Looking To Add Solar Down The Road

Almot wrote:
Do you plan on camping in less than perfect sunshine? In low overcast with flat 420W array you'll get about 30 AH. Less if there is a low overcast AND you are camped in partial shade.

You said you are using 70 AH overnight. Plus, unknown AH during a day. Say, 40 AH? 110 AH total. This means you are taking 80 AH from the battery on a dark day. Probably more, since the phrase "I am not one to conserve energy" normally means microwave, coffeemaker and God knows what other high-current draws, and those suck the energy out at faster rate than it "should". This is called Peukert effect. So if you don't do something about conserving energy, in low overcast your 450 AH bank will last 2.5 days or less before the charge drops to 50% and you have to run a generator.

My big power draw is running the TV and Sat at night. I don't go to bed until 1AM or 2Am plus I have a 12 volt freezer in the lower bin. I know that clouds and tree will cut down my gains from the Solar. If I need, I do have the 5500 watt gen. and a Honda 2000. I got the Honda just for battery charging time. I was having a hard time charging my bank but the real problem was the converter and wires going to the batteries. WFCO converter and undersized wires. However I corrected that problem. Now plans are to unload the Honda. If the Solar work out for me. And use the main gen. when needed.