Generator vs solar power
Our 2018 Jayco Hummingbird is wired for solar power. Should we buy a solar generator or skip the solar, park in the shade and by a gas generator? Will it charge our battery so we can turn it off dur...
Forum Discussion
Air/con is really the dividing line:
It is possible to have limited air/con with solar but it's big bucks and you are committed to either very limited air/con use or pretty much the entire roof covered in solar panels and 1000lbs of batteries...And you need to really keep on it and monitor the system. As a newbie to the issues, it's really not a good starter option.
For all practical purposes if you want air/con away from shore power, you need a generator. Assuming a typical roof air/con, I would want at least a 2400w unit or preferably 3000w so the generator isn't overloaded.
Smaller solar arrays (under a KW), are really good for modest loads that don't include air/con. Properly set up, you can run the microwave for a couple minutes or a quick pot of coffee but high wattage loads need to be relatively short duration.
It is possible to have limited air/con with solar but it's big bucks and you are committed to either very limited air/con use or pretty much the entire roof covered in solar panels and 1000lbs of batteries...And you need to really keep on it and monitor the system. As a newbie to the issues, it's really not a good starter option.
For all practical purposes if you want air/con away from shore power, you need a generator. Assuming a typical roof air/con, I would want at least a 2400w unit or preferably 3000w so the generator isn't overloaded.
Smaller solar arrays (under a KW), are really good for modest loads that don't include air/con. Properly set up, you can run the microwave for a couple minutes or a quick pot of coffee but high wattage loads need to be relatively short duration.
