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Solar & Power Upgrade - Imagine XLS 22RBE
This is a fairly long post but still just scratches the surface of our experience, as I’m sure those who have done their own install can attest.
Here is a list of the items I installed in and on our 2021 Grand Design Imagine XLS 22RBE.
Victron Lynx Shunt IP22 VE.Can 1000 amp
Victron Lynx Distributor
Victron Cerbo GX
Victron MultiPlus 3000VA 12-Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter and 120 amp Battery Charger
Victron SmartSolar MPPT Tr VE. Can 150V 100 amp 12-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth)
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt DC-DC Charger, Isolated (Bluetooth)
Victron Smart Battery Sense
Victron Energy GX Touch 50 (the pièce de résistance!)
25’ high-quality HDMI cable
12V to 5V USB Port
2 Victron Temperature Sensors
5 240W Newpowa NPA240S-12H Monocrystalline solar panels (1200 watts total)
5 sets of CMYYANGLIN Solar Panel Mounting Brackets Tilt Mount, Adjustable 45 inch tilting hardware
2 Enduro Power Baja Series 12-V 300Ah Deep Cycle LiFePO4 batteries
Progressive Industries 30 Amp Hardwired RV Electrical Management System Surge Protector With Remote Display, EMS-HW30C
2 Maxx Air 00-07500K MaxxFan Deluxe with Remote (installed last summer)
Micro-Air EasyStart 364 Soft Starter (installed last summer)
Research and Planning:
After tons of research between YouTube and Facebook, I decided to follow the 30A OEM RV Retrofit Solar Upgrade Wiring Diagram and plans from Nate Yarborough’s explorist.life website. Coupled with Nate’s how to videos, and a few from Will Prowse, Chad from Changing Lanes, and Larry from Downsizing Makes Cents, it was all a huge help. It’s actually what made it possible for me to take on this project myself! Thanks Nate, Will, Chad, and Larry!
Equipment Panel:
I removed the OEM storage wall and built out the equipment panel with everything pre-mounted except the MultiPlus and Solar Charge Controller. I installed those two items after the equipment panel was mounted in the storage bay.
The equipment panel is a piece of 3/8” thick plywood. For the three heaviest components, the MultiPlus, Solar Charge Controller, and DC-DC Charger, I bolted 5/4 (1” thick) pieces of aluminum (flashing) covered pine to the plywood. Then I used the supplied screws and bracket to mount the MultiPlus, and lag bolts to mount the Solar Charge Controller, and DC-DC Charger. All other components are screwed directly to the plywood. That approach has made for a very solid, yet light weight, replacement wall.
There’s a Victron Temperature Sensor installed over the MultiPlus. I used a 25’ high-quality HDMI cable to extend from the Cerbo GX in the storage bay to the Touch 50 in the kitchen. I was able to run the HDMI wire up to the control panel area to mount the Touch 50 on the side of the kitchen cabinet. I used a 12V to 5V USB Port to tap into the 12V wires going to the control center to provide power to the Touch 50.
Side note: Although I’m 6’-2”, our 22RBE’s storage bay is height challenged so the MultiPlus lacks the prescribed vertical clearance; however, by mounting it to the 5/4 pine blocks I’ve added additional ventilation behind the unit to help compensate. I felt this was still better than laying on its back or side. I will be looking into adding vents into the storage bay doors and probably a couple small fans, one ”inhaling” and one “exhaling”, to provide some airflow.
Progressive EMS-HW30C:
Since I needed to “extend” the main power wire coming into the back of the camper an additional 10’ from our circuit panel to the MultiPlus in the storage bay, I decided to install a hardwired EMS behind our circuit panel, which also served as a junction box. I was able to run the EMS’ data wire up to the control panel area to mount the monitor on the side of the kitchen cabinet. Since the eternally flashing red led readout was annoying, I taped a piece of black microfiber cloth to hang over it. When we want to see what’s happening there, we can just lift it up.
Battery Bank:
The two Enduro LiFePO4 batteries are connected in parallel and stored under the bed. There’s a Victron Temperature Sensor installed over the batteries. I could have made the two equal length 4/0 AWG cables connecting the batteries a little shorter, but by making them a little longer I was able to run them alongside each other instead of stacked one over the other… an interesting parabolic brain teaser. This allowed my storage tray to clear these cables as is, which was important for enabling us to also store our air fryer in that storage tray but also store our recliner table on the bottom side of the bed platform.
Additionally, since there could be a significant temperature difference between the under bed storage, which I’ve insulated from the storage bay, and the storage bay itself, a Smart Battery Sense is installed on one of the batteries to provide temperature and voltage data via bluetooth to the Solar Charge Controller.
I ran the battery 4/0 AWG cables through the wall to the storage bay and into the Lynx Shunt. The positive first goes to a fuse and shut off switch mounted under the bed, then on to a shut off switch mounted in the storage bay on the utility panel before getting to the Lynx Shunt. The negative ducks down behind the second battery and goes through the wall about 3” above the floor.
Solar Panels:
The five Newpowa solar panels are mounted with tilting hardware on Z brackets screwed into the rafters over butyl tape and are wired in series and leverage the 10 AWG solar prep wiring provided by Grand Design. I cut the tilting hardware aluminum side bars to match the solar panel width, resulting in 20 11” pieces of aluminum side bar for future use. I used some pieces of it to secure the batteries in place.
Trial Trip:
On a trip in late June, we took advantage of a Harvest Host and two Boondockers Welcome stays; a first for both, no pressure. The power upgrade worked like a charm!
Our first site was for three nights on a wooded lot with full shade on our solar panels. Despite that set up, our batteries were only at 33% after 50 hours. Since our fourth night was to be at a Harvest Host, we ran our Champion 2500 Watt Inverter Generator for a few hours at the end of the third day. That got the battery bank back to 80%. During our travel on the fourth day, the solar panels finished bringing the battery bank to 100%. We actually got a peak wattage on that day of 1,334 from the 1,200 watts of solar panels!
We also were able to run our fridge on 120V during travel thanks to the DC-DC Charger. The fridge used about 330 of the 360 watts the DC-DC Charger provides. No more concerns about getting to our destination with a less than desirable fridge temperature or using propane during travel; we do switch to propane for the fridge and water heater when boondocking.
It was nice to be able to see how everything was working via the Touch 50, which is working very well despite the 25’ HDMI cable; I need to customize that screen some and get some Ruuvi temperature sensors into the fridge/freezer.
If needed, we could run the A/C off the batteries long enough to cool things down on a hot day thanks to the Micro-Air Soft Starter I installed last summer. So far, the two MaxxAir fans I installed in the bathroom and bedroom last summer do a great job of moving air throughout the camper when needed. For the rest of the trip we had plenty of solar power to keep us going. All in all, we’re quite pleased with the setup.
This is a fairly long post but still just scratches the surface of our experience, as I’m sure those who have done their own install can attest.
Here is a list of the items I installed in and on our 2021 Grand Design Imagine XLS 22RBE.
Victron Lynx Shunt IP22 VE.Can 1000 amp
Victron Lynx Distributor
Victron Cerbo GX
Victron MultiPlus 3000VA 12-Volt Pure Sine Wave Inverter and 120 amp Battery Charger
Victron SmartSolar MPPT Tr VE. Can 150V 100 amp 12-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth)
Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-Volt 30 amp 360-Watt DC-DC Charger, Isolated (Bluetooth)
Victron Smart Battery Sense
Victron Energy GX Touch 50 (the pièce de résistance!)
25’ high-quality HDMI cable
12V to 5V USB Port
2 Victron Temperature Sensors
5 240W Newpowa NPA240S-12H Monocrystalline solar panels (1200 watts total)
5 sets of CMYYANGLIN Solar Panel Mounting Brackets Tilt Mount, Adjustable 45 inch tilting hardware
2 Enduro Power Baja Series 12-V 300Ah Deep Cycle LiFePO4 batteries
Progressive Industries 30 Amp Hardwired RV Electrical Management System Surge Protector With Remote Display, EMS-HW30C
2 Maxx Air 00-07500K MaxxFan Deluxe with Remote (installed last summer)
Micro-Air EasyStart 364 Soft Starter (installed last summer)
Research and Planning:
After tons of research between YouTube and Facebook, I decided to follow the 30A OEM RV Retrofit Solar Upgrade Wiring Diagram and plans from Nate Yarborough’s explorist.life website. Coupled with Nate’s how to videos, and a few from Will Prowse, Chad from Changing Lanes, and Larry from Downsizing Makes Cents, it was all a huge help. It’s actually what made it possible for me to take on this project myself! Thanks Nate, Will, Chad, and Larry!
Equipment Panel:
I removed the OEM storage wall and built out the equipment panel with everything pre-mounted except the MultiPlus and Solar Charge Controller. I installed those two items after the equipment panel was mounted in the storage bay.
The equipment panel is a piece of 3/8” thick plywood. For the three heaviest components, the MultiPlus, Solar Charge Controller, and DC-DC Charger, I bolted 5/4 (1” thick) pieces of aluminum (flashing) covered pine to the plywood. Then I used the supplied screws and bracket to mount the MultiPlus, and lag bolts to mount the Solar Charge Controller, and DC-DC Charger. All other components are screwed directly to the plywood. That approach has made for a very solid, yet light weight, replacement wall.
There’s a Victron Temperature Sensor installed over the MultiPlus. I used a 25’ high-quality HDMI cable to extend from the Cerbo GX in the storage bay to the Touch 50 in the kitchen. I was able to run the HDMI wire up to the control panel area to mount the Touch 50 on the side of the kitchen cabinet. I used a 12V to 5V USB Port to tap into the 12V wires going to the control center to provide power to the Touch 50.
Side note: Although I’m 6’-2”, our 22RBE’s storage bay is height challenged so the MultiPlus lacks the prescribed vertical clearance; however, by mounting it to the 5/4 pine blocks I’ve added additional ventilation behind the unit to help compensate. I felt this was still better than laying on its back or side. I will be looking into adding vents into the storage bay doors and probably a couple small fans, one ”inhaling” and one “exhaling”, to provide some airflow.
Progressive EMS-HW30C:
Since I needed to “extend” the main power wire coming into the back of the camper an additional 10’ from our circuit panel to the MultiPlus in the storage bay, I decided to install a hardwired EMS behind our circuit panel, which also served as a junction box. I was able to run the EMS’ data wire up to the control panel area to mount the monitor on the side of the kitchen cabinet. Since the eternally flashing red led readout was annoying, I taped a piece of black microfiber cloth to hang over it. When we want to see what’s happening there, we can just lift it up.
Battery Bank:
The two Enduro LiFePO4 batteries are connected in parallel and stored under the bed. There’s a Victron Temperature Sensor installed over the batteries. I could have made the two equal length 4/0 AWG cables connecting the batteries a little shorter, but by making them a little longer I was able to run them alongside each other instead of stacked one over the other… an interesting parabolic brain teaser. This allowed my storage tray to clear these cables as is, which was important for enabling us to also store our air fryer in that storage tray but also store our recliner table on the bottom side of the bed platform.
Additionally, since there could be a significant temperature difference between the under bed storage, which I’ve insulated from the storage bay, and the storage bay itself, a Smart Battery Sense is installed on one of the batteries to provide temperature and voltage data via bluetooth to the Solar Charge Controller.
I ran the battery 4/0 AWG cables through the wall to the storage bay and into the Lynx Shunt. The positive first goes to a fuse and shut off switch mounted under the bed, then on to a shut off switch mounted in the storage bay on the utility panel before getting to the Lynx Shunt. The negative ducks down behind the second battery and goes through the wall about 3” above the floor.
Solar Panels:
The five Newpowa solar panels are mounted with tilting hardware on Z brackets screwed into the rafters over butyl tape and are wired in series and leverage the 10 AWG solar prep wiring provided by Grand Design. I cut the tilting hardware aluminum side bars to match the solar panel width, resulting in 20 11” pieces of aluminum side bar for future use. I used some pieces of it to secure the batteries in place.
Trial Trip:
On a trip in late June, we took advantage of a Harvest Host and two Boondockers Welcome stays; a first for both, no pressure. The power upgrade worked like a charm!
Our first site was for three nights on a wooded lot with full shade on our solar panels. Despite that set up, our batteries were only at 33% after 50 hours. Since our fourth night was to be at a Harvest Host, we ran our Champion 2500 Watt Inverter Generator for a few hours at the end of the third day. That got the battery bank back to 80%. During our travel on the fourth day, the solar panels finished bringing the battery bank to 100%. We actually got a peak wattage on that day of 1,334 from the 1,200 watts of solar panels!
We also were able to run our fridge on 120V during travel thanks to the DC-DC Charger. The fridge used about 330 of the 360 watts the DC-DC Charger provides. No more concerns about getting to our destination with a less than desirable fridge temperature or using propane during travel; we do switch to propane for the fridge and water heater when boondocking.
It was nice to be able to see how everything was working via the Touch 50, which is working very well despite the 25’ HDMI cable; I need to customize that screen some and get some Ruuvi temperature sensors into the fridge/freezer.
If needed, we could run the A/C off the batteries long enough to cool things down on a hot day thanks to the Micro-Air Soft Starter I installed last summer. So far, the two MaxxAir fans I installed in the bathroom and bedroom last summer do a great job of moving air throughout the camper when needed. For the rest of the trip we had plenty of solar power to keep us going. All in all, we’re quite pleased with the setup.
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