Enough power?

Did not catch how many amps your controller was rated for. Remember solar panels are rated with a wattage of absolute best conditions. I have never seen my panel put out more than 70% of the rated wattage or actual measured (amps x volts). I like the Kyrocera 140 watt panel which under best real world conditions might put out 7.62 amps plus your existing 55 watt panel at 3.00 amps for a total output of 10.60 amps or 138 total real world (3.00 amps x 13.00 volts) = watts. If you get the 120 watt panel the amps/watts are about 9.52 amps and 124 watts. Is your controller rated to do that? Also, install a 6 or 4 awg wire from the truck alternator to the TC batteries to charge from your trucks alternator if you run low on power. Not as efficient as a genset but less stuff to carry and gas to run it.
Say you have 2 100 amp hour batteries and you ran them down to 60% charge each or about 12.1 or 12.2 volts. You need to replace 40 + 40 amp hours of battery charge. At 10 amps solar output, that will take 8 hours of good sun. Longer in reality.

campermama wrote:

whizbang wrote:
+1 what Redsky said.

I don't think your batteries are in good working condition.

??? batteries are brand new! Bought them a week ago. It is the small capacity solar panel that is the problem.

Like I said already, I use the lights a total of like 10 minutes a day! Don't need to switch to LED's for that.

I think the batteries sound like they are working fine and the problem is one 55 watt panel trying to charge 2 12 volt batteries. Just like you say. The fact that you made it 5 days boondocking, with furnace use and a small solar panel, suggests you have light power needs.

The furnace fan does represent a big amp load and is probably the biggest draw on your batteries.

I also think you really should be running both panels. It's free power falling from the sky, why not use all your buckets?

Oldtymeflyr wrote:
We have an 85 watt panel and it has worked okay with a two 6 volt 235 amp deep cells. We are good for two days in the winter without starting up the truck. Our camper has LED's because we use the lights in the winter quite a lot.

Next on our list is a 140 watt panel, our controller is good to about 25 watts. My recommendation is to bite the bullet and go with a bigger panel and a bigger controller.

The thing I really like about solar is that its always trying to work, if there is enough light its working. A generator is noisy, dirty, takes a lot of valuable time and work. Solar is the best.

Good Luck!

And it starts working without you having to think about and throw a switch. also will keep the batts up to full charge when it's not in use, just sitting, waiting on you to use it.

We have an 85 watt panel and it has worked okay with a two 6 volt 235 amp deep cells. We are good for two days in the winter without starting up the truck. Our camper has LED's because we use the lights in the winter quite a lot.

Next on our list is a 140 watt panel, our controller is good to about 25 watts. My recommendation is to bite the bullet and go with a bigger panel and a bigger controller.

The thing I really like about solar is that its always trying to work, if there is enough light its working. A generator is noisy, dirty, takes a lot of valuable time and work. Solar is the best.

Good Luck!

Buy the right controller that will handle both panels. You already have an 55 watt panel.Use it! I had 55 watt panel on my sailboat that ran the fresh water shower and lights for a 3 day weekend with only a single 12v deep cycle batt. Me thinks you draw more than you say.

Or buy an cheap ass china freight 800 watt genny and just buy a few a few gallons of gas to top the batts.

whizbang wrote:
+1 what Redsky said.

I don't think your batteries are in good working condition.

??? batteries are brand new! Bought them a week ago. It is the small capacity solar panel that is the problem.

Like I said already, I use the lights a total of like 10 minutes a day! Don't need to switch to LED's for that.

+1 what Redsky said.

I don't think your batteries are in good working condition.

I doubt that the water pump and heater fan are drawing enough to be causing your problem. The fridge electronics is a big draw as well. It would help to switch out your camper's tungsten lamps for LED ones as that will cut 90% of the draw in this area and is simple and inexpensive to do.

I would be surprised if the 120 Watt panel alone was not enough. We use two 100 Watt panels and they recharge the two 110AH batteries in less than 3 hours. With 120 Watts of output it might take 5 hours instead of 3 but that would not be a problem.

Worth checking your battery to be sure it is actually holding a full charge. I found with my Lance camper that the factory charge meter was not even close to showing the actual charge state. Adding a good digital charge metering device like the Trimetric will provide an accurate way to monitor discharge and recharge.

I had 100 watts and added another 120 watts. The 100 watt worked OK but there were a few times I wish I had more. The 220 watts now seems to work real well. If you can go to 120 watts I think that would be a smart move.

I think I will start with the 120W if it does the trick then I am all good.....I can always add the 55W to it if needed (with a new controller).