Best Of
Re: 2024 TAB 320-S Black Canyon Factory Solar: Best Yield and Configuration?
@bobctwin said, "The TAB 320-S available roof area may not support the 400's 310W panels. It would be great if it did."
It does …..
Re: 2025 Tab 360 w-Lithium Upgrade
Just catching up on this set of comments. We have one of the first 360s to have been built - Black Canyon edition. Our first off grid experience last year was not good - the BB100Ah battery lasted only 26 hours in 90 degree heat with the trailer in mostly shade. And that's with the fridge on a low setting and the economy features enabled. Had to use the fridge as an icebox/cooler. Had to charge phones in the car. Needless to say, this is not what we expected. We seldom camp more than four-five days, but I wanted to be comfortable doing this without having to settle for sites with power. Here's what we did:
- Installed a 300 Ah Renogy Mini. It is a tight fit, but does go in. It was far cheaper to replace the BB than to add a second BB and only get 200Ah. Plus there is more air space for cooling. You will have to rearrange the hold down loops and get some new webbing. Only downside is that the battery does not have internal heating, but that is not an issue as we don't winter camp and I pull the battery at the end of the season. I was contemplating a separate hatch so I don't have to remove the whole seat every time - I was thinking hinge, but the Velcro idea above is great !
- Had the dealer retrofit the fridge cooling fan under warranty. Newer 360s have a small computer fan behind the fridge, wired to activate when the fridge is on. Before the fan was installed, the cabinet above the fridge got extremely hot, and we had to watch what food we stored in there. But the big issue was how hard the fridge had to run because the heat around the coils wasn't escaping. Fridge was running about 50% of the time, so that's 60 Ah in a 24 hour period.
- Installed a kill switch for the radio. The parasitic demand on the battery in our trailer was almost a full amp. Almost half of that was the radio (i.e. 12Ah in 24 hours). The TV, on the other hand, is almost nothing. You still have the CO2 detector and the power supply, but this was a significant reduction.
- Invested in a 220 watt Renogy external solar suitcase and MPPT controller. In full sun, this unit can crank out 8 or 9 amps and basically run the trailer by itself, even if the roof panels are in shade. I have 30' of cables to let me get to sunny spots on the campsite.
- Rewired the connections to the shunt. NuCamp tech says the only wire on the negative terminal of the battery should be the ground. My external solar bypassed the shunt, and there were some other issues. My Victron will now give an accurate reading on battery status.
My first test this spring was a couple of 65 degree days with full sun in my driveway. The fridge on setting 2 ran two full days (along with the ceiling fan running most of the time drawing 1-2 amps), and I only used 34% of a fully charged battery. The roof panels were more effective than I have ever seen camping, so that helped, but I did not use the external solar suitcase. Much happier and more confident now. Looking forward to a full trial in the field to confirm.
Re: Warped Floor Defective or Damaged?
Pictures and more details on defect location(s) could be helpful.
There has been No Wood in TAB floors for many years so 'they don't warp like plywood'.
Some owners have reported issues with poor vinyl floor covering backside adhesive failing that can cause bubbles and bumps. Others have noted high traffic area soft spots . . . this is most comment on the earlier no wood composite floors due to the internal foam getting compressed.
Additionally, with the earlier composite floors, no data on the newest model years, water can get into the foam itself due to seams leaking {newer models eliminated several seams}. When the foam gets water soaked "it gets very heavy" and the typical failure is for the floor to drop/break along the center seam (above axle), the heavy floor then rests on the axle. Well tanks bolted to floor bottom rest on the axle. Once the water soaked foam is dried out all-is-well except the floor has dropped some half-inch along the axle.
Re: TAB 360 Solar is Weak
My fridge ran on battery for a week while sitting at home recently in full hot sun. With partial shade at Yellowstine last year. I spent a long weekend and had plenty of battery left, too.Trailpixie said:So it sounds like the TAB 360 isn't self-sustaining with its solar panels and refrigerator while boondocking. It may ran two or four days, but depending on the heat and sun and other energy use, you will run out if you only have on-board solar.
For me, spending lots of time in partial shade, I am definitely out of luck. With my TAB 320 and top-mounted parallel wired solar, I seemed to do better.
I am wondering if you are leaving your inverter on all of the time and that is leading to faster battery drain?
Re: 2018 Tab 320 cs-s 15 amp breaker tripped, and power with battery, not 30 amp Resolved
@Lawyerboy, based on what you are describing, it does sound like a GFCI issue to me.
If you are plugged in to your house electricity, make sure that a GFCI at the house on the circuit you are connected to has not tripped (but, seems unlikely since you hear a "beep" when you plug in the 30A AC cord, so power "seems" to be making it somewhere inside the trailer). You might have someone else stand inside the trailer as you plug in the 30A cord to determine what the source of the "beep" is.
IMPORTANT: A GFCI receptacle will not reset unless it has power, so make sure the trailer is connected to power when you attempt to reset the GFCI inside the trailer. However, if it is powered via the tripped 15A breaker circuit you referenced (which I believe protects the interior GFCI circuit), that needs to be working first so power can flow to the GFCI receptacle.
Finally, if you have an outside receptacle, that likely has a GFCI, so check there as well.
Re: Replacing "Board" on Alde 3010
Alde replaced the 3010 with the 3020 a couple of years later so it's not really the age of the trailer. In any case have a look at this, you might not need a new PCB:
Re: size of fuse after a smart solar 100/50
According to Victron's site, these are the recommended fuses for the 100/30 and 100/50 MPPT solar chargers:
Since you have to replace the fuses, I would recommend using a breaker instead. Makes isolating the solar charger from the batteries much easier.
Re: 100% waterless coolant for my Alde no water no corrosion non toxic life time never needs changing
A Quick Look at the link shows "Not for use with galvanized, CPVC or aluminum". So there's that…
Check Your Breakaway Brake Switches
As part of your pre-season maintenance routine, I suggest checking the operation of your breakaway brake switch. This is easy to do, but also easy to overlook.
With the battery connected, pull the pin from the switch box. There should be a notable voltage drop, and the wheels should lock up.
When I tested mine this year, I got nada. Sometimes I could get it to engage by banging on the switch housing with a wrench. I'm guessing the internal contacts are corroded.
Replacement switches are easy to come by for as low as $10. The biggest challenge to installation would be splicing in the new switch wires.
Re: Battleborn safety issue per Will Prowse?
A couple of interesting developments:
Battleborn did a written interview with Mike Sokol:
And they sued Will Prowse: