Put the Solar to the test.
So just a bit of back ground. I tried to dig up my original post for a reference but failed to find it. So the long and the short of it is: I bought a 20fq Creek Side and had 300w of solar installed ...
Forum Discussion
I have been running my 255AH battery bank since 2009 and we typically run about 20AMPS DC Current from the batteries each evening between 6PM and 11PM and of course have the 1-2AMPS parasitic drain all the time when camping off the power grid.
My 255AH battery bank makes it just fine through the night and drops my batteries to around their 12.0VDC charge state around 8AM each morning.
This is when I use my 2KW generator when allowed to re-charge my battery back up to their 90% charge state by connecting the trailer shore power cable directly to the generator.
I am just now thinking solar panels and will have around 400WATTS installed on my POPUP trailer roof. I want to get a good 20AMPS of usable DC current from my panels during the high sun day.
I am pretty sure I will have to get past my initial high DC current charge demand of around 52AMPS DC current using my 2KW Generator for around an one hour run until the battery bank starts tapering back to its 8AMPS or so DC current demand from the charge source. Then I can shut down my 2KW generator and let the solar panels continue the charge for rest of the high sun day.
I have learned over the years since 2009 I can not start my battery run if I have less than a 90% charge state otherwise it will get dark on me around 10PM at night.
The 2KW Generator will be my priority use item and the solar panels will be a supplement use item in my case.
It is a bit different camping off-road here on the East side of the US and everywhere you go you run into generator run time restrictions. I also suspect Solar panels will not get as much high sun as you find out west.
We all have our different needs for things it seems...
Roy Ken
My 255AH battery bank makes it just fine through the night and drops my batteries to around their 12.0VDC charge state around 8AM each morning.
This is when I use my 2KW generator when allowed to re-charge my battery back up to their 90% charge state by connecting the trailer shore power cable directly to the generator.
I am just now thinking solar panels and will have around 400WATTS installed on my POPUP trailer roof. I want to get a good 20AMPS of usable DC current from my panels during the high sun day.
I am pretty sure I will have to get past my initial high DC current charge demand of around 52AMPS DC current using my 2KW Generator for around an one hour run until the battery bank starts tapering back to its 8AMPS or so DC current demand from the charge source. Then I can shut down my 2KW generator and let the solar panels continue the charge for rest of the high sun day.
I have learned over the years since 2009 I can not start my battery run if I have less than a 90% charge state otherwise it will get dark on me around 10PM at night.
The 2KW Generator will be my priority use item and the solar panels will be a supplement use item in my case.
It is a bit different camping off-road here on the East side of the US and everywhere you go you run into generator run time restrictions. I also suspect Solar panels will not get as much high sun as you find out west.
We all have our different needs for things it seems...
Roy Ken
