This client came to us equipped with a Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station, a Zamp 100W solar panel, and a 30A Zamp charge controller. Her primary use for the Yeti 400 Power Station was to power her CPAP machine, which she was able to do for about 2 nights before it needed to be recharged. She used the Zamp solar system to power her refrigerator, but 100W wasn’t enough to keep up with the refrigerator’s power needs. We upgraded her solar system to 260W using a Zamp 170W panel, and a Zamp 90W panel, which we bolted together using two angle aluminum bars. We installed a conveniently placed outlet for her CPAP machine, which is now powered directly from her house batteries, along with her refrigerator. Now she has a solar power system that meets her energy usage needs without the worry of charging the Yeti 400, or her food getting warm.
5/22/18 – 2016 Winnebago View, 24’
This client asked us to install as much solar power as possible on the roof of their Winnebago View. The space was pretty limited, but we managed to install three Zamp Solar 170W solar panels, providing a total of 510W of solar power. Ideally, we would recommend a 400Ah battery bank with this system to provide enough power to manage their frequent microwave and hair dryer use. Due to space constraints there was only enough room for a 300Ah battery bank, which we placed underneath their top step. Due to the height of the LifeLine AGM batteries we had to modify the lid to the compartment housing the batteries so that the battery terminals were not going to be touching a metal lid. With this accomplished, they are able to use their microwave and hair dryer, they will just want to monitor their power usage to ensure they are not draining their batteries more quickly than they would like.
9/26/17 – 2008 Winnebago View, 24’
This client was looking for something small and relatively inexpensive to keep his batteries charged and in good health. To accomplish his goal, we installed 360W of solar charging power along with a 25A Blue Sky charge controller. He’ll also be able to use the added solar power to help run some light DC loads.
8/31/17 – 2016 Winnebago View, 25.5’
The pictures in this post show the steps we had to take in order to upgrade this client’s battery bank from two 12V wet cell batteries connected in parallel (150Ah) to their new battery bank comprised of two 6V Lifeline AGM GPL 6CT batteries (300Ah) connected in series. The battery bay was too small to accommodate the new AGMs without modifying the bay lid. A plasma cutter was used to remove most of the metal top of the battery bay so that the battery terminals would not touch the metal lid. Now there is just enough room for the new the batteries to fit, thus doubling their battery capacity as a result.
8/31/17 – 2016 Winnebago Era, 24’
This client requested to have a portable panel installed along with an additional 300W of solar power on their roof. We provided a 120W portable panel from @zampsolar, and we installed a portable panel plug on their bumper for easy access. All they have to do is plug the panel in, put it a sunny area, and it will produce solar power. In the event they are parked in a shaded area they still have a way to harness the power of the sun.
7/28/2017 – 2016 Winnebago Solei, 38’
Our combiner box (C-Box) is custom made by AM Solar for efficiently combining solar panel output cables and sealing off a roof penetration. It’s rugged and spacious design make installation and troubleshooting very easy. It is the most efficient way to install a lot of solar with only a single penetrating hole through the roof. It has eight possible ports and can use up to 2-gauge cable, which allows for installation of larger solar arrays. We have installed as many as 16 solar panels (1600W) onto one roof using just one C-box (in 8 series pairs). It has a very small footprint for its available capacity, and it is sealed to ensure that it is completely waterproof.
2/15/2017 - 2016 Winnebago Sunstar LX27N, 27'
This class A motorhome got a 640W Solar charging system with a 440Ah AGM battery bank and a 2000W pure sine inverter. In addition to powering their refrigerator, our clients will now be able to run appliances like a microwave, a blender, a coffee maker, etc. without turning on the generator.
11/11/16 - 2015 Winnebago Vista, 28'
This coach came to us with a complex battery management system that had to be bypassed with a network of diodes in order for the lithium battery bank to function. It was a challenging install, but everything worked out in the end. The customer now has a 960W solar charger with a 300Ah lithium battery bank and a 3000VA inverter.
9/8/2016 - 2017 Winnebago View, 24’
8/10/2016 - 2004 Winnebago Sightseer, 34'
8/5/2016 – 2004 Winnebago Sightseer, 30’
7/26/2016 - 2017 Winnebago Navion 24J, 25.5'
7/22/2016 – 2016 Winnebago Trend 23B, 23'
7/16/2016 - 2008 Winnebago Vectra, 40’
This is the most sophisticated AM Solar installation ever. The 1920W solar array was producing over 90A when the system was first activated (in overcast weather). That high current, coming from dual 70A charge controllers, was fed onto a Victron 800Ah lithium battery bank where a 3000VA hybrid inverter would power all the comforts of home to this power plant on wheels.
6/24/2016 - 2016, Winnebago Era 170X, 24’
This Class B rig came to us with two 12V 100Ah Group 31 AGM batteries externally mounted under each side of the chassis behind rear wheels. The owner, Roger, was very clever to route ropes through his frame to pull wires prior to him building out the interior. Roger also provided a shelf in the driver's rear wheel-well bay for mounting AM Solar inverter system.