RV and Caravan Electrical Systems
What's included
Victron off-grid ultimate Kit
Supply, installation and commissioning of the Victron caravan ultimate off-grid kit $15,000 to $18,000 with complete adjustments. In-house work.
- 2 x Victron 175W Monocrystalline panels
- Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30
- Victron MultiPlus-II 12/3000/120-32 230V
- Victron Orion-Tr Smart 12/12-30A (360W) Non-isolated DC-DC charger
- Victron Cerbo GX
- Victron GX Touch 50 touch screen control
- Victron SmartShunt battery monitor
- Victron Lynx Distributor (M8)
- Victron Battery Isolator Switch
- 2 x Victron 220Ah AGM batteries, or lithium, depending on the build
- Blade Fuse Holder with 1 x 30A, 2 x20A 1 x 10A Fuses
- Solar Panel Mounts (8 x corner, 4 x side)
- 2 way gland
- Victron Solar Splitter Pair (MC4-Y)
- Cables
- 2m x 95mm² black cable
- 2m x 95mm² red cable
- 350mm x 95mm² black - battery link cable
- 350mm x 95mm² red - battery link cable
- 1m x 6mm² cable red - battery to controller
- 1m x 6mm² cable black - battery to controller
- Copper Lugs
- 10 x 95mm²
- 2 x 6mm²
- 2 x 5 metre solar extension cable with MC4 (6mm²)
- Pins and ferrules (4 each)
- Sikaflex 221 Adhesive
- Fixing screws
Things to know before you start
Planning your RV power system
Where to start
A caravan or motorhome runs its lights, fridge, water pump and device chargers from a 12-volt house battery, separate from the tow vehicle's starting battery. The right system depends on what you run and how long you stay away from powered sites.
We size the system from your appliances and the way you travel, then wire, fuse and test it.
Battery types
AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries are sealed lead-acid batteries. They cost less up front, but they are heavy and last longest when they are not run below about half charge.
Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries cost more, but they are much lighter, can use most of their capacity, recharge faster and last for many more charge cycles. They suit free camping and running 240-volt appliances through an inverter.
Older wet-cell batteries are still around, but they need ventilation and topping up, so they are a poor fit for most vans. Whatever you choose, the charger has to be set up for that battery type.
Inverters and charging
An inverter turns 12-volt battery power into 240 volts for appliances such as a microwave or a coffee machine. Use a pure sine wave inverter: it gives clean power that is safe for laptops and other sensitive gear.
The house battery can be charged three ways: from 240-volt mains through a battery charger on a powered site, from the tow vehicle while you drive through a DC-DC charger (a modern smart alternator does not charge a house battery well on its own), and from solar.
Cable size, fuses and the connection at the towbar all matter, because long or thin cable loses voltage before the power reaches the battery.
The solar option
Solar keeps the batteries topped up when you are camped away from power. Fixed panels on the roof suit a van that moves often; a portable panel or blanket can sit in the sun while the van stays in the shade.
Panels connect through a solar charge controller. An MPPT controller gets more from the panels than a basic PWM controller, especially in low or changing light. How much solar you need depends on your daily use, the season and how long you stay put, and we work that out with you.
What's best for me?
Start with what you use each day. Add up the daily use of each appliance (a compressor fridge is usually the biggest steady load, then lights, the water pump and device charging), then size the battery to cover that for the number of days you want to camp without recharging, with some in reserve.
Air conditioning is the big one. Running a 240-volt air conditioner from batteries needs a large lithium bank and a big inverter, or a generator. If it is on your list, tell us at the start.
A battery monitor shows the state of charge, the current going in and out and how much you have used, so you are not guessing. We install and set up Victron equipment and show you how it all works at handover.
The brand we install
Victron Energy
