Expanding Our Battle Born Battery Capacity to over 1000 Amp Hours #RV #solar #offgrid
Published 2023-02-24
We just expanded our Battle Born Battery Capacity by 810-amp hours giving us a total of 1010 usable amp hours in our RV, we also increased the amount of solar we have on our roof to a total of 1300 Watts.
This is something we have been talking about doing for a long time, but first we had to decide if we were going to keep our RV or going to go out and buy a newer RV to replace our Vista, after all it does have over 110,000 miles on it. We decided itβs still the perfect size for us and we would like to keep it for at least another four to five years. So, we started making upgrades to it such as Koni shocks and sumo springs.
You may be wondering why we wanted to expand on our original battery capacity, and it comes down to a few reasons.
Convenience, comfort and safety for Belle
Starting with convenience, the system we now have installed in our RV is always on and is wired directly into our distribution box, so it is like we are plugged into 30amp power everywhere we go, even while rolling down the highway. This means if we want to turn the A/C on during a hot day Sabrina can do so right from the passenger seat. We can also use things like our 1500-watt microwave while at a rest area for lunch, or our favorite, the air fryer. This system gives us an added level of convenience & comfort we never had before in our RV. If you are new to our channel and us you may be saying well you could do that with your onboard generator, but our generator has always struggled to operate our A/C unit and our Microwave. We did bring it to a few Onan service centers where they could not fix the issue and a replacement seemed to be the only way to resolve it, and honestly we are just not a fan of the generators, because of the noise level and maintenance. So this new Battle Born Battery & solar system replaces all the functions of our Generator.
We also mentioned safety was a reason for this expansion. Sabrina and I have traveled across the US and one thing that happens more often than we ever expected has been power outages at campgrounds. This has always prevented us from leaving Belle alone in the RV in warm climates. The RV is not much different than any other vehicle and when it gets warm outside it gets really hot inside, to the point that it would be dangerous for Belle to be left alone. Yes, we do have temp monitors in place, but she is still on our mind and we have never truly felt comfortable to leave her. Now with how this system is wired into our RV when the power at a campground goes out this system automatically takes over and the A/C will continue to run like nothing ever happened and because of the battery capacity we have it will run for a minimum of seven hours, longer if we are in a nice sunny spot.
We are going to make a follow up video of how this system works and how it was installed. We hired a company called Echo One Adventures for the install and together we came up with a unique way of combining our original 12-volt Battle Born Battery system with our new Game Changers, let us know if you have any questions about why we did this expansion or how it all works and we will do our best to answer them down in the comments or include them in the next video.
Take care all and safe travels!
All Comments (19)
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Outstanding, system! The travel needs are very similar on our end when it comes to resting/eating between destinations. Having a system that everything (110 & 12v) can function "on-demand" is exactly our preference. Sabrina couldn't have put it more simply...No buttons to push.
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Nice to hear from yall again ππ½ππ½
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Hello Kenny and Sabrina, thank you for your video about the new electrical upgrades. We changed from lead acid to lithium batteries also. We changed from Magnum Energy to Victron Energy equipment. It's been about two months and we are totally happy.
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You can Boondock now!! Love it, shoot, you're going to catch me on miles.I have 140k.... I just love my Battle Borns...
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Great to see you back; I've been following since your started we have a larger version of the Vista with BUNKS; 2018 we use the generator in route to location because the kids in the back we run everything no issues with the Gen. has been solid. I am adding the 2 lithium batteries also when the lead-acid one die your little test with the battle-born help a lot thanks guys.
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I see Old Rincon Hwy in your future LoL of course Belle will love it !
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I have the exact same sort of trade in or upgrade thoughts about our coach, which we have owned since 2016 and it is a LOT older than yours, having turned 21 years old last Thanksgiving (build date was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2001). So far upgrading is winning, and each year it seems I am either replacing or upgrading something, last year it was installation of 420AH of LiFePo4 batteries, last week it was replacing the original roof top heat pump / air conditioner, next will likely be a major 100,000 mile transmission service as it started making some odd noises on our last trip (I am on the wait list for an appointment at a local transmission shop right now). Now i just need to get the air conditioner fixed in the cheap tow car we bought a couple of years ago as it decided to stop cooling just before New Years, it seems it is always something.
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Iβm actually thinking of adding solar to our winnebago, I like to boondock in the desert and think solar would be nice. Our generator works our heat pump/air conditioner and the microwave and any appliances without any issues. But adding the solar is a extra convenience in case the generator or the campground power goes out. I canβt wait to hit the road again in April. Nice to see your videos again, safe travels!!
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Great video, we are thinking of getting Lithium batteries for our coach. Looking forward to your next video. Safe travels
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What a sweet set-up! Good to see you!
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Glad to see you two back. Looking forward to your next video.
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Great to see you guy's.
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Wow! Where have you two been? π Happy to see you again!π LEEsureLEE Trippin'. π
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Defiantly sounds like a worthwhile investment. Said thst the gen set sucks. But 2016 was a good year, so yea, keeping it.. ππ½ππ½
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So glad to see you guys are doing well and love your new up grade. As always wish you safe travels from Rick and Pam from southern Ohio at Big Bear Creek family campground
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Heyyyyyyyy Good to see you guys again great video We plan to do the same ππ½
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Good to see you two again. I'm looking forward to the follow up video on the install. Running the AC without the generator is huge. You're a 30 amp rig too? One AC? Can you be sure to share how much those things weigh too. Also, would love to hear your thoughts on the sumo springs. I put Kone shocks on my rig (2020 Adventurer 29B) and am considering the Sumo springs too but they're a little pricey. Would love to hear your review.
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Both of you are looking great! I can get about 6 hours running the air conditioner on 600 ah lithium. Iβm curious how long your Air Conditioner can run for.
