Upgrading to go off grid

[Toady]

Hi,
I have renewed my van to a Hymer B704PL.
I normally camp off grid (FLT) New van has no added extras.
I have booked to have the following added:

Solar 175W Victron MPPT Regulator
Sterling B2B 60A
Victron Multiplus Inverter/Charger
Victron Multiplus Digital Multi Control
Victron Smartshunt Battery Monitor
2 x 100a Lithium Batteries

I would appreciate it if one of the off grid pros on here could review this setup and give me any suitable advice. No wise cracks please.

Many thanks

 

[New Street]

Water. Storage of and filtration of.

 

[Wissel]

How long do you plan to stay off grid at a time?

What do you need to power?

Can you fit more solar?

 

[Toady]

I carry extra water and a pump to transfer. Will look at filtration. Thanks

The boss has to have a hairdryer. We have a coffee machine and looking to use electric bikes in the future.

I like to stay off grid for weeks at a time. Not much room on roof for extra solar. Has a big satellite fitted which I probably will not use as I prefer mi-fi.

 

[Gaston aires]

Apart from having 3 x 120 ah gel batteries we have a very similar off grid setup. Our solar is an Alden tracking solar equivalent to 300 watts output. The main advantage to us is when we are touring and can stay virtually anywhere without EHU for days on end without running out of juice. We use gas for fridge and cooking and have refillable gas cylinders. If you are intending spending time in Europe I would definitely think about a gaslow, gas it, or alugas refillable system.
You seem to have got it about right.
If and when our batteries expire I would probably go lithium.
Phil

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[Toady]

Apart from having 3 x 120 ah gel batteries we have a very similar off grid setup. Our solar is an Alden tracking solar equivalent to 300 watts output. The main advantage to us is when we are touring and can stay virtually anywhere without EHU for days on end without running out of juice. We use gas for fridge and cooking and have refillable gas cylinders. If you are intending spending time in Europe I would definitely think about a gaslow, gas it, or alugas refillable system.
You seem to have got it about right.
If and when our batteries expire I would probably go lithium.
Phil

Thanks for that.
I have transferred Gas It bottles over to new van and totally agree with refillable bottles. Run fridge off gas and cook and bbq. Thanks

 

[Wissel]

I'll give you how I worked mine out, as it may help. We are fulltime off grid.

We use about 120Ah per 24 hours and tend not to drive very often. We have 400Ah of LiFePO4, so 3 days with no driving or solar. We have 540w of solar, which works pretty well, but if we had the space I'd have nearer 800w.

We have similar elecs, with everything Victron apart from a 90A Votronic B2B.

Water wise, we have 175litres of fresh and waste, with 3M filtration. We also have a 38 litre underslung gas tank and a second toilet cassette.

For about 9 months of the year we can survive purely on solar power without driving.

We can survive a week static, before needing to fill/empty water and cassettes. At this point we also run out of fresh food capacity so need to move anyway.

 

[Lenny HB]

I would say your solar is way too low, you could probably add 2 or 3 smaller panels to make use of the limited space, would be aiming for a minimum of 300 watts preferably more. You could put up a pic of your roof so we can have a look.
As you don't normally use EHU I can't see the point of fitting the inverter/charger.

 

[eddie]

Hi,
I have renewed my van to a Hymer B704PL.
I normally camp off grid (FLT) New van has no added extras.
I have booked to have the following added:

Solar 175W Victron MPPT Regulator
Sterling B2B 60A
Victron Multiplus Inverter/Charger
Victron Multiplus Digital Multi Control
Victron Smartshunt Battery Monitor
2 x 100a Lithium Batteries

I would appreciate it if one of the off grid pros on here could review this setup and give me any suitable advice. No wise cracks please.

Many thanks

I have the same set up, with more solar and a bigger B2B but exactly the same kit, and owning a business that installs this stuff everyday (when allowed to open lol) I picked the stuff from the toy cupboard (stock room) based on quality and performance than cost

Just make sure who ever installs it sets it all up correctly on the laptop once its installed

 

[autorouter]

Victron Multiplus Inverter/Charger

Which Multiplus inverter/charger? Is this for occasional use or for loads that are on for a long time? What kind of mains appliances will you be using?

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[Jimbohorlicks]

How many solar panels do you have and what wattage are they?

 

[Otter Spotter]

Don’t want to appear to be pinching this thread but can I ask on a similar vain, is there a piece of kit that tells you how much juice you use in a 24 hour period?

 

[cmcardle75]

Hi,
I have renewed my van to a Hymer B704PL.
I normally camp off grid (FLT) New van has no added extras.
I have booked to have the following added:

Solar 175W Victron MPPT Regulator
Sterling B2B 60A
Victron Multiplus Inverter/Charger
Victron Multiplus Digital Multi Control
Victron Smartshunt Battery Monitor
2 x 100a Lithium Batteries

I would appreciate it if one of the off grid pros on here could review this setup and give me any suitable advice. No wise cracks please.

Many thanks

Personally, I'd go for a single larger battery with Bluetooth BMS. This will be much cheaper than 2x100Ah, especially as you would then be able to forego the Smartshunt, as the battery's app will display basic state of charge calculations on your phone.

I also don't bother with inverters. I just buy 12V appliances. But then I have no desperate need of curling tongs, hairdryers or electric coffee machines. I have solid state 12V adapters for televisions and laptops, not just to save energy, but to avoid the dreaded fan noise. I don't miss having the expensive, noisy battery drain of an inverter. If you have a significant other (or yourself) who simply won't go without a 2000W hairdryer, your hands are tied.

As for solar, this will depend very much on your expected lifestyle. I was originally going to go for 400W on the roof with a Victron MPPT. However, I decided that as I do lots of driving and often travel in winter, I would get better service from putting the budget into a larger Lithium battery. It has the additional advantage of being a lot easier to drop in a 300Ah battery than stick 3 solar panels on the roof and the associated wiring (it would also make my "stealth" van a lot less stealthy). I also got a good price on the battery (around £1200), which is a lot less than Victron are charging. If you prefer to sit on the beach for 2 weeks in the sunshine driving to the local shop once a week, your choices will likely be different.

The choice of B2B seems good. I've only got a 20A CTEK I found in a cupboard when converting. The one you've chosen is the one I'd fit by choice, but I generally drive around so much that the 20A is probably enough, especially as the 300Ah should last me a week by my calculations, with no inverter, but with a compressor fridge and diesel heating.

 

[cmcardle75]

BTW, the Multiplus is an excellent piece of kit, but I wouldn't consider it to be aimed at off-grid use. It really comes into its own for serious mains users stuck on European campsites with very low current ratings. It basically pulls what it can from the mains grid and if you go over the allowed current, takes the extra from your batteries, replacing back in there when the current demand goes below. It basically allows you to use a 4A or 6A mediterrenean EHU like a British 16A so you can use the electric hob or a hairdryer on an inadequete mains supply. Your batteries will eventually be fully charged a few hours later. (Unless you do something stupid like leave 2000W of heating on max overnight).

If you don't use EHU, it's complete overkill, although you might find it cheaper than separates and if you really want an inverter, that would be enough to make it worthwhile.

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Are you looking at security. Lovely van- it has the same layout as our Carthago chic c line. We normally full time (outside of Covid). When you invest so much on the van and another £5000 on upgrade would not want anything to happen when left unattended.

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[Toady]

I'll give you how I worked mine out, as it may help. We are fulltime off grid.

We use about 120Ah per 24 hours and tend not to drive very often. We have 400Ah of LiFePO4, so 3 days with no driving or solar. We have 540w of solar, which works pretty well, but if we had the space I'd have nearer 800w.

We have similar elecs, with everything Victron apart from a 90A Votronic B2B.

Water wise, we have 175litres of fresh and waste, with 3M filtration. We also have a 38 litre underslung gas tank and a second toilet cassette.

For about 9 months of the year we can survive purely on solar power without driving.

We can survive a week static, before needing to fill/empty water and cassettes. At this point we also run out of fresh food capacity so need to move anyway.

Thanks for that update and sounds like a good set up. I have just bought a 2nd cassette as well.

 

[Toady]

BTW, the Multiplus is an excellent piece of kit, but I wouldn't consider it to be aimed at off-grid use. It really comes into its own for serious mains users stuck on European campsites with very low current ratings. It basically pulls what it can from the mains grid and if you go over the allowed current, takes the extra from your batteries, replacing back in there when the current demand goes below. It basically allows you to use a 4A or 6A mediterrenean EHU like a British 16A so you can use the electric hob or a hairdryer on an inadequete mains supply. Your batteries will eventually be fully charged a few hours later. (Unless you do something stupid like leave 2000W of heating on max overnight).

If you don't use EHU, it's complete overkill, although you might find it cheaper than separates and if you really want an inverter, that would be enough to make it worthwhile.

Again, thank you for your input and now you have got me thinking. Need to off load the wife and I will be quids in

 

[Toady]

There is some excellent advice on this site. Thank you everyone for your input.

 

[Toady]

Are you looking at security. Lovely van- it has the same layout as our Carthago chic c line. We normally full time (outside of Covid). When you invest so much on the van and another £5000 on upgrade would not want anything to happen when left unattended.

Thank you it is a lovely van. New to Hymer. Plenty of security on the van both hardware and software but as I know from my previous life, if the right person turns up then security means nothing. Anyway on the plus side.

 

[Toady]

How many solar panels do you have and what wattage are they?

I am looking at adding a 175w solar panel but may increase this. Will add a photo as Lenny suggested.

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[Toady]

Photo of roof

 

[Lenny HB]

Don’t want to appear to be pinching this thread but can I ask on a similar vain, is there a piece of kit that tells you how much juice you use in a 24 hour period?

A Victron BMV 700 or 712 battery monitor or the Victron Smart Shunt.

 

[Toady]

Which Multiplus inverter/charger? Is this for occasional use or for loads that are on for a long time? What kind of mains appliances will you be using?

Victron Multiplus 12/2000/80 Inverter/Charging system

 

[Tombola]

Id imagine a 200 or 300 ish in the large space and a slime 100 in the small

 

[Toady]

Thank you Tombola

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[peterc10]

I know it is going to be difficult but you really should get some more solar especially if you are planning off grid in the UK winter. No point in having all that lithium capacity if you can't fill it. That or you need to move around every other day to get the B2B going. That is especially so if you often use electrical heat sources like a hair dryer and coffee machine, and the electric bikes will take quite a bit as well.

 

[Wissel]

Def looks like you can fit more solar

With 200Ah of LiFePO4 I'd want at least 400w for off grid. Also, the panels need to avoid any shadows as just a small part shadowed will kill their effectiveness.

The best bit of advice in this thread came from eddievanbitz in my opinion - making sure it's all setup properly by someone who really knows how to get the best out of all the components and LiFePO4 should give years of your elecs never crossing your mind.

 

[Toady]

I know it is going to be difficult but you really should get some more solar especially if you are planning off grid in the UK winter. No point in having all that lithium capacity if you can't fill it. That or you need to move around every other day to get the B2B going. That is especially so if you often use electrical heat sources like a hair dryer and coffee machine, and the electric bikes will take quite a bit as well.

Thank you for your response. We do tend to head off for warmer climes from November onwards. Not very good in Welsh climate. Doesn’t stop raining in Pembrokeshire. Still reviewing usage etc and plying the boss with gin and tonics so she will sign off the agreement

 

[PJGWiltshire]

Photo of roof

Show off. Should see the state of mine, will get up there before April

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Best to obtain some panel sizes ,and take account of the brackets ,make some cardboard cutouts and put them on your roof as a check. From your roof layout you could get 3 panels on there, maybe someone who has a similar van can advise

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