Forum Discussion

bitster98's avatar
bitster98
Explorer
Jun 24, 2017

Solar ideas

Hello , it's been a while I usually post in the class a forum , but now I got me another tc. Still got my executive however , reason for going with another tc , I am into gold prospecting here in Nm. And I needed something I can get off road & dry camp in. Bought a 91 six - pac camper very basic unit. Fridge sink and bed. No bathroom just basic slide in tc. Light 1200 pounds using it on my 2001 dodge 2500 4x4. Truck really doesn't know it's back there , ol cummins just purrs. Plenty of truck , camper is in good shape for its age usual stuff , rebuilt entry door and some interior rot , nothing major. I have so far done the following mods. Replaced 12 gallon water tank with 21 gallon tank , installed outside shower , installed water pump for shower and sink. No water heater , might do one down the road. Going to go the porta potty route. One thing I can't seem to decide on is this. How many watts of solar do I need ? I plan on installing a turbokool evaporative cooler , 4.5 amps on high , 10 hours a day , water pump 4.0 amps , maybe 30 minutes a day , small 12 volt tv. Unknown amperage at this time. My goal is to camp without having to live off a generator or idle the truck to recharge one 850 cca battery. I'm trying to keep this basic & within a low budget , any advice would be appreciated, Joe.
Truck Campers
  • tattoobob's avatar
    tattoobob
    Explorer
    Jun 24, 2017
    I would like to say the more watts the better, I was told when I bought mine to go with 100w panel per battery I only have room for one battery I went with a lifeline 125amp hr the biggest they make in 12volt that would fit

    I went with 2-100watt panels just because of cloudy days I wanted more for a back up

    If you have room you should go with 2- 6 volt golf cart Batteries
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Jun 24, 2017
    General rule is 1 solar watt for each battery amp hour but fitting more than two or three panels on a TC roof will be a challenge. You may need some portable panels too. CAA? Why not deep cycle batteries?
  • corvettekent's avatar
    corvettekent
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2017
    Is your 850 CCA battery your truck battery or is it a separate battery for the camper? That is not a deep cycle battery, if you have room for two 6 volts that would be best but one good 12 volt will probably be OK for you. I know there is not a lot of room on the roof so I would go with one 160 or 165 watt solar panel and two if you have the room.
  • work2much's avatar
    work2much
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2017
    The more the better if you plan on nixing the genset. We need on a sunny day about 100 watt panel to keep up. We went with 500 watt system though so we can get the equivalent of 100 watts on cloudy days. On sunny days we use the extra power to cook and run the fridge.

    500 watt renogy MPPT CC. 425Ah trojan deep cycle battery bank. This has worked great for us over the last 8 months of living in our TC. We use the crock pot 2-3 times a week for cooking, make coffee every morning in out 110 coffee maker etc. If you want to run a swamp cooler (we have looked into this) and it is using 4.5 Amps + the pump draw you will want more than 200 watt system unless you can be in the sun all the time.

    Remember there is inherent loss of efficiency at every step from wiring to sun angle to charge controller to batteries etc.

    Go as big as you can fitting solar/ battery if you plan to use it to cool the camper, even with a swamp cooler.
  • SidecarFlip's avatar
    SidecarFlip
    Explorer III
    Jun 25, 2017
    No on the solar thing (I don't do solar at all) but your porta-potti... If you are revamping the camper, why not install a Thetford Cassette toilet. No black tank needed, fully self contained and you can dump the integral black tank anywhere, residential toilet, pit toilet, outhouse or dig a hole in the ground and bury the effulent.

    I think you have the wrong battery as well and I don't have or want solar. I run 2 6 volt Trojans myself
  • BigBlockFord's avatar
    BigBlockFord
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2017
    Time2roll nailed it. Start with 120W single if money is tight, spend the extra on the biggest battery(s) you can fit. Then again, those panels from SolarBlvd are a steal, maybe two up front would be cheaper, if your current battery is good to go...

    BBF
  • bitster98's avatar
    bitster98
    Explorer
    Jun 25, 2017
    Thanks for the info!!! I'm gona go with the largest deep cycle battery I can fit behind the wheel well on the passengers side. Space inside this camper is very limited , so I got to do the potty. Since I have plenty of real estate on the roof I'm going with 200 watts of solar minimum. I want to keep the camper seperate from the truck. It's a safety concern for me , truck being able to start anytime is paramount. Btw if anyone has questions about the turbokool units , ask me. My profile shows me in s tx. I been in Deming nm for years now. I have two of them on my 38 foot dielser pusher I live in full time , last thurs 108 fri 112.5. Hotter than hell , roof top a/c could not even keep up so I used them never got over 82 degrees.

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