Escape Solar Panel Replacements

[Neil_231]

I have an Escape 23 twin bed model on order. At 77 years old, and with various body parts failing, I figure this is my last RV.

I decided to order a total of 4 200 watt panels as no one has ever complained about having too much solar. And the 4 lithium batteries option as well. Is this overkill? Probably. But I sure shouldn’t have any problem running the compressor fridge while boon docking, huh? And I can experiment a bit with running the Houghton AC too from time to time.

Interestingly, with those options selected, i had to remove the solar port option as Escape says it would not fit.

 

[DT6]

You sound like a nice kid. Did you know there are mens senior league baseball tournaments where they have 80 and 85 year old player brackets? So just sayin, might not be your last RV!

Regarding the solar, you can probably never have enough, but that's my very conservative opinion. When I wake up in the morning in our Escape and see 80% battery remaining after using two CPAPs all night with the heater, fridge, etc., I'm very happy (I have two 100Ah SOK batteries and a 100Ah reserve).

It really depends on your comfort level. I get nervous without a lot of reserve mostly in situations when traveling where we could get stuck for a few days, or be boondocking during several cloudy days. Others don't concern themselves too much and do fine as well.

You can buy the extra batteries from Escape but at great cost. While I support ETI trying to use as many Canadian products as possible, their battery vendor charges 4X to 5X the price you would pay for a similar LiTime or SOK Battery. Their batteries are excellent quality and easy to replace under warranty if there is an issue, but you could add another bank of batteries and have someone install a cutoff switch for a whole lot less money.

I say "another bank of batteries" because you can't delete the first two 100Ah HubLion batteries from your order. Since it's usually not recommended to add different brands together, you can buy a 560Ah of batteries from SOK for about $1400 and have someone install a "1" / "2" / "OFF" switch, and still spend a lot less. I believe the HubLions go for almost $1500 each or just over $3000 for a set of two, and they are only 100Ah each, but the 280Ah SOK is $795 or roughly $1600 for two that would give you a whopping 560Ah, PLUS the 200Ah that comes with the 23.

The 23 does come with a built-in cutoff switch, so you might ask ETI if it will support a 1/2/off setup, but even if you have to replace it, I can't imagine the install of a switch for this costing $1500! It's more than the 800W of panel will charge in a day, but it gives you a huge cushion if you need it.

Of course if money is not an issue and you don't want to do too much, they put quality accessories in their trailers and I'm sure the HubLions will be trouble free, and if there is a warranty issue, it will be easy to deal with.

Good luck with the 23, its a nice trailer!

 

[Neil_231]

DT6 — Thank you for your comments. When I read threads on this forum regarding solar, batteries, furnace issues, various hacks, suggestions and opinions, I am impressed with the level of knowledge of so many of the contributors. I absorb what I can but in truth I am really at sea regarding most of this.

I am graduating from a very nice, tricked out, Casita SD to this Escape. Yes, I decided to kind of go all out figuring that ETI knows what it is doing and if I can stomach overpaying for what Escape has to offer, at least I stand a good chance of having everything work properly from the outset.

I live in Central Arizona on a ranch that is 9 miles from the nearest paved road. I do camp solo, both in RV parks and boon docking. My wife joined me recently for an outing and it became apparent that more room, more storage, more fresh water and more power would be nice. The Escape 23 attracted me because of the dual axels, the standard features including the body lift, 2 200 watt solar panels, 2 lithium batteries, 3000 watt inverter and the Victron components tying things together.

My target date for pick up of the trailer is Aug 28. Two weeks ago I had a total knee replacement and I hope everything will be calmed down and operating to spec before I begin the drive to Chilliwack to pick up the trailer. My wife will be joining me for the trip from Canada back to Arizona (a wandering trip back). This will be my first compressor fridge and my first trailer with real solar capacity, energy storage and a relatively large inverter plus large storage tanks. I am looking forward to the adventure.

 

[shocksll]

ETI was able to fit 3x200w panels on my E19. Here’s a picture of this beside my Casita with 400w of solar.

 

[Perry Butler]

Our 2003 Bigfoot came with about 120 watts on the roof and a PWM solar controller. It was an older install done around 2010. It couldn't keep up, but we owned the trailer only a year.

Our 2018 Escape 5.0 came with a 170 watt panel that sometimes didn't keep up. I then added a 100 watt Renogy portable with a separate Victron 100/20 controller. That helped. I also added 270 ah's of SiO2 batteries Finally, I added three 100 watt 12v Renogy panels and replaced the Go Power PWM controller for a Victron 100/30 contoller and a 1,500 watt inverter to make toast. It did quite well and we could make toast.

Our 2016 Bigfoot came with a 160 watt Camarrah panel and a non-working Go Power PWM controller, so a Victron 100/50 MPPT controller was added. it barely kept up and we had to watch our electrical use. I knew the solar was going to be redone when we got home.

In May, Terry started using a CPAP that sucks an additional 20 amps a night. I removed the Camarrah panel, added two 24v Rich Solar panels (VMP 36.3v) and a 2,000 watt Progressive Dynamics inverter/transfer switch. We also started using an induction plate that used around 15 amps a day. One three week trip in the summer made me realize 400 watts on the roof won't be enough for our future electrical use.

After arriving home from that summer trip I purchased/installed another Rich Solar 200 watt 24v panel. Because they are 24v instead of 12v they were wired in parallel for the best use in shade.

That fall had our two 100 ah SOK batteries die for a late fall trip to the Appalachians and once in our 3 month winter trip to the SW. Two hundred ah's of batteries wasn't enough, so we traded a $1,500 camper cover for a 1 1/2 year old set of 206 ah SOK batteries (412 ah's). We're now golden.

With 600 watts, we have no issues at all charging a 1,800 watt induction plate, a CPAP, toaster, e-bike battery charging, Travlfi router, and charging our three laptops, two iPads, phones and other items. The biggest drain so far is a week of cloudy/rainy weather with 25F nights with a loss of 190 ah's.

Also, when our propane fridge dies we'll have enough solar to power a compressor fridge.

You can't have too much solar, and over time you'll need that 600 watts on the roof as you bring along more electrical items.

Get all the solar, and the inverter you can get. There really is no such thing as too much solar on an Escape. I believe Escape now will include Victron products that can share settings, etc. in a network. It will be much cheaper now that trying to add it later.

Yup, get as much as you can afford and you won't regret it later.

Food for thought,

Perry

 

[Perry Butler]

The Escape 23 attracted me because of the dual axels, the standard features including the body lift, 2 200 watt solar panels, 2 lithium batteries, 3000 watt inverter and the Victron components tying things together.

Victron is based in Amsterdam, and most of Europe uses volt amps instead of watts. The Victron Multiplus has a 3,000 volt amp inverter that is actually 2,400 watts.

Enjoy,

Perry

 

[alanmalk]

If I order Escape's three 200W solar panels on my build for a 21C, can I use the same mounts to upgrade the panels to three higher watt panels in the future?

One consideration to keep in mind: Having all the solar on your roof will limit your possibilities of camping under shady trees for any length of time. Personally, I find shade to be a lot more relaxing than running the AC. With a mix of roof and portable panels I can keep my compressor fridge happy and my ears happy also. It all depends on your camping style in the long run. Even while camping in a shady area I usually can find a sunny spot that can be reached with long-ish power cables on the portables.

 

[Perry Butler]

One consideration to keep in mind: Having all the solar on your roof will limit your possibilities of camping under shady trees for any length of time. Personally, I find shade to be a lot more relaxing than running the AC. With a mix of roof and portable panels I can keep my compressor fridge happy and my ears happy also. It all depends on your camping style in the long run. Even while camping in a shady area I usually can find a sunny spot that can be reached with long-ish power cables on the portables.

That's why we added a third 200 watt 24v panel to our roof. With only 400 watts we still needed the portable. Once we added the third panel we see 150 watts or more when camped under shade, and with our 412 ah's of LiFePO4 batteries is enough to last 10 days (that's the most under shade so far).

Also, many times we've camped too far from a sunny spot for a portable. We only have 45' of wire for our portable.

We chose 24v panels (VMP 36.3v) because we camp in shade quite often and diodes are not necessarily 100% efficient and have been known to fail leaving you with no solar when wired in series. We can wire in parallel with 24v panels (or if you 2S2P 12v panels) because the voltage is double to get to 18v's for our 12v battery bank.

Except in very rare instances, if the voltage to your controller is high enough over your battery bank voltage you don't need to wire in series. The lowest voltage I've seen is around 32v when camped under shade with our 24v panels.

Solar is our sole supplier of electricity. We haven't had a converter/charger since January 2020.

We now leave the portable at home.

Works for us,

Perry

 

[Centex]

I'm another adherent of the @Perry Butler approach with four of the 200W Rich Solar 24-volt panels wired in parallel > Victron Smart150|60 MPPT controller > 400Ah single 12 volt lithium battery.

The panels are fixed 'flat' to my 5.0TA roof which has a ~5 degree slope. I pick my campsites with impunity, going for at least partial shade or more when available, and without regard to panel orientation relative to the sun angle.

With prudent use of electrical appliances, which is consistent with my comfortable camping lifestyle, I have yet to suffer lack of adequate electrical energy when camping.

I don't use portable panels, don't use shore-power, don't use a genny, don't have a charging feed from my tow vehicle.

It's a 'KISS' approach that works for me, YMMV.

 

[escapethecactus]

So many options, permutations, and variables!

I think for newbies like me, it's best to buy the minimal/simple setup based on budget and then learn after a season or two. That's what we've tried to do with our order but frankly b/c budget is a minor concern we leaned towards over building.

We could've done the panels ourselves, for example, but maybe the standard 3x 200W is fine. I have no idea. Try it out for a year or two and see... If it's not for us, then I could sell those or use them for a fun project, and build a custom setup like mentioned above.

 

[BobG-ESC]

So many options, permutations, and variables!

I think for newbies like me, it's best to buy the minimal/simple setup based on budget and then learn after a season or two. That's what we've tried to do with our order but frankly b/c budget is a minor concern we leaned towards over building.

We could've done the panels ourselves, for example, but maybe the standard 3x 200W is fine. I have no idea. Try it out for a year or two and see... If it's not for us, then I could sell those or use them for a fun project, and build a custom setup like mentioned above.

In 2020 when I was ordering my 21NE build, I tried to get Escape to build what I wanted.

I had experience with compressor refrigerator, solar, inverter and batteries on my boat. In 2007, when I was in Mexico. I discovered I needed a different refrigerator system that could store medicine for extended time. I ordered and installed a 12-volt Danfoss compressor and refrigeration kit. I soon realized I needed a way to charge the batteries to keep it running. I bought a couple 85-watt panels, a controller, and had a machine shop make a stainless mounting system. Also, around that time I learned how easy it is to destroy 5 AGM batteries.

When it came to the Escape trailer in 2020, I knew I wanted to run the power system at 24 volts, the AC on Lithium batteries, and I wanted Victron equipment. Because I couldn't get exactly what I wanted (more solar and Multiplus Inverter/charger) from Escape, I decided to bite the bullet and do it myself. I ordered trailer without solar, battery or inverter. It was a learning experience. The main stumbling blocks for me were how to mount the panels on the roof and how to crimp the electrical connections. Also, the electrical distribution panel became a problem. I did learn quite a bit and would have done a few things differently had I known better. I have been happy with the system, and I have not had any problems with it. It just keeps working and takes care of itself with no maintenance other than cleaning the panels once in a while.

I understand completely when someone wants to go minimum until they figure it out and then build their own system. I learned a lot on the boat, and I learned a lot about what I wanted when I rented an Escape for a month in Arizona during late April - early May. Yes, it is more expensive to build what I built rather than order what Escape can provide but it is relative. It is also a lifestyle cost.

I went off mainstream for tow vehicle. Sure, I would like a pickup but don't think that makes sense for me. I have one vehicle, an SUV, and do not use WDH. I am comfortable with my choices.