Hey everyone, My wife and I just bought a new 2023 Rockwood TT. It came equipped (from the factory) with an inverter, 2 200w solar panels and we added two Lithium Ion Batteries (100ah). I was under the impression that the inverter would work for everything in the trailer but I guess that is not the case. My wife is a travel nurse and we will be full Timing for the next 8-10 years and wanted to save on our electric bill. My question is, should we add another inverter that would make it to where we can use everything in trailer with the solar and lithium ion batteries and then plug into shore power every once in a while if the batteries and solar can't keep up? Or, if we're plugged into shore power, would the solar and the lithium ion batteries save us any money on our bill? It's very confusing to me as I know the solar keeps the batteries charged but I believe once we are plugged into shore power, that will trump our solar if I'm correct. Thanks for any advice and tips. Much appreciated.

assuming your TT is wired like all of the others your batteries will charge when plugged into shore power. be careful, though. some chargers will continue to pour energy into the batteries even when they are fully charged. be sure your converter/inverter is ‘smart’ (multi-stage) and will transition to a ‘maintenance’ or ‘float’ when the battiries finish charging. our MH has a 2000-watt inverter which runs many but not all AC systems, the roof air cond being one. and not all of the AC outlets are connected to the inverter. good luck and safe travels.

Generally, the inverter is not wired to run everything. Heavy power use devices like the aircon and hot water heater are usually not included as most systems can't keep up with those. 400w of solar with 200amp-hr of battery bank certainly are not going to keep up.Where solar/battery shines is if you are staying in cool climates where you don't need aircon and you keep your other power consumption to a minimum.So what exactly are you thinking of when you say "everything"?The next question is how much do you really think you are going to save in electric bills? Most short term stays include electricity, so it's use it or lose it. Monthly stays are hit and miss in terms of using a meter but even so, it's often pretty darn cheap, particularly when you consider the usable life of a battery bank. Assuming you aren't running the air/con & water heater much, $20-30/month for electric wouldn't be unusual.

120V devices take a lot of power and you have a small solar battery setup. For example a 10A A/C would require the inverter to draw 100A from the battery, hence you have 2 hours of run time plus a few minutes if the sun is out.You could save a little but it's very dependent on your AC device usage and DC usage.Your charger and solar controller don't trump each other. Each contributes to the house loads and any remaining power charges the battery.

400 watts of solar panels will yield around 1.5 kilowatt-hours of power a day in bright sunshine. This is well matched to the 200 amp-hours of battery you have. On a cloudy day, maybe 1/10th kWh is about all you can expect.That being said, it is not enough to run "everything." The house lights are 12 volt, thus run directly from the battery. Make a pot of coffee, charge your phones, laptop, and listen to the radio or watch TV. CPAP overnight, all should be fine. I came across a youtube video in which a guy had a tiny 5000 btu ac he claimed to run on 1,000 watts of solar. 400 watts of solar is not "nothing." It is just not "everything."BTW, it is necessary that your inverter and shore power never meet up in the outlets in your rig. Explosions and fires result.

Nathanbates114 wrote:My wife and I just bought a new 2023 Rockwood TT.Is it 30A or 50A?

Full Timing with Solar and Shore Power | Good Sam Community

CA_Traveler
Explorer III
May 01, 2023
120V devices take a lot of power and you have a small solar battery setup. For example a 10A A/C would require the inverter to draw 100A from the battery, hence you have 2 hours of run time plus a few minutes if the sun is out.

You could save a little but it's very dependent on your AC device usage and DC usage.

Your charger and solar controller don't trump each other. Each contributes to the house loads and any remaining power charges the battery.
valhalla360
Navigator
May 01, 2023
Generally, the inverter is not wired to run everything. Heavy power use devices like the aircon and hot water heater are usually not included as most systems can't keep up with those. 400w of solar with 200amp-hr of battery bank certainly are not going to keep up.

Where solar/battery shines is if you are staying in cool climates where you don't need aircon and you keep your other power consumption to a minimum.

So what exactly are you thinking of when you say "everything"?

The next question is how much do you really think you are going to save in electric bills? Most short term stays include electricity, so it's use it or lose it. Monthly stays are hit and miss in terms of using a meter but even so, it's often pretty darn cheap, particularly when you consider the usable life of a battery bank. Assuming you aren't running the air/con & water heater much, $20-30/month for electric wouldn't be unusual.
rk911
Explorer
May 01, 2023
assuming your TT is wired like all of the others your batteries will charge when plugged into shore power. be careful, though. some chargers will continue to pour energy into the batteries even when they are fully charged. be sure your converter/inverter is ‘smart’ (multi-stage) and will transition to a ‘maintenance’ or ‘float’ when the battiries finish charging.

our MH has a 2000-watt inverter which runs many but not all AC systems, the roof air cond being one. and not all of the AC outlets are connected to the inverter.

good luck and safe travels.

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