How much solar for cloudy weather
Greetings, Hopefully some of you solar mavens lend some sage advice here. My current set up is: 26' TT, one 12v marine Costco battery. 2 solar panels: a 32watt and a 43 watt that aren't roof mounted...
Forum Discussion
You definitely need more storage. Two batteries (which it appears you already own) are a good start. I started with solar by trial and error--a little here, a little there, and not really knowing what I was doing. I had one battery; added a second by having a friend weld a rack that would hold the two (12v) and I wired them in parallel. I haven't really been able to put it to the test, but during one week boondocking in a sunny location last fall my batteries didn't appear to run down at all. Of course, that doesn't help with the cloudy week scenario. Your power usage sounds about the same as mine.
"Handy Bob" has a blog on going solar for RVs, which is kind of long-winded but there's a lot of good information, too. After reading his blog a couple of times, I concluded that my next step was to install a Trimetric battery monitor and find out exactly how much power I use and then decide how much more panel I need (if any). I've bought it, but haven't been able to install it yet. Here's a link to Handy Bob's blog
I recommend his "RV Battery Charging Puzzle."
He does not think that MPPT controllers are necessary for most RV setups.
I personally refuse to own a generator and get cranky when I'm camped near someone who uses one.
"Handy Bob" has a blog on going solar for RVs, which is kind of long-winded but there's a lot of good information, too. After reading his blog a couple of times, I concluded that my next step was to install a Trimetric battery monitor and find out exactly how much power I use and then decide how much more panel I need (if any). I've bought it, but haven't been able to install it yet. Here's a link to Handy Bob's blog
I recommend his "RV Battery Charging Puzzle."
He does not think that MPPT controllers are necessary for most RV setups.
I personally refuse to own a generator and get cranky when I'm camped near someone who uses one.
