Need solar help!
Have 30’ 5r, one WM group 27 DC battery, & 100 watt solar panel. We have had days of great sunshine but readings almost always show low battery. But the lights work, water pump works & we haven’t gone...
Forum Discussion
If you read my posts on this thread I made it clear I was speaking about my RV. Trackrig has similar loads amounting to 35 amp-hours.
I do wish the fridges were not such hogs. Mine draws 1.5 amps when the gas valve is open and 0.5 amps when it is not active. On a duty cycle of 2:3 per hour, that works out to about 1.17 amp-hours X 24 hours = 28 amp-hours per day. And yes, this is from real life data measured in October when the ambient temperature was 20 c (68 f).
The point is that for many (if not all) RV'ers a 100 watt solar panel may not be sufficient to their needs. Suggesting otherwise does solar a disservice, which results in an attitude that "solar doesn't work" or "solar is expensive".
The reality is that a properly sized solar charging system is the nearest anyone ever gets to a "free lunch". It is a one time cost. Do it right the first time.
I do wish the fridges were not such hogs. Mine draws 1.5 amps when the gas valve is open and 0.5 amps when it is not active. On a duty cycle of 2:3 per hour, that works out to about 1.17 amp-hours X 24 hours = 28 amp-hours per day. And yes, this is from real life data measured in October when the ambient temperature was 20 c (68 f).
The point is that for many (if not all) RV'ers a 100 watt solar panel may not be sufficient to their needs. Suggesting otherwise does solar a disservice, which results in an attitude that "solar doesn't work" or "solar is expensive".
The reality is that a properly sized solar charging system is the nearest anyone ever gets to a "free lunch". It is a one time cost. Do it right the first time.
