Need advice on solar suitcase for T@B 320S

TheBigZebrowski

Hi! We have a 2018 T@B 320S and are interested in a portable solar system (suitcase). Doing some reading but just beginning to learn about it. Really need suggestions for company, # watts, how to hook-up, tips and tricks....so I guess, anything. Thank you so much, love from Iowa.

pthomas745

Welcome to the Forums......Go to Amazon or the Renogy website and look at their suitcases.  Renogy would be  a good place to start.  Solar panels are mostly commodities, and warranties are an important thing that can make a difference.

Usually:  the amount of panel is matched to the amount of battery amps you have.  How big is your battery?  Do you plan to go bigger?

Any "extra" things you need when you are out on the road?  CPAP machines?  Which fridge do you have?  How do  you monitor your battery?  All things to think about when deciding on battery expansion or solar wattage.

Do you have the "solar port" on the side of your trailer?  It might have a "Zamp" sticker on it, but it is just a simple SAE plug.  That is an easy way to plug it in. 

Tip: get a suitcase with a separate solar controller.  The controller will be slightly more efficient if it is close to the battery.

TheBigZebrowski

Thanks pthomas!!! We have the original battery (12V?) and would love to be able to power the air conditioner, refrigerator (also original), lights and water pump when we're somewhere w/out plug-ins - maybe for a couple of days. I think 100 might be minimum, but not sure. Also....thinking of a lithium what do you suggest? 

pthomas745

Air conditioner on solar is..not impossible anymore, but still impractical. 

Dig into the trailer:  what exact battery do you have?  Yes, it is 12V....but what size?  How many amps hours?

Which fridge do you have?  You will hear owners talking about 3 ways and 2 ways....and they will be talking about fridges that run on propane, 12V, and shore power (3 way) or only 12v and shore power (2 way).

My fridge can run on propane, which simplifies my power use dramatically. 

So...which battery?  Which fridge?  You are absolutely correct that a 100 watt solar setup would be the minimum.

Lithium is the new hotness, everyone just has to have one......but there are several different setups (AGM, etc) that work just as well at lower price points. 

If you are not too familiar with batteries...try this FAQ.  It will go into the basics.  Like..what is a Group size?  What is an AGM, anyway?  Why are "golf cart" batteries good at deep cycling?  And lots of battery stuff that you will encounter while shopping for batteries that you will need to have some familiarity with.  Like: what group size and amp hour rating is your current battery?

https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/deep-cycle-battery-faq.html

Basil48192

Hello and welcome!  I am pretty new to the group myself as we just bought a 320S this past July....but I am totally hooked.  Ours came with a 105W roof mounted panel and a 100 AH flooded cell battery.  We have been out a half a dozen times but have 'dry-camped' only twice.  The first time, we camped for 3 days and had quite a bit of sun.  I ran the fan, the pump, the sound system and the refrigerator.  The battery held up pretty well until midway through the third day ( it was rainy and cloudy that day).  The second time it was overcast most of the time and I added the heater (as it was late October).  By the third morning I was below 50% discharge on my battery.
Bottom line, I'd like to get more out the available sun so I bought a Renogy 200W suitcase to supplement my rooftop unit.  I also bought a second Victron controller to mount in my battery/propane tub.  My plan is to upgrade to two (2) 6V AGM batteries at around 225 AH.  I'm hoping these upgrades will give me 4-5 days of off-grid capacity...but I haven't tested the new components yet.
Lastly, regarding the A/C:  In my opinion, the panel and battery capacity needed to run the A/C is just not practical for a small T@B.  
I will keep you posted once camping season starts! 
   

DougWW

We've had a 100W solar suitcase for a few years. Our fridge has been on propane when boon docking, and we tend to use lights very little. In general the standard, garden variety battery lasts us about 2 days, and we plug in the solar for daylight on the 3rd day. That hasn't (forest conditions) fully charged the battery, but we can get away with every-other-day charging.

ScottG

I started with a basic Renogy 100W suitcase and modified it to get the controller closer to the battery and out of the elements. I also have about 40' of cable to work with.

Now when I get to camp the panel goes up and stays up for the duration of my stay--sometimes moving it a bit to keep it in the sun. Rather than treat it as charger to deploy once my battery is dead, the panel is just an integrated part of my power system. I figure why not harvest every drop of sun I can, right?

FWIW, the rest of my system includes a cheap group 27 wet cell battery (now going on six seasons) and a basic plug in volt meter. From time to time I ponder upgrading but frankly this simple, economical set-up continues to serve me well. Most of my trips are four to five nights and I've dry-camped for as long as eight nights with this arrangement. I could go indefinitely as long as I can find a sunny spot for those panels for at least a couple hours.  

DougWW

@ScottG, we are working toward your process. We've stayed with the recharge scenario because we've been concerned the suitcase would just "disappear" during the day. We aren't the sit-in-camp types. Each situation has it's cons.

ScottG

Yep, @DougWW, that is a valid concern. We don't sit in camp, either. Sometimes I cable the suitcase handle to something (particularly if I have it run out toward the road) but mostly I don't worry about it because I'm usually camped in relatively safe places and I just accept the risk for the reward. YMMV.

CrabTab

We use a similar setup and philosophy as @ScottG. We have recently upgraded to a larger, 100AH AGM battery to better meet our overnight electrical needs though... it seems slowly turning into a 'cyborg' as I age requires more electricity :-)

Mellow_Yellow

Hi @TheBigZebrowski - Based on advice I read on this forum, here are the items I purchased recently:

• Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Portable Solar Suitcase with Voyager Waterproof Charge Controller
• CERRXIAN 50cm 10AWG SAE to Male & Female Adapter 10AWG Cable with SAE Conector for RV Panel Solar
  

There are more recent versions of the suitcase panel, but there was a bit of a "sale" on Amazon, so that is the one I purchased. The adapter is needed to link from the Zamp port to the Renogy connector. You might want to look for an adaptor with a longer cable. I think this one's a bit short.

I haven't tried it out yet but I hope to soon! The suitcase is really solid and the integrated waterproof controller is really nice Oh and, I'll be charging a lithium battery with this set up. So far, the new battery holds the charge so well, that I haven't had to recharge it yet  

chpiv

I have a 2015 320 Outback.  I removed the original aluminum box housing the battery and propane tank.  I have installed a larger aluminum rectangular box to house two propane tanks and two Trojan T-125 flooded batteries.  I did this three years ago but in the future will switch to Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries as a weight savings.
I have a Renogy 200 watt solar suitcase.  It is well made and reasonably priced.  It does a good job with keeping up with demand.  I installed a larger (wires) connector to the new aluminum box as I felt the original Zamp connector wiring was too small.  DC is very sensitive to voltage drop in smaller wiring.  If in doubt use larger wiring to get as much energy to the batteries as possible.
As stated by others the three way refrigerator is helpful in that it runs on propane.  In addition to that I have an ARB refrigerator/freezer in by tow vehicle.  I use both on long trips.  I have the ability to run the ARB on tow vehicle battery or T@B batteries with a switch.  
I have also installed a 40 amp DC to DC charger to charge the T@B batteries while driving as the charge from the 7 pin connector is inadequate.
Being anal I also have a Honda generator I converted to run on propane should it be needed.
Hopefully Alaska is in my future should Corvid restrictions at the border lessen.
Good luck!

Denny16

Just for anyone wondering if they can run a TaB air conditioner on a solar/battery system, the answer is yes, but not practical in a TaB.  At a minimum you will need a 3,000 watt inverter and at least 300-400 amp hour Lithium battery bank, which will give you about 6 hrs of AC operation, after that you will need to recharge.  A 300 amp battery bank will require a minimum of 300 watts of solar panels, 400 watts would be better.  

The solar/battery system has to be matched, you,can figure on 100 useable amp hours for every 1000 watts of AC load, requiring a minimum of 100 watts of solar panels to recharge the battery.  Doubling the available charging to 200 watts per 100 amps of battery will decrease your recharge time and optimize the recharging system.  

Also he solar controller has to be matched to the solar panel size, 200 watts of solar requires a 15amp controller, 400 watts a 20-30 amp controller.  A factory TaB 320 solar domes with 105 watt solar panel and 10 amp solar controller.  The size of the wires from the panel to the controller and from the controller to,the battery also need to match.  The larger the amps the bigger the wire you will need.
cheers

4ncar

Air Conditioning is not "camping," its "glamping!" 😂😂

pthomas745

What is interesting is how the lithium batteries and their "energy density" has made the equation of "how" a little easier.   Before, the downside was the fleet of heavy batteries that would need to be carried.  Now, you just need a fleet of fairly light batteries to pull it off. 

Denny16

The Lithium battery weighs about 30 lbs per 100 watts of power. So 400 watts wove 120+ lbs.
cheers

jkjenn

Denny16 said:

The Lithium battery weighs about 30 lbs per 100 watts of power. So 400 watts wove 120+ lbs.
cheers

Lion Energy 105ah batteries weigh 23 lbs.

Mellow_Yellow

I'll split the difference, my Lynac lithium weighs 27 lbs.

AaronC

Hi all, a few questions as I go numb in the head when it comes to electricity. We plan to dry camp some and I want a solar option for battery charging. I'm thinking the Renogy 200 watt suitcase would be a good choice. Not sure if my 12V 75ah deep cycle batt holds much charge anymore, so might need to replace it. Is there any need to use the zamp port? Seems like I would just clip the Renogy to the battery terminals. We have a 2016 CS-S, so fridge only runs on electric. I can use our Coleman cooler instead, which only draws 5 amps. Also want to run max fan, water pump and LED lights, and charge cell phones. TV not a big issue, but might be nice to place a DVD once in a while. I can use any and all advice I can get on what to do to keep us running for a few days! Thanks in advance.  

pthomas745

So.....is that the original battery in the trailer?  If so, and you owned it that long, congratulations for keeping a battery healthy for that long.  But, yes, probably time to replace it, if so.

The "zamp" port is just a common, ordinary SAE port. (More people have been confused by that "Zamp" sticker than were ever baffled about setting a VCR clock).  So, yes, the easiest way to connect a panel would be battery clamps...but the most convenient way would be to use the SAE port.  You wouldn't have to open up your battery box every time you wanted to connect/disconnect.  The port is easy to deal with.

The biggest user of power in your trailer is  your fridge.  The fan (depending on the model) isn't too much...the pump only uses power when pumping, so it isn't an issue, and the LED lights use very little power and they barely can be measured. 

So, choose a battery.  A good upgrade would be a 100 amp hour AGM.  2 6V would be even better, with more power available. And, of course, lithium is the new hotness.   The bigger the battery you want, the more  you need to figure out if it will fit in the tub in the trailer. 

Usually, you match up the solar wattage to the amp hour rating of your battery. 

So...find out how many watts your fridge uses, how many watts your Coleman uses.  You can make reasonable estimates on their daily use and work out your battery capacity needs from there.

https://jenngrover.com/guilty-as-charged-rv-battery-use-management/

Marceline

AaronC said:

Hi all, a few questions as I go numb in the head when it comes to electricity. We plan to dry camp some and I want a solar option for battery charging. I'm thinking the Renogy 200 watt suitcase would be a good choice. Not sure if my 12V 75ah deep cycle batt holds much charge anymore, so might need to replace it. Is there any need to use the zamp port? Seems like I would just clip the Renogy to the battery terminals. We have a 2016 CS-S, so fridge only runs on electric. I can use our Coleman cooler instead, which only draws 5 amps. Also want to run max fan, water pump and LED lights, and charge cell phones. TV not a big issue, but might be nice to place a DVD once in a while. I can use any and all advice I can get on what to do to keep us running for a few days! Thanks in advance.  

The Norcold 2way in my 2013 CSS draws 3.6A when the compressor is running. The fridge exhausts from the front and IMO this can be an issue when the fridge is running with the clamshell closed.

A 200w suitcase should be plenty. You might need to upgrade the battery. You can clip directly to the terminals. The SAE port is just for convenience. 

Slackers

@AaronC if your CSS is like our 2019 model it doesn't have a Zamp port.

DougH

@TheBigZebrowski My home base is Texas, so I run the A/C on solar every year, often when dry camping. Perfectly practical, but just don't expect a 72F camper 24/7 when it's 110F @ 80% humidity outside for only a $300 investment.

In my case over time I bought 375Ah (4.5kWh) of VMax SLR125 AGM batteries, 300W of BougeRV EFTE solar panels taped to roof, 1500W Novopal inverter, GE 6000 or 6500BTU A/C, Victron MPPT, and a Renogy SoC monitor. Around $2k cost, but with the advantage of rarely having concerns on power for the fridge or other appliances. With that investment I often run the air conditioner 2-5 hours a day when it's hot, but I set it at a higher temperature like 78F or 82F, not 68F.  I leave it on ECO, so it cycles at 400-600W for a while when the compressor kicks on, but it spends a lot of time at 50W blowing air over those chilled coils, and a lot of time just off, with a periodic check to see if it needs to come on again.

300W of solar gives me +1000Wh on a good day.  That's two straight hours of A/C compressor time, but again, I run it basically 5 minutes on, 15 minutes off, so it can run all evening and through the night if needs be, when it is mostly off. But I do have to keep an eye on the battery monitor and Victron charge monitor.  If I'm not back to 375Ah and float at 6PM when I'd normally turn the A/C on, I know I can only set the thermostat for 85F instead of 80F that evening...  since nothing can interfere with the morning espresso ritual which needs 100Wh. And I always air out the camper with the fan for ten minutes first to cool the 120F surfaces down to 90F or 95F or whatever the outside evening temperature is. And I use whatever afternoon shade I can find that doesn't interfere with the solar on the roof, including a canopy.

Finally, the first time I use A/C in a season, my little 1500W pure sine wave inverter won't kick on the compressor even with an alleged peak power of 3000W.  I have to run it on shore power to circulate all the oil / coolant mixture at least once first each year.  I've used larger 2200W and 3000W inverters in the past and didn't have that issue, but they tend to waste more power, generating more heat.

If you go up to 500Ah / 500W you'll be able to run A/C  much longer and cooler.  With only 200Ah / 200W solar, and a 2000W inverter you'll still be able to run A/C, but maybe only 30-60 minutes a day.  First step will be to use the Victron app to see how many Wh you get on an average summer day at your latitude when subjecting the system to a 20-50A load throughout the day so that it spends hours in bulk mode trying to keep up.  200Wh?  1000Wh?  1500Wh?  Then measure the A/C with a kill-a-watt over a couple hours to see what it uses per hour on average.  50Wh? 150Wh? 300Wh?  Then see if the first divided by the second is enough hours of A/C for you, or are you willing to invest another $750 or $1500 to get more.

corunner

AaronC said:

I'm thinking the Renogy 200 watt suitcase would be a good choice. Not sure if my 12V 75ah deep cycle batt holds much charge anymore, so might need to replace it. Is there any need to use the zamp port? 

I have the Renogy 200W suitcase and I have the extension cables and adapter to plug into the SAE port.  As @pthomas745 said, the alligator clips require you to leave the lid open whereas the port does not.  I also try to avoid messing w/ clipping things to the battery whenever possible (personal preference).  I've fumbled things around the battery and the fireworks is always a fun surprise!

pthomas745

There are ways to have a connector (many different kinds) that will remain outside the battery box so you don't really need to expose the battery.  But, if you have the SAE port, it is the most elegant solution.  For several months I used battery clamps, and they worked fine.  I still carry some in my solar tool kit, and I've helped a couple of different campers out because I was able to connect easily to their battery.

ScottG

I made my set-up modular using MC4 connectors. I have one pigtail with an SAE connector for easy attachment to the existing Zamp port, and another with the stock Renogy clamps to allow for portable use.

AaronC

Thanks for these very helpful comments!

Tundra57

@DougH excellent description. Gives me some background info to start my mods. Thankyou. Practical tried info as apposed to heresay is really helpful.

DougH

@Tundra57 I'm happy with the setup, aside from the ever present risk of hail in the southern plains. It's like Mother Nature hates flex solar panels.

Tundra57

I did not realise they would be damaged by hail.

AaronC

OK, one last thought/question... Our '16 TAB 320CSS has a factory installed inverter. I'm thinking of dropping in a 12v 100ah lithium battery to replace my worn out AGM. $$$ but I'm willing for the charge/discharge characteristics. I just want to run my lights, water pump, and max fan. Might it also run the fridge, and recharge cellphone and laptop? I'm thinking of getting a renogy 200w suitcase to recharge the 100ah battery. Max time off grid would be two days. Does this setup make sense? (ps, no microwave or AC, as obviously they draw too much power)