Solar research

[SimonB]

I want to add a solar system to my camp and was looking for some information. I am still in the process of doing my research but I am stuck on a few items that I cant seem to find any information.

I plan on having all my setup (inverter/charger, mppt, batteries, etc.) in our small shed close to the camp and the solar panels mounted on a stand on our lot. Currently we have two power sources. 12v battery that is charged with a all in on small solar panel and we connect a generator to our shore line from the RV. Of course the small all in one solar panel and 12v would be removed.

First question, i would like to have the solar setup and generator on a automatic transfer switch. I would like to install my transfer switch with the entire setup in the shed and be able to connect my shore line to a plug on the transfer switch. Is this something that can be done? I see allot of people cut their wires and modify the RV breaker panel but I would like to not touch anything on the RV and just use the existing shore line plug.

Second, most inverters/chargers I've looked at have standard plugs (2 to 4) as their outputs. How would I connect this type to the transfer switch to get the full amperage or is this possible. My knowledge is that plugs are either 15a standard plugs or 20a (plug with one prong sideways) so getting the full inverter amperage is not possible unless it has output connections for wire. Is this correct?

[Bobbo]

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[SimonB]

imnrvr wrote:

SimonB wrote:

tommyznr wrote:


As I understand it he wants to create a shoreline power source using solar/batteries/inverter/transfer switch/generator without any modifications to the RV.

This is very doable with the correct equipment and many have done so.

This is correct. I found that the Kisae IC122055 has the built in transfer switch option that I was looking for.

I gather you don't plan on using the trailer's built in 120V AC outlets.

Instead of using a shed, I hauled around six solar panels (960W) on the roof of my fifth wheel and used the following equipment with it:

Magnum Dimensions 3000W Hybrid Pure Sine Inverter/Charger (MSH3012RV) which replaced the charger that came with the trailer. The inverter is wired directly to the trailer's 120V breaker box.

Midnite Classic 80A Solar Controller

4 - 232Ah, 6V Golf Batteries

EasyStart on the air conditioner so I could at least circulate the air using the fan of the AC.

Always had a hot coffee with the Kuerig and cooked using an induction hot plate. At night we played movies with a LED video projector onto a 100" screen hung from the wall. Such glamping!

Cheers!

Glad you found your solution Simon!

Yes I will be using both 12v and built in 120v. I am just in the process of purchasing my system now as I didn't have nothing built until last weekend.

[imnrvr]

SimonB wrote:

tommyznr wrote:


As I understand it he wants to create a shoreline power source using solar/batteries/inverter/transfer switch/generator without any modifications to the RV.

This is very doable with the correct equipment and many have done so.

This is correct. I found that the Kisae IC122055 has the built in transfer switch option that I was looking for.

I gather you don't plan on using the trailer's built in 120V AC outlets.

Instead of using a shed, I hauled around six solar panels (960W) on the roof of my fifth wheel and used the following equipment with it:

Magnum Dimensions 3000W Hybrid Pure Sine Inverter/Charger (MSH3012RV) which replaced the charger that came with the trailer. The inverter is wired directly to the trailer's 120V breaker box.

Midnite Classic 80A Solar Controller

4 - 232Ah, 6V Golf Batteries

EasyStart on the air conditioner so I could at least circulate the air using the fan of the AC.

Always had a hot coffee with the Kuerig and cooked using an induction hot plate. At night we played movies with a LED video projector onto a 100" screen hung from the wall. Such glamping!

Cheers!

Glad you found your solution Simon!

[tommyznr]

SimonB wrote:

tommyznr wrote:


As I understand it he wants to create a shoreline power source using solar/batteries/inverter/transfer switch/generator without any modifications to the RV.

This is very doable with the correct equipment and many have done so.

This is correct. I found that the Kisae IC122055 has the built in transfer switch option that I was looking for.

That is great to hear. Your question caused me to rethink a land opportunity I have in remote northern Wisconsin where it would cost an arm and a leg to bring utility power to the site. I could have my own camping spot on a fairly large chunk of land with solar/generator power
based in a shed.

[SimonB]

tommyznr wrote:


As I understand it he wants to create a shoreline power source using solar/batteries/inverter/transfer switch/generator without any modifications to the RV.

This is very doable with the correct equipment and many have done so.

This is correct. I found that the Kisae IC122055 has the built in transfer switch option that I was looking for.

[tommyznr]

ajriding wrote:
Sorry, question does not make any sense.

Solar is for charging your batteries. Solar is not a 3rd power source to be confused with shoreline and generator, which are AC not Dc.

All that solar does is bring more DC power to the battery. Everything powered by your battery is already set up, you do not need to make any alterations.

Now, if you meant to ask about having an auto switch to choose between 1 of 3: shoreline, generator and inverter then that makes more sense.
What is your priority? Shoreline > generator > inverter?

Set a switch to choose between generator and inverter and to favor the generator so when the generator is on the switch switches to generator power. Then another switch that choses between that first switch's choice and shoreline power.
So your "AC power" will choose from shoreline or those other two (gen or inv), which will chose between the gen or inv.

My "auto" switch is a circuit breaker that turns one circuit on and turns the other circuit off at the same time, so only one can be on at a time (shoreline and generator). Then behind that is another selector that (inverter) does not have a route to the Air Cond, battery charger or to the Fridge plugs, so there is no way you try to power up those with battery.

Is this your question?

As I understand it he wants to create a shoreline power source using solar/batteries/inverter/transfer switch/generator without any modifications to the RV.

This is very doable with the correct equipment and many have done so.

[StirCrazy]

I can see a way it could be done, but you would need an auto start generator and instead of having it hooked to the camper battery supply you have a battery bank in the shed that it is hooked to. so normaly your battery bank in the shed would feed your inverter and power your camper, but if that battery bank drops below a spicific voltage the genny will start and kick the auto transfer and it will power the inverter.

Steve

[ajriding]

Sorry, question does not make any sense.

Solar is for charging your batteries. Solar is not a 3rd power source to be confused with shoreline and generator, which are AC not Dc.

All that solar does is bring more DC power to the battery. Everything powered by your battery is already set up, you do not need to make any alterations.

Now, if you meant to ask about having an auto switch to choose between 1 of 3: shoreline, generator and inverter then that makes more sense.
What is your priority? Shoreline > generator > inverter?

Set a switch to choose between generator and inverter and to favor the generator so when the generator is on the switch switches to generator power. Then another switch that choses between that first switch's choice and shoreline power.
So your "AC power" will choose from shoreline or those other two (gen or inv), which will chose between the gen or inv.

My "auto" switch is a circuit breaker that turns one circuit on and turns the other circuit off at the same time, so only one can be on at a time (shoreline and generator). Then behind that is another selector that (inverter) does not have a route to the Air Cond, battery charger or to the Fridge plugs, so there is no way you try to power up those with battery.

Is this your question?

[tommyznr]

Watching some Will Prouse videos is a great start as well as visiting his forum DIY Solar Forumhttps://diysolarforum.com/.

Every additional feature that you want/need adds significant sophistication but there is a lot of help out there. If you are up to the challenge, the following may be helpful:

Start with an energy audit, a spreadsheet can be found on the DIY forum. This will help clarify what you need to do.

As stated previously a combination inverter/charger/transfer switch will do what you want it to do. But you might not need this depending how you want to source your energy. Search Victron, GoPower, Cotek and the previously suggested Samlex for these (plus many others). If you have a 50A RV your options will be more limited if you want to utilize all of your 120VAC circuits vs a 30A version. The 2000/3000W and up versions tend to have more features. Victron has a lot of training available on their site.

You can also have separate inverter, charger and transfer switch. I priced this out for my application and found that the separate units that I would need would be about $100 less than a combination unit, not including wiring/fusing/etc. This is mainly because I have a 50A RV and I don’t want to rewire my power panel.

For batteries find and watch a video comparing the lifecycle cost comparison between various types and lithium. For some situations lithium is cheaper and you do not need to pay close attention to DOD of the batteries.

You might also be able to utilize the all in one unit if desirable.

[dodge_guy]

Check out this guy. DIY Solar with Will Prouse

You will learn more than you ever thought you needed to with his videos.

[shawniskelly]

Answering both questions...I suggest you Find a knowledgeable solar company to design your system for you. That's the easiest and will save you many hours of Internet time and quite a few mistakes. Also read more about Packaging and Transport Business Consulting Articles. Nevertheless…You will need an inverter that can do three phase. That's really the only difference between a single phase and a three phase system. That said, your options go down and prices go up for three phase since it's less common. You will need to do a lot of homework before you power the system up, because you're playing with some expensive equipment that may not play nice together. Good luck!

[lane_hog]

There are different flavors of solar... if you're like us, you can do well for under $1000 and have a setup that simply recharges the batteries you already have. We don't currently use an inverter right now, and only need about 100-300W of panel power to top off our dual deep cycle batteries from running the 12V side of the house.

[imnrvr]

Your question seems better answered by an off-grid solar interest group, since you seem to be creating a power generation station out of your shed. Not sure what your full requirements are, but I will try to answer from what I know.

From your question, it seems that you are only interested in accessing 120VAC household current from the shed. Then, yes, you will need to connect to the shed's transfer switch with a full 20A cord, or whatever is the maximum to get full power safely to the trailer. All internal shed wiring on the AC side needs to match amperes needed. Automatic switching would be done on the 120VAC lines, just like the units used for houses which switch between emergency outdoor generators and the utility provider. They are not cheap. In your case, the utility provider is the solar system and its inverter. I imagine that the shed's generator is expected to kick in once the solar powered batteries have expired. However, the rub is that you want to keep 12V lead acid batteries preferably at no less than 70% charge. Repeatedly going to anything less than 50% charge and your batteries will soon die. Therefore the transfer switch has to be smart enough to hand over the power to the generator at the appropriate voltage.

However, like others have mentioned, you need to plan you power needs before expanding your solar system. For example a 1000W, 12V appliance requires 83 Amps to run (1000/12). A 12V battery rated at 120Ah will run your appliance for 86 minutes at best. But, then, don't run your batteries to less than 50% meaning you get 43 minutes of run time.

My experience is that solar is a convenience, a talking point, for dry campers and that a generator is a must for glamping or CPAP.

If it were me, for solar assist, I would go for a couple sets of portable 12V solar panels and a couple of extra batteries for the trailer. I could stick the panels in the shed when I'm done. A remote start for that generator in the shed would be nice. If the generator is a Honda EU2000is or EU3000is, convert it to dual fuel propane and get a big propane tank for it. My 2 cents (1.28 US).

[John_Burke]

I have a similar set-up for my cabin. I have 4 GC-2's, 6 solar panels, a 400 watt 12 volt wind charger, a 3500 watt generator and a 1500 watt invertor
In the cabin I have a mix of 12 volt (lights, RV furnace, water pump) and 120 volt ( TV , coffee maker, fan, etc).
The solar panels are run to a 100 amp controller, wind charger has a built in regulator. I have a 4 stage, 80 amp RV charger that I ran a single cord outside that I can plug into the generator. If there has been no sun or wind for 3-4 days I run the generator for about 4-5 hours to charge the battery's.
Do not need a transfer switch I can take 5 minutes to start the generator and plug in the cord for the charger.
As far as having 3 different charges coming to the battery's it does not matter. The battery's will accept the highest voltage coming in. I do have the solar controller adjusted(14.2v) close to the wind charger (14.1v).
It has been working REALLY well for going on 6 years.
All told I have about 2100 hundred invested. Power company wanted 6700.00 to run power to me plus the cost of whatever I use.
I once figured it out over a 20 year time frame, with replacing battery's every 6 years, generator once. It cost me around 20 dollars a month. Compared to a minimum of 65 per month from the power company.