Solar/Inverter Question

flyfishing48 wrote:
Long time RVer, new solar user.

Just bought a new fifth wheel that came with solar. Equipment is:
One solar panel that I think is around 170 watts, a Zamp Solar Charge 30 amp Controller, a Xantrex X2000 Inverter. I should add we have a pair for 6 volt 235 AH Deep Cycle (Crown) Batteries.
Just did 3 nights dry camping, despite being in AZ, it was light overcast for the 3 days. System seems marginal under these conditions for using some lights, water pump for normal stuff, ran the furnace one morning for a few minutes and ran the coffee pot each morning. I did notice the solar panel is dirty from a desert shower on the previous trip. So that didn't help the cause I am sure.

I am not getting my mind around how to run the inverter. Mostly confused about what mode use, Auto On, standby, power save ?

Keystone mounted the inverter off the floor joist in the basement, so not to accessible for use. I will be getting the remote for it.

But I would love to hear from some experienced user about how to best use this system.

It is HIGHLY likely that if you just add one more 170w solar panel in parallel on your rooftop (which is fairly simple to add) you will not need to worry about power anymore. 340w on a sunny day should be able to add 90-100AH back into your batteries, and you likely aren't using more than 50-80AH of power daily.

Add a battery monitor is SOOOOO helpful as it pertains to all things batteries/charging. (And, if you are a nerd like me you'll find it interesting to see how much power each little thing in your RV uses). I installed a very good monitor for ~$45 (Aili...you can google it). A battery monitor really should come standard on an RV since they are so very helpful.

Happy Camping!
Chris