RooDude09 wrote:
After the last dry camping trip I’m starting to think about getting some solar on our trailer. I have two six volt batteries and after running the generator to make sure they’re charged up for about three hours before bed, the lp alarm goes off inthe morning. It would be nice to not have to worry about that and to not have to hear the generator running for hours. Any suggestions on brand?
There are no real brands in solar panels now. Anything new or better is immediately cloned in Chinese factories, some are just a backyard shed.
5 (or 10?) years ago their government accomplished a Great Leap Forward in solar manufacturing, not unlike the one in times of the Chairman Mao. Billions in interest-free loans, thousands of new factories. Many went down later as a result of over-supply, but still there is no shortage of cloning capabilities.
Don't worry about brand, it's hard to screw up an item that simple. Just determine your daily energy needs, this will determine how many watts of solar you have to install.
Transfer switch is not needed for solar - it is always On, it doesn't interfere with other charging means. If solar won't cover your daily needs (or won't on some days), you run generator for an hour or two and let solar finish it off. When it's full, solar charger will drop the voltage to 13.6 maintenance mode. Though some cheap models won't drop, avoid those.
120W solar is "not" very common in offgrid camping. I would suggest at least 200-300W permanent on roof. You'll appreciate this on cloudy days.
3 hours on generator is not enough. Charging current drops as batteries are getting full-er, solar is perfect for this finishing stage. With enough panels your solar could do the initial stage as well, you won't have to start a generator.