Do you know how many watts you will need? I guess you plan on running the A/C with it? While the microwave can run fine on a 2,000 watt generator, the A/C on a warm day will require at least 3,000 watts, though it can slow a 3,000 watt generator to much on a hot day, requiring something a little larger.
Many who are a little older and not wanting to lift a 100 pound Champion generator into the truck bed instead pick a pair of Honda 2000 watt generators and link them together. They are only 47 pounds each, and you can use just one when you want to microwave something or just charge the batteries. Then start both and link them together for running the A/C unit, or larger loads.
Mayberrys.com is a great place to look at prices on all generators. You have to call them for the Honda prices, they can not advertize them on the web, Honda gets very upset about that. . .
Sure you can get 'any' brand, but it will be noisy, the Honda is very quiet.
AS for a solar system, yes you do buy the solar system, Jupiter not included. It takes time and planning to install it. Do you plan on installing it yourself? IT is fairly easy, anyone who has installed a car stereo can do it. You do have to climb on the roof to secure it to the roof, and find a location that is suitable. So don't just order some 200 watt panels and hope they fit! You might be like the guy asking 'can I mount this 50" square panel to my rooftop A/C? I don't have any other place for such a large panel!" No you can not mount a 16 square foot panel to the air conditioner. It will act like a sail and try to remove whatever it is connected to - unless it is mounted about 1" off the roof.
I found room for a pair of 120 watt solar panels on my 30' long motorhome roof. But they are in the front, and not ideally located, as they tend to whistle a bit at 55 MPH, due to the wind coming over the front cap and under the panels. Mine are about 40" wide and 50" long, so they are HUGE! If you want space to maintain the rooftop, then mounting them to one side is handy, with a walking path either in the center or to one side.
Not to close to the TV antenna, and not right up against the A/C as both create a small shadow.
Look for great prices here.
SunElec.comYou probably will want 12 volt panels and PWM controller. The MPPT controllers are overrated, and expensive. However I do own one of the 'early' MPPT controllers. I paid $350 for it (SB 50 amp model) back in 1999. The price has come down since that time, but not by much. The last controller that I bought was a PWM 10 amp at $14. You can get a PWM 20 amp controller for about $18.
I would recommend spending more on the panels, and less on the controller. While back in 1999, when a 120 watt panel was around $429 (a little over $3.50 per rated watt) then the MPPT controller made sense. Now - not so much. You can buy 300 watts of solar for about $300, and a $18 controller. Spending $100 more on the MPPT controller means perhaps only a 200 watt solar system, so overall the $300 spent on panels, VS $100 extra spent on a controller is not a great bargain.
Then how to mount it? I cut 6" long pieces of 2" angle aluminum (Home Depot) with 3 holes 3/16" for the #10 screws into the roof and a 5/16" hole for the panel mount bolt (1/4-20 with nylon locking nut to make removal difficult). Plenty of rubber roof sealant to keep the mounts in place and not leaking finished the roof mounting.
Some #10 grey romex rated for outdoor direct burial and in the sun takes the power from the panel to the controller. Then #10 or #8 wire (depending on the length and amperage) takes the power to the batteries. I went down the refrigerator vent, so I did not need to cut a new hole into the roof. My controller is mounted in the closet beside the refrigerator, with plenty of room to install the wiring.
Good luck!
Fred.
Perhaps your husband is more looking for permission to order a generator, rather than have you pick it out for him, and have it surprise him on Christmas morning? He might have a particular model in mind, that is economical, easy to pick up and put into the tow vehicle, and just the right size for back up power at home for when the power is out, and also large enough for running the A/C on the trailer? I would hate for my wife to pick out a 2000 watt generator that can not be paired with another 2000 watt generator, and find out that it is not large enough to run the trailer A/C or any other reasonable loads. And then still need to go buy another generator the correct size to run the A/C and take camping. A generator is just to expensive to get a surprise, here it is, and find out later it is the wrong size - either to heavy, to expensive, or to light and to cheap or worst of all to noisy!
Worst is to noisy!
For the solar system, worst is to large of panels, and no place to mount them on the rooftop! Take measurements first. And the panels at Harbor Freight are nice, but expensive at around $5 per rated watt. You can buy them for close to $1 per rated watt at the correct solar sales places!
The solar system is expensive - while only about $1,000 to replace my current system, I spent $3,000 back in the 90's on mine when prices where much higher. IT has saved me a lot of money on camping fees, I can camp in the BLM land, and not pay anything!
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a
Porsche or Country Coach!
If there's a WILL, I want to be in it!
I havn't been everywhere, but it's on my list.
Kangen.com Alkaline waterEscapees.com
