Ready to get my feet wet with Solar power

lc0338 wrote:
Will 3ea 100 watt panels give me enough juice?

If 18a of charge running for ~5hr/day is enough to replenish your usage, then yes.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi lc,

From a battery charging approach for 464 amp-hours of bank the range of wattage needed is between about 280 to 700 watts. (based on between 60 and 150 watts per 100 amp-hours).

Since you plan on a lot of electrical use I'd lean to the higher number.

Pick a controller that has battery sense wires and a temperature probe.

I'd probably go with the Tristar 60 amp controller. If I were feeling "flush" money wise I'd go to the MPPT version of that controller.

Thanks PT. I had already decided to go MPPT and was looking at the Outback Flexmax 60 (FM60). One place I priced it was $589 and the Morningstar MPPT60 listed for $689

Any recommendations for solar panels? Will 3ea 100 watt panels give me enough juice?

bka0721 wrote:

lc0338 wrote:
What I am not understanding is how the converter on the rv will charge my rover batteries? ac is being used from rover to power converter and at same time converter is sending power back through extension cord to rover and charging batteries?

Now you are understanding. Where is the Convertor getting it's power, to charge your house batteries and Rover Batteries (essentially a 2nd Battery Bank)? That is the dilemma here in building a Stand Alone Solar Project using house batteries. You, are doing something that many have not done, where I have been living it, for 2 3/4 years, fulltime.

What is happening, is your shore power cord, plugged into a pedestal (Rover's inverter) is not able to distinguish whether this is a Battery Bank or Con Edison. The converter typically has a 3 stage battery charger built into it and when it detects a drain, it is going to amp up! The drain is the converter bleeding the battery bank itself. Thus, the Loop. Most convertors are literally plugged into the back of your breaker panel box and reaching in and pulling the plug, unplugs it. Me? I just put in a switch (household light switch) and just flip the switch when I don't need the convertor, which is 99.99% of the time.

Leaving your House Batteries connected will run all of your DC side of your camper. Period. The issue is that there is nothing charging these batteries with the convertor disconnected, until your alternator is running, when you are driving down the road. Another inefficient way of charging your batteries, if you are driving short trips (-3 hrs).

The ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) is switching over when you plug your shore power plug into the aux power source, a pedestal at a campground, in another name, your inverter in your Rover.

Your project is doable, I did it. There are some hurdles you will encounter, as I did and did not know before I started. All I am doing is trying to give you a heads up and a solution I chose for myself. I will be here to answer your questions and help when I can. It is your choice in how you disseminate my information and other information in how it best works to make your Rover project work.

My Exit Plan, when I get off the road, is to use my Rover as my own power plant, so as I can still live off the grid, on a piece of land, and that has been one of my goals for building the project the way I did it. I will probably build what is known as a Tiny House and supplement my power by using my Rover and then it will be available to me, the Rover, when I want to go on my next adventure, with my camper. Maybe that might sound a bit familiar to what you are thinking your plans are.

Meet your hurdles, solve them, move on. There are a lot of people here that you can pick their brains and mine a lot of money/time saving information from. You won't be able to keep them focused and as the thread grows, posters will not have read the previous posts and or your original question and share what is in their mind and experience, totally different then what your needs are.

What I see you need to do;

1. Design a mobile cart to house your batteries, controllers, monitors, invertors.
2. Design a frame that allows 3 Solar Panels to be mounted on it with quick release connectors (Pins) that will attach to a stand or to the top of the mobile base.
3. Design the Rover so it can be picked up and placed on the back of a Truck's Flat Bed.
4. Assemble.

All the other stuff is easy, as you are not fishing wires and cables through roofs and walls. Seems like you are building something like a Nascar Pit Box, with Solar Panels.


Good luck.


b

So, by unplugging the rv converter, then running a dc wire along with an ac wire from the solar rover to RV. The dc wire connects to the rv batteries to keep them charged and the ac line provides high power needs. I'm sure this works as you are doing it but I was with an understanding that running 12 volt over distance lost a lot of power, ineffecient?

"Now you are understanding. Where is the Convertor getting it's power, to charge your house batteries and Rover Batteries (essentially a 2nd Battery Bank)?"

I am just confused about what the set up really is I guess. Where is the connection from the RV converter to charge the rover's batteries?

I thought the rover had its own batteries, charged by solar, or by a charger powered by a gen. The Rv has its own batteries charged by its converter. Where is the loop???

On charging the batteries from a converter or a portable charger for fast charging , it depends on which is faster. EG my 20amp Vector portable was faster than my 55 amp converter (7355), but would not beat a 3 stage 55 amp converter that had proper wiring.

It can go either way depending on the model of the portable and the model of the converter and the converter's wiring.

One issue with the long 120v from the rover would be "low voltage" with big 120v loads. Could be a big problem or a little one--depends. Might need a RV gen for big loads and the rover for small ones if 120v cord to rover is too long.

Hi lc,

From a battery charging approach for 464 amp-hours of bank the range of wattage needed is between about 280 to 700 watts. (based on between 60 and 150 watts per 100 amp-hours).

Since you plan on a lot of electrical use I'd lean to the higher number.

Pick a controller that has battery sense wires and a temperature probe.

I'd probably go with the Tristar 60 amp controller. If I were feeling "flush" money wise I'd go to the MPPT version of that controller.

lc0338 wrote:
What I am not understanding is how the converter on the rv will charge my rover batteries? ac is being used from rover to power converter and at same time converter is sending power back through extension cord to rover and charging batteries?

Now you are understanding. Where is the Convertor getting it's power, to charge your house batteries and Rover Batteries (essentially a 2nd Battery Bank)? That is the dilemma here in building a Stand Alone Solar Project using house batteries. You, are doing something that many have not done, where I have been living it, for 2 3/4 years, fulltime.

What is happening, is your shore power cord, plugged into a pedestal (Rover's inverter) is not able to distinguish whether this is a Battery Bank or Con Edison. The converter typically has a 3 stage battery charger built into it and when it detects a drain, it is going to amp up! The drain is the converter bleeding the battery bank itself. Thus, the Loop. Most convertors are literally plugged into the back of your breaker panel box and reaching in and pulling the plug, unplugs it. Me? I just put in a switch (household light switch) and just flip the switch when I don't need the convertor, which is 99.99% of the time.

Leaving your House Batteries connected will run all of your DC side of your camper. Period. The issue is that there is nothing charging these batteries with the convertor disconnected, until your alternator is running, when you are driving down the road. Another inefficient way of charging your batteries, if you are driving short trips (-3 hrs).

The ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) is switching over when you plug your shore power plug into the aux power source, a pedestal at a campground, in another name, your inverter in your Rover.

Your project is doable, I did it. There are some hurdles you will encounter, as I did and did not know before I started. All I am doing is trying to give you a heads up and a solution I chose for myself. I will be here to answer your questions and help when I can. It is your choice in how you disseminate my information and other information in how it best works to make your Rover project work.

My Exit Plan, when I get off the road, is to use my Rover as my own power plant, so as I can still live off the grid, on a piece of land, and that has been one of my goals for building the project the way I did it. I will probably build what is known as a Tiny House and supplement my power by using my Rover and then it will be available to me, the Rover, when I want to go on my next adventure, with my camper. Maybe that might sound a bit familiar to what you are thinking your plans are.

Meet your hurdles, solve them, move on. There are a lot of people here that you can pick their brains and mine a lot of money/time saving information from. You won't be able to keep them focused and as the thread grows, posters will not have read the previous posts and or your original question and share what is in their mind and experience, totally different then what your needs are.

What I see you need to do;

1. Design a mobile cart to house your batteries, controllers, monitors, invertors.
2. Design a frame that allows 3 Solar Panels to be mounted on it with quick release connectors (Pins) that will attach to a stand or to the top of the mobile base.
3. Design the Rover so it can be picked up and placed on the back of a Truck's Flat Bed.
4. Assemble.

All the other stuff is easy, as you are not fishing wires and cables through roofs and walls. Seems like you are building something like a Nascar Pit Box, with Solar Panels.


Good luck.


b

Salvo wrote:
I dislike generators as much as anybody. It does however play an important role in my camping style. Haven't been on shore power for 7 years. 130W of solar is adequate. The gen is operating just for a few minutes to run the microwave. I fill the gen gas tank perhaps twice a year; just half full. My greatest concern with the gen is stale fuel.

Keep it simple. Solar is great. It's also so cheap that you can mount panels on both trailers. Don't worry about shade so much. Only about 30% of camping times requires shade. It's not worth the major hassles to move panels around. Even now, camping in this heat wave, my solar fills the batteries adequately during the unshaded morning. If you want to save money, move the expensive charge controller from rig to rig.

Sal

lc0338 wrote:
$5.00 a day for generator fuel is never paid back.

I probably am trying to over analyze it. But, I am learning a lot which is not bad.

On the fuel issue; I go through quite a bit of fuel: 4-wheeler, lawn mower, chain saw, weed eater, generator, etc.
I alway's add "Sta-bil" a fuel stabilizer when I add fuel to items not used that often. If it's close to winter time I double the dosage when fuel is added and never drain fuel over winter time. Next spring they start up without any issue. I believe in this stuff.

I dislike generators as much as anybody. It does however play an important role in my camping style. Haven't been on shore power for 7 years. 130W of solar is adequate. The gen is operating just for a few minutes to run the microwave. I fill the gen gas tank perhaps twice a year; just half full. My greatest concern with the gen is stale fuel.

Keep it simple. Solar is great. It's also so cheap that you can mount panels on both trailers. Don't worry about shade so much. Only about 30% of camping times requires shade. It's not worth the major hassles to move panels around. Even now, camping in this heat wave, my solar fills the batteries adequately during the unshaded morning. If you want to save money, move the expensive charge controller from rig to rig.

Sal

lc0338 wrote:
$5.00 a day for generator fuel is never paid back.

BFL13 wrote:
".... You are using your shore power drop cord (whether from your 5th Wheel or Travel Trailer (TT)) and plugging into your Rover (via an inverter). Yes, you can leave your converter on, but it will be charging back your House batteries and Rover's batteries, in a loop of never ending return. Break the loop and it won't happen"

Where is the loop? The Rv converter is getting its 120v from the rover's inverter on rover batteries. The RV batteries are not connected to the rover's inverter.

The RV batteries will not be run down so will not need charging as long as the converter is on. It will not be "efficient" but so what? The solar on the rover is not going to cost extra.

Ok, I think I understood most of it so you are saying since the rv converter is not going to be unhooked I don't need to charge the rv battery bank with a separate battery charger? (I was thinking if I ran a separate extension cord from my rover inverter to a battery charger for the rv battery bank I may be able to minimize the use of the rv converter, as far as the need to charge batteries. It may not be any more efficient?)

What I am not understanding is how the converter on the rv will charge my rover batteries? ac is being used from rover to power converter and at same time converter is sending power back through extension cord to rover and charging batteries?

".... You are using your shore power drop cord (whether from your 5th Wheel or Travel Trailer (TT)) and plugging into your Rover (via an inverter). Yes, you can leave your converter on, but it will be charging back your House batteries and Rover's batteries, in a loop of never ending return. Break the loop and it won't happen"

Where is the loop? The Rv converter is getting its 120v from the rover's inverter on rover batteries. The RV batteries are not connected to the rover's inverter.

The RV batteries will not be run down so will not need charging as long as the converter is on. It will not be "efficient" but so what? The solar on the rover is not going to cost extra.