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Trailers & 5th Wheels

Travel trailer and 5th Wheel power systems are unique in several ways:

  • Plenty of roof space capable of accommodating a large solar array.
  • Limited alternator charging because of the 7-pin connection to the tow vehicle.
  • Heavy loads like air conditioners and residential refrigerators requiring large battery systems and inverter/chargers.
  • Spacious bays allow for a wide variety of battery options.

The step-by-step guide below takes you through the myriad of options and design considerations for developing a custom RV solar panel power system.

Educational Videos for Trailers & 5th Wheels

Battery Bank

1.  Select an RV battery bank: The RV battery bank is the heart of the system. We recommend LifeBlue lithium batteries for your travel trailer solar panel system because of their built-in Bluetooth monitoring, high quality, and ability to expand over time.

We sell LifeBlue batteries as a base kit, which includes one battery, a Victron BMV-712 battery monitor, cable, lugs, and heat shrink, plus expansion kits, which include one battery and parallel cables. For two batteries, select one base kit and one expansion kit. If you want three batteries, get one base kit and two expansion kits.

If your plan is to run an air conditioner, you will get about 1 hour of runtime on a 15,000BTU A/C running at full, per every 200Ah of lithium battery capacity. You will also need at least a 3000VA Inverter and an Easy Start Kit.

Do not let your lithium batteries get below -10° F. Lithium batteries will not charge below 32° F.\

Estimated Installation Labor

300Ah LifeBlue Lithium System with BMV-712
11 hours / $1,595 (additional)

 

  • LiFeBlue Lithium Battery Bank with BMV-712 Monitor

    This is a complete LiFeBlue lithium RV battery base kit with a Victron BMV-712 Bluetooth battery monitor. The monitor is included to provide cumulative battery bank data, compatible with Victron VRM monitoring. LiFeBlue offers the most comprehensive Bluetooth monitoring showing status, temperature, voltage,...

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  • LiFeBlue Lithium Battery Expansion Kit

    This kit is designed to be an add-on to an existing LiFeBlue battery system. LiFeBlue offers the most comprehensive Bluetooth monitoring showing status, temperature, voltage, current, cycle life, battery health, faults and state of charge. These batteries can only be parallel connected due...

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For larger systems, Victron lithium batteries are recommended because of their extremely compact footprint. Or, if you only need one battery, a monitor is not required for single LifeBlue battery.

  • Victron Lithium Battery System with Monitor (Single Battery)

    This kit is designed to work with one or two Victron lithium batteries. It does not use a Lynx Distributor to combine batteries. When adding alternator charging or DC distribution, be sure to use kits specifically recommended for Victron lithium batteries. This kit...

    Please do not use a residential address, if you do not have a commercial address to ship to, please contact the front office. 541-726-1091 or info@amsolar.com. We can potentially ship to a dealer near you.
    Qualifying addresses:
    1. Are commercial addresses able to accept a pallet of goods under all weather conditions on normal business days with no notice or special delivery needs (no delivery appointment needed).
    2. Will have access to a forklift on site.
    I verify the address provided meets the requirements set by AM Solar. If it does not, I understand my order may be rejected and refunded with transaction fees subtracted.
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  • Victron Lithium Battery System with Monitor (Multiple Battery)

    This kit is designed to work with 1-4 Victron lithium batteries in 12V, or 2-8 Victron lithium batteries in 24V. It uses a Lynx Distributor to combine and fuse batteries. When adding alternator charging or DC distribution, be sure to use kits specifically...

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  • Victron Lithium Expansion Kit

    Add a Victron Lithium battery to an existing Victron lithium system. Do not mix battery ratings in the same system. Parallel Expansion kits are for 12V battery systems. 24V battery systems can be built from an equal number of Parallel and Series Expansion...

    Please do not use a residential address, if you do not have a commercial address to ship to, please contact the front office. 541-726-1091 or info@amsolar.com. We can potentially ship to a dealer near you.
    Qualifying addresses:
    1. Are commercial addresses able to accept a pallet of goods under all weather conditions on normal business days with no notice or special delivery needs (no delivery appointment needed).
    2. Will have access to a forklift on site.
    I verify the address provided meets the requirements set by AM Solar. If it does not, I understand my order may be rejected and refunded with transaction fees subtracted.
    Product total
    Options total
    Grand total
    Quantity:
  • LiFeBlue LiFePO4 12V Drop-In Battery

    LiFeBlue lithium batteries have integrated controls to automatically protect against overcharging, overly discharging, and frozen charging. This integration makes installation much easier for DIY projects. LifeBlue offers the most comprehensive Bluetooth monitoring showing status, temperature, voltage, current, cycle life, battery health, Faults and...

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Alternative Charging

2.  Establish Tow Vehicle Compatibility: A 7-pin tow vehicle connection won’t allow for high current alternator charging, but you can get about 18A when you use a Victron Orion DC/DC charger on the trailer side of the connector. Another advantage of this kit is that it will prevent unwanted current flow from the trailer to the tow vehicle’s starter battery. This kit is not necessary with Flooded or AGM batteries.

With most tow vehicles and trailers, the 7-pin connector allows alternator charging of the trailer’s battery bank. The trailer’s seven-pin connector is typically hardwired leaving the tow vehicle responsible for charging the two battery systems. Unfortunately, many vehicles don’t have any protection built-in, which leaves both battery banks tied together when the trailer is plugged in. This is a major concern for lithium house batteries as their resting voltage is much higher than a typical tow vehicle engine battery. This causes the lithium battery to slowly discharge into the tow vehicle battery and because lead-acid batteries can dissipate energy in the form of heat, this will continue to happen until the lithium battery is below 20%, which could potentially cause damage to the lithium battery. This isn’t good for the system and can be avoided by installing this kit or simply unplugging the trailer when left for more than a week.

This article on high current alternator charging may be interesting:

High Current Alternator Charging and the 7-Pin Connector

Estimated Installation Labor

Tow Vehicle Compatibility
1.5 hours / $218

  • DC/DC Charging: Trailer, Truck Camper, 5th Wheel

    Enable DC/DC charging from your alternator to a secondary Lithium, AGM, or Flooded battery bank. This kit is ideal for systems with older alternators or lithium batteries with input current limits under 100A. Ideal for: Trailers/5th Wheels/Truck Campers *Please note that cables length...

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Solar Charging

3.  Select solar charging system: Trailers and 5th Wheels tend to have a lot of roof space which allows for a wide variety of solar array configurations. One of our favorite systems is 4x 200W solar panels on an 85A solar charge controller. This gives you room to add more panels in the future if you find you need more energy. If you have a solar pre-wire, check out section 3a of the Airstream page

For a complete explanation of everything you would want to know about how to design a solar charging system, check out our Solar Charger Design Guide

The Victron SmartSolar MPPT charge controllers are compatible with any battery type, can work on 12V or 24V battery systems, and communicate status via Bluetooth.

We recommend a minimum of 500W for any system with a residential refrigerator.

If you want to use a portable panel, we recommend oversizing the central charge controller so it can handle both the roof array and the portable panel.

Estimated Installation Labor Cost
4 x 200W on an 85A MPPT Charge Controller:
15 hours / $2,175

  • Complete Solar Charger (50A)

    These kits offer everything one may need in order to put up to 700W onto an existing battery bank.  With the advanced MPPT charge controller and Bluetooth communication, these kits form an ideal foundation for a medium power system mounted to a rigid...

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  • Complete Solar Charger (85A)

    These kits offer everything one may need in order to put up to 1200W onto an existing battery bank.  With the advanced MPPT charge controller and Bluetooth communication, these kits form an ideal foundation for a large power system mounted to a rigid...

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  • Complete Solar Charger (100A)

    These kits offer everything one may need in order to put up to 1400W onto an existing battery bank.  With the advanced MPPT charge controller and Bluetooth communication, these kits form an ideal foundation for a large power system mounted to a rigid...

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Add panel kits ending in Cable to connect to the AM Solar combiner box.

  • Rich Solar 200W Solar Panel

    High wattage, using 6" cells, this panel is ideal for large systems where there is ample roof space. These modules come in a standard and higher-voltage version*. Please be sure to match your kit and/or module(s) to similar voltage profile modules. Please reach...

    • Wattage: 200W
    • Type: Monocrystalline
    • Nominal Voltage: 12V / 24V
    • Operating Voltage (Vmpp): 20.4V / 37.6V
    • Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 24.3V / 45.4V
    • Operating Current (Impp): 9.80A / 5.32A
    • Short Circuit Current (Isc): 10.2A / 5.83A
    • Size: 58.7" x 26.8" x 1.38" 26.5lbs
    • Frame: Silver Anodized Aluminum
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  • Zamp 170W Solar Panel

    Using 6" monocrystalline cells, this panel is ideal for large systems where there is ample roof space. Made in Bend, Oregon, United States Flash tested at 184W +/- 3% Zamp uses tempered, low iron, 3.2 mm, AR coated(which stands for anti-reflective) solar glass....

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  • NOIR 110W Solar Panel

    Custom designed by Grape Solar for mobile applications, this 110W panel is ideal for Airstreams trailers, vans, truck campers, and any application where roof space is limited. The Grape Solar NOIR 110W panel comes in several kit variants.  Select the correct kit to...

    • Wattage: 110W
    • Type: Monocrystalline
    • Operating Voltage (Vmp): 21.3V
    • Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 25.7V
    • Operating Current (Imp): 5.18A
    • Short Circuit Current (Isc): 5.60A
    • Size: 68" x 15.4" x 1.38" 17.9lbs
    • Frame: Black Anodized Aluminum
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  • NOIR 100W Solar Panel

    Custom designed by Grape Solar for mobile applications, this 100W panel is ideal for Airstreams trailers, vans, truck campers, and any application where roof space is limited. The Grape Solar NOIR 100W panel comes in several kit variants.  Select the correct kit to...

    • Wattage: 100W
    • Type: Monocrystalline
    • Operating Voltage (Vmp): 19.1V
    • Open Circuit Voltage (Voc): 23.1V
    • Operating Current (Imp): 5.23A
    • Short Circuit Current (Isc): 5.59A
    • Size: 41" x 22" x 1.38" 15.4lbs
    • Frame: Black Anodized Aluminum
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Add a side port and portable panels.

  • Zamp Side Port Integration Kits

    These kits integrate a Zamp side port to either an existing solar charging core or directly to the battery bank. Ideal for Zamp folding panels that are regulated (Zamp Side Port to Battery Kit) or unregulated (Zamp Side Port to Central Controller Kit).

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  • Zamp Z90 - 90W Folding Panel with Case

    Portable panels are an excellent option for rigs with limited roof space and the Zamp folding panels are some of the best we have found. These portable panels do not have a charge controller. They are meant to be used in a "solar...

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  • Zamp Z180 - 180W Folding Panel with Case

    Portable panels are an excellent option for rigs with limited roof space and the Zamp folding panels are some of the best we have found. These portable panels do not have a charge controller. They are meant to be used in a "solar...

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  • Zamp Z230 - 230W Folding Panel with Case

    Portable panels are an excellent option for rigs with limited roof space and the Zamp folding panels are some of the best we have found. These portable panels do not have a charge controller. They are meant to be used in a "solar...

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AC Input/Output

4.  Select an Inverter/Charger System: The Victron Multiplus or Quattro inverter/chargers combine an inverter and a charger in one unit.  They also offer PowerAssist, which means that they can combine shore power with battery power when necessary. Our kits come with everything you need to upgrade your trailer or 5th wheel.

For a Trailer or 5th Wheel, you will want a kit that matches your AC input (30A or 50A).

In order to fully support the 3000VA inverter, you will need a battery bank that can handle 300A of current outflow or three 100Ah LifeBlue batteries. A 3000VA will work on a smaller battery bank, but will only work like a 2000VA inverter if only two 100Ah batteries are used.

If you plan on running an air conditioner, you will need the 3000VA inverter system with an Easy Start kit. If you plan on running two air conditioners on battery power, consider a 24V system with dual Multiplus inverter/chargers or a Victron Quattro 5000.

Estimated Installation Labor Cost
Multiplus Inverter (RV Upgrade Kit)
17 hours / $2,465

  • 30A Inverter/Charger Kits

    Our 30A Inverter/Charger kits are designed for rigs that have a 30A AC service (3 Wire / L1- N -G), and that already have a 30A AC distribution panel and Shore power connection. Our Full-Pass Kits are designed to be installed between your...

    Please select your battery type for Multiplus programming
    If you selected "Other" for battery type above, please provide battery make, model, absorption/float voltage settings below
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  • 50A Inverter/Charger Kits

    Our 50A Inverter/Charger kits are designed for rigs that have a 50A AC service (4 Wire / L1- L2 - N -G), and that already have a 50A AC distribution panel and Shore power connection. Our Full-Pass Kits are designed to be installed...

    Please select your battery type for Multiplus programming
    If you selected "Other" for battery type above, please provide battery make, model, absorption/float voltage settings below
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For smaller Airstream trailers, the Multiplus 2000VA is popular choice, as well as a standalone 1200W inverter with a separate charger.

  • MultiPlus 12/2000/80-50 - 120V Inverter/Charger

    The MultiPlus is a powerful true sine wave inverter, a sophisticated battery charger that features adaptive charge technology and a high-speed AC transfer switch in a single enclosure. Rated at 2000VA. Note: Some Keurig coffee makers are known to be incompatible with inverters....

    Please select your battery type for Multiplus programming
    If you selected "Other" for battery type above, please provide battery make, model, absorption/float voltage settings below
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  • Victron Phoenix 1200VA Inverter Kit

    Victron Phoenix 1200VA Inverter Kit

    This kit includes all the standard components for the do-it-yourself installation of a Victron Phoenix 1200 inverter system.  This inverter offers Bluetooth communication compatibility through a dongle and is ideal for refrigerators, laptops, entertainment centers, and cell phone chargers. Wiring Diagram Due to...

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  • Victron Blue Smart Chargers

    The Blue Smart Charger is a professional-grade battery charger with built-in Bluetooth. The Blue Smart Charger can be used on devices in your workshop and on motor vehicles, such as cars; motorbikes; boats and camper-vans. Kit option for the 30A IP22 includes wiring,...

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  • EasyStart 364 Soft Start Kit

    Easy start kits are typically installed on air conditioning units where the start-up surge might overwhelm an inverter. This kit also comes in a recommended Bluetooth version that allows for diagnostic feedback. Please note that the Bluetooth module does NOT allow you to...

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DC Distribution

5.  DC Distribution: This is only necessary if you are upgrading to a 24V battery bank.

When using a 24V battery bank it is important to step down the voltage from 24V to 12 Volt for DC loads.

Estimated Installation Labor

24V DC Distribution Kit
2 hours / $290

  • DC Distribution Kit for 24V Battery Systems

    This kit includes everything you need to connect a 12V DC distribution block to a 24V battery system. High power systems frequently require 24V battery banks. This kit steps the 24V from the batteries down to 12V for the DC loads. Wiring Diagram

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6. Optional components and tools: You may consider including these items in your purchase.

Tools – Make sure you have something equivalent to everything on the top row of this page.

Tech Support – Each kit comes with a set amount of free tech support, if you feel you may exceed that, you can purchase more here

 

PreConfigured Complete System Examples (obsolete kits)

 

  • Weekender 180W 220Ah AGM 800VA 15A

    Weekender 180W 220Ah AGM 800VA 15A

    - 2x 90W Solar Panels with mounts and wire harnesses - 15A Victron SmartSolar MPPT Charge Controller with Bluetooth Communication - Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor with Bluetooth Communication - 2x Lifeline 220Ah AGM 6V Batteries - 800W Victron Phoenix pure sine inverter with...

    Out of stock

  • Adventurer 400W 200AhLi 2000VA 80A

    Adventurer 400W 200AhLi 2000VA 80A

    - 4x 100W Zamp solar panels with mounts and wire harnesses - 30A Victron SmartSolar MPPT charge controller with Bluetooth communication - Victron BMV-712 battery monitor with Bluetooth communication - 200Ah lithium drop-in batteries - Low current alternator charging - 2000VA Victron Multiplus...

    Out of stock

  • Deluxe Upgrade 600W 600AhLi 3000VA 120A

    - 6x 100W Solar Panels with mounts and wire harnesses - 50A Victron SmartSolar MPPT Charge Controller with Bluetooth Communication - Victron BMV-712 Battery Monitor with Bluetooth Communication - 600Ah Lithium System with AMS V4 Victron battery protections - 3000VA Victron Multiplus pure...

    Out of stock

  • Temperature Sensor for BMV-712

    Support from AMSolar is definitely 5 stars. 1st line of support for Victron equipment provided through distributors. AMSolar likely one of the best when it comes to RVs.

    Tom B

  • Zamp 2 Pole Plug, PV Side

    AM Solar is my “go to” website and store for all my solar needs. They provide technical advice to help ensure you are choosing the correct components. Their parts and connectors are high quality and come with heat shrink cabling to ensure a water tight connection.

    Bryan S

  • Zamp ATP Prep Kit – Male

    This is a nice kit to have. Everything needed to attach your panel to the zamp box. Very slick. Highly recommend.

    Steve S

  • Roof Wire Harness Acc. Kit

    I enjoy doing business with AM Solar. All the employees have been there a long time. They know and use the products the sell. They are knowledgeable and very helpful. They are the first company I turn to for my Airstream solar needs.

    Keith W