What are you using your Solarflex 400i for ?

[John Dennis]

Im a newbie RV owner and have question about Solarflex 400i systems . My question is for those of you that actually have this system . How are you using it ? I live in the Northeast and wonder how to get the most from the Solarflex 400i in this area . How useful has it been for you ?

[RollaMo]

Our 5th wheel came with this package.
We didn't order the trailer, it was on the lot and the model we wanted.

However, we are not actually using it as intended.

We don't do any "boon docking" or off grid camping, so haven't ever used the inverter.

Trailer has two 12v lead acid batteries, and the solar has kept them charged while parked at our house.
So, haven't needed to ever put a battery tender or remove batteries over winter.
Batteries have remained fully charged. I do check water level every month or so.


I have run the 12 volt refrigerator for approx. 48 hours without the trailer being plugged in though, and no issues with that so far.


But we always have 50 amp power when we are camping.

[John Dennis]

Thanks for the response RolloMo .

I haven't even gone camping yet , still have stickers on the 5th wheel !
The way Keystone presents their package online makes you think you can do more boon docking with this solar package , but I also notice they say you have to upgrade to get benefits like running the AC etc . Not sure how useful the solar package really is by itself !

I guess getting the fridge cool before you go camping is nice without plugging in and the battery getting charged if you use the lights or bump your slide out's .

Sounds like a generator is still a must if you want to Safari camp/boon dock .

[cougar23]

Our 2023 Cougar 23MLE came with the 400i solar package and 2 lithium 100ah batteries. We use the solar package quite a bit while traveling. I do not like to drive more than 300-400 miles at a time so we usually spend the night at a truck stop,Walmart, Lowes or other.
Before we had solar we traveled to Florida in January and stopped for the night in North Georgia. Temp. was cold so we had to use our furnace for a while before going to bed. Next morning I got up and started the furnace for about 20 minutes and my 2 lead acid batteries had discharged 50%.
While going to Florida with our new 5th wheel with solar in January we again stopped for the night in Georgia. After supper wife and I watched TV for about 2 hours. I set the thermostat and let the furnace on all night. Next morning I checked batteries which read 13 volts, so I made a pot of coffee before starting on the road. I really like our solar package and the lithium batteries.

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by John Dennis

Thanks for the response RolloMo .

I haven't even gone camping yet , still have stickers on the 5th wheel !
The way Keystone presents their package online makes you think you can do more boon docking with this solar package , but I also notice they say you have to upgrade to get benefits like running the AC etc . Not sure how useful the solar package really is by itself !

I guess getting the fridge cool before you go camping is nice without plugging in and the battery getting charged if you use the lights or bump your slide out's .

Sounds like a generator is still a must if you want to Safari camp/boon dock .

Yeah, you will need a generator if you plan on running A/C while boon docking.
The 400i package was never intended to completely replace normal power sources.

There are several YouTube videos out that showing that the 400i package will last several days of boon docking with a 12v fridge and no A/C though.

Some have an actual residential 120v fridge though, and those will require the Inverter and that will really limit how long that 400i package will go.

[Canonman]

OK, I'll chime in.
We have a simple 200w solar kit that we use. A LOT!
Not sure where you are with an understanding of solar and RV camping but in a nutshell:
1 Solar panels simply convert sunlight into 12 volt DC power.
2 These are connected to your battery via a controller that determines how much of that DC power is pushed into your batteries. The controller basically keeps you from overcharging and damaging the batteries.
3 Batteries, in my mind, are the most important part of the solar package. They store the power generated by the solar panels for use in the RV. There are 3 basic battery types so you need to know which type you have as well as their size, how many, voltage and amp rating.
4 The batteries are connected to the RV directly for 12 VDC accessories like lights, control circuits, water pump and furnace fan etc. They are also connected to the inverter in the 400i.
5 The inverter takes the 12 VDC provided by the batteries and electronically changes it to 110V AC that is used for running your AC appliances like a coffee maker or microwave. Some folks have enough battery capability (it takes a lot) to even run their air conditioner. One thing to remember is whenever you trade battery power for inverted power, you will be draining your batteries at a higher rate that just DC power alone.

The 400i Solarflex was intended to provide a rather robust package for most off grid, boondocking or dry camping requirements. If you don't camp off grid and find you just can't live without the standard electric, water and sewer "hookups" then if won't do much for you. On the other hand, if you like getting away from other campers, being able to expand your camping options without hookups and basically getting closer to nature then I think it will do a lot.

[Max23]

We have the 400i. Also have 2 100ah lithium batteries. You are correct, can not run the a/c but can go basically forever without plugging in. We can run the fridge, furnace, fan and c pap machine along with whatever lights we use from sundown to sun up, and have roughly 40 to 50% battery left. By sundown the next day it is fully recharged. Don't use it much this way but nice to know I can. Always leave the fridge on at home without plugging it in to power with 0 issues. Keeps us from having to tote everything in and out. That's about my experience with the system. No furnace use cuts down on battery consumption quite a bit I may ad. Fridge uses about 18% overnight. That's about all I can tell ya on how ours functions.

[LadyCPA]

Ok you all seem very knowledgeable about solar, so I will post the question here and not in a new thread. We have upgraded to 1200 solar, and we were told that we could do pretty much everything off grid (except AC unless we go to soft start) the question, there are no outlets in my kitchen that seem to operate off the solar/inverter. Do we have to rewire all of these to the inverter, or are we doing something wrong. Right now I can't use my coffee maker when we are off grid, unless I plug it into a bedroom outlet. Which does show as running of battery.

Thanks for any help or advise

[martybmw]

I am running about 1040 solar panels with 6 AGM batteries and 3000 watt inverter. my Alpine is parked full time in the desert and in the winter have not had any issues concerning lack of power. Can run the microwave for a few minutes on this set up but if needed for more start up my generator. Even when it really cold don't us the furnace at night because very little hot air goes to the rear bedroom. I have run it for hours before bedtime and still plenty of power to make coffee in the morning. Since I just built a cover of the 5th wheel this system is now unless!

[SWillier]

I think how you use it will rely greatly on what type of camp spots you typically use. If you camp in shady spots out of the sun, the roof mounted solar might not get you a whole lot. If you camp out in the open, in the sun and heat, roof solar should work great, but you heat up the trailer more in the sun. Definately consider getting a ground solar panel for the factory port. You don't have to buy the Zamp. Any panel with a built in charger will work. The port is just a wire connected to the battery.

<Big picture summary of below: If you dry camp, get the Lithium batteries, probably a ground solar panel, and a smart shunt (comes with 400I).>

We are picking up our new Cougar 27BHS with 400i and 200ah lithium batteries next week. I'm not completely sure how the 12V fridge will change our use. We'll see.

I can tell you our current camper has 200Ah Battleborn Bateries, Victron 712 battery monitor (basically same as smart shunt), a 2000W inverter and a 100w Renogy movable ground mounted solar panel. If we do not over use the inverter, we can last our typical 5 night without needing any other power (like generator) as long as the sun is out a good part of the time. I do use a CPAP on a 12V power supply, and we never need AC. We set our thermostat down in the upper 50s at night. CPAP and Furnace are our biggest power hogs. We camp in the shade and use the ground mounted solar to chase the sun. We usually rotate it for better angle 3-4 times during the day, sometimes less. I think the biggest upgrade that affected our dry camping is the lithium batteries. More capacity and faster recharge with even the small 100w solar. When we had 2 deep cycle 12v batteries, we always had to use a generator, and were always worried about battery life. We joke now that we are drunk with power now that we have lithium!

On the new trailer, I'm moving up to a 200W Renogy ground panel. If the 12v fridge uses a lot of power, I will probably add a 3rd 100ah battery to the mix. I'm sure that, even in the shade, that 400w of roof solar will help a little, but I'm not banking on it providing as much as the movable ground solar will. At least, with the 200w ground panel, I know we've doubled our usable solar charging in comparison to the old trailer.

Another great thing about the 400i package is the smart shunt. With that, you can see how your power usage is affecting battery capacity, and maybe even adjust to get more time out of them.

I chose the 400i + Lithium because it basically gave us everything we had before + the 400w roof solar. I could have gone 200i + Lithium and upgraded a couple items, but this way I don't need to retrofit / upgrade anything in the new trailer.

[Kamera]

Originally Posted by Max23

We have the 400i. Also have 2 100ah lithium batteries. You are correct, can not run the a/c but can go basically forever without plugging in. We can run the fridge, furnace, fan and c pap machine along with whatever lights we use from sundown to sun up, and have roughly 40 to 50% battery left. By sundown the next day it is fully recharged. Don't use it much this way but nice to know I can. Always leave the fridge on at home without plugging it in to power with 0 issues. Keeps us from having to tote everything in and out. That's about my experience with the system. No furnace use cuts down on battery consumption quite a bit I may ad. Fridge uses about 18% overnight. That's about all I can tell ya on how ours functions.

Question, I have the same setup. Stayed overnight at a rest area with fridge, a fan (it was hot) and 2 cpap machines running (1 with humidity heater). Lost power in 6 hours. Thinking I should turn off humidity heater? Brand new batteries and setup! Any thoughts?

[SWillier]

Originally Posted by Kamera

Thinking I should turn off humidity heater? Brand new batteries and setup! Any thoughts?

Definately turn off the humidity and heated hose if you have those. They take a lot of power. Also check to see if you can get a 12V power supply if you have this type of need often. I think it will use less power if you don't have the overhead of the inverter running. I use a 12v outlet (ciragette lighter plug) for mine.

[John Dennis]

Hello everyone that has replied .

Great tips on usage, never thought of a cpap drawing so much .
I think a portable solar panel and a couple of lithium batteries is a good idea in the future .

I called Keystone to see if they could tell me what battery was supposed to be In my RV .
Customer service said it should have 2 Dragonfly Lithium 100 amp batteries but the dealer said it only has regular lead acid batteries . Batteries are under a cover , guess I'll have to take off cover to see who is correct ! Hoping for the Lithium .

I didn't see any You tube videos on using the Solarflex in real life situations , happy to get some feedback from all of you .

[wevernon]

We have a 2023 Keystone 328RL, that we upgraded to the Solarflex 400i and two 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 batteries. We have yet to boon-dock, but I am defiantly glad we upgraded. We usually cool down the two 12v refrigerators before stocking them. It's also nice to know that the batteries are almost always at 100%, as long as the sun shines occasionally. We were camping with family last year when a storm hit the area. Power went out for about 10-12 hours. Everyone huddled into our camper as we still had lights, and we were able to watch the weather and news on our television. The plug in for the TV is one of the outlets connected to our inverter. NO, I would not try to boon-dock with a 400i system, that's not what it was intended for, but it is nice knowing you have ample power to run some things off grid if you have too.

[John Dennis]

I have an update for those who have replied to this thread about Solar 400I and how you use it .
I have finally got to boondock this fall and found I could do more than I thought .
I can run my fridge, use my interior lights as needed , watch TV , run a CPAP with the humidifier turned off at night , run the water pump .
So filling the fresh water tank , using your propane , and using your solar package can get you several days of comfortable weather boondocking .Not to shabby and pretty useful !
Im guessing in the winter I might be able to keep the battery trickle charged and use battery heater on the real cold days with the solar 400i . Guess I will find out and post my results .

[4kids2dogs&RV]

Originally Posted by John Dennis

I called Keystone to see if they could tell me what battery was supposed to be In my RV .

Customer service said it should have 2 Dragonfly Lithium 100 amp batteries but the dealer said it only has regular lead acid batteries . Batteries are under a cover , guess I'll have to take off cover to see who is correct ! Hoping for the Lithium .

What was the verdict on your batteries?

[NH_Bulldog]

It would be interesting if Keystone says your unit left the factory with Dragonfly Lithium batteries and your dealer says it has lead acid. If true, then your dealer’s honesty might be very questionable…..at a minimum, I would ask questions.