Will a 100 watt solar panel be enough

I think solar today in RVing is like trucks,,,,
Nobody complains about too much truck or too much solar.

thanks everyone for the replies. I may go with 2 100 watt panels. We will be pretty minimalist with electricity.

Darklock, I agree that you should get as much solar as you can. Having said that, and for whatever it is worth, we get along just fine with a 120 watt portable panel and two group 31 batteries. We almost never run the generator, and we mostly boondock and dry camp.

But there is a catch -- we are minimalists when it comes to electricity usage. Not everyone wants to live in such a semi-Spartan fashion!

I have to agree with adding a second 100 watt panel. I thought I could make it on 100 watts of solar, but it just wasn't enough. With 200 watts in the summer with high sun and little furnace use, it was easily enough. I now have 420 watts and only have to run the generator if it is very cold and the furnace usage is very high. We can watch as much tv and use everything that we want, except the microwave and air conditioner. I am going to add at least two more 100 watt panels to make up for the very cloudy days.

The lack of battery capacity works against your setup, so more solar helps even more. Another "side effect" of having more solar, is more shade on your roof in the summer sun, keeping things a little cooler inside.

Solar panels are cheap. If you're going to go to the effort of installing one, take an extra 30 minutes and install a second one.

Solar power is like horse power and torque, you can never have too much of it.

Bill

Darklock,

Since there is no room for a 2nd battery, then look at either LiFePo4, or for 1/2 the price SiO2.

just measured things. Thanks to the WDH i do not have room for a second battery without getting a new tray made that would sit up higher.

Get the second solar panel (200 watts total) and battery. And, get a Mr. Buddy heater. You'll be set for anything. I don't even bother to plug in half the time I have full hook-ups.

Darklock wrote:
Our plans are for spending a month or two next winter in south Texas and Arizona, trying to stay where it is warm enough not to need furnace. If nights are cold and we need to run furnace, we do have a Honda generator for use if needed, but since a lot of our days are spent out roaming we need something passive for general use that also charges while on the road. I always thought that while towing, the vehicle would keep the charge up, but recently learned that this not the case. Still learning about the whole camper thing.

You may want to plan on running your furnace during a winter in the Southwest or in the Texas Rio Grande area. Last winter in Quartzsite, AZ, I set my thermostat at 58°F and went through a 20 pound tank of propane every two weeks for much of December & January. As to power, while I don't run a generator, I have a pair of 100 amp hour lithium batteries & 480 watts of solar. This is in a 21' fiberglass trailer - not the best insulated, but fairly small. It was rare to run the furnace during the day, but the nights get cold!

pianotuna wrote:

Darklock wrote:
please correct me if I'm wrong, (it is the internet, so I'm sure someone will), I read that while driving, modern alternators put out only a small trickle charge once TV battery is fully charged. And that with distance from alternator and small gauge wiring, there is minimal charge getting to trailer battery. Originally I assumed that the truck would keep camper charged, but what I have read has told me otherwise.
There will not be 8 hours driving, probably no more than four hours any day. Probably spending two to three days at a time at each destination. Some stops will be with hook ups others just boondocking, so I need enough to not kill my battery.

Hi Darklkock,

You are correct--but there is a way to fix the problem. You do have to throw some money at it. Use a dc to DC charger.

Get one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Battery-Batteries-Multi-stage-Charging/dp/B07Q5VYPCF/ref=sr_1_3?crid=24ISMNS5CEXIC&dchild=1&keywords=renogy+20a+dc+to+dc+charger&qid=1613847979&sprefix=Renogy+20a%2Caps%2C399&sr=8-3

Place it after the charge solenoid on the "house" side.

This website may give a better understand of solar and has a good spreadsheet that may be used for an energy audit.

https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

Thanks, have not heard of these