2020 Momentum 29G Factory solar

[cwayneb]

First, Merry Christmas! We have a new trailer with the factory solar. Has what I was told is a 300W panel already on the roof, and presumably the controller, etc. Can anyone guide me on what plug and play add-ons I can do? Battle Born batteries seem to be a good add. Can I plug in additional portable solar panels for more charge? Recommendations for better MPPT and/or inverter? I have gone through every manual I have and looked online extensively. My dealer has no idea either, so any help would be appreciated!

[Country Campers]

First, Merry Christmas! We have a new trailer with the factory solar. Has what I was told is a 300W panel already on the roof, and presumably the controller, etc. Can anyone guide me on what plug and play add-ons I can do? Battle Born batteries seem to be a good add. Can I plug in additional portable solar panels for more charge? Recommendations for better MPPT and/or inverter? I have gone through every manual I have and looked online extensively. My dealer has no idea either, so any help would be appreciated!

Welcome. You came to the right place. Our Solar gurus will be along shortly to help you out. TucsonJim , somebody here would like to spend money , I mean they need some solar help.

Brian

[howson]

First, Merry Christmas! We have a new trailer with the factory solar. Has what I was told is a 300W panel already on the roof, and presumably the controller, etc. Can anyone guide me on what plug and play add-ons I can do? Battle Born batteries seem to be a good add. Can I plug in additional portable solar panels for more charge? Recommendations for better MPPT and/or inverter? I have gone through every manual I have and looked online extensively. My dealer has no idea either, so any help would be appreciated!

Hi cwayneb--noted that is your first post so when you get a chance please check out the Welcome Letter to New Members https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

Howard

[TucsonJim]

First, Merry Christmas! We have a new trailer with the factory solar. Has what I was told is a 300W panel already on the roof, and presumably the controller, etc. Can anyone guide me on what plug and play add-ons I can do? Battle Born batteries seem to be a good add. Can I plug in additional portable solar panels for more charge? Recommendations for better MPPT and/or inverter? I have gone through every manual I have and looked online extensively. My dealer has no idea either, so any help would be appreciated!

Good morning, Merry Christmas and welcome to the forum.

Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are a terrific upgrade. But how many do you need? Will you be using an inverter to run your AC loads? My first suggestion would be for you to perform an energy audit to see what how much power you'll use on a daily basis. Let's say you're going to use 120 amp hours. If so, that would suggest you'd need a minimum of 200 amp hours of useable battery power to give you a buffer. On average, you typically need 150 to 200 watts of solar power for each LiFePO4 battery. So if you had two LiFePO4 batteries, you'd need 300-400 watts of solar to make sure you're recharged in 7-8 hours. But how do you perform an energy audit? See page 5 of the attached document for a listing of typical power consumption. Let's say a typical 12V light uses 1.5 amps of power per hour. If you run it for four hours, you'd consume 6 amp hours of power from your batteries. Take an audit of all your expected loads, and you can get a feel for what your daily power consumption is.

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/solar/r...4-solar-101-v4

Once you have figured out how big a battery bank you'll need, you can calculate your solar panel size. On average, you typically need 150 to 200 watts of solar power for each LiFePO4 battery. So if you had two LiFePO4 batteries, you'd need 300-400 watts of solar to make sure you're recharged in 7-8 hours. The current controller is pretty limited as to the one panel you have. If you increase the number of panels, you'll probably have to replace the controller. Victron makes some excellent MPPT controllers and we can help you select the correct size based on your planned panel layout.

One item I'd recommend every owner purchase no matter what type of batteries or solar you have is a really good battery monitor. Many of us use the Victron BMV-712 monitor which will allow you to read your battery's status via a blue tooth connection with your smart phone.

Once you get started down this road, we'll be here to help spend your money!!!

Jim

[cwayneb]

Thank you for the kind replies. Jim, I am really grateful for the details. Energy audit for now indicates 2 batteries would be sufficient. Given the 300W panel, and the fact that the inverter will be maxed out with that, I guess that is a good start. I will get the battery monitor ordered right away. Is the Battle Born battery solution what you recommend? I am assuming two of the 100ah 12V batteries? Do those then replace the 12v lead acid on the tongue and get mounted in the belly somewhere instead? I am very thankful for your time and consideration.

[pengle]

Thank you for the kind replies. Jim, I am really grateful for the details. Energy audit for now indicates 2 batteries would be sufficient. Given the 300W panel, and the fact that the inverter will be maxed out with that, I guess that is a good start. I will get the battery monitor ordered right away. Is the Battle Born battery solution what you recommend? I am assuming two of the 100ah 12V batteries? Do those then replace the 12v lead acid on the tongue and get mounted in the belly somewhere instead? I am very thankful for your time and consideration.

If you ARE considering buying the Battle Born batteries then you can get a discount on them by becoming a member of the Escapees RV Club ($50/yr). I was able to purchase the 100ah batteries for $874 per battery ($75 off per battery). Get your Escapees member number, call BB, and order your batteries and other accessories you might need at a discount. They'll actually spend some time asking you what your needs are, if you need a monitor, or a controller or an inverter. Know what the price is for each component you may want to buy, so that you're ready to say YES. They just want to help you get the most use out of your batteries.

[50ST8R]

If you ARE considering buying the Battle Born batteries then you can get a discount on them by becoming a member of the Escapees RV Club ($50/yr). I was able to purchase the 100ah batteries for $874 per battery ($75 off per battery). Get your Escapees member number, call BB, and order your batteries and other accessories you might need at a discount. They'll actually spend some time asking you what your needs are, if you need a monitor, or a controller or an inverter. Know what the price is for each component you may want to buy, so that you're ready to say YES. They just want to help you get the most use out of your batteries.

I got the same price this year just by calling them and asking to build a system. 3 batteries, Multiplus 3000, BVM 712 and VE bus Smart Dongle. Each part was about 10% reduction from list.

[howson]

cwayneb -- I'm also a fan of the Battle Born batteries and based on my ownership experience (all positive) I can recommend them without any reservation or qualification. The BMV-712 is also a fantastic battery monitor (which I obviously also have).