Upgrading to Lithium Batteries, Battle Born vs. Renogy. ... Go Power . These boxes of energy house the electricity that the electric motor needs to propel your yacht. YMMV. Solar Controller Knockout Box is a metal knockout box built for our 30 amp solar controller. Renogy off-grid solar systems can power remote oilfield services, gas pipelines, off-shore drilling, injection sites, and wellheads. Yeah I’m definitely looking into propane for cooking and hand washing clothes is a must for vanlife. Are you looking for a device that will … Yes, more batteries would give more miles, but space is an issue on a sailboat. In doing … Also, I’m looking at a GoalZero Yeti 1400 battery/inverter to store power… Are flexible panels worth it? Pros. Think … Best bang for buck is using a different energy source to power the work being performed. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the vandwellers community, Tips and tricks for living in your van, car or truck. Renogy makes the best RV solar panels on the market, and this starter kit is perfect for first-time users. They all hold the same amount of jelly, but they differ in how the jar opens. Instead of Battle Born and Renogy offering their batteries in “custom voltages” they packaged them as 12 volt batteries. When you have gotten all the jelly you can reach, you notice that there is still a lot of jelly left on the sides, but you just can’t seem to get to it!Lithium batteries have a much larger opening at the top, so you can get to the sides of the jar much more easily. With a practical and user-oriented mindset, Renogy is known as one of the leading brands in the solar industry. Jackery SolarSaga 100 W Portable Solar Panel. Our panels are made by Go Power and are not the same panels as Renogy. The first thing is familiarity. We did not have that peeling at all and still believe the Go Power panels are a great … Also, I’m looking at a GoalZero Yeti 1400 battery/inverter to store power. At the moment, there are two companies that seem to be reigning as king over the “direct replacement” lithium batteries. Go Power! https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/wiki/index, Press J to jump to the feed. Model GP 3000-Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter. I like the option of being able to put the panel in the sun when my van is in the shade. If these batteries are AGM or Lead acid, they could only give out about 480 amp hours. Lithium batteries weigh less than half of a regular battery. The second advantage comes with the voltage. Over the next six months, the RV Women’s Alliance’s Drab … Go Power! With remote control. Mount. Equipped with components specifically for on-the-go projects, such as a flush mount … So the less you use, the easier it is. The next battery company that we will look at is Renogy. Editor Rating: 4.4/5. How often does a group of women get to renovate and redesign a travel trailer? Our current AGMs are Group 31 and weigh 67 pounds each, meaning these batteries weigh less than half of what our batteries weigh. This means that in a 100 amp hour battery, an AGM can give up 60 amps while a Lithium can give up 90 amps. Our #1 Rated Tiny House Flexible Solar Panel: Renogy 160 W Extremely Flexible Solar Panel (Overall … It would also cost a lot more. So, bringing the battery bank and electric motor out of the hypothetical realm and into reality: Our electric motor draws from our battery bank composed of eight AGM Group 31 batteries, each with 105 amp hours. Do you have any resources you’d recommend? … These include a new Zamp 80 watt roof-top solar panel, ditching our Go Power 600 watt modified sine wave inverter in favor of a Zamp 1,000 watt pure sine wave inverter, and swapping out our old Renogy 100 watt portable solar power … Rigging Doctor, 5820 Clarksville Square Drive, Clarksville, MD, 21029, United States, Upgrading to Lithium Batteries, Battle Born vs. Renogy. The more power you can carry in your batteries, the more power you can use with your motor. Fast forward to the present, and our AGMs are old and outdated. The components of some that Goal Zero stuff are FAR FAR less expensive, and while it takes a bit of time and effort to DIY odds are you're gonna have to learn that eventually anyway, so might as well do it by building your own. Q: What are the different types and purpose of a charge controller? AGM batteries hold 105 amp hours and weigh 67 poundsThis is to say 1.567 amps per pound. If you want to have a 800 amp hour battery bank, it will weigh (800/1.567) 510.5 pounds. Other features. We went with Renogy panels, a Renogy MPPT 40amp Charge Controller, and some cheaper Interstate batteries. You'll know how to fix things when they go wrong and save a lot of money. Valterra Power Us, Llc GP-FLEX-100 Solar Kit 100W Flexible. The first is weight, and the second is usable power. Herb Benavent. Read Customer Reviews Here » If you’re looking for a device … ASTailgate: Electrical - Systems, Generators, Batteries & Solar: 28: 06-15-2017 12:30 AM: Connecting Renogy Suitcase to Zamp connection on 2017 Flying Cloud: D44: Electrical - Systems, Generators, Batteries & Solar: 2: 01-18-2017 12:43 PM: Renogy vs … Lead Acid and AGM batteries have a small opening at the top of the jar, so you can get your spoon straight in, but you can’t get to the sides of the jar. Based on the site’s needs, our team of highly specialized technicians … In our case where we run a 48v motor, we simply have four 12 volt batteries hooked up in series to create the 48 volts we need to operate. Start from the beginning: what is it, exactly, that you want to run, and for how many hours a day? All the really good stuff (like wonderful, delightful air conditioning and pizza ovens) are out of the practical range of solar on a van under today's technology, anyway. From my research, there has been no major complaint about the customer service of HQST. Read more. The switch to Lithium will be coming, and we will then be able to compare lithium batteries to AGM in terms of usability and performance. Lithium batteries can come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, which sadly leads to people wondering “which side is the top?” Direct replacement batteries do away with this metal block to lithium by packing it into a familiar shape and size. The same 800 amp hour battery bank would weigh just a smidge less at (800/3.571) 224.0 pounds. ... Our honorable mention is made by Go Power! Cookies help us deliver our Services. In addition, there are models that do not only measure the battery’s status and power … Lithium batteries last longer and the cost over time is lower. Think of batteries as a jar of jelly. Designed to keep. I’m looking into the basics of a van conversion which is the best as far as bang for your buck. Price: Check on Amazon. Also, I’m looking at a GoalZero Yeti 1400 battery/inverter to store power. This lets you get to more jelly and leave the jar more empty when you are finished. Battle Born batteries hold 100 amps and weigh 31 pounds.This is to say 3.225 amps per pound, That same 800 amp hour battery bank would now only weigh (800/3.225) 248 pounds, Renogy batteries, being the lightest, hold 100 amps and weigh 28 poundsThis is to say 3.571 amps per pound. Our first product is the WindyNation P30L LCD 30A PWM RV Solar Regulator Charge Controller has a lot of qualities any person will a solar energy system could benefit from having. Go Power… If you start by offloading electrical work to other sources, you'll likely find you don't need much solar, if any. Supports “Drab to Fab” Project with RV Women’s Alliance. Renogy Batteries are also direct replacements for lead acid and AGM batteries, but these are even lighter in weight! As a member of another website, I am given products to test from time to time in exchange for a review. So what are the best solar panel kits? Overpower, surge and short-circuit protection for DC … Electric motors are great, they have few moving parts to maintain or fail, and they can run effortlessly forever…or until the power runs out! Renogy. How Renogy … They fail easily and cost significantly more. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, Living in "Ziggy the Snail Shell" since May 2015, 2016 Ford Transit Cargo MWB MR, The Prairie Schooner. Forget those "solar generator" thingies--they are underpowered and overpriced. Durable construction. Renogy vs GoPower vs Zamp. The versatile ones can also be fitted and test instruments like a portable device, power bank, medical device, robot, electric motorcycle, self-balance car and golf cart, to name some. That might not sound like much, but that is a lot of miles from the same size of battery bank. These companies sell lithium batteries that are the same size as the more popular lead acid and AGM batteries, but at a fraction of the weight. (GP-FLEX-100) Solar Panels. Visit our FAQ to jumpstart your journey! Go Power! They provided us with a lot of power in a large space and required little maintenance. The best way to visualize this is to look at the Amps per Pound at 12 volts. Moreover, they only weigh 31 pounds! For our entire lives, batteries have been this rectangular box that sits in our boat or car and has two terminals on it. I will be using 2, 50 watt flexible panels in parallel with an MPPT controller accessory for a Goal Zero Yeti 1000 lithium to power … Should I mount or do a suitcase set up. Easy to install and use. Zamp Solar Portable Kit. They take up about the same space, and if the boat isn’t overloaded, why bother? Electrical generation is expensive. Better battery technology has come down in price and the “better batteries” of 2014 are no longer prohibitively expensive. With a Lithium bank, we would be able to motor 60 miles! We also have a dog and are doing a maxxair fan, and a little lighting. I've not used flexible panels, but from what I hear they are inferior to mounted panels. When we did our conversion to electric propulsion back in 2014, we chose AGM batteries, simply because they were the most cost effective at the time. Wide … The high number of cycles is one of the biggest reasons to go with lithium instead of lead-acid batteries. It's a great way to save money or travel the world. Gopower has a good reputation but run a little higher cost than Renogy. For owners of recreational vehicles that desire a no-nonsense solar charge controller, Renogy is the number one choice. HQST 100 Watt 12 Volt Polycrystalline. That’s an additional 50%, from half the weight! Suitcase versions and foldable panels soon become a PITA to set up and take down every time you move. These batteries are the same size as a Group 27, but contain the power of a Group 31. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. And I’ve got to admit those Interstate batteries have performed perfectly! Plus you'll save hundreds of dollars and/or get better equipment. For one, it has a battery temperature sensor that’ll ensure your RV battery won’t become overcharged or undercharged.This battery temperature sensor accomplishes this ability by adjusting the charging setpoint based on your batteries’ temperature. The heart of an electric setup is not the motor, but actually the batteries. Go Power! You might be wondering, why switch to lithium at all if they take up practically the same space and give you the same amount of power? We can motor at a slow speed of 2 knots for about 20 hours, giving us a range of 40 miles. Affordable. Should I mount or do a suitcase set up. Follow along as we cross the Atlantic Ocean right now. HQST 100-Watt 12 Volt Off-Grid Polycrystalline Solar Suitcase. November 18, 2018. A: Aside from comparing Acopower vs Renogy… Boasting a 2W solar panel with two USB outputs of 5.0V each. Renogy … Some of the best brands for portable solar panels include WindyNation, ALLPOWERS, Renogy, ACOPOWER, Newpowa, Go Power and HQST. This identical battery bank made of Lithium batteries could now give out 720 amp hours. No. The Renogy Solar Power … Battle Born’s 100Ah battery measures 12.75 by 6.8 by 9 inches. So, back to our hypothetical 800 amp hour battery bank, made up of eight 12 volt batteries. I agree. Zamp Solar vs. Renogy vs. Go Power! The Renogy Solar Power Bank is a relatively small portable 15000mAh source of energy for handheld personal devices. This once again becomes a problem since people are used to a battery being 12 volt. Comparison. Giandel Pure Sine Wave InverterDurable housing. That will determine how much battery bank you need, and THAT will determine how much panel capacity you need to charge it. Pros. The batteries sitting in their box hold 800 amps hours. What brands would you recommend? Renogy, Am Solar, Grape Solar, Go Power what's the best or what are you running?why? Lead Acid and AGMs can safely discharge down to 40%, while Lithium batteries can safely discharge down to 10%. The GoPower inverter charger (model GP-SW3000-12) is designed to put out 3000 watts of pure sine power… The Go Power! Their 100ah battery weighs in at only 28 pounds! Batteries I currently recommend: https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/lithium-batteries.html~~~~~Does off-grid solar confuse you? Full safety protection. If you ask us, Zamp Solar Zamp Solar, Renogy Renogy, and Go Power! The Not-So Good: Not ideal for those looking to dabble in solar panels. Most people tend to take "electricity" for granted, since it comes right out of the wall in unlimited amounts--they have no idea how much electricity they actually use, and how hard it is to produce electricity in a van. There are two answers to this question. You're better off cooking/heating with gas or wood, hand washing clothes, and entertaining yourself with exercise or outdoor activities. Well the truth is, all batteries hold power, but they don’t all let go of the power the same. The Renogy reputation and customer service were our preference. I’m struggling with learning the ins and out which is why I am looking for more a plug and play system. What brands would you recommend? ... Well the truth is, all batteries hold power, but they don’t all let go of the power the same. Having to setup would get old quickly and be impossible in a lot of places (eg parked on the street). From what I’ve read, the flex panels aren’t as efficient sunshine-to-energy-ratio as solid panels. Latest News Watch product troubleshooting videos, read the latest in company updates, and stay up-to-date on trade-shows and events. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Renogy… The only reason we’d go flex is because of the top of the van being slightly curved from our height extension (got to love being over 6 foot). Are flexible panels worth it? I’m looking into the basics of a van conversion which is the best as far as bang for your buck. … Best for Off-Grid Homes: Renogy 3600-Watt Solar Cabin Kit Watts: 3600 Volts: 48 The High Points: Can fully power small-sized households or work as a backup source for regular homes. Now that we know the major players in “direct replacement” batteries, lets look at why they are more sought after than a regular lithium battery. As a beginner, you’ve got a pretty good chance of screwing up your batteries in the first year, so we opted for more training wheels... LOL! If you like the Renogy, you may as well go for the HQST but be ready to deal with the “smaller” company. In wide heat variances, they never batted an eyelash. I recommend learning about electrical systems and piecing it together yourself. Lithium batteries are made up of cells, and the entire battery pack can have any voltage value you want! YMMV. I’m looking for basic electric to charge my phone and laptop for work as well as my partners camera/gopro and phone. make the best solar … So, you might be wondering now, aside from weighing half as much, why bother with expensive batteries? Being a well-established brand, Go Power … Grape gets solid reviews and you can usually pick up a 100watt hard panel from Home Depot for under $100, which is tough to beat. you going, Renogy RV Kits are the perfect addition to any RV, motorhome, or mobile application. Portable design. I think the ideal setup, depending on how you roll, is a panel or panels on the van, and at least one detachable one. 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