How Much solar to Add??

Panels are cheep, see what fits but get at least 200 watts.
Nothing wrong with 500+ watts either :B

Here are some to compare prices www.solarblvd.com
If you can find a local supplier and save shipping... I recommend it.

What is it about the other solar posts you've read that didn't answer your question?

Put as many panels on your roof as you have room to install. ;) I have 2kw and on a rainy day it still isn't enough.

Solar is part of a balanced system that starts with understanding your needs. Once you have a handle on how much power you use daily, have enough battery to tide you over when bad weather keeps the sun from playing nice. ( could be 3 days worth, maybe a month, only you can decide) Once you have a battery size, get enough solar to bring those back up fairly quickly when the sun does come back out. Some say 1-1.5 watt per AH, I like two better.

Location, time of year, climate, etc., should all be considered.

So that sounds complicated and so there is a second way to look at it. Cover the roof with panel and put as much battery as you can in, go camping and see if it keeps up with your needs. Since you have no more room, if it doesn't keep up all you can do is figure how and where to conserve. LED lights are a popular energy saving method.

Last thing is to have a back up mean of charging up the batteries in case Mr sun decides to take a weeks vacation. The most popular is a smaller inverter generator for charging. A pair of them or a larger inverter if you want to use the AC too.

So do some home work, start figuring out what you need and if you want/need those extra batteries as they will be part of the equation.

Refrigerator is a constant draw plan on 10 to 15 AH day. Lights can be a big draw, calculate draw and number of hours used. Water pump is not a big deal, draws a lot, but only briefly. HW heater can use an AH or 2 per day. HEATER can be the big bird! If you use heater 4 hours, that's 35 AH. If you use LED lighting, for 15 AH per day (just a swag for planning )you're looking at 75 AH per day.

A 100 watt panel in 5 hrs. of good sun will get you 20-25 AH or so. 300 watts would do the trick if every day were sunny, and your panels were in the sun !!

I have 120 watts permanently mounted, and a 100 watt portable. We just returned from a month in the north-east, mostly dry camping some with elect. I had to use the generator once (first time this year). Constant problem is getting sun. Most campgrounds are well shaded, and even with the portable, it was not possible to keep up with the usage.

This is just my experience, but should give you a good way to see what you will need.

Good Luck,
Doug

I suggest 100 watts for each 100 amp hours of battery storage capacity.

What do you want to hear, 500?

Camping in the coastal fog till noon, or Quartzsite Arizona ?

No one knows your life style, so how can anyone advise how many watts.
Canping summer or winter, or both ?
Are you going flat on the roof ?
Are you going portable w/ sun tracking.
Are you tilting ? 2 way, or 4 way.
Or are you going a full automatic tracking system ?
Is the sun shining 1/4 the time 1/2 3/4 ??