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RooDude09's avatar
RooDude09
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018

Think about solar...

After the last dry camping trip I’m starting to think about getting some solar on our trailer. I have two six volt batteries and after running the generator to make sure they’re charged up for about three hours before bed, the lp alarm goes off inthe morning. It would be nice to not have to worry about that and to not have to hear the generator running for hours. Any suggestions on brand? I’ve been looking at some videos on logistics of wiring. I do like the idea of an inverter on a transfer switch as well. One video I saw had a Gopower kit it looked pretty nice and it looks like they make inverters with the transfer switch and charger all included. Any other bends people like?
  • What charger is used on the 6V batteries? Most RV converters don't push high enough voltage to do them justice.
  • 3 hours isn't long enough to fully charge a pair of 6 volt batteries.

    We have 500 watts of solar and this is great when in 5 to 6 hours of full sun.
    Do an energy audit; this will determine the battery bank size you need which will in turn tell you the size solar array you need.
  • Solar is a great thing, however you have some problem in your batteries if two sixes won't last a single night. Batteries lost capacity, lots of load, or inadequate charger for instance.
  • Have you done an audit of how much power you use each day? We have two group 31s and a 120 watt portable solar panel, and it keeps us fully topped off, every day, for as long as we want to camp (assuming it is sunny!).

    But we are just two people, and we use power sparingly. The big hog is the furnace, which we use mostly during shower time. The water pump draws a lot of juice but is only intermittently used. Otherwise, it's just the LED lights and the fridge and the water heater. Those items draw very little power, by comparison.

    So my point is that you may be able to get away without a permanent solar panel on the roof. Of course, a roof system has a big advantage -- you don't have to deploy it! But if the RV is in the shade, that is a problem. And the roof panel is flat -- a tilted portable panel is more efficient.

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