Solar Requirements - Confirmation

CptSydor wrote:
I think if I set myself up with at least 200w/200ah of solar/batteries, plus upgrade the charger/converter we are going to be OK. Seems like there are people in this thread getting it done with that under similar conditions.

Upgrading from your current 12 volt G24 to a pair of flooded 6 volt GC-2s or pair of 12 volt G31s is IMO the most cost efficient way of significantly improving your ability to dry camp for a few days at a time without shore power. However, I'd likewise argue there's not much point in upgrading from your current WFCO 8955 converter if you're not also going to upgrade from your current 1K genset which will be limited in it's ability to properly power that higher rated converter / charger. If upgrading both is a budget killer just stick with your WFCO and use your existing 1K - recharge times will be much longer and it's unlikely the batts will ever see a proper 14.4 volt bulk charge but as you've already figured out this isn't the end of the world as some would have you believe. There are always other options, including taking your existing G24 along as a spare, including the possible use of solar. You may also find some advantage in going with 12 volt G31s which you could use sequentially, running one the first day then the second the second day, which in turn means your genset / charger would only have to recharge one battery at a time ... with GC-2s you'd have to recharge both together at the same time. You could also on occasion load support the trailer with your truck as I sometimes do. Frankly, the only issues that concern me when camping without shore power is having a sufficient 12 vdc supply to keep the fridge running in the gas mode AND when it's stinking hot outside, sufficient reserve to run a couple of 120 vac fans with my inverter ... other than that we can get along just fine without shore power for a few days if need be. :B