Max-4 wrote:
How does my 10-year factory warranty on the rubber roof look after I start drilling holes through it?
Hi, on the boondocking part, we camp a lot under tree cover so I have not yet went solar. We use a Honda EU200I genny connected to a Progressive Dynamics PD9620C 60 amp power converter with 3 stage charging and disulfate mode. You need a good power converter that will kick into boost mode to get your lead acid battery bank from 50% up to 90% SOC in the limited time. Some camps limit genny run time. In our case, we have 5 to 6 hours only split up into 2 time periods per day. One in the morning and one in later afternoon.
I have 2 group 27 deep cycle lead acid batteries, (would go 6 volt golf cart next time) all LED lighting, LP on the fridge, water heater and furnace. We can go days, weeks or months if ever wanted. This all starts with being a power miser. We have done this for 12 years now and it just works. I agree on getting a good battery power meter. You can start with doing voltage checks, but counting coulombs with a Victron meter takes you to the next level. I'm still on voltage as I have learned to be enough of a power miser, that voltage gets me all I need. I rarely run down to 50% SOC on the battery and some days I do not run the genny. We charge laptops and phone during the genny run period. But can do it off the battery bank if needed.
Our inverter genny is quiet, has the forest spark arrester muffler system and the wife can run the hair dryer in the morning and use the microwave for dinner. Granted the hair dryer and the microwave make the genny kick into high, but it is low idle while charging the battery.
The above gets you into boondocking without a lot of technical issues to learn and work through. If after doing boondocking enough, and you want to take the jump to solar, then do it.
I agree not getting the factory install. And the comment about RV and lack of quality at the factory is dead on. There is a lot of info on solar out there if the day comes you want to do it.
Think it through, if you start with the genny setup, you lost nothing the day you jump to solar. Having a good inverter genny is a good bail out when solar does not work well enough pending conditions.
Now to the 10 year roof, a friendly heads up, then only thing that is 10 year warranted on your roof is the actual membrane against manufacturing defects on ether a TPO, PVC or EPDM roof. It is not a leak free warranty.
Look at all the holes the factory put in the membrane? The sealants around all those holes have is where 99% of the leaks come from short of a branch poking a hole in the roof etc. If the camper lives outside all the time and you are not up there 4 times a year looking at sealant cracks and recaulking them, or hiring someone to do it for you, come year 3, odds are favorable a leak can start. Sooner if the factory botched the caulking job which happens they way the rush through these units. Ask your dealer or better call the factory and ask what is exactly warranted for 10 years on the roof. And ask if you do not do the sealants inspection and recaulking from the day you take possession, is there any "leak" warranty.
Don't fear adding solar wires, learn how to maintain your roof without the solar, then add the solar when the time comes. I restore older campers, every one of them with roof leaks never came from the membranes leaking, it was always the sealants and the owners never knew enough how to deal with or even knew that had to deal with the roof sealants.
Good luck on on your new camper.
Hope this helps
John
