Boondocking --- Average AH consumption/day?

[SJ-Chris]

I'm going to be adding solar to my 2015 Class C Majestic 28a. I currently have 2 lead acid batteries that state they have 122AH capacity each (from Walmart). I'm trying to figure out if I should add 100w or 200w. My assumption is that 100w of solar will on average add about 30AH/day back into the batteries.

If you have a battery monitor and happen to know on average how many AH/day you use when boondocking I'd love to hear. Let's assume you are NOT using your furnace at night (summer camping) and that you aren't plugged in or solar charging. Yes, I know that everyone's use will be different and that's what I'm curious to see. If you could, please share what your rig is, what your battery bank capacity is, and approximately how many AH/day you go through. Perhaps tell us what sort of things you are running in your RV, and whether you try to be energy frugal or if you consume with reckless abandon (lol!).

Will be interesting to see various people's input! In the end, I'll probably just add 200w as a likely overkill for most typical usage.

Enjoy!
Chris

[BFL13]

"....has a 155w panel and the controller is saying im putting 5a into the batteries right now at 10am."

Sorry, just bugs me to see this keep getting repeated by folks! With any charger, including solar, the other loads get any amps being supplied first, then the battery gets what's left over.

You cannot say the amps showing on the solar controller for its output are all going to the battery! Grumble, grumble.

Ok, back to regular programming....

[Lwiddis]

Not starting my generator ever is my goal with solar. Daily generator use with a solar system sounds like a solar system failure due to inadequate...panels, controller and/or batteries.

[wopachop]

2oldman wrote:

wopachop wrote:
Also run the genny while i shower.

hmm.. ok. Why?

To enter into the evening fully charged. We usually do a sunset ride. Get back to camp and its dark. In a hurry to shower and get back outside to hang out with friends. So the evening routine is to start the genny, turn on both electric and propane water heater, plug in my toothbrush and flosser and another item i charge at 120v. Get clean and back outside to party. Depending on the weather i might crank the furnace and a 120v electric heater while the genny is running.

[2oldman]

wopachop wrote:
Also run the genny while i shower.

hmm.. ok. Why? Doesn't sound like you have enough battery.

[wopachop]

Im boondocking as i type this. Trailer has a 155w panel and the controller is saying im putting 5a into the batteries right now at 10am. I have not tracked my usage, but the 155w has been plenty for me.

But.....i start the genny in the morn to make coffee. Also run the genny while i shower.

[Sandia_Man]

Out here in the mountain west/southwest part of the country where the sun boldly shines well over 300 days a year, I suggest a 100 watts per battery. The whole thing with boondocking effectively is having a multi-pronged solution to replenishing consumed DC reserves.

Having a decent amount of solar onboard is just one factor, having a multi-stage converter capable of quickly restoring consumed amp hours via an efficient inverter generator eliminates the worry of running out of power during inclement weather scenarios.

We installed a couple of inverters, one for the whole house which we rarely use, and a smaller one in entertainment center that gets heavily used every trip when boondocking. Once again, having the ability to replenish our DC reserves at any given moment allows us to enjoy all our rig's amenities as we see fit.

[Old_Days]

Every person will be different, but what works for us is 270 watts of solar on the roof and 2 group 27 agm battery's. We do not have a inverter. I also carry a little Ryobi 900 watt propane generator just in case it is cloudy for a couple days.

[2oldman]

..

[2oldman]

5th wheel, 100ah 48v lithium battery pack, 835w solar. I am a reckless abandon user, with coffee maker, toaster, microwave, lots of satellite TV watching, furnace... just about anything you do at home.

I'd have to turn off my solar to see what I actually use during the day, but last night I burned through 80ah (20 at 48v) because I didn't turn off the DTV receiver, and I ran my mattress heater.

[steveh27]

I have done a lot of boondocking in my 20' Class B, Xplorer 230XL. I used a 105 AH lead acid house battery and a 120 watt portable panel. I use a 450 watt invertor to power a 19" tv and sometimes use my Dish satellite with Tailgater. The tv on Dish draws 5 amps so I limit it's use. OTA tv or the built in dvd player draws just over 2 amps, so I use them more. I use led lights and a portable solar lamp. I limit the use of the fantastic fan. I do not use the furnace in FL, but in Michigan I do. It does draw some power. I shower so the water pump draws power.

My guess is in FLA I use 35 AH a day which the solar does a good job replacing. In Michigan I draw more and may need to start my portable Honda 2000 genny I sometimes bring. My Michigan boondocking is usually only for 4 days or so. In Fla I do it at least 30 days. I saw a big Class A down there with at least 12 tiltable 100-120 panels on it's roof. I think he could run his AC.

I did just replace my house battery with 200 AH's of Lithium Iron Phosphate. I have not used them yet. I may add another 120 watt portable panel with them. I want to wait and see how they do first.

I have a Trimetric RV meter installed.

[phemens]

Probably not in the bell curve, but here goes. 600 AH of LifePO4 batteries, 1200 watts of solar. When we camp it's always off grid. Residential fridge consumes roughly 130 AH/day, rest is mix of TV/media center/NAS/computers, coffee maker, microwave, cell booster, furnace, CPAP. Figure 200-300 AH/day typical use, we don't fret over energy conservation. Inverter is always on. Battery capacity was figured with a use case that we'd need 2-3 days of full operation without much recharging (rainy days)
Solar in summer easily keeps up with demand, sunny day it's charged by 1pm. In the fall, on some days we won't make it back up to 100% each day, so batteries get recharged during the week when the humans are away and their toys are off ;). We also have an inverter generator as a backup, but almost never use it. Very happy with the performance overall.

[4x4ord]

I have 4x 6 volt golf cart batteries and 400 watts of solar. I also have a Xantex inverter charger and carry a 2000 watt generator. I find the solar panels don’t keep up. I plan on installing 400 more watts of solar.

[rexlion]

When I had my 17’ TT, camping alone, my 70W unmounted panel kept my group 26 battery topped up for a week of camping in sunshine. Usage was minimal: some fantastic fan use on low, water pump when needed, a couple of LED lights for 2-3 hours in the evening, fridge controller, CO detector, and converter. No inverter, no high drain items like furnace (weather was mild). Most people will use more power than I. You might as well get 200W and have peace of mind. Not every day will be full sun unless you’re lucky.

[SJ-Chris]

time2roll wrote:
100 watts is for storage. 200 watts would be the minimum I recommend for the effort to provide 12v power while in use.

I was just coming to the same conclusion... I'll be adding it myself (I'm pretty handy). I just reached the conclusion that if I'm spending the time to do it, I might as well make it 200 while I'm at it. Adding the 2nd panel is probably one of the easiest steps in the entire process and only an extra ~$100.

The controller I bought can handle 300watts, so if I ever decide I need a bit more I could always just add a 3rd panel.

Would still love to hear more people's experience with their Average AH consumption/day and what sort of items they are using/etc.

-Chris

[time2roll]

100 watts is for storage. 200 watts would be the minimum I recommend for the effort to provide 12v power while in use.