Simple DIY Camper Van Solar Power System (Only $1,000)

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Күн бұрын

This is a quick video showing all the components of our simple DIY camper van solar power system. We designed and installed this solar power system for only $1,000! It has met all of our electrical power needs while living in the van for 5 months while on the road.
The system includes 2 - 100 W Renogy solar panels installed in parallel on the roof. A 20-A Renogy MPPT charge controller to regulate the current between the panels and the battery, keeping the battery sufficiently charged. The battery is a 100-AH AGM Deep Cycle battery. Our system powers LED lights, a roof fan, a dual USB charger, and a 400-W inverter.
Here's nearly all of the items we used (in the order discussed in the video):
Solar Panels and Charge Controller - amzn.to/2KjSoUe
MC4 Branch Connectors - amzn.to/2PmJxUM
MC4 "In-Line" Fuse - amzn.to/2PjS2j8
Weatherproof Cable Entry - amzn.to/2C3Fwmt
ANL Fuse - amzn.to/2Nz3lnn
Solar Battery - amzn.to/2v82LWz
6-Circuit Fuse Block - amzn.to/2Oz08Fb
Assorted Blade Fuses - amzn.to/2N13QcM
LED Lights - amzn.to/2AtccVm
Dimmer - amzn.to/2AxaN01
Toggle Switch - amzn.to/2N0e5OA
USB Port - amzn.to/2OzhlOT
Inverter - amzn.to/2wwO9zK
Here's some of the best resources we found online while designing and installing our solar power system:
Exploring Alternatives "How to Calculate Your Needs" (Best Place to Start) - • Off Grid Solar Power -...
Gnomad Home "DIY Van Build Electrical" (Incredibly Detailed) -
gnomadhome.com/van-build-sola...
A Girl and Her Van "Guide to Going Solar" - (Really simple) -
www.agirlandhervan.com/where-a...
Renogy Solar Sizing Calculator -
www.renogy.com/calculators
Blue Sea Systems "Choosing the Correct Wire Size for a DC Circuit" -
www.bluesea.com/support/artic...
Follow along on Instagram: / courtneyzinckgraf
Please comment below if you have any questions and we will get back to you!

Пікірлер: 102

@mrbr549 5 жыл бұрын

I've watched a lot of these solar setup videos, and I have to say yours was one of the clearest explanations I've seen. This is bound to help a lot of people who are beginning their first solar install. Thanks Bryce and Courtney!

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback! I had a really hard time figuring out how to get started (even with all the great resources online); hopefully this video helps people take that first step.

@tl3234 Жыл бұрын

Thanks you for this video! Everyone else is making videoes about having 10 batteries and a bunch of crap I don't need

@luvnotvideos 3 жыл бұрын

I love how you were able to break down your system into a simple, concise explanation. So many solar setups "for beginners" are still very complicated and advocate purchasing expensive components. Your setup and explanation truly is beginner friendly. Thank you for sharing!

@rebeccaharper1322 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you! You are the first person I've watched that talked about solar ( and I've watched alot of them) that I understood what you were saying. I now can estimate/calculate my needs. You are a God- send. Thanks again.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I had the hardest time figuring out where to start even with all the great resources online. Once you estimate your power needs, the rest of the design should fall in place!

@EveArtie 5 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Thank you so very very much! Many many thanks from Australia 🐨🐨🐨

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@kristiina6897 5 жыл бұрын

That was awesome! I'm just about to pick my solar system! Nice and detailed, great info. Thanks! 😊

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Happy we could help!

@michaelrs8010 5 жыл бұрын

A very clear and concise and easy to understand explanation of the solar system and battery and amp hours etc. Thank you.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Michael RS happy to help!

@faithrose3104 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I'm very dense when it comes to this stuff and you're the first person to explain it so simply that I get it, and you described the simple type of system I need. Blessings!

@Claire-ib6qh 3 жыл бұрын

Of course Im looking into van life amidst this lovely pandemic 😁. Watched TONS of videos and you have done the BEST job of explaining, in easy to understand terms, electric loads and how to calculate and design, etc.!! Thank you very much and hope you all are doing well 💯

@mstammyt68 3 жыл бұрын

I just want to say thank you for the easy to understand break down Soo many videos I have seen and none of them came close to what I needed to understand until today this I can do and I know what to go out and buy to get it a million thank you

@babs3971 5 жыл бұрын

Wow... Bryce. I am not even close to going van life. But this video was so informative. I am sure many people had a great help with this video. Thanks for sharing. God bless you both.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching! Glad you found it informative - my goal was to keep it simple and clear!

@peterpham3980 4 жыл бұрын

great video easy to understand and straight to the point with examples.

@citizenearth1656 4 жыл бұрын

Good video, explained things well! Much appreciated. Not as daunting as I first thought! 👍🏾

@adequatebus8280 5 жыл бұрын

very crisp, and clearly-assembled piece. the interleaved photos with the voice-over superbly conveys the process and the components. thank you. - C

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@tomcaldwell5750 5 жыл бұрын

Great video, love the simplicity of your explanations.

@CourtneyZinckgraf 5 жыл бұрын

Tom Caldwell thank you!

@donwyates 5 жыл бұрын

Good video and explanation of basics Bryce! I like y'all's take on nomad life - Happy Trails!

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the support!

@philmazza34 5 жыл бұрын

dope. Nice work. Another enjoyable (and helpful) video, thanks!

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@snn9019 5 жыл бұрын

I like Renogy stuff. That is an amazing set up. I am conducting testing myself and have put up a couple videos on my solar panels and batteries running a 5000 BTU wall unit AC.

@kathyahearn9608 5 жыл бұрын

Very informative thank you! Safe travels to you both. ✌️

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@cindyanddan5854 5 жыл бұрын

Very helpful and nicely done! Thank you!

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@ladyvalhalla7154 5 жыл бұрын

Good info and very much to the point. Thank you!🐱

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@Jakescott222 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! Watched so many & still felt a little confused. You just simplified it for a hippie to understand! 🙏 🤙

@CourtneyZinckgraf 5 жыл бұрын

Jakescott222 haha that’s so nice to know!! I’m glad we could help 😊 good luck!

@12053mike 5 жыл бұрын

Nice video. You did a good job explaining what you did and why. Glad your system is working well for you. :-)

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@peacelovehomestead8361 5 жыл бұрын

Well done!!!! Thanks for the info!!!

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@keithedwards88 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Awesome video.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@suttonlea8366 5 жыл бұрын

thank you

@marig1972 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much...I truly appreciate you both. Very nice video... Subbed! :))

@CourtneyZinckgraf 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@djensen4705 5 жыл бұрын

Setting up the solar system is so overwhelming and intimidating!!!! It's been a booger to figure out. Thank you so very much for your rundown of all the things that you used in your van. It's so appreciated. I cannot wait until my van is totally set up and I understand what I'm doing!!!! ❤️

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Completely agree! Hang in there! Once you have a good understanding of our power needs everything will fall in place. Then comes the fun part - making your design come to life. Wait til you experience the joy of turning the lights on for the first time!

@ehlai1676 3 жыл бұрын

Very informative! So is it safe to drill hole on fiberglass roof, just like metal roof using metal drill bit? Thanks.

@vmhongkong 4 жыл бұрын

it’s great!!!

@ProjectUntethered 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for all the great info! Quick question on your inverter - Did you have any issues charging your laptops with that modified sine wave inverter? I've read a lot of other people saying that you should have a pure sine wave inverter to charge things like laptops and I'm scared of damaging our macbooks....but on the other hand, the one you used is a lot cheaper! Any insights are greatly appreciated!

@alvaradacosta293 5 жыл бұрын

Very good idea how you used the red and black tape to make it easier to identify each wire...

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@go-dog-go 5 жыл бұрын

Great helpful Video Bryce. serious...Now....lets talk about the Fear of cutting/drilling holes in the roof of my Rig? hahaha.....

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Our 30-year old fiberglass roof terrified us! But before we installed the solar, we had to remove an old (and broken) roof mounted AC unit leaving an 8" x 8" hole in the roof. After we patched that, drilling a few holes to install the solar panels seemed easy.

@peterandrews4172 5 жыл бұрын

great presentation ; may I add a Note ;blue sea sells a low voltage shutoff to prevent running your batteries too low and damaging them ;

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip! We use our charge controller to check the voltage and charge of the battery. Since we don't run any major loads, we don't really have to worry about running it too low. If you had larger loads that run all night, this would be a cheap way to avoid having to replace a battery.

@JDVillamizar 5 жыл бұрын

Where is your battery located? I am doing something similar and wondering if I can put a AGM battery under the bed or if I need to make a sealed box with vents to the outside for off-gassing. Thank you for the awesome video, super helpful!

@CourtneyZinckgraf 5 жыл бұрын

Our battery was stored directly beneath the bed. Our understanding is that AGM batteries do not require ventilation. Glad the video helped!

@justaroundthebend6679 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome!! I am working on my solar stuff now and this was way Helpful!!! all I need to do is to end up with my Hair sticking straight up due to SHOCK! LOL!.... I run a little fan all night and I have to have the noise.... So I am working on adding all my stuff up.... Problem being we are getting a Geo Pro to Full time in and I am not sure what the Ice Box amps are... So I have to wait on a few things... Thanks For sharing this!.... WOOT!! :)

@kjlcycler 5 жыл бұрын

Just Around the Bend cheap rv living just did a review on 4 small fans for RV’s

@justaroundthebend6679 5 жыл бұрын

Just saw that lol.... Thanks.... :) I tell ya you suck up every little bit when your learning don't ya.... ? :)

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Thank for the support! The fan probably draws less than you'd expect, so the fridge will probably be the key load for your design. Once you get a grip on those numbers things should fall in place!

@justaroundthebend6679 5 жыл бұрын

Yeah.... Thank you Bryce.... :)

@branchbird7613 4 жыл бұрын

Bryce and Courtney, How does the van drive with the panels on the fiberglass top? Have any damage or leaks occurred due to wind resistance pulling on the fiberglass? We have a conversion camper van that I'm trying to figure how to mount the panels. Thanks for the info. Love, Branch and Amber

@CourtneyZinckgraf 4 жыл бұрын

We never had any problem with them!! Good luck with your van ☺️

@debmarie55 5 жыл бұрын

Good job, Bryce. Very well explained. Although, to me, you still sounded like one of the adults in Charlie Brown. But, it was very well explained.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Hahaha oh man and I really tried to make it clear! Haha

@debmarie55 5 жыл бұрын

@@brycezinckgraf7664Don't feel bad, you did explain it well, but for me, when it comes to wiring and all that, I'm lost. 👍

@ShibuHara 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome video, thank you! Oddly specific question: how do solar panels hold up against hail?? In my area the hail isnt usually bad. But it does come pretty quickly and unexpectedly.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Great question! I hadn't thought of this before and don't know much about it. It seems like panels are designed to withstand environmental factors (including hail), but clearly damage could still occur. Check our this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h7OCkqqh2NitqoE.html

@ShibuHara 5 жыл бұрын

@@brycezinckgraf7664 thanks for the link!

@AngeloSantelliMusic 5 жыл бұрын

so where do you actually store the battery? I thought 12v batteries give off of toxic fumes and need to be vented, or need some sort of air flow to keep them from getting too hot and leaking acid?

@branchbird7613 4 жыл бұрын

AGM batteries are designed to be safe indoors. Your old standard/flooded can potentially leak and put off odor

@Javaman92 5 жыл бұрын

This was well done. :-) I have a similar setup except I don't have my panels on my roof. I was worried about putting them up there on the fiberglass. I also have the embedded 2x4s in my roof so I suppose if you guys did it I could. I have 2, 100 watt panels that are connected together that I have a quick setup frame built for that I take out of my van and set up when I'm stopped. That way I can park in the shade and have the panels in the sun. It is a pain if I only stop overnight to get around the panels though if I don't want to put them out.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Installing the panels through a 30-year old fiberglass roof terrified me! The plywood runners underneath the fiberglass make them very secure and we coated all the holes, bolts, and brackets with a marine-grade adhesive sealant to make it weatherproof

@donwyates 5 жыл бұрын

I've been thinking that what nomads need is a mount system that gives you the option to leave panels on the roof and track the sun, OR let's you remove them from the roof (think commercial ladder racks) for placement (along with sun tracking device) away from the vehicle.

@Javaman92 5 жыл бұрын

So you went completely through the roof? I just got my ceiling insulated and paneled so I would have to just to to the embedded 2x4s... ya, even the thought of it scares me. lol

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Javaman92 we used bolts (not screws) so they go all the way through the runners. Of course, we did this before we added insulation and it’s all covered behind our ceiling now

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

Don Yates I would have agreed with you except we have never been short on power even in non-ideal conditions. I’ve seen the panels charging the battery in the rain!

@madisoncrawford7975 3 жыл бұрын

Do you have AC?

@outoftime788 4 жыл бұрын

so 1 batery is enough? can that run a tv n refrigerator?

@CourtneyZinckgraf 4 жыл бұрын

I don’t know because we didn’t have either of those things sorry!

@stephaniemoore3779 5 жыл бұрын

Great video until he got to watts, amps and voltage! Then I was completely lost!

@CourtneyZinckgraf 5 жыл бұрын

Haha it’s all very confusing to me!

@AaronGeller 5 жыл бұрын

Simple formula: amps X volts = Watts, watts/amps = volts, watts/volts = amps

@coopercostello8415 5 жыл бұрын

What happens when it rains

@tonyandev7516 5 жыл бұрын

i accidentally bought the kit with the wrong controller. Make sure when you order you are getting a MPPT and not PWM controller. PWM will work however you will be limited in upgradability and efficiency. im more bummed about the efficiency loss.

@brycezinckgraf7664 5 жыл бұрын

The MPPT controllers offer high efficiency and the cost difference (when compared to the value of the whole system) is negligible. Still, for the small loads in an off-grid camper van, the efficiency difference probably wouldn't be noticeable.

@tonyandev7516 5 жыл бұрын

J G I Agree. We just hit the road and are on a time table to get to the west coast. Planning on swapping it later when we have time. We do run a fridge off out solar. Works great but we have little wiggle room and we will want the extra juice when we hit the dessert.

@MikeAndNary 5 жыл бұрын

Too bad they don't make 12v clothes irons.

@YuriyKhovansky 3 жыл бұрын

With Avasva plans doing something like that was easy.

@movinngroovin2104 4 жыл бұрын

I just bought a "solar ready" travel trailer, but what many people don't realize is that they are just ready for a quick plug and play portable solar kit. They are not complete with panels and charge controllers etc. So I made a video explaining how to set up a few inexpensive portable solar options. PLUS, I offer some good tips on how to conserve your travel trailer batteries while you're boondocking. Here is a link to that video. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mdGAoJZmzseReKs.html

@kevinsmith2267 3 жыл бұрын

You could of bought a Jackery 500 and used 200w solar panels on roof for less

@indigowendigo8464 5 жыл бұрын

I guess you could skip the AC inverter if you charge the laptop with a 12v and just grow a beard lol

@cheesefries7436 5 жыл бұрын

ONLY $1,000... Welp, lemme go check my sofa for nickels and I'll be fine...

@CourtneyZinckgraf 5 жыл бұрын

Hahaha I know I know. It’s just not super expensive for a solar system

@chrisniner8772 4 жыл бұрын

For Pete's sake ... paint your roof white.

@megaphish 4 жыл бұрын

I swear people can't even do simple basic math anymore without being confused. It's pathetic. It could not be more simple to understand. It's 2nd grade math people. At most.