2010 3500 RV build

hein

Van Guru
Hein -- looking great...

Just saw this over in the Sportsmobile forum -- I hope it's not too late in the evolution of your design to incorporate this must-have accessory....

http://sidebarbeverage.com/

:thumbup:
That's cool! Maybe I could mount one on the dash, ha ha.

Where did you purchase the jack ? Is Harbor freight to cheap to trust ? I would use blocks after raising to be safe
It was ~$80 at HF. It's a common design and the welds look good. (I initially bought essentially the same jack at my local Sears but it was DOA due to a stuck release valve - wouldn't go down) It's rated at 1500lbs so not even close to the limit with what I am lifting. There is an automatic support arm that won't let the jack down unless you release it.

HDPE tanks weigh 15 lbs each empty.
 

hein

Van Guru
Last look at the top of the holding tanks before they go in:



Port layout left to right.
black tank (top) toilet, vent, sprayer
grey tank (bottom) vent, sink, sprayer, shower drain - low on side (not shown)
flange mounted Valterra 1 1/2" dump valves are on the bottom of each tank.

Below: Support frames and assorted bracketry painted:

 

hein

Van Guru
VHB solar mount head/side wind test passed. We haven't plugged in for a week. Long drive so Lean Cuizine and wine tonight drawing ~150 amps for 3 minutes per dinner. SOC@96%; coffee coming up...
 

Attachments

hein

Van Guru
Alex,
Thank you for asking. I purchased and self installed a system consisting of two 105 watt panels and a controller from AMSolar. It served us well on a recent trip. The system on ebay that you linked looks interesting but I can't give you a knowledgeable opinion on how good it is.



We just completed a ~2500 mile shakedown cruise. We plugged in the first two nights before realizing we didn't need to. Bright sunny days and plenty of driving with the Magnum battery combiner kept our batteries charged regardless of the loads we placed on them. We kept food cold in the 6.1 cubic ft refrigerator/freezer, ground beans and made lots of 120V coffee, cooked with an induction plate and electric skillet, made meals in the microwave, heated water with the engine and 120V, kept warm at night with the Espar D2, used the Techma macerator toilet, bathroom exhaust fan, fantastic fan, lights, TV, DVD and audio system. SOC never dropped below 80% and mostly stayed in the 90-100% range. Everything operated flawlessly and the Sprinter ran like a top. Very happy with our build and how it worked for us. Here is a toast to all the help we got on this forum:

 
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casdclassb144

New member
not bad but looks about $250 each Mono is best choice - connect parallel

http://www.renogy-store.com/100W-Mono-p/rng-100d.htm $150

http://www.renogy-store.com/100watts-bendable-panel-p/rng-100db.htm - have 8 but short history on these - output the same as above $199

If your looking ebay price I would go with Costco - you know they will be around - they do quotes and drop shipped to you

Panels are pretty indestructible so your choice

Chuck
SS Agile
Customized
SD CA


hein
As I can see you have experience in solar panels
Could you tell me, is this good choice ?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/80W-100W-160...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item3cd5e3d1d0

I 'm going to order monocrystalline cells 100W.
I need at list 2,5 A during the day for fridge, connection direct to battery
Thank you for advise
Alex
 

GeorgeRa

2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
Alex,
Thank you for asking. I purchased and self installed a system consisting of two 105 watt panels and a controller from AMSolar. It served us well on a recent trip. The system on ebay that you linked looks interesting but I can't give you a knowledgeable opinion on how good it is.



We just completed a ~2500 mile shakedown cruise. We plugged in the first two nights before realizing we didn't need to. Bright sunny days and plenty of driving with the Magnum battery combiner kept our batteries charged regardless of the loads we placed on them. We kept food cold in the 6.1 cubic ft refrigerator/freezer, ground beans and made lots of 120V coffee, cooked with an induction plate and electric skillet, made meals in the microwave, heated water with the engine and 120V, kept warm at night with the Espar D2, used the Techma macerator toilet, bathroom exhaust fan, fantastic fan, lights, TV, DVD and audio system. SOC never dropped below 80% and mostly stayed in the 90-100% range. Everything operated flawlessly and the Sprinter ran like a top. Very happy with our build and how it worked for us. Here is a toast to all the help we got on this forum:

It is significant satisfaction if our prototypes work as they was designed from the get go.

Congratulation,

George.
 

hein

Van Guru
more pictures from the trip:

Above Leadville, CO heading to my Sister's cabin at 10,001 ft.




Waiting at the tunnel in Zion NP.


Plenty of twisty roads to test the interior cabinets which didn't creak, rattle or budge.


One of the many passes we crossed:


Moderate snow on Berthoud Pass:
 
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casdclassb144

New member
keep in mind your driving, (lots of juice back to the batteries) I have done lots of testing stand alone solar (no driving) with Magnum Hybrid inverter 3000 watt - 800 watts in panels , good sunny days no issues , RV is drawing 10 amps via Magnum Hybrid - 90 - 120 degrees temperature inside sitting (no driving) , Refridge is drawing at least the 3 amps all the time - not sure where the rest is going yet

I connect a 400 watt simple Xantrex cheap inverter Costco 5 years old - Run Re Fridge DC and connect items needed in driveway to the Xantrex 400 watt,stuff - Internet switch - Magnum wireless device - Direct TV box etc. - draw 30 watts using watts meter to track online .27 amps - Cloudy day here in San Diego no sun - Solar kept Batteries at 13 volts all day after charging full charge night before - Magnum hybrid turned off, If the Magnum was running I would have to charge batteries in 2 days (keep in mind only 70 degrees tops) different than the week before when I was in Los Angeles and vehicle sat in parking lot two days - 100 degrees outside - 122 degrees inside at 4 pm

just giving another view -

Hein:
You cost me money every time I check this site ha ha, just ordered the Magnum Combiner switch - I have a Roadtrek, installer of my 8 batteries connected everything together , I am separating front 2 batteries under hood from the other batteries and reinstalling the 750 watt oem inverter, I will run my Magnum 3000 to the Generator circuit that runs microwave\ air conditioner and selected 110 volt plugins and have the 750 watt to the other items. This will allow me to control output and turn on the Magnum 3000 when needed or the 750 watt on or off , if running the 3000 only I will run 750 watt like shore power is connected . take some time to dial in

Chuck
Customized SS agile
SD CA




Alex,
Thank you for asking. I purchased and self installed a system consisting of two 105 watt panels and a controller from AMSolar. It served us well on a recent trip. The system on ebay that you linked looks interesting but I can't give you a knowledgeable opinion on how good it is.



We just completed a ~2500 mile shakedown cruise. We plugged in the first two nights before realizing we didn't need to. Bright sunny days and plenty of driving with the Magnum battery combiner kept our batteries charged regardless of the loads we placed on them. We kept food cold in the 6.1 cubic ft refrigerator/freezer, ground beans and made lots of 120V coffee, cooked with an induction plate and electric skillet, made meals in the microwave, heated water with the engine and 120V, kept warm at night with the Espar D2, used the Techma macerator toilet, bathroom exhaust fan, fantastic fan, lights, TV, DVD and audio system. SOC never dropped below 80% and mostly stayed in the 90-100% range. Everything operated flawlessly and the Sprinter ran like a top. Very happy with our build and how it worked for us. Here is a toast to all the help we got on this forum:

 

Oldfartt

Active member
Hein,
Well done and great photos of the shakedown trip.

Alex,
Solar panels for your van... minimum required is 160W. You should be able to pick up panels for about $1 to $1.50 per watt.
The solar regulator shown on Ebay is a PWM design. You are better to choose a MPPT controller which is not much more expensive these days. Have a look at the Tracer range.

Cheers

Ross
 

hein

Van Guru
An update to the under hood mounted Iso-temp water heater is needed. On our recent trip, we had plenty of hot water because we drove a lot and our water heater uses engine coolant as a heat source. We never turned on the 750 watt electric element. I noticed it wasn't working when I wanted to heat water for some dishes on the last morning (before driving home).

When I investigated yesterday, I found that the electrical over-temp thermostatic switch had tripped on the heater. It's under the front cover and can be easily reset. This switch is set at 96C and we saw coolant temps of 220F at times when climbing. It is likely that these temps tripped the switch even though the electric element was not active at the time.

The solution is to add a thermostatically controlled bypass valve to direct coolant around the heater when the coolant temp reaches ~200F.

I purchased a Mercedes 230 830 00 84 heater control valve some time ago (wanted the capability to bypass but not for this reason). I am hoping I can control this valve with a simple on/off thermostat. Can anyone look up the part number and shed some light on how it functions?

More water heater install posts:

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=259236&postcount=55

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=264547&postcount=111

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showpost.php?p=296387&postcount=460


Update:
Don't really need to bypass so this valve may be all that is needed:

http://www.thermotion.com/topic/19-automotive-heater-control-valve.aspx
 
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GeorgeRa

2013 Sprinter DIY 144WB, Portland OR
I accidently turned my heater during system testing for about 20-30 seconds but it was enough to trigger the high temperature safety switch. Resetting the switch was not easy do to location and limited space to take the cover off.

My plan is to install Hydronic D5 for water heater and connect to engine coolant so I will be in the same situation. I was searching for “high temperature shut off valve”, found this one and wonder if it can be adjusted to a higher temperature.

http://www.watts.com/pages/_products_details.asp?pid=6249

Another solution could be to find automatically not manually resettable or a higher temperature high temperature switch on the water heater http://catalog.selcoproducts.com/category/disc-thermostats
Knowing the manufacturer of the original switch could help to see if they have an automatic one.

George.
 

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