Utilizing Solar with FHU

TomG2 wrote:

What is not clear? I asked, "I wondered if I could get any benefit from solar while in my RV park."

You also said that investment will be for dry camping. For most people adding a solar on dry camp makes sense. For some it doesn't. Questions to answer: How long dry camping, how often, how much AH used per day on dry camp (not counting A/C), can you DIY.

The very question "benefit from solar while in my RV park" is a no question. Yes, you will benefit - IF you are going to have solar anyway. But it won't be much. Again, there are questions to answer: energy use, electricity rates, solar size, can you DIY.

Almot wrote:

TomG2 wrote:
I wondered if I could get any benefit from solar while in my RV park. The investment will be made for dry camping, but I hate to think that it would not give me a few dollars in return for just sitting there ready to go. If it is simple as turning off the converter, I will give it a try. If I have to plug/unplug every few hours, then it is not worth the experiment.

Scenario is still not clear.

What is not clear? I asked, "I wondered if I could get any benefit from solar while in my RV park."

Dry camping will be handled with a combination of solar and generator. I only want to know the procedure and benefit, if any, of using solar where I have full hookups. Sorry, can't be any clearer than that.

what's your dry camping power usage?

Yes you turn off the converter, and use the solar to maintain the battery and power the water pump, thermostat etc..
But those savings will be pennies a day.
If you seldom dry camp, and it is only for a limited amount of time
An extra battery or two, might be a better investment, with no need to add solar

TomG2 wrote:
I wondered if I could get any benefit from solar while in my RV park. The investment will be made for dry camping, but I hate to think that it would not give me a few dollars in return for just sitting there ready to go. If it is simple as turning off the converter, I will give it a try. If I have to plug/unplug every few hours, then it is not worth the experiment.

Scenario is still not clear.

If there is a shore power - you don't need a solar. Compared to shore power cost, with fulltime living it may take 10-20 years to return the investment, depending on your camp electricity rates and whether you can install solar yourself or have to pay a thousand or two for labor.

With fulltime boondocking it will take much shorter time because your only other choice would be burning a generator fuel, this costs a bit, not to mention generator maintenance (and purchase if you haven't got one yet).

Yes, using solar can be as simple as "turning off the converter". You will need a transfer switch to turn the shore power on when you need to use air conditioner, everything else can be taken care of with solar. In terms of parts cost, for things like microwave and other 120V devices that draw over 600W power (but less than roof A/C), you will need solar at least 600W, 700-900W is better, plus 2000-3000W PSW inverter, and battery bank at least 400 AH. Roughly $1400-1800 not counting batteries (and labor, if any).

I knew the economics of solar were not that great when full hookups are available. I wondered if I could get any benefit from solar while in my RV park. The investment will be made for dry camping, but I hate to think that it would not give me a few dollars in return for just sitting there ready to go. If it is simple as turning off the converter, I will give it a try. If I have to plug/unplug every few hours, then it is not worth the experiment.

Forget about it ...
You will save next to nothing on the electric bill
Your only real savings, would be the extension of dry camping time
A/C MW heat use large amounts of power, to realize any electric bill savings your system would have to be large enough to power those items from a large inverter, being powered by the large solar array
On shore power once batteries are fully charged, then charging becomes a mute point, as parasitic drains and maintenance require very little power, the power for lights and maybe the TV could be off set by solar, but the MW and a/c , electric heat etc.. Would still be on the meter, Not inverter powered by solar, unless you get a full-time off grid system, a modest system is not going to power the MW or a/c, and even if you bought a large 3000w inverter, you would need a large battery bank

So yes you can get some minor reduction in the electric bill, by using solar charging the batteries and using an inverter for low power items
But the couple of dollars a month might not justify the expense of the install
Solar on an RV, in a FHU campground, is not grid tie feedback
Supply power to grid during the daytime peak and then use power st night at the lower rate, you can't do that in a campground, it's not like a house
Unless you set it up that way on your own property

We have solar, we full time, mostly off grid
And we use the generator almost everyday, MW a/c , are on the generator , solar battery power handles the fridge tv pc lights etc..
Big power items are almost exclusively generator
I can run the coffee maker or the MW or the vacuum from the inverter, but I pay for it with extra generator powered recharge time into our bank of (8) batteries
We mainly have the solar and the batteries, because we have a residential fridge and I am a power hog using the pc many hours a day

The best way to save on the electric bill, is too run everything you can in the TV from propane, fridge, water heater, heat using outro propane

Just don't plug in unless you need the air conditioner. Run the rest from your battery and inverter.

TomG2 wrote:
Thanks to all for their suggestions. I pay $0.15/kwh or about $90.00/month. I am thinking that I might use 200 watts of solar per hour for 10 hours a day equaling 2 kwh/day. This might be a fun and educational day to save ten dollars a month?

This isn't very practical. You will save more just changing out the 12 volt bulbs to LED. Might want to review this link:20 Golden Rules of Solar.
Your biggest electrical user is the A/C and refrig. Put the frig on gas to save a little more.

Thanks to all for their suggestions. I pay $0.15/kwh or about $90.00/month. I am thinking that I might use 200 watts of solar per hour for 10 hours a day equaling 2 kwh/day. This might be a fun and educational day to save ten dollars a month?