Solar generator and truck camping

[jaycocreek]

I got to try out a Jackery 1000 solar generator(22 pounds) and solar panels to see how they would work for a truck camper..Actually,I am pretty impressed..The ability to use the pure sinewave inverter built in with my microwave(700 watts) or a 5-cup coffee maker(650 watts) and the 3-quart Insta-Pot(700 watts) without messing with a gas generator on the go, is nice..I did have to dig out my 2200 watt generator out of the back seat to charge my AGM battery I forgot to charge before I left..I guess I forgot what a pain they can be sometimes, especially with a hurt back from picking up a big Spruce round wrong to make a step for the dog..LOL

Pulled over for to heat up some taco's for lunch with the solar generator..





My C-Pap 12 volt cord either went caput or my C-Pap machine is going out as it would not work on 12 volt and the wife panicked..So I plugged it into one of the three AC receptacles and saw my Phillips C-Pap only draws 22 watts(compared to 14 watts on DC) without the humidifier on..Problem solved and happy wife with the Jackery 1000..I plugged in the Engel fridge/freezer I have and it draws 36 watts and just one 100 watt Jackery solar panel keeps the refer going all day and ads juice to the lithium battery to boot..
finally there and set up.






Being brand new to solar, I had no idea what to expect..First time setting it up it put out 81 watts to the battery through a MPPT controller..The wind blew it down, so laying flat, like if it was mounted on the roof, put out only 45 watts..On average one 100 watt panel puts in about 55-60 watts to the built in MPPT controller,two panels puts in 125-130 watts,depending on the sun..

Chasing the sun..LOL







It's hard not to be in the shade in the forest and camps I use, so I was real hesitant as to how solar would work or if at all..Our camp only got 5 hours of sunlight on a good day, but one 100 watt solar panel recharged the Jackery solar station from 79% to 100% in less than that..There wasn't enough extension cables to use the other 100 watt panel..I have a total of 28 feet of cable from the panel to the MPPT controller built into it.

As far as I could go..



The 12 volt cigarette lighter charger puts in about 50 watts charging and the 120 volt AC charger does 160 while the solar depends..I found on AC it charges about 15% an hour/10% on solar..

All in all,this is pretty cool,maybe not for everyone,but some like myself in a TC..One can use it for his truck camper or the house when the power goes out,to make coffee/run the C-pap/the fan on a wood stove/instapot etc..It is nice in a TC just to pull over and use the microwave for lunch or brew up a cup of coffee without messing with a gen set then get back on the road..

The trip was fun until I wrenched my back and the puppy fell off the bed..LOL

[Grit_dog]

They seem "handy", but also seem much more suited for the tent camping or maybe bare bones popup camper crowd.
Unless you rarely use your camper and have other uses for a jcackery, there are more economical and efficient ways to store power in a "normal" rv.

Although it may require a little effort vs portable plug n play that this unit offers.

[Old_Days]

I just have the jackery 240 power station it is going to be nice to use it to blow up the inflatable kayak,and charge the drill batteries and other small devices.

[matthewfox]

I purchased a Jackery 1500 to use while dry camping. I wanted something "plug and play" for additional power. I typically charge it during the day with solar but have ocassionally charged it off of my generator. We use it to top off the trailer battery at night and sometimes I just let it run all night to power the Maxx Air fans, charge devices, etc., while we sleep (until it dies). Do your own research on site . It should help

[jaycocreek]

I almost forgot the most important test,my 5000 btu air conditioner I use in my truck camper window when it is hot, off the Jackery Explorer 1000.

Fan only with AC plugged in.



On low cool with compressor engaged..



On high cool with compressor engaged..



As you can see that Jackery power station can run my window unit in my truck camper..It would be nice to just pull over and cool the camper down without messing with a generator..I am impressed but it doesn't take much..(Laughing)

I know I like to browse around at stuff and even watch 'ol Will on DYI solar,he's funny but did not knock Jackery,which is good for him..LOL..

They have some cool stuff if you like to browse around and look at stuff when your bored,I do it alot off Amazon and other places..

Cool Jackery stuff if your interested in stuff like that.

[NRALIFR]

^ I couldn’t do that with my Yamaha 1000. :W

:):)

[jaycocreek]

jimh425 wrote:
I couldn’t make it with only one battery even with all of my lights being LED unless it was summer. I guess I’d do a remote mount of a second/third battery to make sure I could run the furnace for a few days

I think the Jackery concept is fine, but I can’t think of any reason why I’d use one except for a minimal power outage which we don’t really have in my area. You still need a way to charge it. Amazon has the 500W with 50 dollars off for Prime members (450), at least.

Still, there is a reason that there are multiple solutions. We aren’t all the same. 😉

Ya,one battery does suck with all the draws a TC has..As you mentioned the Jackery 500 or even the Jackery 240 both would be smaller/lighter and take care of other 12 volt needs and leave the truck camper batteries to do there thing..

I know the Jackery 500 will run a Dometic CFX compressor fridge for atleast two days and the Jackery 240 was tested and ran a Dometic CFX 35 for 24 hours..

On my truck camper, space, especially kitchen space, is lacking but the largest Jackery does fit and does not take up to much room and is handy for all the plugins..

Messy TC..:E

[Grit_dog]

Just a thought, you keep saying there's no room for a second battery in the camper, but do you ever camp with the camper off the truck?
If not, there's room for another battery under the hood of the truck.
Heck, with your setup now, you can monitor you DC system easily. 3 batteries could be wired into the camper (including the start battery for the truck) and for under $100 more, cheap insurance of a lithium jump pack in case you accidentally run them all down.
Plus you're packing a generator anyway, so you have backup power to charge the system with.

[Lwiddis]

If you have room for a Jackery and its "special" $300 solar panels, you have room for an additional battery. And by "normal" batteries, freep, I was including lithium. At about 84 AHs in the Jackery, you can use about 67 of those but you can use about 80 AHs from an RV 100 AH lithium battery.

[Freep]

Lwiddis wrote:
What's wrong with normal RV batteries recharged by portable solar panels and a $100 controller? And what good is a micro system? Either your RV batteries (or "generator") are recharged or they aren't. If they aren't recharged you need more panels, a sunny day, a better location etc.

Portable panels need to be stored somewhere during travel. PWM controllers aren't very efficient. But even so, I'll probably get some portables too, for extended boondocking trips.

Micro systems are good if you need to power devices in a tent, for example.

Normal batteries? I assume you mean Flooded Lead Acid? The problem with FLAs is the limited depth of discharge, the weight, the energy density is low, it takes longer to charge to full and the lifespan is shorter.

I have gone from FLA to AGM to LiFePo4 and I will never go back to the first two. I've been boondocking for a month now and haven't fired up the generator once. Before I upgraded my battery to LiFePo4 and my panels from 90W to 300W we had to fire up the generator every day for a couple of hours to meet our energy needs(or drive most of the day).

Ask me anything.

[jimh406]

Freep wrote:
That really depends on the amp hours of the battery, doesn't it?

I switched from two AGMs to one LiFePo4 and increased my energy storage 2.5 times.

That’s interesting. I guess that’s what you get for 2 1/2 times the price ... or are they more/less?

[Freep]

jimh425 wrote:
I couldn’t make it with only one battery even with all of my lights being LED unless it was summer.

That really depends on the amp hours of the battery, doesn't it?

I switched from two AGMs to one LiFePo4 and increased my energy storage 2.5 times.

[NRALIFR]

jimh425 wrote:
….......

Still, there is a reason that there are multiple solutions. We aren’t all the same. 😉

Roger that. My to-do list is pretty long already. There are some projects I’d be glad to spend the extra $$$’s on to have a pre-packaged solution.

Mounting solar panels on the limited roof real estate I have, and doing a major remodel so I can install an extra battery or two isn’t something I’ve been eager to do.

There’d still be that unavoidable problem of me preferring parking in shade to full sun, and the daily phenomena of the sun setting.

Thanks for posting a review of the Jackery, Ron. I’ve seen those on Amazon and wondered about them.

:):)

[theoldwizard1]

jaycocreek wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
What's wrong with normal RV batteries recharged by portable solar panels and a $100 controller? And what good is a micro system? Either your RV batteries (or "generator") are recharged or they aren't. If they aren't recharged you need more panels, a sunny day, a better location etc.

My TC only has one battery and room for only one battery in the provided space..If you burp wrong,the battery drains (in humor) and yes,a portable solar setup would work if I was always camped in the sun but just one battery is hard to keep charged using it all the time.

Yep, space is ALWAYS a big issue with TCs ! Time to go lithium !

DIY 280Ah LiFePO4 battery

Remember, the discharge rate for lithium vs lead-acid are different. You can take a lithium battery to a much lower state of charge without damaging the battery and still have sufficient voltage to run 12V appliances and an inverter.

[theoldwizard1]

noteven wrote:
I'm thinking maybe a DC-DC charger would be a good addition to my camper rig to provide efficient charging from the truck alternator as well.

Some models also have solar controller function.

DC-DC chargers are great if you tend to drive several hours between campsites.

If you buy a pre-packaged solar generator, you need to check the compatibility between the DC-DC charger and the solar generator. The DC-DC charger is design to connect directly to a battery, not a second smart charge controller.