Solar Power

“I can run air without any solar help for about 3 hours.”

That’s great and should be long enough for many RVers.

Joe417 wrote:
..solar will help but you can't run the A/C from solar without major investment.

I'm one of the very few if not the only person on here to run air from solar for hours at a time. I have 835w on the roof and a 48v Li battery pack, and yes it was a big investment.

I can run air without any solar help for about 3 hours.

If you prefer not running the generator as much then solar will help but you can't run the A/C from solar without major investment.

To answer another of your questions, we added 165 watts of solar last year costing about $200. Panel and controller was $175 from ebay which included shipping.

You'll still need the generator for the A/C, microwave, and wife's hair dryer.

We run 2 group 29 batteries, I think they are around 220 AH. We run a small fan all night, water pump, CO and LP detector, fridge, some led lights, charge 2 phones and 2 camera batteries, watched tv or a movie, and on the last trip ran the heat each night with no issues.

My full batteries top off at 12.7V and this type of use drops them down to 12.4 or 12.3V. The solar recharged them even with some intermittent shade.

"I've read that some folks with a full solar set up don't even plug in when it's available." I don't usually plugin except when I want AC which is rare.

"All the tech details freak me out so can you give me an idea of what I would need to go mostly solar?" Use a free online RV solar calculator to determine how many amps you use per day then add another 50%. Then you can determine how many solar panels and the necessary battery bank required to store the power.

"Would I have to have different from my 2 middle size deep cycle batteries." Yes, more than likely you'll need new, larger capacity batteries.

"Best, I assume to have the panels mounted on the roof?" Yes, then there is no set up, take down or theft issue.

"Could I run the AC, even at night?" I've heard about RV solar systems that can do that but never seen one. Due to the necessary battery weight I believe it is not practical.

"Approximate cost?" WindyNation top of the line 400 watt kit with MPPT controller $850 plus another $100 for wire, glue, screws etc. Say less than $1,000.

"Would I give up anything?" Yes, generator noise and maintenance. However, I do carry a small inverter generator for cloudy days but haven't used it in 60 camping days except for exercise. May need to this trip!

Just got into the Class C thing after doing 5er for years. Got solar which is useless in forested camp sites. No generator (yet?)

Thing is, Class Cs have the magic of alternator charging AND you can use the smaller ones (our 28 is as big as you can go for this IMO) to also drive around in like we used to with the truck while leaving the 5er on site.

All that driving around in the truck did nothing for the 5er, but it does replace some AH in the Class C. Plus you are not then under the trees either, so you get some solar if the weatherman permits.

The other thing is to carry more batteries. Once again it is all about scenarios. You need about a battery per day off- grid, so if you want to stay five days and you only have two batts, you need to make up the diff of three batts by recharging. BUT--if you have four batts, now you only need to make up one batt's worth over the five days. Now you can apply a little alternator charging and any solar and get it done.

Say you get 20 amps (a modest amount) then in one hour of driving around each day for five, that's 100AH --ie the size of one battery.

If you are short two batteries with only two in the RV and your stay is four days, now you can still manage, but have to drive around two hours a day, or be getting 40 amps from the alternator, so you can do it with still the one hour a day driving. (You can also just idle for a while)

We are still learning how to do all this kind of thing with the Class C, but it is not like the 5er at all. Also you can just move to the campground parking lot during the day and get some solar time, while still being in the park. Go back to your site for supper and back to the parking lot after breakfast. Whatever.

Might still need a generator depending on scenario, but a Class C means you have some interesting options not available with a trailer.

A/C from solar the short answer is No!

The long answer is a very small window unit
1400 Watts of solar on the roof and a large battery bank
And you can have a few hours 3-4, of evening A/C

Good A/C needs a generator

You park in national parks and forests, you will get very little solar
Enough to maintain the battery state, not enough to replace your daily use

Jayco-noslide wrote:
could I run the AC, even at night?

no.

I think you should start here:12v side of life.

I think anyone who wants to run AC with solar needs to watch Gone With The Wynns' answer (even though they own a boat and not an RV now)

click

You will need first of all FULL SUN for hours and hours at every boondock site you camp at. Without sun, you will be screwed.

Why does this point seem to be "massaged" by solar panel proponents? I guess they can tolerate 120F interior temperatures. Or maybe they live in cooler climes?

MIRACLE POWER SYSTEMS! Come visit Mount McKinley, on Summer Solstice and you will not believe the powerhouse delivery of your solar panels!

Once I pass the "how much sun is there?" point, then I start in on serious planning or abandon things entirely.