Inverter, Solar, and Other Power Recommendations
Hello All,
This is my first post on this site, so I hope I'm in the right area.
Last February, I purchased my first camper/RV, a 2015 Thor Ace 29.2, and am now in love with boondocking and traveling the Southwest US. Since I'm quite new to this, any and all recommendations and suggestions are appreciated.
When I first purchased the RV, I swapped out the factory installed coach batteries for a set of 2 12V 100AH batteries running in parallel, since the old batteries didn't seem to be maintained by the previous owner. We do not have an inverter, but I'd be interested in installing one to use for charging laptops, cell phones, and occasionally watching TV. What size inverter would you recommend for the battery setup and for the use that I am looking for? I also wouldn't be opposed to swapping out the batteries for a set of 4 6V if that would seem to make more sense for our use/need. I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to electrical installations, but follow directions very well. Is an inverter installation pretty straight forward and can someone with little electrical experience do this on their own?
I'd also be interested in using solar power for charging the batteries. My main concern would be installing panels on the roof and causing potential leaks, wind resistance, etc. Since we tend to boondock in an area for about a week at time, as long as our water/tanks last, I wouldn't mind having portable solar panels that I attach directly to the battery to charge. Would you recommend this type of setup, or should I really look into a roof installation? Considering the mentioned uses and battery setup, how many panels and what wattage would be recommended?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and any replies will be greatly appreciated.
This is my first post on this site, so I hope I'm in the right area.
Last February, I purchased my first camper/RV, a 2015 Thor Ace 29.2, and am now in love with boondocking and traveling the Southwest US. Since I'm quite new to this, any and all recommendations and suggestions are appreciated.
When I first purchased the RV, I swapped out the factory installed coach batteries for a set of 2 12V 100AH batteries running in parallel, since the old batteries didn't seem to be maintained by the previous owner. We do not have an inverter, but I'd be interested in installing one to use for charging laptops, cell phones, and occasionally watching TV. What size inverter would you recommend for the battery setup and for the use that I am looking for? I also wouldn't be opposed to swapping out the batteries for a set of 4 6V if that would seem to make more sense for our use/need. I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to electrical installations, but follow directions very well. Is an inverter installation pretty straight forward and can someone with little electrical experience do this on their own?
I'd also be interested in using solar power for charging the batteries. My main concern would be installing panels on the roof and causing potential leaks, wind resistance, etc. Since we tend to boondock in an area for about a week at time, as long as our water/tanks last, I wouldn't mind having portable solar panels that I attach directly to the battery to charge. Would you recommend this type of setup, or should I really look into a roof installation? Considering the mentioned uses and battery setup, how many panels and what wattage would be recommended?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and any replies will be greatly appreciated.
