johnm1 wrote:
I was planning on solar and starting small with 1 or 2 portable panels and eventually put them (and more) on the roof but now I'm really wondering if that's unnecessary for my needs.
I have (2) 6V gc batteries (230AH each) ...
Presumably you realize that although each of your 6 volt batteries has a 230 AH rating the total rating of the two together will still be 230 AH because as 6 volts powering a 12 volt system the batteries must be connected together in series. Considering you'll get the greatest longevity out of these batteries if the DOD (depth of discharge) is as reasonably low as is practical, with ~ 50% about as low as you'd want to go on any regular basis, that means you really only have ~ 115 AH of
usable reserve available to you. Since many consider ~ 35 AH a day as typical just to keep the minimum going in a travel trailer that obviously means that pair of 6 volts is really only good for about 3 days of moderate use without recharging, whether that recharging method is solar, a genset, or shore power. This being the case even a "starter" solar system should be rated 250 to 300 watts, keeping in mind that solar capability will
always degrade as does the weather.
