Forum Discussion

Chowan's avatar
Chowan
Explorer
Sep 03, 2016

How many of you use solar?

Thought about using solar when we buy our RV. I have not seen to many used RV for sale that have any solar on them. Is this because they are removed before selling, no one using them, or they just cost too much for the return? Why or why not do you use solar on your RV?

76 Replies

  • We had a solar panel on our '08 Monaco Dynasty to keep the battery topped off. I'm not sure really how well it worked. Normally, we are pole to pole so really no need for solar for us.

    Our current coach, we don't have any solar. We have the generator to run the air going down the road or I can run all four air units off of the inverters as each air is connected to it's own inverter. It does use the battery power so when we 'land', the first thing that happens is the charger kicks into HIGH gear charging the Lithium Ion batteries. If I need air conditioning, I have to be cognizant of the power usage.

    The batteries seem to charge quickly and we then resume our regular programming. :p

    MM.
  • We have 500 watts of solar on the roof of our 95 Bounder. It almost eliminates our generator needs when off grid in the winter.

    Richard
  • Came on Airstream. It is nice to keep batteries charged in storage.
  • The MH came with a little one to charge the chassis battery. It does keep the battery up when not in use
  • Lots of members have solar
    We have over 600watts of solar panels on the roof
    Five big batteries, residential 120v fridge

    All depends on your travel style
    Don't need it if you stay in full hook up resorts
  • We only use solar to charge our batteries when the RV is in storage. We bought a 100A panel, dual charge, and cables from Renogy for under $300.00. On the Escapee's forum quite a few folks use solar.