Will it, in the least, slow the discharge down? As I said, we only go dry camping 2 or 3 nights at a time. I'm hoping this will at least help in that regard. Perhaps down the line, if we start spending more time out there, I'll revisit the purchase of a larger wattage panel.
pianotuna wrote:
Hi Heelshock,
Unfortunately 25 watts won't even cover parasitic loads. It would, however maintain and possibly even recharge the battery bank between trips. Rule of thumb for solar is between 60 and 150 watts of panel for each 100 amp-hours of storage @ 12 volts.
Currently solar panels are hovering at about $1.25 per watt. Add a decent controller and DIY and you can have 120 watts for about $300.00 installed.
Heelshock wrote:
I'm trying to avoid the generator route. I just purchased a 25W solar maintainer to use at the campsite. I've replaced all the halogen bulbs in the fixtures with LED's, and even having done that we use battery lanterns most of the time when dry camping. The most important thing for us is having the water pump (we turn it on only on demand) and the refer.
dclark1946 wrote:
Do you plan on using a generator when you dry camp? We do fine with a single Gr 27 Trojan SCS 12V deep cycle (115 AH) but I do run a EU1000 every morning during breakfast. We camp for at least a week in the Smokies with a couple gallons of gas. We run a Fantastic vent fan all night and the usual fridge, water pump and lights but no inverter. We perk our coffee on the stove top and do fine without a microwave. I also give the battery a good check out before leaving by verifying it will hold 12.7V for 2 days unloaded and run a load test. Our Trojan SCS 200 is 3 years old and is maintained when we are not camping with a 55 W solar panel/controller. I learned early on about how a poorly maintained (sulfated) battery can leave you in a bad situation when dry camping.
Dick
