New Solar Install
Guys, a good friend of mine reached out to the folks at camping world. They gave him a quote for 510watts of panels, some GC batteries (AGM) and controllers etc. We all agree before you start d...
Forum Discussion
jodeb720 wrote:
Price quoted $6512.00
Freedom 2000w pure sine wave inverter Installed, $1402
Freedom x Control Panel (Bluetooth), installed 248.00
Solar Kit (1 panel, no brand name provided), installed $1253.00
Solar Kit (2 additional panels) $1678.00
4 golf cart batteries, AGM (no brand name), Installed $1931.00
We just went to lunch, a Renology 2000w inverter - amazon priced - 269.00.
this just seems to be outrageous. After a lengthy convo and he has two generators (honda, 2200w) why spend all that money.
I can see the batteries (and Lead Acid, costco 210ah, 6v around 100.00 each, a good battery charger and the inverter = A whole lotta less money... now, he's got a 40' toy hauler and can't really park in places like national/state parks (because of the length) so generator noise or minimal run time isn't an issue...
And most of the time there's nobody close to him anyway so is it really worth it?
WAAAY overpriced and not worth it. That quote reminds me why I try to do everything myself if possible. If they are handy, they can install solar themselves for a fraction of the cost. I installed a 500w solar MPPT system with a 2000w pure sine wave inverter for less than $750. Here's how I did it....
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/30217540.cfm
I'm a fan of used panels...you can usually find them for 50-80% less than new ones (check local craigslist, facebook marketplace, etc). Just be sure to test them before you buy.
If they have room in the toy hauler for some portable solar panels, buy cheap used one and then all you need is ~40'x2 of wire and a charge controller and you can create a very inexpensive portable system. They can try that out a few times to see how much they even like solar.
Good luck!
Chris
