How much SOLAR?

[Gulfcoast]

Another kinda vague solar question... but it's about the best I can do.

If a guy headed to southern Arizona in the winter months and wanted to have enough solar for a TV, travel trailer furnace, lights, to charge a laptop daily, and keep the trailer electronics going....

On average, how many watts would I need? 200 - 300 - 400? I will use 6-volt golf cart batteries.

You guys that do it often have some idea on what is needed.

Thanks for your help.

[pianotuna]

Hi Gulfcoast,

I have 256 watts and that is NOT enough to run the items you have mentioned. I'd go for 400 watts.

Gulfcoast wrote:
I never thought 100 watts would be enough, but I will probably try 200 the first trip. I can always add more easily.

The only thing, I sure don't want to get out at 3am to fire up the champion inverter to run the furnace.

[Gulfcoast]

No thanks

[Fresno_Tundra_D]

Gulfcoast wrote:
I never thought 100 watts would be enough, but I will probably try 200 the first trip. I can always add more easily.

The only thing, I sure don't want to get out at 3am to fire up the champion inverter to run the furnace.

Don’t use the furnace. Use extra blankets and a small catalytic heater...

[Gulfcoast]

I never thought 100 watts would be enough, but I will probably try 200 the first trip. I can always add more easily.

The only thing, I sure don't want to get out at 3am to fire up the champion inverter to run the furnace.

[naturist]

This guy wrote a GREAT book, and has this web site with all kinds of helpful info: click.

How much solar depends on (as others have noted) how much power you need/use. It also very much depends on how much you have in the way of batteries, for if you have more solar panels than you have batteries, you will find you can't use the power those panels produce, and if you have too few panels, you won't be able to keep the battery fully charged.

Spring for that guy's book. It is very well written, and easy to understand.

When my little 1800 watt inverter generator died last year, I went solar. I never expected to be able to run the AC, couldn't do that with that generator anyway. I've only one 80 Amp hour 12 volt battery on my TT, and it turns out that a single 100 watt solar panel is probably all that's needed to keep that battery charged, on average. But I plan to upgrade soon to a single 100 amp hour lithium battery, and that calls for two 100 watt panels. I find that those 2-100 watt panels turned into a dandy folding package that is easily portable. But that's as much as I'd want to have to schlep around.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Do an energy audit using a kill-a-watt meter. Measure what you use in 3 days, running only those items you intend to use in Arizona. From that calculate the battery bank size. Then get enough solar to completely recharge the bank on a good solar day.

For further thoughts, surf here:

https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

I much prefer fixed installations. They don't grow wings.

Gulfcoast wrote:
Another kinda vague solar question... but it's about the best I can do.

If a guy headed to southern Arizona in the winter months and wanted to have enough solar for a TV, travel trailer furnace, lights, to charge a laptop daily, and keep the trailer electronics going....

On average, how many watts would I need? 200 - 300 - 400? I will use 6-volt golf cart batteries.

You guys that do it often have some idea on what is needed.

Thanks for your help.

[CA_Traveler]

BFL13 wrote:
Then you would be scared to park the truck in town in case it got stripped of all your neat stuff.

Easier to take the truck. :B

[BFL13]

Gulfcoast wrote:
I could put a nice looking ladder/canoe rack on my Chevy 2500 and put all the solar I wanted on it.

Yes, a member here, jimindenver, does that sort of. Not good if you go into town with the truck leaving no solar for the trailer if you needed some solar for that time.

You can carry batteries and an inverter in the truck with that solar too, then just plug the trailer shore cord into the truck's inverter. That way you don't even need to turn off the trailer's converter since there is no "loop" with the truck's inverter. Also have your portable gen in the truck and a charger in the truck to do those batts if no sunshine.

Then you would be scared to park the truck in town in case it got stripped of all your neat stuff.

[Gulfcoast]

I could put a nice looking ladder/canoe rack on my Chevy 2500 and put all the solar I wanted on it.

[Boon_Docker]

300 WATT PORTABLE SOLAR

[BFL13]

time2roll wrote:
Yes size and weight is considerable at 300 watts. OP did mention AZ for the winter but that could be one spot or moving every week. May also need a method to tie them down for if the wind picks up unexpectedly.

For sure! Saw a guy's propped up pair of panels get blown over, one fell on a rock that was in front and smashed the glass on one of the panels. Bungee cords and tent pegs are your friends.

[time2roll]

Yes size and weight is considerable at 300 watts. OP did mention AZ for the winter but that could be one spot or moving every week. May also need a method to tie them down for if the wind picks up unexpectedly.

[BFL13]

time2roll wrote:

Gulfcoast wrote:
I don't want panels on my roof.

Portable that you can tilt up against the RV or a rock.... I would go with a single large 24v panel in the range of 300 watts. Need an MPPT controller mounted near the battery. Create some cables for quick connect and you are good to go.

I assume you have a generator if you get low on power.

I had a lot of trouble with the 255w panel as a portable getting it in and out of the trailer- it is big and heavy. Was ok for "seasonal" when you only do it on arrival and leaving, but it would be unsat for road travelling use. A pair of 12v 160w would be a lot easier to deal with to get 320 aimed. That is like 400 or so flat.

[landyacht318]

If one is considering parking facing the sun and putting a solar panel behind windshield, I found wattage was cut by slightly more than 1/2 through my windshield as opposed to resting at the same angle on top of it.

200 watts of portable altered to face the sun several times a day might be enough for you. The furnace fan is likely to be a big variable.

There are much cheaper battery monitor options recently available so one can know their actual use with some accuracy.

Even the best ones are not 100% accurate and still need regular rezeroing once the batteries are known to be truly full, to be in the 90's.

Its gonna be hard to have too much solar, and quite easy to have too little. Too much, means happier batteries and less stress. too little means worrying about every load and reaiming the portable panels more often.

[time2roll]

Gulfcoast wrote:
I don't want panels on my roof.

Portable that you can tilt up against the RV or a rock.... I would go with a single large 24v panel in the range of 300 watts. Need an MPPT controller mounted near the battery. Create some cables for quick connect and you are good to go.

I assume you have a generator if you get low on power.