Quote: Great info!! What exact type setup of solar panels do you have and charge controller? Oh and what is your location?
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For the hard core setup on the remote camper:
3 approx. 190watt grid-tie panels. They were cheaper back in the day, and have a higher voltage, (approx. 37v) which is good for keeping wiring gauge smaller.
These tie into a metal switch box, wired in parallel. Inline Fuses on each panel wire inside the box. A cutoff switch on the box (inexpensive disconnect at Home Depot). Then, a short 8 gauge wire to the controller. Outback 60 amp MPPT controller. Highly customizable, and will turn a higher voltage panel to whatever voltage you want your batteries to have. It has done many years in a hot and cold environment in the high mesas of NM, 7500'.
8 or 10 gauge wire from there to batteries, but one of those resettable, blade switch circuit breakers inline. Sized to the wire. 30amps, I'm thinking.
Batteries are standard 6v golf cart batteries, series/parallel to give 12v. output. I put them in a plastic trunk, with a covered vent to the roof, screened to keep things out. Homemade 2 gauge(? recalling from a while ago) connectors with crimped brass eyes between batteries. Final wire to inverter, as short as possible, with a 200amp resettable circuit breaker just outside the battery box inline with the wire to the inverter. After inverter, couple of 15amp circuit breakers in a cheap residential box, then into an RV plug, like you would see at a 30A camp site. Then plug in the trailer plug.
The generator ties in to the inverter, if you want to use it for load sharing or charging, but we haven't really needed it. If you'd like to do that, look for an inverter with a load transfer switch built in, or wire that in yourself, so that the generator doesn't get fed current when it's off.
Xantrex prosine inverter 1800w. Two can be put together and synch to give 240v if you need that. The inverter remote control just needs a phone wire with standard plugs to connect it to wherever you want the remote panel display and buttons to control it. That way you can see amperage draw, amps going in, voltage, etc, as well as turn the inverter off when you're not using it.
Panels are cheaper, way cheaper, than when I bought. The controllers are still pricey, and the tracking mounts for fixed installations are pricey. So, go with as many panels as possible, bigger wire than you first think of, and you will be able to fine tune yourself to not even need power plugs.....except in hot, humid conditions!
My RV setup is more modest. 2 150w panels, a MPPT controller, fuses, inline circuit breakers, going to those strange 'marine' 12v batteries. I will upgrade those first when they get more tired. That rig lives in Florida, but I store it under a roof.
I keep a cheap on/off type of controller for backup in case the fancier ones stop working. A cheap, less efficient inverter, for backup would be good too, if your power needs are critical.
