480 WATTS SOLAR, 300AH VICTRON LITHIUM BATTERY INSTALL IN OUR CARAVAN.

Thanks for the video 👍. Do you know if there's a way to feed your inverter 240v output back through the van to power the existing 240v outlets? So just like being hooked up to mains power?

Hi mate, great video!

We have just put our order in for the same van but when I asked about lithium my jayco dealer said they don’t offer a lithium upgrade.

So just checking would I be able to get this set up after the fact or is it something I need to try and get done before I pick it up?

Love the content you and the family make! Thank you :)

Hello V Four Family - great set of videos already and looking forward to watching your ongoing travels - and learning (read, blatantly stealing) all your hints & tips in prep for our own Oz adventure in a couple of years. Damo, thanks for sharing the costs on the solar set-up; I'm just wondering if you think you'll more than make your money back? I'm up for paying upfront to be ready for the overall challenge, but I'll need to produce a roust business case for my very pragmatic partner......my quick maths says 'yes', and given the people you mention having to get to a powered site $$$$

Hello folks and thanks for the reply.
Well, what started off yesterday morning with the simple discovery of your adventures turned into a family day of investigation, discussion, arguments, some unbelievable statements, questionable humour and plenty of head-scratching.


With the UK suffering yet another weekend of storms – this time its Storm Dennis with torrential rain & wind – we had already decided it was a day to stay inside, do DIY, homework, general admin and watching an array of stuff float down the River Severn……the end of our garden includes a river bank/mooring & the house in on stilts, so no worries about the house being flooded…but the garden is just a brown watery mess. As I look out of the window typing this, the Worcester Race Course (over the other side to us) is now a lake; maybe they will have to race sea horses in the future?
So when the unsuspecting family descend from their slumber, I told them they had to watch the inside tour video, as it gave us a great template of what set-up we could use, how to organise things effectively; little did I realise what was to follow.


Before the crazy stuff, I must mention the technical stuff I actually started to ask you about…Interesting point about not having the original battery system fitted and using that credit on the lithium equip. I think I’ll have the same situation as ‘Joel Honeysett’ and so I need to investigate. A big problem I will have is that our base/starting point in Oz will be Perth/Geraldton in WA (wife Susan’s parents/family live there), so very limited options (see below for crazy comments on this). Despite myself being a qualified Aircraft Electrical Engineer, I’m reluctant to embark on doing a DIY job on what will be a brand new caravan that I’m unfamiliar with.


So, to the crazy…..
I won’t bore you with a transcript of the entire day, so here are some edited highlights…


“Can we buy the caravan in the UK and take it over there” – youngest daughter


“we want to go touring in a caravan with Sarah and the girls” – Susan & 2 daughters, no mention of me or Damo in this adventure it should be noted, as we were specifically excluded


“ok, I promise that I will never use the en-suite wc/shower” – me, to them, after a heated debate about how early I wake up and how it would disturb them all


“I’m feeling quite ill about dog blankets in the communal washing machines” – Susan, whilst thanking Sarah for this valuable tip


“I could drive to Brisbane, buy the caravan, drive back to WA and start the big tour” – me, stupidly once again not appreciating just how big Oz is despite my 4 or 5 visits. It was followed by Susan saying “ you do realise that what you have just described doing is essentially a third of the entire tour we’d be taking around Oz?”, which is technically a good point as we are looking at 18 months for the whole thing.


Lastly, a gem of a quote from my youngest daughter, nothing really related to caravaning…


“do birds lay eggs?, I know that chickens do”

Not quite sure how this came about, as multiple conversations sprung up about flora and fauna etc and the Australian wilderness is a bit different to the UK with floods vs fires for instance.


I should point out she is 14

We’ve lived in a city for far too long….

Hello mate, have a similar smaller setup with you:

Victron Blue MPPT Solar Charger
Phoenix 12/800VA Inverter
100AH LiFePo4 battery bank
250W Mono Solar Panel

Battery Monitor
Installed it my self on the van and i really i just wanted to ask you please how much you have loaded up the inverter so far? I just installed it yesterday and am ultimately hoping to run a Sunbeam 900W Espresso maker as the most demanding device i would hook up. I am very proficient with electronics so its all heavy gauged cables and properly soldered connectors etc but I'm really curious if the inverter will endure running at 950W for about a two minutes for heat up and then possibly 20-30sec when brewing the coffee? Have you tried something really demanding and checked the Connect App or Battery monitor to see how many watts or amps are going through? Btw i live in QLD also, nice setup you have there!

you ve touched on an important point... never having seen your batteries below 75% should you be advising people not to fall into the trap of carrying a second battery at extra weight, extra cost and its capacity remaining unused.

i find i use 60ah in winter with 2 diesel heaters and gas tv laptop phones etc....

and the other 6 months of year usual stuff and i can heat my water and run a non compressor fridge both via inverter 240v.

360w solar , 30a alternator charging and option for 20a battery charger from a generator i never use since binning out lead for lithium !

and on a lighter note lol my battery is so small and less than 9kg built i think i should stuff a sock down it to impress lol

Hey buddy. Have watched this video a couple of times. Love the setup. Just wondering what role your bmpro j35 plays? Is it the C of D model? I'm wanting to order a new expanda and I can get the J35D installed at an extra cost. I purely want it for its compatibility with lithium lifepo4 batteries.

Do you use it purely to supply power to your 12/240v points and appliances/lights in your van? And your victron units charge your batteries either via solar or 240v?

Did you need an electrician to install your system?

Great set up can you run your aircon on this and if so how long for before it hits 70% on your battery

Hey mate great vid! 7k installed or just for the parts?

Hi Nice video. What model JHub are you using? is that the J35D? I was told from BMPro thats the only one you can use with Lithium batteries

Great video and setup. What model Victron solar controller you running?
Not sure if I got this right but you rely 100% on solar to recharge your lithium batteries when camping off grid.
There is no power connection to the car?

Do you need a 30A charger for batteries with min30A charge?
Im stuck between a Victron or NOCO

aussie way camping yes u need solar panels and battery chargers as u drain u car other wise great choice i dont know much about caravan solar but i know more of the houses side things as i work in solar in melbounre u proberly in queensland best to run away this virus shit anyway great video mate gudluck

Great video mate👍
I’ve almost got this same setup less 100ah capacity but also have the DC-DC and 2000w inverter. Definitely worth the money 👌

Victron Kit is good kit but it was designed for the marine market which is why it’s big and bulky. Votronic is a better choice where space is at a premium. But good set up and plenty of power.

I would max out solar panels as they work out cheaper than batteries. It would be better to lower the battery capacity than keep connected to the mains. Batteries would last longer part discharged and cycled than kept at full.

the price of lithuim vs agm batteries!!! cost vs amps!!! is a no brainer!!!!!
i could have 3 or 4 times the amps on batteries, on agm..!!!
so the comercial" you talking about!! is freaking false!!!!!

Hubby The Grey One said "Good stuff...well done huge learning curve im in, brilliant!"

Nice and impressive system you got.
What happens when you hold your phone in landscape (horizontal) mode?
Will the monitoring app change it's orientation?

Thanks for the videos. What kind of temperatures do you see in the summer under the bed?

What is the make and model of your refrigerator? ty

The Victron which model is it please? I have 3 panels 170 W each and two 100AH lifepo4 batteries I put in myself. Just need a Mppt now.

Beautiful system - Victron are good units pioneering cutting edge technology - Unfortunately they have priced themselves out of reach of many

Warum redet nicht der im Bundestag sondern die in der Vergangenheit verhaftete Knobloch?

Hey mate, great video. Quick question :) Where abouts did you get the system installed and do you know if they do caravans after being built? Love your set up!

Hello what size is the mppt 30 or a 50

So you have two 150ah ?

HI, Does the 600w inverter really run your washing machine?

My understanding is the compressor fridge use heaps less energy than a 3 way fridge, isn't this right? I ran an Evakool 95L fridge off of a cheap folding solar panel and 1 small car battery. Ran it day and night for months on end without ever running out of power. Maybe I'm misunderstanding where you're coming from, but it sounds like you think the fridge is perhaps more power hungry than it really is? Would love feedback, thanks :)

Hello. I am watching this. Cool stuff. I am a single person. I want to have a desktop computer, 12 v refrigerator, Vitamix and Kitchen Aid mixer. What electrical system do you recommend?

Hi mate. I'm about to to do a solar set up. I have 2 150ah batteries as well. Can you run your air-conditioning all day and night in the heat and the batteries keep up? I have not had a 12v system before. Thanks for any help.

amazing setup, WORST spot to keep it tho all that EMF while you sleep. You guys should look at silver grounding sheets from better earthing Australia!!! based in QLD

Is it dangerous to sleep over all that power? ⚡️🔋🔌

solar panels and inverter are too small.

Hi mate great video. What’s the range of the blue tooth using your phone? Can you monitor your set up from your phone while in the car driving?

Did you ever upgrade the Invertor and try and run the Air Con? With that much solar and lithium you could get quite a few hours a day if needed (within reason the desired temp).

Hi maybe because it’s a video on your solar setup ..
Disconnect your mains power to show us the status of everything..
Great set up ..

Cheers……

Do you have the three panels in series or parallel and are they 12 volt panels? Thinking of doing something very similar. Thanks

Hey mate, you spoke about dc dc charger breifly , if i had a dcdc in the ute charging second battery in car and run the cable from the second battery would it charge caravan batteries at same rate as the car battery?

Brilliant video
Anyone ever told you buddy you sound very English for Australian 😂

Tidy install.

We are about to purchase a Hayco Journey Outback, and your video was exactly what I needed to see to explain what battery system I wanted. Thank you

Hi can you run your Aircon and how long

i design these for people grate system any questions ask away