Minimal Solar Setup with New Eagle HT 5th Wheel

[K&K1]

Just bought a new 2025 Eagle HT 5th wheel and it came with the standard (minimal) Solar package. One 200 Watt Solar panel and a cheap 30amp solar controller. Also two cheap AGM batteries. Since this is our first time with a 12v refrigerator, we are finding out that while boon docking, the batteries don't last more than a day without charging them. I think that the 10cf refrigerator is really sucking power. The 200 watt panel will never keep up with that while also using other electronics. We have always been used to a 2 or 3 way refrigerator, so it's kind of frustrating. Now looking at buying two 100ah lithium batteries and adding another 200 watt panel. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

 

[Jayhawk 29]

I am not going to make suggestions on your battery upgrades. Everyone has their opinions of what works for them and their rig versus use. In general 600 watts and the 30 amp controller has worked for me, even with the PWM controllers. There is a wide variety of lithium batteries. There are some for low temp charging. But if you have your batteries stored inside your storage area, this may not be a problem.

 

[RogerR]

I would suggest you take a closer look at your demand. My library lends and you can buy a "KillAWatt" tester that measures and displays the watts being used. You plug in the KillAWatt and then plug in the device tested and get the watts being used. With that see what you will need in reserve battery storage. You can also look at your solar output to the battery. You say you have a cheap controller. I would suggest something like my Renogy that has a bunch of Bluetooth features like current flow, battery state, battery temp. $150 for a 30 amp MPPT with Bluetooth antenna, temp sensor and a good app to read status on your phone. Get a reference from a Renogy owner like me and you get an extra 5% off plus USA service. 30 amp will allow you to expand your solar if you need and choose to in the future.

 

[linuxfreakus]

Its frustrating how little info there is on this. I too have a new 2025 Eagle HT... it has minimal overlander solar setup and I cannot find any simple instructions for exactly what I would need to improve it, nor do I trust either Jayco or a dealer to give correct answers because it all depends on who you talk if you'll get a BS answer or good info.

I do not actually have the rig yet though, so maybe it will be more clear once I can look at it closely. All I'm trying to figure out is... what do I minimally need to do to add one more panel to make it 400W of solar, add an inverter (it is inverter prepped), and change the batteries to lithium and not damage my alternator or have the batteries draw power off my tow vehicle battery.

It seems like it should be a simple thing... do I need a DC-DC charger or not? Do I need an inverter with a charger or just a plain inverter? Feels like stuff that should just be plainly documented since it should be known what is part of the standard kit and what would need to be changed/replaced/upgraded... but alas the more I read the less sure I am that I know what I should order, but I'm quite certain that the 12V fridge will probably BARELY work unless am always either driving or plugged in to shore power... which is less than ideal.

I know full well that from the dealer with bare bones, its gonna be pretty useless without being plugged into 50A outlet... but I guess ordering stuff in advance so I can be ready to go ASAP once I take delivery is easier said than done because the tech keeps changing so often. For many years everything was about the same but now in the last several years they have radically changed to solar this and lithium that... generators are way more reliable for simple setups but they seem to be trying to avoid generator prep all together now unless toy haulers. Solar is overpriced and under powered... but a minimal setup that at least lets you reliably tow and park overnight or a few days on the road before your final destination should really be plug and play and well documented so that people don't have to spend a week trying to read everything and still have no idea what will work correctly.

 

[ClarkeNorman]

There are some good reviews of Lithium batteries available. TheCampingNerd.com has a good one. I've learned the hard way not to expect the alternator on my truck to properly maintain a lithium battery. I purchased a 200AH lithium battery, switched my camper's power converter to charge lithium versus lead acid, and thought all was well. Wrong! The battery management system on my battery shut the battery down because the alternator doesn't provide the correct charging profile. The correct profile for lithium is Constant Current followed by Constant Voltage. Alternators don't do that!

You can get a DC-DC convertor to solve the alternator problem but wiring it in can be chalenging as you've got to run a separate pair of wires, likely 8-10 gage depending on output current from the DC-DC convertor, from the alternator or battery to the camper. This means some form of connector between tow vehicle and camper. Then you must route the pair to the DC-DC convertor that should be located near the lithium battery.

If you have solar then you've got to ensure that your solar charge controller has a charge profile for lithium or you're going to have the problems I previously described.

All in all, it's not rocket science. There are lots of resources online to learn from. The work is routing and connecting the wire pair for the DC-DC converter! For everything else, you just need a credit card.

Safe Travels!

 

[dvspl]

I think the recent trend toward more electric RVs has caught many unprepared for their boondocking needs. Understanding your electrical consumption is the first, and likely hardest, part of creating the right electrical system for you. That's where you should start but it's also only the beginning of the work. It's easy to spitball "600 W of solar and 400 AH of lithium", but that may not meet your needs. You've got to do some analysis based on your assumptions, then refine the solution as you better understand the tradeoffs. In the end you need the right balance of consumption (eg fridge, electronics), power sources (eg solar, generator, alternator), and storage (battery capacity). Your assumptions include how often you'll boondock and for how long, what kind of weather you expect, and what your daily usage will include. There are lots of internet tools and calculators to help with that but it's a very intensive personal effort to get the right custom solution. For example, here's a calculator from Renogy that will help you get started. Solar Power Calculator
I'm not endorsing or recommending Renogy products, this is just an example of how to go about sizing your system.

 

[linuxfreakus]

I'm a software engineer... actually went to school for electrical engineering, so I'm not worried about wiring and figuring out current and all that... I just can't get straight answers about exactly what will be in the RV when I get it and exactly what wiring and prep is already there... I was hoping I'd be able to have just a simple list of things pre-ordered and then drop them all in after I pickup the unit.... but seems that at least for this brand it is not well documented. My last RV was Northwood Mfg.... they had everything laid out, it was easy... but also I didn't really need solar at all since it was gas fridge and didn't have much electrical need. I added a soft start to run AC on a small generator and I was good to go.

These new systems are way more work and way more expensive.... I can probably still just plug in a generator but that only works when I'm parked and I dont want to have to worry about the fridge shutting off when I'm on a cross country journey driving many hours and possibly sleeping without hookups some days.

 

[ClarkeNorman]

If you have the VIN for your new trailer, you can email 'service@jayco.com' and ask for the schematics for your solar, 12v electric, and 120v electric. I just bought a 2025 Pinnacle and have received these schematics as well as plumbing and water distribution drawings. Provide the VIN and be specific in what you ask for as Jayco's engineering department has multiple layers of drawings so specificity is a must!

Safe Travels!

 

[linuxfreakus]

I will see what hsppens if I email. That may clear up a lot of things. Realistically I plan to have this thing for several years before I get another one anyway... I'm just kinda suprised about the lack of information and "kits" that you can just plug and play. I bet with some clever marketing someone could set something up to help a lotta owners.