Zamp Solar Kit with Renogy 3000 W Inverter questions

[poole_girl0715]

We just bought a 2014 Voltage 43ft 5th wheel toy hauler equipped with a Zamp 4 panel rooftop solar kit with Renogy 3000 W Inverter, 3 batteries, and two generators. It looks like these people went off grid a lot but the previous owner has passed away and the wife didn't set up the camper, the husband did it all. We have already asked her how to use the Solar System and she said no clue. Now, we bought this camper specifically because of its off-grid capabilities because we have moved to a property with no utilities yet. But, here we are a week into our off-grid living and all we have accomplished is to start the normal onboard generator. We can see on the Zamp panel that we have a full solar charge of 13.5V but can't seem to figure out how to switch over to the solar-powered batteries. Do these batteries run the A/C and outlets? We have other questions but this one is the major one at the moment. Are there any user manuals for the Solar system? I have looked online and have not found much about usage, just installation.
Any help is appreciated.
-Rachael

[ewarnerusa]

It sounds like you may be new to campers as well?
The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)
I like recommending that page as a starting point for familiarizing yourself with the 12V DC power system in a typical camper. Without knowing how your system is installed, it is impossible to make definitive statements. But hopefully reading through that site will get you familiar with the basics.

Don't forget to proceed to part 2 which touches on inverters and solar.
The 12volt Side of Life Part 2

...We can see on the Zamp panel that we have a full solar charge of 13.5V but can't seem to figure out how to switch over to the solar-powered batteries. Do these batteries run the A/C and outlets? We have other questions but this one is the major one at the moment...

I think the info in the links may arm you with the knowledge to answer these questions, but there are so many "it depends" caveats that can't be answered without knowing how your system is installed. I also don't actually know what the Zamp kit is you have mentioned, but I assume it is solar panels, separate Renogy inverter, and the 3 batteries are installed on the camper? Normally you have one set of 12V batteries (or 6 volt batteries wired in such a manner to provide 12V), so there wouldn't be a situation of "switching over to the solar-powered batteries." There would just be your batteries, which provide the 12V DC power to your camper. The 12V batteries will need recharging which is done by your converter when plugged into shore power/generator, and in your case should also be getting charge anytime the sun is shining via your solar panels. The inverter can take the 12V DC power and invert it to 120V AC power for your use. Now how your inverter is installed is still a mystery at this point, pictures would help. But generally an inverter would NOT run the air conditioner, that would be too big of a load for a battery/inverter system. If your inverter powers the AC outlets is also a mystery, it depends on how it is installed. It sounds after market, so really it was what the previous owner felt was appropriate.

The 13.5V is the voltage of your batteries. That value does suggest that the panels are providing charge to the batteries if it is being read when you camper is not getting power from the generator and it is during daylight hours. But it is not a full picture of your battery state of charge (SOC) without knowing more. 13.5V may suggest full batteries in a float charging state, or it could mean batteries are in the bulk phase of charging and that reading will continue to rise.
Charging phases of a typical smart charger

[persistent]

Originally Posted by poole_girl0715

We just bought a 2014 Voltage 43ft 5th wheel toy hauler equipped with a Zamp 4 panel rooftop solar kit with Renogy 3000 W Inverter, 3 batteries, and two generators. It looks like these people went off grid a lot but the previous owner has passed away and the wife didn't set up the camper, the husband did it all. We have already asked her how to use the Solar System and she said no clue. Now, we bought this camper specifically because of its off-grid capabilities because we have moved to a property with no utilities yet. But, here we are a week into our off-grid living and all we have accomplished is to start the normal onboard generator. We can see on the Zamp panel that we have a full solar charge of 13.5V but can't seem to figure out how to switch over to the solar-powered batteries. Do these batteries run the A/C and outlets? We have other questions but this one is the major one at the moment. Are there any user manuals for the Solar system? I have looked online and have not found much about usage, just installation.
Any help is appreciated.
-Rachael

It has been a few weeks, and you did not post an update. We would love to see how things turned out.

ewarner posted a pretty good explanation. Did it help you?

[poole_girl0715]

Thanks! We are quite familiar with campers, mostly 5th wheels, and have owned 6 so far. This one is not set up like any of the ones we have owned. This is our first toy hauler and camper with solar/off-grid capabilities. All of our others would run the heat and general lighting on the battery but needed shore power to use the A/C, outlets, and appliances. When we turn on the Solar Panel switch to On/Power Saver, it shows 14.8V and nothing else happens. So, in the front storage area is the batteries and Renogy Inverter (with the Zamp logo on it), and it has the same buttons to match the ones inside the camper, On/Power Saver. We turned it on also and get an instant error code from the inverter lights. I think we need a Solar Tech at this point. I have spoken with both Zamp, who is now one of the largest providers of Solar Kits in the camping industry, and I also called Renogy for help. All saying the same thing. Our system is Overcharged and needs to have the charge "dispelled" safely. They say we need a tech for this. We are over 750ft in the woods and are just now getting a driveway put in, so we need a mobile tech since the camper can't leave where it is sitting. I hope someone who reads this is a Solar Tech and might be in Northern/Central KY and can help. Or, walk my husband through how to get the solar back up and running. We are spending over $35/day on a generator and it is getting colder now so we would like to use the electric fireplace to help offset the propane costs as well. Thanks for the reply and even though we are familiar with the AC/DC of campers it was still great info and we read both links! So thanks a bunch!
-Rae

[ewarnerusa]

14.8V is a common set point for charging flooded lead acid batteries. Seeing 14.8V suggests that the panels are charging the batteries and the charge controller is holding them at that voltage until they are full. Then the charge controller should drop things to a float voltage of something like 13.2V to 13.6V.
Seeing 14.8V is usually a good thing, it means the solar has finished the bulk phase of charging and is now in the absorption stage, the last stage in getting the batteries to a 100% state of charge. Can you confirm the battery voltage with a multimeter? The solar batteries are the same batteries that your camper uses for its DC power, correct?

[ewarnerusa]

What error code is the inverter flashing? Maybe we can look that up for troubleshooting. Does it always give instant error code? Or only when charge voltage is at 14.8V?
Solar is typically always left on, it seems interesting that there is a solar on/power saver mode. Turning solar off is not saving power. This kind of switch on an inverter makes sense, it consumes a bit of DC power just idling when there are no loads on it. So turning the inverter off when you don't need any 120V AC is a power saving strategy.

[poole_girl0715]

I wonder why the error codes then? It is extremely frustrating to know that this camper has the full capabilities to power itself, but we can't see to get it to just come on. When everything is in the ON position, nothing works but the lights, which we already have on regular battery usage without the solar on. We were told by the wife of the late owner that they went to sturgis last year and sat in the dessert area for 2 weeks using A/C and outlets in the camper without shore power, just using the solar. She just doesn't know how to turn it on. The user manual is useless unless your an installer. LOL

[poole_girl0715]

It asks me for a url to the image or I would post one here. I don't have a URL for the image.

[ewarnerusa]

Does the inverter have what look like household 120V AC outlets? If so, is there anything plugged in?

Do you know if your inverter is what is called an inverter/charger?

[ewarnerusa]

Originally Posted by poole_girl0715

It asks me for a url to the image or I would post one here. I don't have a URL for the image.

Can you post it to google photos or Onedrive and share a link?

[ewarnerusa]

I thought I'd follow up with some thoughts that hopefully help. I love tinkering with solar so I'm interested in this thread! I'm not claiming any expertise, I'm just a guy who installed his own solar charging system and learned about it while doing it.

Originally Posted by poole_girl0715

Thanks! We are quite familiar with campers, mostly 5th wheels, and have owned 6 so far. This one is not set up like any of the ones we have owned. This is our first toy hauler and camper with solar/off-grid capabilities. All of our others would run the heat and general lighting on the battery but needed shore power to use the A/C, outlets, and appliances.
I would say your current camper is probably also the same as the 6 others you've owned. The previous owner added some tech to charge batteries via solar, and an inverter to provide some 120V AC power by drawing from the camper batteries. It would be unusual to have a separate bank of batteries dedicated to solar, but with a DIY install one cannot be certain what the installer had in mind. Can you confirm if the camper has batteries other than the 3 you've mentioned? I am assuming that these 3 batteries are the only batteries providing DC to the camper.


When we turn on the Solar Panel switch to On/Power Saver, it shows 14.8V and nothing else happens.
As I mentioned in other post, seeing 14.8V during daylight hours is usually a good thing. And it is normal that "nothing happens" because all solar does is provide current to your batteries. So seeing a voltage higher than a 12V system idle voltage (something like 12.6V for a fully charged healthy battery) means that solar is doing some charging. Assuming you're not plugged into shore/generator power and getting battery charge from that. I mention again that it is unusual to have a switch inside that turns solar off, as well as a label implying switching solar off would be a power saving mode. Again, this is a DIY install so who knows. But could that switch actually be a remote on/off switch for the inverter? This is how I have my inverter set up, I have a remote on/off switch at a convenient location inside the camper.


So, in the front storage area is the batteries and Renogy Inverter (with the Zamp logo on it), and it has the same buttons to match the ones inside the camper, On/Power Saver. We turned it on also and get an instant error code from the inverter lights.
Hearing that the inverter is located in the battery area is promising, a proper inverter install should locate it very close to the 12V batteries. Hearing that the on/power save switch on the inverter is the same as you find inside the camper makes me think the inside switch is also for the inverter. Maybe both switches need to be on for the inverter to power up? On my setup either my interior remote switch or the switch on the inverter will turn it on, but again with DIY who knows? If you could tell us what the error code is we could Google it for troubleshooting. I have some ideas but more info needed. It is also important to know whether this is a standard inverter with 120V AC outlets on it, or if it is an inverter/charger. My hunch is the former and we need to know what is plugged into it and how that power is distributed.


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[franktafl]

It's great having folks like you in this forum!