Ready to get my feet wet with Solar power
Thought I would post my idea here and let the experts tell me what I am missing. First off, I own 2ea RV's. 1 is a gooseneck horse trailer with living quarters and the other is a bumper pull prowler....
Forum Discussion
lc0338 wrote:
propane is expensive compared to free solar energy.
Solar energy costs same per KWh as your residential rate, considering all. Propane is expensive only when it comes to fridge or furnace, but not for a stove. Your trailer stove takes about 5 lb propane a month, with cooking and reheating everything. I consider myself cheap, but $5 a month even I wouldn't call expensive. Fridge will burn that much in 3-4 DAYS, and furnace - in one or two days when it's cold. If you really want to save money, you should get a small 12V fridge, but it will take many years to return the investment - they are expensive - and it will be small, your DW won't be happy.
lc0338 wrote:
Asked her awhile ago during dinner if she could live without a MW in the RV. She got testy with me
Don't... People have lost these skills and are unwilling to learn. MW does a crappy job of reheating meals, btw. Fast and crappy. With enough time, when I'm not in a hurry to get to work, a stove-top double boiler works better.
BFL13 wrote:
There is nothing special about the MW compared to any other loads....
Usually you cook some parts of the meal on the stove and some parts with the MW for say a 5 minute job. 5/60 x 130 = 11AH
Plus another 30 AH on reheating meals 2-3 times a day. Plus that "big meal" mentioned before, @30 AH, say, every 3 days. This is 53 AH, at high current, which makes it more like 65. All other items together draw same much or less, depending on how heavy user you are. Eliminate MW and you are down to 65 AH a day vs 130 AH. 65 AH you can have without a generator in pretty much any kind of weather, with 300W-500W solar and same 300-500 for battery AH. 130 AH you can't, not always, not any time of the year. This is what makes MW "special".
