Almot wrote:
Lights on the panel - battery indicator - very inaccurate. Trimetric monitor or a cheaper Victron BMW600 is the best. There are fans of either model.
Heater - go catalytic propane, it will save both energy and propane. Platinum Cat is the best, Olympic is the 2nd best - cheaper but not vented, if you paranoid about air quality and CO, get Platinum Cat.
Solar - a big question. Smkettner has 675W system, and it seems to cover all his needs in this location, including high-draw items like microwave. He published his installation with photos here. Without high-draw items like microwave, in SoCal you can live happily off 400-500W system and 500 AH battery bank (4 GC) without a generator. LCD TV draws very little, and catalytic heater also little, this won't be a problem with solar. The problem is high-draw 120V items other than electronics - MW, coffee-maker, hair dryer, toaster, vacuum. If you can live without those for 2 weeks, 500W solar is enough. Materials cost ~$1.50 per watt, including panels, controller, inverter and everything else. Labor may cost a couple grand on top of that.
Most RV solar systems on this forum are DIY
One drawback, or advantage of an unvented propane heater (depends on the climate) is that unvented propane heaters will put about 3 quarts of water vapor in the air for every gallon of propane burned.
Olympian, Big buddy and some others are unvented. If it's "portable" it's likely unvented.
(CxHy +02= heat +CO2 + H2O)
In a dry climate, nice, provides some additional humidity. In a wet climate, not as nice, certainly doesn't help get rid of condensation problems. So if humidity is an issue keeping several windows or vents cracked will often help.
BTW stove/oven is the same issue. VENTED propane heaters like the HW Heater and normal RV Furnace aren't an issue, the combustion air along with the water as a byproduct of combustion, all goes outside.
My understanding is the Platinum cat is a VENTED heater.
