Electrical and Power
RV Solar, Inverter and Battery Systems Serving Long Beach
About 10 min left
OCRV Center designs, installs and repairs solar arrays, MPPT controllers, inverters and house battery banks including lithium iron phosphate upgrades. Solar and power system work runs $1,200 for a modest array to $12,000 or more for a full lithium house bank with inverter and charging integration.
Solar on an RV is oversold constantly, and the oversell is always in the same direction: a 200 watt panel is not going to run your air conditioner. Understanding what a system will actually do before you buy it is the difference between satisfaction and an expensive disappointment on the roof.
What solar does very well is keep a house bank topped up so you can boondock without running a generator, and power the 12 volt loads that make a coach livable. What it does not do, at any panel count that fits on a coach roof, is run 15,000 BTU of air conditioning through an afternoon.
Sizing a System to Actual Consumption
Design starts with a load audit rather than a panel count. We calculate what your loads actually draw and for how long, which produces a daily amp hour figure. From there the bank capacity and the array size follow logically.
Most owners are surprised by the audit in both directions. The refrigerator and the furnace fan draw far more over a day than they expected, and the LED lights draw almost nothing.
Panel Placement on a Coach Roof
Coach roofs are cluttered. Air conditioners, vents, antennas and skylights all cast shade, and shade on one panel in a series string drags down the whole string.
We lay out arrays to minimize shading and wire in configurations that limit the damage when shading is unavoidable, which on most coach roofs it is.
MPPT Versus PWM Controllers
A PWM controller is inexpensive and effectively wastes the voltage difference between the panel and the battery. An MPPT controller converts that excess voltage into additional current, typically delivering 20 to 30 percent more usable energy from the same panels.
On any array above roughly 200 watts the MPPT pays for itself, and it also permits higher voltage wiring from the roof, which means smaller cable for the same power and less voltage drop on the run down from the array.
Lithium Conversions and What They Require
Lithium iron phosphate batteries offer roughly double the usable capacity per rated amp hour compared to lead acid, far more cycles and much lower weight. They are a genuine improvement and they are not a drop in replacement, despite how they are marketed.
Lithium requires a different charge profile. The converter, the alternator charging path and the solar controller all have to be configured for it, and a lead acid profile applied to lithium either undercharges it permanently or damages it. Cold charging protection also matters, though less in Southern California than elsewhere.
Inverters and Realistic Expectations
An inverter converts 12 volt battery power into 120 volt so you can run household devices without shore power. Pure sine wave units are required for anything with a motor or sensitive electronics, and modified sine wave should be considered obsolete.
The constraint is always the battery bank, not the inverter. A 3,000 watt inverter connected to a 200 amp hour bank will run a microwave for a few minutes before the bank is done. We size the inverter to the bank and the bank to the loads, in that order.
What Is Included
- Load audit performed before any equipment is specified
- Array laid out to minimize shading from roof mounted equipment
- MPPT controller specified on arrays where it delivers a real return
- All roof penetrations sealed to the same standard as roof repair work
- Charge profiles configured on converter, alternator path and solar controller for the battery chemistry
- Correct cable gauge, fusing and disconnects throughout
- System commissioned and output verified under real conditions before release
Our Process
- 1
Load Audit
Actual daily consumption calculated from your loads and usage rather than estimated from a panel count.
- 2
System Design
Bank capacity, array size, controller and inverter specified from the audit and your use case.
- 3
Roof Layout
Panel placement planned around existing roof equipment to minimize shading losses.
- 4
Mounting and Sealing
Panels mounted and every penetration sealed to full roof repair standard.
- 5
Wiring
Correct gauge cable run with appropriate fusing and disconnects at both the array and the bank.
- 6
Charge Configuration
Converter, alternator charging path and solar controller all configured for the installed battery chemistry.
- 7
Commissioning
Output measured under real conditions and the system verified through a full charge cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can solar run my RV air conditioner?
Realistically, no, not from a roof mounted array on a typical coach. A 15,000 BTU air conditioner draws in the range of 120 to 150 amps at 12 volt while running, and no array that fits on an RV roof sustains that through an afternoon. Solar excels at keeping the house bank topped up for boondocking and running 12 volt loads. Anyone selling you an array on the promise of air conditioning is not being straight with you about the numbers.
Is switching to lithium batteries a drop in upgrade?
No, despite how it is commonly marketed. Lithium iron phosphate needs a different charge profile than lead acid, and the converter, the alternator charging path and the solar controller all have to be reconfigured for it. A lead acid profile applied to lithium either leaves it permanently undercharged or damages it. The upgrade is genuinely worth doing for the usable capacity, cycle life and weight savings, but it is a system change rather than a battery swap.
How much does an RV solar system cost?
A modest array with a controller and lead acid bank runs $1,200 to $3,500. A mid size system with MPPT, a pure sine inverter and upgraded batteries runs $3,500 to $7,000. A full lithium house bank with a large array, high capacity inverter and integrated charging runs $7,000 to $12,000 or more. We start with a load audit rather than a package, because sizing to your actual consumption is what determines whether you are happy with it.
Do I need an MPPT controller or is PWM good enough?
On anything above roughly 200 watts, MPPT is worth it. A PWM controller effectively throws away the voltage difference between panel and battery, while MPPT converts that excess into additional current, typically yielding 20 to 30 percent more usable energy from the same panels. MPPT also allows higher voltage wiring from the roof, which means smaller cable and less voltage drop on the run down to the bank.
Solar, Inverter and Battery Systems is performed in shop at OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887, serving Long Beach, California and the surrounding region. Call (949) 799-3387 to discuss your vehicle.
Get Your Vehicle Looked At Properly
Call the shop, describe what happened, and we will tell you what the realistic scope and timeline look like. All work is performed in shop at our 35,000 square foot facility.