This 5th wheel came to us with two 200W panels, two flooded lead acid batteries, and a 1,800W inverter that only powered a few outlets in the bedroom. The owners wanted to upgrade to maintenance-free lithium batteries, and make it so that the entire trailer could be powered via an inverter.

The old batteries were removed and replaced with two 24V lithium iron phosphate batteries. A 24V to 12V converter was installed to allow the existing 12V system to continue to function as normal. The original inverter was kept as an emergency backup, with a larger 3,000W inverter/charger wired to power the entire trailer with the flip of a switch. We added an additional 200W solar panel to help charge the larger battery bank and to help cover the additional power consumption. The solar charge controller was also upgraded to a more a efficient MPPT charger that is compatible with lithium batteries.

Battery and solar monitoring are available via Bluetooth in the VictronConnect app. The inverter/charger can be controlled via a control panel on the inside of the trailer.

These upgrades allow for longer periods of dry camping thanks to the additional solar panel and larger battery bank. It also reduces the need for the trailer to be plugged in, as the entire trailer electrical system can now be turned on with the flip of a switch. The is the perfect upgrade to have silent and renewable energy whenever and wherever it is needed.