New here and need some advice

[specialleb]

Greetings all. I just became the owner of a 2001 e450 that was converted into a ski rig. My plan is to pretty much scrap their work and restart using some of their parts(solar panels, batteries, diesel heater). I believe it has 400w of solar and I’m not positive on battery capacity but I can always add more.

My plan is to use the solar and batteries to run the lights and other small stuff. What I want to do is add a gas generator to run AC and maybe a fridge, but then also tie it into the system so it will charge the batteries if it’s night or shady. I’ve done some searching but haven’t really found a good explanation of how to do this?

As far as electric so far my plan is ac, fridge, some lights, propane hot water with electric pilot, exhaust fan, water pump. That might be it. Maybe another small item or two but no big draws that I can think of.

It’s just for weekend use. Not living in it or anything so just trying to keep it cheap but useful.

 

[Rucker]

My E450 is set up just about like you describe.

The way I handle genny is through an automatic transfer switch (mine is Go Power brand but an equivalent is RecPro RV Automatic Transfer Switch):

Power comes in to the bus from either shore power or a generator, through a disconnect (always a good idea), then I have a 'shore power only' receptacle for use when the house system is down for repair or maintenance (and while I was doing the conversion). It also feeds the minisplit, which requires more juice than my house system with solar and battery can handle.

The genny or shore power then feeds an autotransfer switch that prioritizes shore power (don't worry about that detail-when you get one the instructions will explain how to wire it up). That way, when shore power is present it connects the house wiring to shore power, but when no shore power is present it switches to inverter power.

The diagram shows the system on inverter power; but when shore power is present it powers an electromagnet in the transfer switch that pulls the contacts over to the shore power side.

The system works just fine except the diesel heater needs to be powered down when switching. It's just too sensitive to power loss and shuts down during the transfer otherwise. I usually just power that down before switching power sources.

 

[specialleb]

My E450 is set up just about like you describe.

The way I handle genny is through an automatic transfer switch (mine is Go Power brand but an equivalent is RecPro RV Automatic Transfer Switch):View attachment 1327022
Power comes in to the bus from either shore power or a generator, through a disconnect (always a good idea), then I have a 'shore power only' receptacle for use when the house system is down for repair or maintenance (and while I was doing the conversion). It also feeds the minisplit, which requires more juice than my house system with solar and battery can handle.

The genny or shore power then feeds an autotransfer switch that prioritizes shore power (don't worry about that detail-when you get one the instructions will explain how to wire it up). That way, when shore power is present it connects the house wiring to shore power, but when no shore power is present it switches to inverter power.

The diagram shows the system on inverter power; but when shore power is present it powers an electromagnet in the transfer switch that pulls the contacts over to the shore power side.

The system works just fine except the diesel heater needs to be powered down when switching. It's just too sensitive to power loss and shuts down during the transfer otherwise. I usually just power that down before switching power sources.

Awesome! This is exactly what I was looking for. I figured I could search and search or make a post and find a hero like you. I’ve got a lot of work to do before I’m ready to hook it all up, but I wanted to make sure I had an idea of how it would work for layout purposes

 

[Rucker]

I'd start by inventorying the equipment you intend to repurpose. No guarantee the previous owner sized things correctly, and that way you can become familiar with the calculations needed.


Otherwise feel free to ask away!

 

[specialleb]

I'd start by inventorying the equipment you intend to repurpose. No guarantee the previous owner sized things correctly, and that way you can become familiar with the calculations needed.


Otherwise feel free to ask away!

For sure. Not about to trust a ski bum with my power calculations this gives me something to build off of though.

 

[nikitis]

@Rucker Could you not have just plugged your shore power line into your charge controller instead of using a manual transfer switch so it could also charge your batteries while in use?

Did you consider this?

 

[Rucker]

My charge controller doesn't accept 120VAC; the solar setup is completely independent of the residential circuits. I have a NoCo charger wired up to charge the battery as needed from shore power.

 

[nikitis]

Ah, I can appreciate already buying the charge controller and finding out it doesn't accept 120 VAC.

I bought all of my solar components before I even had the bus. It's been sitting waiting for 3 years to be installed. I also bought a Chinesium brand charge controller so my faith in it's abilities to run as advertised is low, but it does Claim to take in all the inputs from VAC and Solar, and out to battery up to 60 Amps. I'm doing 24volt system with 6 panels at 320 watts a piece divided into 2 banks of 3 each, which when I did the math 3 years go mathed to exactness if the system was at 100% peak all the time. (which it won't be almost ever) So I hope it's enough, or else I'll be buying a new charge controller.

 

[JenniferWillow]

Greetings all. I just became the owner of a 2001 e450 that was converted into a ski rig. My plan is to pretty much scrap their work and restart using some of their parts(solar panels, batteries, diesel heater). I believe it has 400w of solar and I’m not positive on battery capacity but I can always add more.

My plan is to use the solar and batteries to run the lights and other small stuff. What I want to do is add a gas generator to run AC and maybe a fridge, but then also tie it into the system so it will charge the batteries if it’s night or shady. I’ve done some searching but haven’t really found a good explanation of how to do this?

As far as electric so far my plan is ac, fridge, some lights, propane hot water with electric pilot, exhaust fan, water pump. That might be it. Maybe another small item or two but no big draws that I can think of.

It’s just for weekend use. Not living in it or anything so just trying to keep it cheap but useful.

I know this may seem like a cop out but look up Explorist.life. It’s the best place to find information on electrical systems for vehicles and off-grid cabins.

 

[Diverdude0075]

My only tip is wait until you are close to actually doing the work. Pricing keep dropping and technology keeps improving.