aVANger Build

[lfhoward]

Thanks! I saw 605w (620w capacity) from the PV panels yesterday so I'm pretty happy with the system.

Bruce

Wow that's like 41 amps charging at 14.5 volts!!! Do you have 3, 207 watt solar panels up there?

[bdosborn]

Two 210W and two 100W panels. The 210W panels are connected to a Victron 100/50 Smart Controller. The 100W panels are controlled by an Electrodacus DSSR20 PV controller (no MPPT or PWM, just on or off). So far I've noticed the Victron has better performance in low light/low angle conditions but the Electrodacus lets me use SOC to keep the battery at 90-95% SOC. They compliment each other well. The Electrodacus PV controller was only $27 so I thought I'd roll the dice and see how it works. You can use it as a diversion heater too so excess solar capacity can be used to heat water. You do need to pick the panel voltages carefully but Newpowa has panels with the correct voltages. It was a cool day with a front moving in the day I saw 605W, I think it was a cloud fringe effect that made so much power. It didn't last very long and production dropped to double digit range as the clouds rolled over.
Bruce

[lfhoward]

It is exciting to see near max wattage, even if only for a short time. I have a 210 watt Hightec Solar panel on my trailer’s roof, which can be angled at up to 40° if the trailer is parked pointing south. I’ve seen 190 watts from it, near noon on a crisp cold clear day. Pretty neat. I also have two auxiliary 100 watt Renogy Eclipse panels that I can place on the ground and join together in series, for a total of 410 watts. The trailer has two 75/15 Victron solar charge controllers, one for the roof panel and one for aux. Am really happy with how it all functions together. Victron really is the bomb.

[bdosborn]

I have a 210 watt Hightec Solar panel on my trailer’s roof...

I would have used Hightecs if I hadn't gone with the Newpowa panels.

Bruce

[bdosborn]

I've got the PV panels installed on the roof. DIYVan makes nice rack mounts but like all their stuff it's expensive. Ford has provisions for the roof rack that you peel a membrane off and there's a threaded hole recessed below. Unfortunately Ford doesn't line them up very well so I had to use a dremel to hog out the roof above in order to get the bolts in. I had to grind 3 out of 8 mounts, which is better than most vans.


I used unistrut for the rack, and I probably won't use it again. Not that it didn't work well, the components that you need to put it together are expensive and it took forever to get from Amazon. Here are two 210w panels installed in series and I'm testing them to see if they work. Ford says the maximum cantilever length over the mounts is 4", which I followed for the front but went a little longer in the back..


I installed two 100W panels in parallel behind the 210w panels, leaving room for a vent fan. Boy, it doesn't take long for the panels to get dirty!


Next will be plumbing.
Bruce

[featherliteCT1]

It is a pleasure watching your build and how you do things. I appreciate your detailed explanations of how and why you do things the way you do. Looks like professional type work.

[lfhoward]

Those panels look awesome up there, Bruce.

Unistrut / Superstrut is what I used under my trailer to hang my horizontal propane tank. It is pricey but I was impressed with the quality and strength of it. One less thing to worry about when your vehicle hits washboard roads.

[bdosborn]

Thanks guys!

[fredryc]

Andy, at Off Grid Garage, had a similar problem with some EVE cells and it turned out to be a bad connection at one of the bus bars, not sure if it was at the terminal or balance lead connection. In any event, he cleaned it up and the problem was fixed.

I am in the process of building my EVE 280Ah 12v 4s battery and am not sure if copper lugs and copper bus bars contacting the aluminum terminals will be a problem due to dissimilar metals. I do not plan on routinely pulling more than 20Ah at a time but could occasionally run a coffee pot and pull 70Ah for a few minutes.

I take it you are not worried about the copper on aluminum. Sure would make my build easier.

PS: I forgot to thank you for posting the Bussman’s Fuseology Handbook. The photo below from page 12 resonates with me.

Fuseology Photo.jpg

Sorry for the off-topic... we're on our second Keurig coffee pot. Always use filtered water. Love the coffee, but, after 6 or so months they will only brew a half cup at a time. has read a lot of articles like these for solutions... Has anybody experienced this? Any recommendations?

Had ours since April/May and never been a problem. We Used it a couple of times per week. The Ekobrew cups don't work very well (water gets trapped by the cup and doesn't filter well), but the normal K-cups are just fine. We have the Platinum edition one or something like that...

[bdosborn]

Sorry for the off-topic... we're on our second Keurig coffee pot. Always use filtered water. Love the coffee, but, after 6 or so months they will only brew a half cup at a time. has read a lot of articles like these for solutions... Has anybody experienced this? Any recommendations?

We clean ours with vinegar when it does that.

https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/clean-and-organize/how-to-clean-your-coffee-maker

Bruce

[bdosborn]

I've got most of the plumbing installed, I started with a rack to place the 25 gallon tank over the wheel. It's bolted to the factory cargo point and bolted to the floor. I don't want 200 pounds sliding forward if I rear end someone. I wanted the water system all inside the van so I can camp in freezing weather:


Then I added an electric water heater. Going electric is one of the reasons for the large electrical system, we'll find out if the solar panels can keep up with our usage. To hedge my bets I ordered the van with the engine coolant piping for a rear heater. I can convert to an engine coolant heat exchanger water heater if the electric one doesn't work well enough:


I'm using an accumulator tank on this build, the previous two trailers didn't have one and worked fine. I had the chief plumbing engineer at work review my piping plans and he strongly recommended one. So...


I'm using a Victron Cerbo GX to monitor my electrical system and they have a tank level adapter for current based pressure sensors. I've got a 0-5psi pressure sensor connected in the loop that goes below the tank. I don't know how well it will work but I'll report back on it. The black stuff behind everything is thinsulate insulation. It sure keeps it quiet inside.


I added a Hella timed off relay to control the water pump. It will shut the pump off after 15 minutes so that I don't flood the van as badly if I get a leak when I'm not around:


I added a circulation pump to circulate hot water to the faucet. Running the water till it gets hot wastes a *ton* of water so I thought I'd see if a circ pump would help. It's controlled by an aquastat so the pump will shut off when the hot water arrives at the faucet and I don't dead head the pump. I have master switches for both the main and the circ pump. BTW, I like these fuse blocks, they have both + and - terminals for each circuit so wiring is a lot tidier. It also has a indicator light that comes on when you blow a fuse. Each circuit is limited to 10A but that works well for how I use them:


And here's the entire spaghetti patch:


I only have the tank vent left to plumb but I'm waiting till I have the upper cabinets built before I install it. I haven't filled it with water yet, any bets on how many leaks I'll have?

Bruce
P.S. Here's a PDF of my plumbing is anyone is interested.

[Staryder61]

Wow!!!!! an update... you can pick on me later..
That was an awesome update.. see if I was doing plumbing, I'd know right where to check for everything..
and BTW, where's the meatballs

[bdosborn]

Thanks David. I'm finally working on the fun stuff - cabinets. They've always been the favorite part of my builds.
Bruce

[Capebuild]

Looks really great, Bruce! Very Pro......

[KCStudly]

Good looking install.

So you're recirculating hot thru the cold side? Does that mean you have to run the cold water extra to get cold?