Renogy LiFePO House (Dual) Battery Install

[Wolf Island Diver]

Thanks so much for the detailed response.

I have a ground blind that sets up on a similar principle although much smaller.

Generally speaking staked in I've been able to leave it up for an entire season and then some with no issues, in spite of high winds, nasty weather, etc. Might have had a lot to do with location protecting it somewhat.

Looking at the tents, maybe I'm wrong but what you're describing above sounds like a fundamental issue with the T4+, not the standard T4. I didn't see the T4+ listed on their site so maybe they've pulled production until they can sort the issues you mentioned?

These are definitely bigger problems with the bigger tents. The regular T4 is more like a dome tent in that it’s a more sturdy structure when up. All hub tents can theoretically collapse. I think it’s probably supply chain issues and popularity. When I bought mine there was limited availability of some options. You can still get the T4 plus in the non-overland edition and the T8, so they haven’t pulled it or anything. The T4 plus is like a tent and a screen house section whereas the T8 is like two sleeping sections. Structurally, they’re basically the same. I think the T4 is more versatile.

Honestly I’ve never owned a tent that didn’t have some kind of issue that I had to account for but mostly I’ve have lightweight backpacking tents or high end dome-style tents. Every tent that pushed the boundaries in size or ventilation or vertical walls has had more issues. I still like the T4 plus and intend on using it. I don’t hang out in the tent so this is more of an issue at night when I’m not waking around and I’m just cognizant of the problem in wind. So far my additional guy lines seem to be working so I’m going to keep using it.

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[HooliganActual]

I realized something last night…You don’t get battery monitoring plugging the Renogy Bluetooth doohickey into the DCDC MPPT. Well, you do actually. You get amperage in/out, voltage of both the starting and house battery. So you actually get another starting battery monitor which is cool. But you don’t get the equivalent of a gauge on how much time or “fullness” is left on the house battery.

All of Renogys (new) stuff uses RJ-45 jacks for monitoring including my battery. In fact you can daisy chain the monitoring of these smart batteries via these jacks. But, like an idiot, it didn’t even occur to me that I needed to specifically monitor this battery separately from the DCC50S.

Now the problem with Renogy is that documentation is terrible and confusing and apparently if you talk to them, they don’t know their own project. Renogy is basically an English Speaking portal into the Chinese solar industry. This doesn’t really concern me since almost every American solar product is a packaging or direct rebranding of a Chinese solar industry product. It does make it difficult to figure out what to do.

So I did a bunch of research (basically watching vantubers) and see that there are two options: the Bluetooth module I already have that’s being used by the DCC50S or a wired monitor with its own dedicated display and shunt. I suspect that battery already has the equivalent of a shunt and monitoring internally feeding data to one of its two ports. So I decided to buy a Renogy RJ-45 hub, which they call the Bluetooth hub despite it having no Bluetooth. Then I plug my single Bluetooth doohickey into that along with both the battery and DCC50S. Apparently the app will recognize both devices. I can even add the inverter, assuming it’s also Renogy to this same hub later and have remote monitoring and control of everything. I should have my Bluetooth battery monitoring later this week.

I’m also going to make a frame to attach the panel to my awning uprights. Right now it sits in the shadow of the awning and my currently-attached storage box.

The adventure continues…..

I’m a bit confused. Do you have one of Renogy’s “Smart” batteries? If so, you should be able to connect to it with the DC Home app via Bluetooth with no extra parts.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I’m a bit confused. Do you have one of Renogy’s “Smart” batteries? If so, you should be able to connect to it with the DC Home app via Bluetooth with no extra parts.

Does the smart battery have its own Bluetooth transmitter?

 

[HooliganActual]

Does the smart battery have its own Bluetooth transmitter?

Yes. That’s what I have because I had a non-smart battery first and tried everything you discussed. Gave up and just bought the smart battery

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Yes. That’s what I have because I had a non-smart battery first and tried everything you discussed. Gave up and just bought the smart battery

That’s weird. According to their site I need the BT-2 transmitter plugged into the batteries jack to monitor the battery directly using the app. Since I’m already using the BT-2 for the DCC50s, I got the hub so they can both use the same BT-2

 

[HooliganActual]

That’s weird. According to their site I need the BT-2 transmitter plugged into the batteries jack to monitor the battery directly using the app. Since I’m already using the BT-2 for the DCC50s, I got the hub so they can both use the same BT-2

Not sure what to tell you. If you look at the pic of my setup, I have the BT-2 module tied into the side of the DCC and that reads the DCC. When I hooked up the Smart battery, I simply landed all my load and supply cables on the terminal posts and then paired the battery with the app. It has its own BT transmitter and talks to the app independent of the BT-2 module as I understand it.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Not sure what to tell you. If you look at the pic of my setup, I have the BT-2 module tied into the side of the DCC and that reads the DCC. When I hooked up the Smart battery, I simply landed all my load and supply cables on the terminal posts and then paired the battery with the app. It has its own BT transmitter and talks to the app independent of the BT-2 module as I understand it.

I just went out to check this and I can’t see a Bluetooth device for the battery on my phone and the app can’t find it. I wonder if they’ve changed these. I’ve got the 100Ah self-heating battery. This kind of goes back to the issue with Renogy. Their documentation is lacking and/or contradictory. None of the instructions mention the Bluetooth functionality except with the BT-2 module. My battery is SKU: RBT100LFP12SH-US. Either way I need the hub for the eventual inverter.

 

[HooliganActual]

I just went out to check this and I can’t see a Bluetooth device for the battery on my phone and the app can’t find it. I wonder if they’ve changed these. I’ve got the 100Ah self-heating battery. This kind of goes back to the issue with Renogy. Their documentation is lacking and/or contradictory. None of the instructions mention the Bluetooth functionality except with the BT-2 module. My battery is SKU: RBT100LFP12SH-US. Either way I need the hub for the eventual inverter.

Yeah, the one you needed is RBT100LFP12-BT-US. The BT in the SKU indicates the Bluetooth capability...but this one does not have the self heating function. Self heated batteries aren't a necessity here in AZ. lol

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I did see one other thing that was interesting when out checking the battery. The DCC50s had its left most light flashing red. This indicates that the starting battery is being changed via solar. All 1W of solar I’m getting in the rain. Still this is really cool. I’m down to 1 battery up front, with ESS disabled and now my battery is always on a solar starting battery tender that moves with the truck.

 

[HooliganActual]

I did see one other thing that was interesting when out checking the battery. The DCC50s had its left most light flashing red. This indicates that the starting battery is being changed via solar. All 1W of solar I’m getting in the rain. Still this is really cool. I’m down to 1 battery up front, with ESS disabled and now my battery is always on a solar starting battery tender that moves with the truck.

Yes, that is a nice feature to have when hooked up to the main. With 310 days of sunshine a year, my Main (and Aux) are always getting that trickle charge.

Once again, the Renogy set up is pretty nice. I can't speak to the ease of install/operation/maintenance of the competitors like RedArc, Victron, etc. BUT at a fraction of their price, it works well.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I got Renogy DC Home installed and running on my Garmin Tread XL. The app only supports portrait mode, but still cool.

Edit: I sidedloaded another android app that forces orientation. This fixes my stupid orientation issues with the Garmin and forces this app into landscape. Battery monitoring from my dash! ?

 

[cug]

This Renogy stuff is a no brainer to me.

I thought the same for the batteries – then a dead one arrived here (bought new) and I went through a four week support nightmare to get it replaced. Their products might be nice, WHEN THEY WORK, but I would never ever buy one again. I don't ever want to deal with their moronic support again.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I thought the same for the batteries – then a dead one arrived here (bought new) and I went through a four week support nightmare to get it replaced. Their products might be nice, WHEN THEY WORK, but I would never ever buy one again. I don't ever want to deal with their moronic support again.

TL:DR - I’m cheap enough to take my chances

What follows is my musing on what is an academic topic that really interests me more than anything really enlightening to someone making the same choices: Behavioral economics and how peoples decision making processes work. I’m not claiming mine is superior. This is just how I went about it. I’ve heard mixed things about their products. Some horror stories and others raving. I haven’t heard anything particularly good about their customer service. I made the decision to go with them based on a few considerations but I can easily see someone in a different position steering clear.

1. This is essentially a replacement for a GZ which will inevitably still travel with me for charging phones, my kids Switch, etc. So I have a redundancy. I’m not really over extending 500WH with 300W of Solar now. This purchase was as much for convenience than anything else, so I didn’t have to be tripping over wires at the beach or trail.
2. I’m planning on moving to an off-road trailer next year and then this Jeep’s system becomes redundant anyway. If I buy an Opus (which I’d prefer so I can haul a catamaran, kite surfing stuff, surfboards, bikes etc) I’ll rip out its entire electronics because they’re not super great, shooting for 300Ah+ probably built around RedArc and with as much Solar as I can cram onto it. If I get an X3 or UEV-14 or 490 it’s more of an issue of just getting more Solar. The trailer is all about going farther, longer and more off grid. Failure probably will be much more of a concern than it is now. In that case I may not go with Renogy.
3. I’ve had bad experiences with lots of companies. I basically expect it at this point with anything. That’s a sad commentary, I know.
4. I’m generally skeptical of the whole solar industry in that a lot of expensive “American Made” of “Australian Made” panels and other products are a Chinese rebranding or made in China, yet more expansive than Chinese brands. The top ten Solar panel companies are Chinese. The vast number of batteries are made in China. They basically control the rare earth industry that the battery and solar industries rely on. Finding the original Chinese product that everyone sticks their label on is sort of a hobby of mine. Some of the prices of Lithium batteries and solar panels are approaching defense industry pricing for consumer level products. It’s absurd. Lastly, I have yet to find a well known brand of Lithium battery or Solar panel without a significant number of terrible reviews or horror stories even as there are simultaneously people that swear by them.
5. A lot of people swear off Renogy. At the same time a lot of people swear by Renogy. But you could replace Renogy with probably any other brand as well. It’s hard to really get good data that representative of their actual quality based on a sampling of case studies. It’s gotten that way with everything. Ratings are practically useless because they’re so easily juked. In fact fake negative reviews are actually more prevalent now than fake positive reviews on Amazon. Professional (magazine) reviews and influencers are payola. It’s increasingly difficult to make a truly informed choice.

All of this calculated into my own personal bullshit-to-money ratio (BMR). I apply this paradigm over a lot of things. No, I’m not that horrible date that sits there calculating the cost/benefit of extra guacamole or if I pay for dessert. What a dreary way to live that would be. But for things like my job working for company X vs company Y (I work from home, so corporate culture consist of my dog and two cats). Spending money on some expensive widget it pretty much comes down to the ratio. For widgets it’s really money + utility vs BS. I’ll put up with a lot of BS if I get paid a lot of money for it or if I save a lot of money on a product or the cost of simply replacing it doesn’t bother me.

Sometimes I don’t feel like figuring out if something’s good. It’s tiring. Researching if a particular widget is legit or good quality is becoming more and more time consuming. it’s not always worth my time. I feel like companies are taking advantage of our evolutionary bias toward type 1 error by making it as difficult as possible to be confident that you’re avoiding type 2 error. The effect is that people over consume. In this case for me the $500 savings between Renogy batteries and other well known comparable brands was more important to me than making myself comfortable I wasn’t committing type 1 error and spending $950-$1100 that I didn’t need to on a battery. The cost of type 2 error if that’s what I made is the $500 or so I spent on the Renogy if I can’t get it warrantied or all the BS to try getting it replaced, and having to fall back to the GZ. Given those parameters, this was the logical choice. Time will tell if it was also the correct one.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Although I do my best to avoid Chinese made stuff, I too have a BMR that is always in play.

I bought a Chinesium OEM-looking Android stereo for my e46 when the OEM went because I really needed to be able to use CarPlay mapping functions. I could have spent 2x as much for an Alpine that would have worked but didn't look like it belonged... which what I remind myself of every time there's a bug in the system.

Which Opus are you considering? I like them a lot but the weight might be pushing it.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Although I do my best to avoid Chinese made stuff, I too have a BMR that is always in play.

I bought a Chinesium OEM-looking Android stereo for my e46 when the OEM went because I really needed to be able to use CarPlay mapping functions. I could have spent 2x as much for an Alpine that would have worked but didn't look like it belonged... which what I remind myself of every time there's a bug in the system.

Which Opus are you considering? I like them a lot but the weight might be pushing it.

The OP4. Its GVWR is 4200lbs. I like the OP4 because it’s the only camper I can find that can carry a significant load on its top (500lbs) and that load is low. I like how bright and airy it is when set up and how you can sleep with some actual privacy from other occupants. I’m not crazy about some of the quality aspects, like the electrical systems, or that it has a pressboard interior bit ? but considering it’s $30K cheaper than a Patriot, it’s priced where there’s a lot of overhead left for DIY. I actually wish I could buy one stripped with no electrics, fridge or heater. I’m going to buy an ecoflow heat pump for AC, I already have a fridge and a diesel heater.

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