Electric Room Contents

[brokedown]

Here's what it looks like right now. Still needs some finishing but everything is where it goes.

Top row is the Rover solar controller next to a Perko marine 250A bank switch.

Below that I have a ground strap, a 12v to 20v boost converter, and my 12v fuse panel.

Below that is a USB3 hub with high power charging ports and usb connectivity for my router.

Below that is the shelf with the router laptop and my 1000 watt inverter

Below that are my two 200AH AGM batteries.

Not yet mounted is my shore power connection, which is a 15A GFCI plug split to a 2 gang outlet box.


My AC power is more or less limited to the window air conditioner I just installed and my electric toothbrush chargers.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by brokedown

Here's what it looks like right now. Still needs some finishing but everything is where it goes.

Top row is the Rover solar controller next to a Perko marine 250A bank switch.

Below that I have a ground strap, a 12v to 20v boost converter, and my 12v fuse panel.

Below that is a USB3 hub with high power charging ports and usb connectivity for my router.

Below that is the shelf with the router laptop and my 1000 watt inverter

Below that are my two 200AH AGM batteries.

Not yet mounted is my shore power connection, which is a 15A GFCI plug split to a 2 gang outlet box.


My AC power is more or less limited to the window air conditioner I just installed and my electric toothbrush chargers.

Now that's closer to what I'm envisioning. My battery bank will be in a storage bin directly under the cabinet. I'm thinking of running the A/C off the garage inverter to keep wiring to a minimum.

[brokedown]

Remember to keep wire lengths short with high amp DC power. I'm using 12 inch 2awg cables to connect the battery bank to my inverter. 1000 watts of 12v power is 83a, more likely a full 100a after losses.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by brokedown

Remember to keep wire lengths short with high amp DC power. I'm using 12 inch 2awg cables to connect the battery bank to my inverter. 1000 watts of 12v power is 83a, more likely a full 100a after losses.

I have 10' of 4/0g wire, the run is only going to be a couple feet. I have 50'/50' of 2/0g red/black. I should use the 4 for the longer run back to the garage, and the 2 for the short runs to the cabin inverter.

Why does this keep telling me "inverter" is spelled incorrectly.

[Sleddgracer]

Originally Posted by o1marc

I have 10' of 4/0g wire, the run is only going to be a couple feet. I have 50'/50' of 2/0g red/black. I should use the 4 for the longer run back to the garage, and the 2 for the short runs to the cabin inverter.

Why does this keep telling me "inverter" is spelled incorrectly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_inverter

[o1marc]

Here's what I'm starting with. Even with buss bars and wiring there's still plenty of room to not be crowded.I can move everything lower to get it all closer to the battery box in the storage bin. The metal shop yesterday gave me a piece of stainless expanded metal I'll cut out and mount in the back end of the box to ventilate.

[ermracing]

Here's a current picture of our layout - Top to bottom on the left side:2 slot sub 110v sub panel with 2 twin 20amp breakers, total of 4 circuits, 40w MPPT charge controller fed from 3 170w panels on the roof (510w), 12v dist block and ground strip.

Right side: 3000w inverter/charger/(transfer switch), cut off switches for charge controller (left) and inverter/charger (right), fuse for inverter/charger. The pigtail on the bottom is the feed for shore power.

We are using 4/0 wire for connecting the inverter/charger to the batteries (4 x 230 ah) and 8/3 wire to feed the sub panel and shore power.

[kazetsukai]

A still shot of my electrical cabinet:



A) Positive bus bar
B) Victron 250V/100A Solar charge controllewr
C) Solar In / Load Out meters
D) Split phase inverter
E) AC breaker panel, 8-pos

F) 24V DC panel
G) 24V -> 12V step-down
H) 12V DC panel
I) DIN rail box for automation
J) Marine amplifier
K) Conduit/entrypoint for all electrical


Wires everywhere: Mostly lights from throughout the cabin + their switches. There's one 220V outlet I have yet to run into my AC panel.

[HazMatt]

VERY nice! Thanx for sharing.

[david.dgeorge07]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

A still shot of my electrical cabinet:
Attachment 34295


A) Positive bus bar
B) Victron 250V/100A Solar charge controllewr
C) Solar In / Load Out meters
D) Split phase inverter
E) AC breaker panel, 8-pos

F) 24V DC panel
G) 24V -> 12V step-down
H) 12V DC panel
I) DIN rail box for automation
J) Marine amplifier
K) Conduit/entrypoint for all electrical


Wires everywhere: Mostly lights from throughout the cabin + their switches. There's one 220V outlet I have yet to run into my AC panel.

What are you running on 220v. Nice work!

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by david.dgeorge07

What are you running on 220v. Nice work!

Reasonably- a mini split. I have two 220V outlets planned.

Unreasonably- a washer/dryer combo. I have an 8000w inverter, The draw for an electric dryer is something like 4000w-5000w, which if running for half an hour is half of my battery- so I'll need at least 3 more batteries.

[david.dgeorge07]

Holy batteries Batman!

[Celestina]

The company that I bought my solar components from built a “plug and play” box for me. I have two 100 ah lithium batteries and three 305 watt PV panels. They also set up a 30 amp house power panel with two 15 amp circuits and wired up a cord for shore power. I added the 30 amp inlet and now my 110 outlets are energized. Still working on the 12v circuits

[Doktari]

I’m very tall and don’t like crawling, kneeling, or laying on the floor to use my equipment. I sometimes check it several times a day or even more. One strategy I liked was placing the charge controller and display up at sight level near the front exterior door where I go in and out. Every time I go out I can quickly check the displays. And there was a lot of unused space on the front wall of the short bus. I like my power panel to be where I can see it. And up high out of the way of other stuff.

[Celestina]

Originally Posted by Doktari

I’m very tall and don’t like crawling, kneeling, or laying on the floor to use my equipment. I sometimes check it several times a day or even more. One strategy I liked was placing the charge controller and display up at sight level near the front exterior door where I go in and out. Every time I go out I can quickly check the displays. And there was a lot of unused space on the front wall of the short bus. I like my power panel to be where I can see it. And up high out of the way of other stuff.

Yes, they did put the monitor low on the box but it detaches and the cable is very long. Intend to reinstall it at eye height once I have some more walls up.

[Doktari]

On a 12 volt system you want to keep wire runs short and use big gauge cable. Don’t use the minimum gauge. Oversize. So to minimize the wire runs the charge controller and PV disconnect can be near the ceiling and solar panels leaving space under it for heavier items.
How big of a DC load center to install. It’s nice to have the load center in a metal enclosure. I have done it with everything attached to a panel with no metal boxes but I cringe when I do it. One space saver is to mount the inverter on the hinged cover of the DC load center. If charger is built into the inverter/charger unit this also may save space. Also it’s much more integrated system when the charger is built in. Worth the expense IMHO.
Outback makes tiny “250” AC and DC load centers that go on top and bottom of the Outback inverter. These are real space savers. My friend likes to use these in land based fixed systems. Why not use a much bigger box I think for fixed systems. I prefer to spread out the connections a little if there is space. One time I watched struggle to change a connection in the tiny box.
Using soft fine stranded silicon jacketed cable is soooo much easier in tight spaces. But it seems these cables need to be ordered ahead online. Not in the hardware stores

[Doktari]

Celestina. You have a very nice system. The only changes I would consider aside from the display mounted higher you mentioned is moving the charge controller somewhere more accessible and visible. It often is one of the easiest components to move as the PV wires are coming in from the roof anyway (unless you have a ground level PV array).
That’s a big Midnite charge controller. Maybe you have a lot of panels.
Leaving the controller in place is ok. Especially if you are connected to a laptop and talk to the unit that way. I have not used a computer with any of my systems yet. But it is the trick way to go and I intend to.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Doktari

On a 12 volt system you want to keep wire runs short and use big gauge cable. Don’t use the minimum gauge. Oversize. So to minimize the wire runs the charge controller and PV disconnect can be near the ceiling and solar panels leaving space under it for heavier items.
How big of a DC load center to install. It’s nice to have the load center in a metal enclosure. I have done it with everything attached to a panel with no metal boxes but I cringe when I do it. One space saver is to mount the inverter on the hinged cover of the DC load center. If charger is built into the inverter/charger unit this also may save space. Also it’s much more integrated system when the charger is built in. Worth the expense IMHO.
Outback makes tiny “250” AC and DC load centers that go on top and bottom of the Outback inverter. These are real space savers. My friend likes to use these in land based fixed systems. Why not use a much bigger box I think for fixed systems. I prefer to spread out the connections a little if there is space. One time I watched struggle to change a connection in the tiny box.
Using soft fine stranded silicon jacketed cable is soooo much easier in tight spaces. But it seems these cables need to be ordered ahead online. Not in the hardware stores

This is a pictorial. Where are yours?

[Doktari]

Yeah, sorry, the above the door charge controller example is on a bus I sold a couple years ago. But I liked that layout fairly well. My current short bus has no system yet. My cargo van and old Motorhome both have systems with so much project materials piled up around them I’m embarrassed to take pictures.
The Motorhome energy system is a prototype I designed with some advantages but also disadvantages. It’s all in a giant heavy duty aluminum box I bolted together and bolted to a huge hitch and slid into the receiver of a heavy class three towing receiver. I have the remote control panel inside the Motorhome but all the equipment is outside. In this mild coastal PNW climate this is doable.
As my energy system is worth as much or likely more than my old Motorhome I can slide the energy system out of the hitch and into another. A nice custom bus is another story. Also a lot more space inside a full size bus for a energy system.

[nanoplane]

Here's mine. supports 20 solar panels in two arrays, dual charge controllers, 3KW inverter and 4 220AH AGM Batteries