More Power - Airstream gets Lithium Batteries and a new Inverter | ZEPHYR TRAVELS - RV Lifestyle

This is our solar, batteries and inverter upgrades we made to our Airstream. I am not an electrician but did my research on what products would work together to build the system I wanted.  

I have included links to Amazon for the items I used.

Our trailer came pre-wired for solar that included Zamp triple port roof cap and 10 AWG wire from the roof down to the front of the trailer.  This allow me to plug in 3 Zamp solar panels.  I added three Zamp Legacy Series 90 watt long roof mount solar panels, these are the same as Airstream would have installed at the factory.  Because we were pre-wired for solar I want with the expansion kit and purchased the charge controller separately.  The charge controller I used is the Zamp 30-Amp Controller.  You will need to size the charge controller to the number of solar panels you will eventually have.  The 90 watt panels put out max of 5 amps, I have room for 4 panels on the roof and I added a portable solar panel that is made up of 2- 90 watt panels (for a total of 30 amps).

Zamp triple port roof cap - https://amzn.to/3RSBwHX
Zamp Legacy Series 90 watt solar panels - https://amzn.to/3RSBwHX     
Zamp 30-Amp Controller -https://amzn.to/3eBHLRn

I would highly recommend getting or starting with a a portable panel.  Many times we are camped where the sun on the Airstream is blocked by trees or is low in the sky (winter) and it is helpful to be able to position the portable panels to get the best view of the sun.  You can also chase the suns movement through the sky during the day making the portable panels very effective.  The fixed roof panels are great for maintaining the batteries when in storage or traveling down the road, but the portable panels add much more amps of charge.  On a sunny day, I can be charging with over 25-27 amps mid day.

Zamp 180 watt portable panel - https://amzn.to/3qwBidl

I went with two Battle Born Batteries, they seen to be the go-to battery for most RV lithium upgrades.  These are direct replacement for the Group 24 batteries that are installed in most RVs.  They weigh less than half the weight of wet cell batteries that you are replacing, reducing tong weight of your trailer, and they will fit in most battery compartments.  Each battery is rated at 100 Amp hours of usable output vs 80 Amp hours for the group 24 wet cel batteries - of that is only half is usable (100 vs 40). Two 100 Amp hour lithium batteries have more that double the output of what came in your Airstream.  What great about these batteries is that they can be mounted anywhere, inside or out, they can even be mounted on their sides or upside down!  I mounted our batteries under the front lounge.  

Battle Born 100 Amp hour Batteries - https://amzn.to/3ByzkiM

Lithium batteries have a different charge profile than most 12v converters have (newer Airstreams from 2020 and up have lithium ready 12v converters).  As our Airstream is older, I need to upgrade our battery charging to handle the lithium batteries, I did this by replacing the 1000 watt inverter with a Victron 2000 watt MultiPlus Inverter/Charger.  This inverter is a hybrid pass-through inverter, the 30 Amp AC shore power coming into the Airstream passes through the inverter before connecting to the circuit breaker box.  Now all circuits can be powered by the inverter.  This allows me to supplement the incoming power when I am unable to connect to 30 Amp (example: I can plug in to a 15 Amp outlet in our garage and set the inverter at 15 Amps Max and when the Airstream draws more that 15 Amp, the inverter will pull the additional form the batteries).  With this set-up, I can power the air conditioning or microwave from a 15 Amp outlet.  This is one of my favorites upgrades to the Airstream.

The inverter is can be controlled by Bluetooth using an Victron Smart Dongle.  This allows me to use an app on my phone to turn on the inverter and set ihe incoming Amps.   I also added a Victron Battery Monitor.  I can quickly see the charge state of the batteries, how many Amps are we using, and how much the solar panels are charging.  This is also Bluetooth and can be monitored using the same app.  I mounted mine on the wall of the Airstream so I can quickly see the % battery status and use the app for all other information. 

Victron 2000 watt MultiPlus Inverter/Charger - https://amzn.to/3L73oVT 
Victron Smart Dongle - https://amzn.to/3S1nSBT     
Victron Battery Monitor - https://amzn.to/3RTqCRJ

As they say in the solar business - "How much solar do I need depends on how much money you want to spend!" Enjoy ...Zephyr

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*This channel for entertainment purposes only. We are not RV or travel experts. We share our opinions and what works for us, but you should do your own research.