Let’s talk about costs. Self-Install vs Professional Install When I originally planned solar, I was going to have a professional do the installation. I decided not to, partially because the conversations got weird, and partially because I got a deal on the panels. At the time, AM Solar was running a sale on their 135…
Our Airstream didn’t come with an inverter installed. There is one AC panel inside the Parallax power distribution center which distributes the 30 Amps from the street connection to all internal plugs, the refrigerator, the DC power converter, and the air conditioner. Adding an inverter complicates this setup considerably, for reasons I will now attempt…
In case anybody needs proof that I love my wife, I’ll tell you about the Inverter we installed in the Airstream. You see, my wife loves her Blendtec Blender, which checks in at 1800 watts of pure blending bliss. She found a lower-wattage hair dryer for use in the Airstream, but that Blender was going…
Last spring I performed a major Solar Power upgrade on the Airstream. I added 405 watts of solar panels and a solar charge controller to recharge our batteries and extend our boondocking options. When we arrived in Idaho at my brother’s place last May, I began the second phase of that upgrade. I put in larger batteries,…
My first experience with a tire blowout on the Airstream was only the second time I towed it. We were headed back to Virginia after picking up the Airstream in Carlyle, IL. (This was back in the fall of 2013.) Our second tow was from Louisville, heading East. Our destination was Lake Vesuvius, right at the…
Debating this topic as we are heading out for a 1-yr adventure in a few weeks. I was sold on getting a TPMS, but when I asked an RV dealer that I trust, he didn’t recommend them. His reasoning was the more you do to the valve stem, including adding weight to them, the more likely you were to create a new problem. Curious is you have experienced this or have any anecdotal stories from your time traveling?ReplyCancel
Thanks for posting this information — might be very helpful down the road. Quick question: on your diagrams, you show the line from your solar controller going to the DC bus, and then to the battery. Wouldn’t that line go to the battery first, then to the DC bus? Otherwise, you be powering your lights and fans directly from the solar panels. Thanks again.
This surprised me as well during the install: The existing converter (battery charger) was also just wired to the DC Bus. But really, it does make sense. The battery doesn’t have different charging terminals than usage terminals, so connecting at the bus is nearly the same as connecting at the battery terminals themselves. Running only one set of wires from battery to Bus is actually much simpler as well, with only one set of connections to deal with at the battery.
That DOES mean that incoming solar power powers the lights and fans before charging the battery, but that is actually the desired behavior anyway. There is a loss involved charging the battery vs using the power immediately, causing immediate use to be better. The presence of the battery in the circuit means that the fluctuating voltage of the solar panels is smoothed into normal 12V ranges.
The battery will charge if the voltage on the DC Bus is higher than its internal voltage, and discharge if the voltage on the DC Bus is lower than it’s internal voltage. The Solar Panels (and also the Converter) charge the battery by raising the voltage on the Bus.
Does that make sense?
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