General RV Solar Questions?
I'm planning to add a couple of new high end Kyocera 140 panels and build up a new system out of them. Currenly I have what my old 95' Squire 400 came with which is a substandard and smaller panel wi...
Forum Discussion
I see nothing in Redsky's post I disagree with, especially the need for a Trimetric or equal. The fact is, you can sit on the couch, add the numbers from various specs and guess at what you need or use. The Trimetric or equal, tells you exactly what you are using, then you can make an informed decision with real numbers. I think the Trimetric or equal is a must have before anything else.
For me, I discovered it was more cost effective to lower my AH needs. The first was to change my primary lighting with LEDs. I installed a Wave3 heater (no AH required). Running my lights, TV and Laptop I typically need 25 to 30 AH per night in the winter. I have two 65 watt solar panels and one 100 AH AGM battery. I have a 1988 TC, so I am spared the typical parasitic AH draw (about 5 AH per day). My only inverters are 100 watt. One for the TV related stuff and one for the Laptop.
As I recall, in over five years living in my TC four nights a week year round, I only had one occasion I had to run my Honda to charge my battery. Depending on your camping lifestyle, 130 watts of solar and a 100 AH AGM is adequate.
Wayne
For me, I discovered it was more cost effective to lower my AH needs. The first was to change my primary lighting with LEDs. I installed a Wave3 heater (no AH required). Running my lights, TV and Laptop I typically need 25 to 30 AH per night in the winter. I have two 65 watt solar panels and one 100 AH AGM battery. I have a 1988 TC, so I am spared the typical parasitic AH draw (about 5 AH per day). My only inverters are 100 watt. One for the TV related stuff and one for the Laptop.
As I recall, in over five years living in my TC four nights a week year round, I only had one occasion I had to run my Honda to charge my battery. Depending on your camping lifestyle, 130 watts of solar and a 100 AH AGM is adequate.
Wayne
