Considering Adding Solar

[Andrew Cushingham]

I kind of agree with this but have run the dometic plenty with the hatch closed. I carry it in the TV when traveling but it always lives in the galley when we're camping. Whenever possible I prop the hatch open with a small hunk of 2x4 (use the 1.5" side). If it's going to pour rain then I'll just close the hatch - a little rain doesn't seem to be a problem. We've been doing this for 8 years and haven't cooked a condenser yet. Ventilation is definitely good when you can get it ...

I'm curious if you keep the Dometic in the galley at night, does the condensor make a noticeable noise when it kicks on and off throughout the night? Might be another good reason to keep in the tow vehicle?

 

[JohnC]

To further my desire to eliminate my "<12 volt anxiety," I also replaced my 5 year old AGM battery with a Victron Super Cycle 100 AH AGM BAT412110081. This is an AGM battery that can tolerate up to 300 cycles down to 100% depth of discharge at at ~$350 a good alternative to a lithium. Thank you Seth for the suggestion. I believe Rotus also is using one. It fit perfectly in my 2014 battery compartment without any modifications. FYI there are apparently some new restrictions on battery shipping and some online stores will not ship to a residential address (c0uld be a California thing )

That battery looks really interesting. Can you point me to any detailed info/reviews you might have found when researching it? I'm especially curious about it's ability to cycle down to 100% DOD while being an AGM. Sounds like an awesome battery if it lives up to it's claims.

Thanks!

 

[JohnC]

I'm curious if you keep the Dometic in the galley at night, does the condensor make a noticeable noise when it kicks on and off throughout the night? Might be another good reason to keep in the tow vehicle?

IMO, it is very quiet. I leave mine in the galley all the time and never hear it. Even testing it in the house you can't hear it cycle on and off unless you are right next to it.

 

[GlampingOn]

IMO, it is very quiet. I leave mine in the galley all the time and never hear it. Even testing it in the house you can't hear it cycle on and off unless you are right next to it.

+1 here: very quiet in or out of galley.

 

[JohnC]

John concur. i'm also very impressed with solar roof but irs not the end all, be all as you have to understand battery options, how much you intend to pull out .

My research so far is just "plug and chug", and just stress testing options during "close to the envelope" temps on a long trip, but no actually measured by component testing with amps/volts other than the plugin voltmeter in galley dc port.

I do need "to drill down" to fine tune my understanding and I'm VERY grateful to the help here, have learned lots from you and the others posting here.

So, appreciate you!

I agree. You really have to learn, experiment, and be aware of how all this stuff works together...or not. Too many subjective variables involved.

Personally I prefer keeping the Dometic in the trailer all the time for convenience sake. It's damn heavy and I hate moving it, even to the side table. But if I travel with it in the car, some places I go won't let me keep it there on arrival due to bear restrictions. Routinely schlepping it in and out of a bear box (multiple times a day) makes my back hurt just thinking about it.

One thing I'll add is that my CI solar actually uses a Victron controller rather than a CTEK. The Victron comes with built in bluetooth and software which allows me to take solar readings (from the panel and to the battery) during the day as well as to keep the history it tracks. It's really very handy when trying to figure out some of this stuff on the road.

 

[SethB]

That battery looks really interesting. Can you point me to any detailed info/reviews you might have found when researching it? I'm especially curious about it's ability to cycle down to 100% DOD while being an AGM. Sounds like an awesome battery if it lives up to it's claims.

Thanks!

I wrote about installing and running the Victron 100ah Super Cycle AGM in my 560 - see that thread here:
New Td Battery On Its Way

rotus8 also posted their experience with this batt in that thread.

Still liking the Victron batts, I have two of this series, the 100ah installed in the CI, and a 60ah that lives in the headboard cabinet during camping season and in my bedroom during power outage season - this 60ah is dedicated to cpap use.

Victron spec sheet here:
https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-AGM-Super-Cycle-battery-EN.pdf

 

[GlampingOn]

I agree. You really have to learn, experiment, and be aware of how all this stuff works together...or not. Too many subjective variables involved.

Personally I prefer keeping the Dometic in the trailer all the time for convenience sake. It's damn heavy and I hate moving it, even to the side table. But if I travel with it in the car, some places I go won't let me keep it there on arrival due to bear restrictions. Routinely schlepping it in and out of a bear box (multiple times a day) makes my back hurt just thinking about it.

One thing I'll add is that my CI solar actually uses a Victron controller rather than a CTEK. The Victron comes with built in bluetooth and software which allows me to take solar readings (from the panel and to the battery) during the day as well as to keep the history it tracks. It's really very handy when trying to figure out some of this stuff on the road.

Thats interesting, about the "no food in coolers in cars rule".
I recall reading Yellowstone wont allow camping in soft-sided vehicles.
Guess I'll have to read up on the others- grizzly range, basically?
Is the CI good to go with food in cooler in galley?

I agree its a pain in the back humping coolers, especially man-handling one out of TV thats full of frozen meat frozen water bottles and Yeti blocks, to place in a bear box.

I'll have to swap to "Dometic under the galley hatch in cooler mode" and plan to go light/empty on the Coleman in those places, change up the menu some.

Odd the rationale- I'd prefer the bear raid my car, not the trailer with food under hatch, with me inside.
Guessing the bears have figured out cars are the cookie jar.,.!

 

[JohnC]

I wrote about installing and running the Victron 100ah Super Cycle AGM in my 560 - see that thread here:
New Td Battery On Its Way

rotus8 also posted their experience with this batt in that thread.

Still liking the Victron batts, I have two of this series, the 100ah installed in the CI, and a 60ah that lives in the headboard cabinet during camping season and in my bedroom during power outage season - this 60ah is dedicated to cpap use.

Victron spec sheet here:
https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-AGM-Super-Cycle-battery-EN.pdf

Thanks Seth. Have you run down the 100 Ah battery much? I’m curious if it lives up to that claim of 300 cycles to zero. That would really be a big deal if you could run it below 50% often with little to no consequences. As well as the fact it is 100Ah to begin with.

 

[JohnC]

Thats interesting, about the "no food in coolers in cars rule".
I recall reading Yellowstone wont allow camping in soft-sided vehicles.
Guess I'll have to read up on the others- grizzly range, basically?
Is the CI good to go with food in cooler in galley?

I agree its a pain in the back humping coolers, especially man-handling one out of TV thats full of frozen meat frozen water bottles and Yeti blocks, to place in a bear box.

I'll have to swap to "Dometic under the galley hatch in cooler mode" and plan to go light/empty on the Coleman in those places, change up the menu some.

Odd the rationale- I'd prefer the bear raid my car, not the trailer with food under hatch, with me inside.
Guessing the bears have figured out cars are the cookie jar.,.!

Well, here’s what I know…In Yosemite, as a hard sided camper, you can leave the cooler or fridge in the galley, but not the car. They are very clear on that. It’s either the galley or the bear box.

Now, recently in Grand Teton I stayed in Colter Bay RV park within the park. All RVs. Because my Dometic was broken I traveled with the Coleman cooler and loaded it into the car for the journey. Upon arriving I found out they have no bear boxes in the campground. I asked, at check in, if they preferred I keep the cooler in the trailer or the car. I was told either was acceptable. Since they left it up to me, the cooler stayed in the car the whole week which was really much more convenient than if I had put it in the galley. I will add though that I have learned from talking with Yosemite rangers, about how to not attract bears to coolers in cars.

I believe it’s only some Yellowstone campgrounds that are hard sided campers only. But ours should certainly qualify as hard sided. But I’d also guess they wouldn’t want coolers or food left in the car.

 

[Randy]

I would certainly think the car would be more bear proof than the camper with the more important point being that I don’t sleep in my car

 

[SethB]

Thanks Seth. Have you run down the 100 Ah battery much? I’m curious if it lives up to that claim of 300 cycles to zero. That would really be a big deal if you could run it below 50% often with little to no consequences. As well as the fact it is 100Ah to begin with.

In my calculations and planning I only see the “run under 50% state of charge” capability of the Victron Super Cycle batts as a backup to the backup (I *never* want to be without cpap power), and as helping with longevity. I never thought much of regular draws below 50%, I was more concerned about occasional high power demands, the reduced capacity resulting from cold weather, or mistakenly leaving something turned on that uses a lot of power (cpap humidifier, television, etc.) In other words, I planned for draw downs below 50% to be contingency only!

BTW, we run pretty lean other than CPAP and device charging. All lighting is now LED, no fridge, no furnace in our 560, only run the television with shore power. I really don’t know what our device charging pulls - drones, cameras, phones, tablets, etc.

In practice I’ve gone down to about 40% state of charge only once, with no ill effects.

I’m hopeful that my main and pony batteries will keep me breathing easy until the tech and cost makes a new Lithium battery a clearly preferred choice. We *have* seen better lithium and lower prices over the last few years, I’m guessing that will continue, and that there will be a great choice for a CI battery compartment that gets 60 to 100ah of discharge, is stable through freezing weather, and perhaps gets down to a 3x premium over AGM.

 

[GlampingOn]

This has been a great thread and just emphasizes a prior point someone made that there is not one ideal solution for power and many options are available depending on your need. For me, investing in a Jackery 1000 "solar generator" and dedicating it to my Dometic was a great solution and relieved the pressure on the trailer battery. To further my desire to eliminate my "<12 volt anxiety," I also replaced my 5 year old AGM battery with a Victron Super Cycle 100 AH AGM BAT412110081. This is an AGM battery that can tolerate up to 300 cycles down to 100% depth of discharge at at ~$350 a good alternative to a lithium. Thank you Seth for the suggestion. I believe Rotus also is using one. It fit perfectly in my 2014 battery compartment without any modifications. FYI there are apparently some new restrictions on battery shipping and some online stores will not ship to a residential address (c0uld be a California thing )

At the same time I replaced the OEM battery tender with a Victron Energy Blue Smart IP67 12-Volt 17 amp Battery Charger. https://a.co/d/ieM79XK. Installed it under the trailer where my OEM charger was. It's larger than the OEM and did not fit between the tanks so installed just aft of the tanks. It can be controlled by bluetooth, provides lots of data, has future Lithium capability, has a battery reconditioning cycle option and has a specific, preset charging profile for the Victron BAT412110081. If anyone would like details of that install feel free to message me. Last thing I want to do is to replace my OEM battery isolator with a DC to DC charger. I use this same one for the auxillary power line in my truck that feeds the Jackery when driving. https://a.co/d/cNhg963

Thanks John, Randy, Rotus and Seth for sharing as I really like to hear how these Victrons and chargers with the bluetooth phone apps as battery meters are working as they are a great aftermarket alternative to what CI installs.

I especially like the idea of using same tech in the TV, so you become familiar with the app and also have a backup if the CI charger fails. Randy I'll PM you as I'm mulling a manual isolator on TV to CI.

Re: Battery- fwiw I'm taking a more frugal and slightly simpler approach to replacing a dead house battery and bad charger, using an off the shelf Diehard AGM group 24 70ah from Advance Auto, and the NOCO5 shore charger thats good for heated lithium later, when ready to drop one in the CI.

My thinking is if my house AGM fails again due to rough use/whatever then I can get one just about anywhere on the road, vs have to wait on the Victron to be drop shipped,

as in "dropped on a case corner on loading dock"
and have to go thru a refund/reship claim...
Murphys Law of UPS Guy...

 

[JohnC]

I would certainly think the car would be more bear proof than the camper with the more important point being that I don’t sleep in my car

I know that in Yosemite, the problem with coolers in cars is that over time, the bears have learned that coolers = food. Even empty coolers. They will break into a car just because they see a cooler. As such, you should make sure to cover anything that remotely looks like a cooler in your car, at least in Yosemite.

 

[JohnC]

In my calculations and planning I only see the “run under 50% state of charge” capability of the Victron Super Cycle batts as a backup to the backup (I *never* want to be without cpap power), and as helping with longevity. I never thought much of regular draws below 50%, I was more concerned about occasional high power demands, the reduced capacity resulting from cold weather, or mistakenly leaving something turned on that uses a lot of power (cpap humidifier, television, etc.) In other words, I planned for draw downs below 50% to be contingency only!

BTW, we run pretty lean other than CPAP and device charging. All lighting is now LED, no fridge, no furnace in our 560, only run the television with shore power. I really don’t know what our device charging pulls - drones, cameras, phones, tablets, etc.

In practice I’ve gone down to about 40% state of charge only once, with no ill effects.

I’m hopeful that my main and pony batteries will keep me breathing easy until the tech and cost makes a new Lithium battery a clearly preferred choice. We *have* seen better lithium and lower prices over the last few years, I’m guessing that will continue, and that there will be a great choice for a CI battery compartment that gets 60 to 100ah of discharge, is stable through freezing weather, and perhaps gets down to a 3x premium over AGM.

Thanks Seth. My minimal experience indicates that other than the fridge I don't use much electric. But I do feel like the fridge draws enough that I often see the battery voltage in the ball park of 12.1 to 12.2 in the morning if not on shore power. I've always had sun during the day and it's usually back up to full by early afternoon. But if I had 2-3 days of bad weather/no sun, I'd be concerned about running the battery down farther than I'd like. I do carry my portable sogens which could be used in emergency situations, but that's really not what I want to deal with. A 100 Ah battery that is capable of easily running below 50% on occasion would be worth a premium to me.

 

[JohnC]

and now its cooling off am getting ready to winter camp to sort of push the envelope on the cold side: "how much furnace use how long" will deplete the house battery, and how much will the solar roof extend that time?

I thought the furnace was propane? You winter battery usage should be fine. No?

 

[Randy]

I know that in Yosemite, the problem with coolers in cars is that over time, the bears have learned that coolers = food. Even empty coolers. They will break into a car just because they see a cooler. As such, you should make sure to cover anything that remotely looks like a cooler in your car, at least in Yosemite.

Interesting point and good to know. I keep the Dometic in the bed of my truck which has a metal tonneau cover so it is not visible. I refuse to keep it in the camper in bear country. I would rather have my vehicle torn up than my camper with me in it!

 

[JohnC]

Interesting point and good to know. I keep the Dometic in the bed of my truck which has a metal tonneau cover so it is not visible. I refuse to keep it in the camper in bear country. I would rather have my vehicle torn up than my camper with me in it!

I would too. Just be aware that in Yosemite they will tell you to put it in the bear box if you are camping. If you’re cruising around the park just make sure coolers aren’t visible if you plan to stop and leave the car.

 

[Andrew Cushingham]

Question about permanent solar panel connection for rooftop panel. I suspect I am over thinking it and would love insight from anyone using solar.

I am considering adding the Solar Hawk 110 W panel to the roof of my iKamper rooftop tent which is mounted to the roof racks of my 2020 560. I know I could connect the charging wires to the existing exterior solar connection on the curb side exterior under the cooler table.

This seems like something I would be connecting when I arrive at camp and disconnecting when getting on the road again.

One of the appeal of CI’s factory Solar is that it is always hooked up and this always charging when there is sunlight to be harvested.

Is there a clever way I can rig up a permanent wired connection that is aesthetically pleasing and water tight?

 

[JohnC]

Question about permanent solar panel connection for rooftop panel. I suspect I am over thinking it and would love insight from anyone using solar.

I am considering adding the Solar Hawk 110 W panel to the roof of my iKamper rooftop tent which is mounted to the roof racks of my 2020 560. I know I could connect the charging wires to the existing exterior solar connection on the curb side exterior under the cooler table.

This seems like something I would be connecting when I arrive at camp and disconnecting when getting on the road again.

One of the appeal of CI’s factory Solar is that it is always hooked up and this always charging when there is sunlight to be harvested.

Is there a clever way I can rig up a permanent wired connection that is aesthetically pleasing and water tight?

I think your best bet is to call Cary and ask him how they retro fit the solar to older trailers. He would know best.

 

[GlampingOn]

I think your best bet is to call Cary and ask him how they retro fit the solar to older trailers. He would know best.

^^^this +1