Should I Change My WFCO Converter?
Opinions have often been expressed, both on this and other RV forums, that most stock RV converters are inadequate to properly charge and maintain batteries and are often of poor quality. It is frequ...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
How can gas be cheaper in the long run than solar which is a "one time" cost? Generators do require oil changes, fuel, and eventually, replacement.
Where I rv, on December 21, I'd get about 70 amp-hours per day from 1000 watts of solar, in a flat fixed installation. Since you say you need 150 amp-hours per day, such a system should save nearly 50% of the run time on a generator. The solar would directly power the furnace for most of the time that the sun was up, and would charge the batteries even when doing so.
With panel prices in "free fall" a 1000 watt system could be had for under $2 per watt.
Since I need a peak of 6000 watts to keep warm electrically it is cheaper for me to go to the local campground than to run a generator and burn propane. My local weather conditions are much colder than 20 f. Today (2014 11 24 at 7:21 a.m.) the temperature is 13 f.
Imagine the pleasure of doing a generator oil change at -40.
Even at 20 F a PD in "boost mode" may not properly recharge a flooded battery bank. It simply needs a higher voltage than that. A decent solar charge controller with temperature compensation takes care of that need.
How can gas be cheaper in the long run than solar which is a "one time" cost? Generators do require oil changes, fuel, and eventually, replacement.
Where I rv, on December 21, I'd get about 70 amp-hours per day from 1000 watts of solar, in a flat fixed installation. Since you say you need 150 amp-hours per day, such a system should save nearly 50% of the run time on a generator. The solar would directly power the furnace for most of the time that the sun was up, and would charge the batteries even when doing so.
With panel prices in "free fall" a 1000 watt system could be had for under $2 per watt.
Since I need a peak of 6000 watts to keep warm electrically it is cheaper for me to go to the local campground than to run a generator and burn propane. My local weather conditions are much colder than 20 f. Today (2014 11 24 at 7:21 a.m.) the temperature is 13 f.
Imagine the pleasure of doing a generator oil change at -40.
Even at 20 F a PD in "boost mode" may not properly recharge a flooded battery bank. It simply needs a higher voltage than that. A decent solar charge controller with temperature compensation takes care of that need.
AH64ID wrote:
Solar doesn't cut if for me thou, the time of year where solar would work I dont need the heater, and when it's heating season there isn't enough sun. Gas is just cheaper in the long run. I get 2 nights in the 20's out of 300AH and that's plenty with work and school schedules.
