Practical use of solar
I have always thought that solar would be a nice mod to make and there seems to be a wealth of knowledge here about solar. However, I'd like to hear your thought processes before you did this mod. Is ...
Forum Discussion
I had thought about going solar but was unable to justify the cost based upon the number of days that we typically boondock. Normally when we boondock we are only in one spot for 5 days at the most. Between batteries and inverters plus a 1000watt portable generator we can get by for the 5 days.
During the day, I will start the generator about 10am and let it run until it runs out of gas, about 9 hours, this keeps the batteries charged. I have the inverter in the 5th wheel switched on and it uses 4 deep cycle batteries for power. We can run the microwave, TVs Sat receiver or DVD player, laptop and lights at will for the 5 days.
If we need to use the air conditioning then I have two Honda 2000i generators with the parallel kit to use. We rarely need the AC so these generators usually are left at home & I just bring the 1000 watt.
I also use the two 2000 watt Hondas for projects to run power tools or provide power at home if the electric goes out. I like the flexibilty of these two units.
If we spent more time in one spot boondocking, I might consider going solar.
During the day, I will start the generator about 10am and let it run until it runs out of gas, about 9 hours, this keeps the batteries charged. I have the inverter in the 5th wheel switched on and it uses 4 deep cycle batteries for power. We can run the microwave, TVs Sat receiver or DVD player, laptop and lights at will for the 5 days.
If we need to use the air conditioning then I have two Honda 2000i generators with the parallel kit to use. We rarely need the AC so these generators usually are left at home & I just bring the 1000 watt.
I also use the two 2000 watt Hondas for projects to run power tools or provide power at home if the electric goes out. I like the flexibilty of these two units.
If we spent more time in one spot boondocking, I might consider going solar.
