Almot wrote:
Without furnace or 12V thermostat of the fridge your energy budget is manageable... IF there is any charging. Heavy clouds will reduce solar harvest by half or more. Rain is a real killer, zero charging.
Portable suitcases are expensive per watt and inconvenient, compared to permanent installs. BUT... Any solar is better than no solar. Even heavy energy user would benefit from a small solar. Battery likes getting to 100% once a day, and the last 10-15% are very slow, so with generator you either run it all day or bring battery to only 85-90%. Solar is good for those last 15%, run genny in the morning and leave the rest to solar.
Olympic cat heater is easier on propane than Buddy. Less fumes too.
Thanks Almot. Good info!
I'll install a larger permanent solar setup when I go snowbirdin' down to Arizona(in 10 years). But for 4 weeks a year with the family, a small system is better than running a genny every other day. I saw someone using a portable one in Jasper and was having carb issues with my Honda. Would've been nice to have it then.
I don't have a good place to mount a cat heater but will install one in my next retirement rig. My folks have one in theirs.
The only place for the Buddy is in front of the dinette or door. Have only used it twice and barely made a dent in the small propane bottle. Used it mainly to take the chill out of the air in the morning so the kids would come out of their beds.
