LifePO4 battery with a Bluetooth BMS and low temperature cutoff for $160! That's cheaper than a lead acid battery!

That is cheap!

I have not come across any deals quite that good, but have been looking at Renogy's 300AH/12V heated LifePO4 battery for about $1200CAD. The last time I looked seriously at lithium battery prices was about two years ago. If I recall correctly, the going rate then was about $800-$1000CAD for un-heated 100AH, $1200CAD for heated.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

careful, some of the budget batteries have misconfigured BMS and such. For instance, here Will Prouse finds a battery who's max output current is set to over 600 amps, even tho the internal wiring is nowhere near good enough for that ->

 

[hugh]

Yeah, that is a big "ooops" by eco worthy , to say the least! I'm actually surprised the BMS itself didn't go up in smoke.

The cheap battery I bought is also an eco-worthy battery. However, I was pleasantly surprised that it uses a JK BMS, which is actually a decent quality BMS. I don't know how they can sell a battery at that price with that BMS.

Anyway, because it's a well supported / documenter BMS, I was able validate the config parameters. Everything looked good, but I did decide to slightly change the low voltage cutoff to a higher number, just to get a little bit better protection to the cells.

 

[GinoandLinda]

If I recall correctly, the going rate then was about $800-$1000CAD for un-heated 100AH, $1200CAD for heated.

Yep, that’s about right. When we bought our 5.0 two years ago, we added two additional Hublion batteries from ETI and they were around $1k each. That’s life I guess. Good news is they should last until we are too old to tow and move to a van or class C.

 

[Ron in BC]

but have been looking at Renogy's 300AH/12V heated LifePO4 battery for about $1200CAD.

I've sworn off Renogy stuff. I have lot's but I've experienced their "customer service" twice and come to the conclusion that their policy is wear you down with repeated questions until you go away.

Some folks have had good experience but I'll never buy anything of theirs again.

Ron

 

[GinoandLinda]

I've sworn off Renogy stuff. I have lot's but I've experienced their "customer service" twice and come to the conclusion that their policy is wear you down with repeated questions until you go away.

Some folks have had good experience but I'll never buy anything of theirs again.

Ron

Have to agree about Renogy. The only two items I bought from them failed and support was nonexistent. Life’s too short to deal with crappy customer support.

 

[CE Vogel]

I purchased three 100AH Renogy "Smart Batteries" and a Renogy charge monitor four years ago. I have been very satisfied with the products. However, I agree their customer service is lacking. I was actually able to talk to a real person after several attempts, but the real person was not able to answer my questions. Thank goodness for the University of Google to provide the answers!

 

[Selkirk]

I had understood Renogy to be one of the more reputable "value-based" solar/off-grid brands, particularly when it came to batteries. I am aware that their customer service is a potential weak point....but also heard that it had improved in recent times. They certainly spend a lot on marketing.

I'd welcome suggestions for competing brands I should research which are distributed/straightforward to obtain in Canada....

 

[Ron in BC]

I had understood Renogy to be one of the more reputable "value-based" solar/off-grid brands, particularly when it came to batteries. I am aware that their customer service is a potential weak point....but also heard that it had improved in recent times. They certainly spend a lot on marketing.

I'd welcome suggestions for competing brands I should research which are distributed/straightforward to obtain in Canada....

Well.... My experience is:

One smart battery; had a problem from day 1, despite a lot of back and forth, no resolution. Kept asking same questions over and over again. I gave up. Battery is usable but not great compared to my other battery.

One non-smart battery, no issues.

Renogy monitor, no issues

Renogy DC-DC charger, on going proceeding to I give up. Seems like their response is AI generated, totally useless.

I put two Li-Time batteries in a camper that I built last summer and they're great. No more Renogy for me.

Ron

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

re solar brands, if you want big high efficiency panels, any of the major brands of household rooftop panels, like Q-Cells, etc. Mine is a LG NeON-R, bought when LG got out of the solar panel market. Talk to local solar installer companies, they might have a left over panel from a project, or can order an extra for an upcoming project.

 

[sackettd]

I'm not sure if this post is most appropriate for Shopping Escape or Escape Systems.
I want to ensure I'm making the most practical AND economic choice on the electric for our 21C build.

I have chosen:
One, 200w solar panel. Comes with the 100 | 20 MPPT
1500w inverter. Comes with transfer switch.
Lithium ready Comes with DC to DC charger. Ships with AGM battery.

My plan/hopes for future:
Based on what little info I have, have read, and was told I would like to immediately replace the AGM and install the 100ah lithium battery from my current pop-up camper. Then in the next few years I would like to install a bigger battery or two (300ah x 2?). I'm assuming all the equipment will work just need to respec things like the Victron battery monitor. (I know I'll need to consider the new battery specs in terms of charging/discharging etc)

I plan to eventually install one more panel on the roof to run with the current panel into the MPPT that came with it and then install and second MPPT to handle the Zamp port and the portable solar needs. (I know I'll need to understand voltages/amperages on the additional panel and coordinate that with the original panel).

Finally, the biggest question/curiosity I have is, assuming a large enough battery bank, could one theoretically be able to replace the 1500w inverter with a 3000w inverter, upgrade wiring, and then run the AC for a few hours here and there if needed? Or is there more to it?

I know there are other inverter/electric threads and I've read through them but it's difficult to sort through what's applicable and what's just opinions/off topic. I'm left unsure. This is a new language for me. I'm considering consulting a local pro to give me final guidance. I was hoping maybe someone here has done the above or has the knowledge to say "should work/doable" or "you're over your head hire a pro".

Thanks everyone.

I have a 2024 E19. We are rarely are off shore power for more then 3 days, but as virtual K-12 teachers, we need reliable electrical as we travel often during the school year. I decided to have ETI install 2 x 200 watt solar panels. This decision was made easy by several Escape owners explaining the potential difficulty in installing roof panels. We also got the Escape "Lithium Ready" mainly because Escape would drill through the floor for the cables for the DC-DC charger; I was hesitant to do this drilling, especially as we also got the undercarriage foam add-on. The issue here is ETI installed an 18amp VIctron DC-DC; to get any meaningful battery charge from your tow vehicle, the 30 amp model should be used. My older (2016) Chevy Colorado also had undersized wires from the tow vehicle battery, so I did my own 8 gauge wiring from TV battery to the back of the pickup and from the (I had to purchase) 30 amp DC-DC charger wires coming from the trailer. I also did the EMS add-on, which I wouldn't have had I known there were much less expensive options and the installation was not difficult.

The rest of the installation was DIY with the invaluable (and reasonably priced) help of a professional installer/consultant: 3 x 230 ah LiTime batteries, Multiplus 3000 watt inverter, 2 x 200 watt portable solar panels (ETI installed a Zamp port) and an integrated Victron Cerbo communication system with a 9 inch LCD screen. I posted details with images of this install a few months ago.

The system has worked great! We were able to (just barely) go 4 days without shore power, using Starlink for about 12 hours a day, almost no sun on the Oregon Coast in December. I didn't save a huge amount over the ETI Zap pack (I estimate about $1500), but in most cases the DIY wires were higher quality and gauge and some components were higher quality. Adding all the time spent on the DIY it took about 100 hours for the install--the savings was nice, but even more important I now have an intimate understanding of the system for monitoring and potential future maintenance.

 

[Bucdux]

Thanks for all the helpful advice on electrical systems.
If one didnt care about A/C, but did care about a compressor fridge, fans, etc. and wanted to be off the grid for 3-4 days. What batteries and panels would i need?
Thanks!

 

[Ron in BC]

Even narrowing it down a bit there will be lots of various opinions.

On batteries, some brands of lithium batteries are so inexpensive now I can't ever see buying a lead acid battery. Once you've had one you'd never want to go back either.

My needs are low. Given some sun and no need to run the furnace all night I've managed with one 100W panel and one battery for many years. I have more now but I could still manage with that setup.

Ron

 

[JohnK-ESC]

I'll start with the gross generalization that IMO one can't have too much rooftop solar panel capacity if planning for off-grid adventures.

Given your stated long-term aspirations, I'd carefully consider the solar panel options offered by ETI. Think and investigate carefully all that's involved with adding rooftop panels in terms of costs and efforts whether DIYing or having a 3rd party do the work (the latter can be eye-popping for truly competent work).

IME (BTDT), the work involved in adding rooftop panels can be 'sporting' on many fronts. Not saying it can't be done, obviously many of us have with good / great results, but it presents a different and IMO generally more difficult set of challenges than all of the much easier 'interior' equipment upgrades you mention.

The ETI solar panel options are not inexpensive, but they might be a good value in the long-term big-picture for you (only you can determine that).

Just for your consideration, Have Fun!

Ditto ditto ditto.