Forum Discussion

clotus's avatar
clotus
Explorer
Mar 11, 2015

Solar help

OMG I have been researching solar and I am overwhelmed. I am hoping some people with experience will help steer me in a right direction. Here is what I have planned so far: (2) Trojan T-105 6v wired for 12 v (225 amp/hr).

I am looking for a solar system that will keep the batteries topped off and healthy while sitting in direct sunlight in storage and to extend boondocking trips with no genny.

I was thinking the ballpark of 300 watt worth of solar. Here is where I get lost, what charger, series vs parallel, etc. I am picking up the new to me 5er (in service right now.......long story) tomorrow and I will be able to get up on the roof to measure and plan out the best place.

I plan to head down the fridge vent into the from storage where the batteries are (probably a 15 ft run).

Any suggestions or comments.....

(and yes I have run a search and been reading and I think my head might explode!!!)
  • ReneeG's avatar
    ReneeG
    Explorer
    Mar 11, 2015
    We are not experts by any means but we just had a 300 watt system installed and are very pleased with the performance and that's just sitting in our driveway. We know our limitations so we had it professionally installed but we first read this article and as a result we were more informed and requested to have the solar panels installed down the driver's side to allow walking room up on top. Note the cost/charge in this article. We paid about half that amount. We can run everything but the AC, MW, on board vacuum system, and fireplace. We also took the plunge and replaced all our bulbs with LED's which use a fraction of the power as the regular. We had over 43 lights in our fifth wheel, so it wasn't cheap to replace them but it's going to be worth it when we're out dry camping, which we do a lot of, or boondocking which is our preferred camping method. When we did the walk through of the new system, we took our Honda eu2000 generator to the dealership and ran it to ensure that all system work with the solar installed. We have a Trav'lr Dish and it will turn on and set with the solar system! Neat. Good luck.

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