Lets see your 12V Electric (Victron) setups

[T6NOMAD]

Hey everyone,

As some of you know, I’m in the middle of my T6 Swamper build and still figuring out the best location for my Victron setup. The Webasto heater will be installed under the driver’s seat, but I’m still undecided about what to place under the passenger seat - thinking triangle, quick grab emergency kit. The seat on a swivel base so don't want my electrics under there.

My planned electrical setup:​

• 2 x 175W solar panels on the roof
• Victron Phoenix 1200 inverter
• Victron Orion XS
• Victron 30A Shore Power Charger
• Victron 100/50 MPPT
• Victron Ekrano GX
• Victron Lynx Distributor
• 120AH or 200AH LiFePO4 battery (undecided)

Power Consumption:​

My only electrical loads will be:

• Fridge
• Lights & LED strips
• Various 12V charger sockets around the van
• Inverter (only for charging an eBike or Xiaomi scooters)
• Webasto heater (in winter)

I think a 120AH battery should be enough, but it really depends on the available space.

My Main Question:​

I’m planning to install the entire Victron setup + battery at the bottom of the kitchen unit. However, I’m struggling with how to properly plan the install and secure it in that space.

If you have your electrical system installed inside the kitchen unit, could you please share some photos and insights on how you did it? Looking for ideas on layout, ventilation, and securing the components.

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to seeing your setups!

 

[TallPaul_S]

Any reason you're going for a 100/50 MPPT?

A 100/30 can use over 400w of solar and you're under that so you'll never see even the full 30a, let alone 50a. Even then, you can over panel which means you won't see the full panel output but it'll reach the full output to the battery earlier in the day, and you'll get more solar for longer.

If you're also doing shore power you might want to look at a multiplus which will do the 240v side for charging and inverter/outlets.

And I'd definitely be looking at at least 200Ah for you, otherwise with the rest of your setup you'll have a beastly set up but with a small battery in there!

 

[T6NOMAD]

Thanks for the suggestions. the reason why I went for a 100/50 is because I want the option of adding another 2 x 200W portable panels if needed when going off grid, away from shore power for 2 - 3 weeks plus.

I like the Multiplus, but opted not to go that route because the inverter will seldomly be used, we are talking once a blue moon kind of thing - it will be switched off most of the time.

I agree with you on the 200AH, I guess i needed someone to 'twist' my rubber arm like you did. ha

 

[Stay Frosty]

What's the preoccupation with Victron these days, I've got mostly Renogy kit as it's relatively cheap and cheerful but with minimal bells and whistles.
A similar spec to the thread starter but a KISS version with a Roamer 230Ah lifepo4 seatbase battery, two 175 watt flexy panels, a 2kW inverter, a DCC50S mppt/B2B charger and an actual Victron 30A smart charger, no flashy displays just a shunt on the leisure battery negative driving a simple LCD display showing what's in the battery and any power going out or coming in.

Kettle boiling so 74A out despite the solar therefore arrows down...

Slightly brighter now and probably just the fridge running so 19.4A going in from the solar on top of what the fridge is drawing out so arrows up on display with battery filling up... any more info and my head would explode.

 

[TallPaul_S]

Ahh fair enough. Just be aware of the size, the 100/50 is quite big.

What swivel seat do you have? I've got a seat base 230Ah and A LOT of Victron kit all under a factory swivel so it's perfectly possible. But if you've got the room in your cabinet I'd hang the kit on the wall, above the battery. I've managed to get a 230Ah LiFePO4 battery, Orion XS, MPPT 100/20, smart shunt, Cerbo GX, fused distribution box, negative busbar, 2x 12v 4x way fuse boxes, Ablemail AMT12-2, and 2 isolator switches all in my passenger seat base. With a 2000w inverter on the back of the seat base. Then a 15a 240v charger and consumer unit in the driver's seat base.

 

[ginkster]

That’s a pretty beefy (and expensive) system for what is a pretty light load. How long are you parked off-grid for without driving? How often and how long will you drive for when you do? If you are driving every couple of days and have solar you can go for a smaller battery and even sacrifice the mains charger. Do you really need the Cerbo GX or fancy the toys? Over specifying the system is just a waste of space and money. I’d recommend doing a proper power audit (power used vs power replaced) to see what your needs are, then build in a suitable amount of spare capacity and maybe an upgrade path if that is a possibility. I’d also recommend an Ablemail AMT12-2 to keep the starter battery health.

 

[T6NOMAD]

Ahh fair enough. Just be aware of the size, the 100/50 is quite big.

What swivel seat do you have? I've got a seat base 230Ah and A LOT of Victron kit all under a factory swivel so it's perfectly possible. But if you've got the room in your cabinet I'd hang the kit on the wall, above the battery. I've managed to get a 230Ah LiFePO4 battery, Orion XS, MPPT 100/20, smart shunt, Cerbo GX, fused distribution box, negative busbar, 2x 12v 4x way fuse boxes, Ablemail AMT12-2, and 2 isolator switches all in my passenger seat base. With a 2000w inverter on the back of the seat base. Then a 15a 240v charger and consumer unit in the driver's seat base.

I have one of these Swivel bases from cheshiremotorcaravans.co.uk, it doesn't open at the top hence why its not an option. I read through your thread and saw your seat base, its a pretty tight squeeze but you got it all in there nicely!

That’s a pretty beefy (and expensive) system for what is a pretty light load. How long are you parked off-grid for without driving? How often and how long will you drive for when you do? If you are driving every couple of days and have solar you can go for a smaller battery and even sacrifice the mains charger. Do you really need the Cerbo GX or fancy the toys? Over specifying the system is just a waste of space and money. I’d recommend doing a proper power audit (power used vs power replaced) to see what your needs are, then build in a suitable amount of spare capacity and maybe an upgrade path if that is a possibility. I’d also recommend an Ablemail AMT12-2 to keep the starter battery health.

Yeah it is a pretty beefy setup, and to be brutally honest with you I do fancy the toys/ gadgets which is why I'm adding the screen. With regards to being off grid, the van is being built to be used and shipped around the world which is why I am doing a decent, oversized setup Off-grid can be anything from a week to a month and non driving can be anything from 1 days to a week or 2. That way, in the future the only upgrade I need to make is a bigger (or additional) battery or additional solar panels and the system will be able to handle it. I've approached it like my dad always used to say with his HiFi system, "buy the best amplifier than you can afford, then the only upgrade you will ever need to make is speakers".

Ablemail AMT12-2, now that's an awesome bit of kit right there!!! Will certainly invest in it! Thanks for this little nugget!!

 

[Green Giant]

We use a Roamer 160 battery, we didn’t have space for a bigger seatbase battery as our diesel heater is also under the drivers seat, along with the victron XS and a victron 100/20 solar charger.
We have a victron 12/20 EHU charger in a cupboard, and a BMV712 smart so we can see everything via the Bluetooth app.
I was advised it’s good to have a 100ah capacity in the battery for a 1000w inverter, so we managed to fit this under the passenger seat with the 160 battery.
Could you carry a mid sized power bank for your longer off grid trips when you won’t be driving for a week or so, and charge it from your solar panels on roof.
As your system is planned to be fitted in the cupboards, I’m sure you could cut ventilation holes between the units to get more air flow, and if your travelling in the extreme cold you could remove the cupboard door containing the battery to allow warm cabin air inside

 

[Dellmassive]

have a loo over here for some not stuff:

Victron (#TeamBlue) Advanced Systems + VRM - How We Done It -

Victron (#TeamBlue) Advanced Systems + VRM - How We Done It - new thread started from - Seat Base Electric + EHU + Solar Install + Charger + DC-DC -- How We Done it -- previous content - Dellmassive’s "How I Done It" blogs. additional content - Solar Sheds & Other Non-t6 Solar Projects -...

www.t6forum.com

.

Seat Base Electric + EHU + Solar Install + Charger + DC-DC -- How We Done it --

Seat Base Electric + EHU + Solar Install + Charger + DC-DC -- How We Done it -- id like to build a thread showing what's possible as regards to seat base builds. lets post a collection of our electrical installs, be it in the seat base or rear conversion. just EHU or SCR/VSR, charger, DC-DC...

www.t6forum.com

.

 

[TallPaul_S]

With regards to being off grid, the van is being built to be used and shipped around the world which is why I am doing a decent, oversized setup Off-grid can be anything from a week to a month and non driving can be anything from 1 days to a week or 2.

Where in the world are you going to be using the van? If there's a chance of being in the Nordics in winter with -30 or lower you might want to look at the Roamer Extreme series - they do away with heaters but can still be charged at well below sub zero.