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โJul-29-2019 10:19 AM
seems like every calc I look at is different. looking for some real world advise.
trying to keep a regular group 24 deep cycle preforming under light load. Fridge controller, water pump for the toilet, co detector and maybe a light for a min or two. plus any parasitic draw.
would be nice to get enough extra that a rainy day doesn't leave me dead in the water.
thinking 100W should be ok, 200w being ideal. <100 likely not worth the time and money IMO
A: A Stick....
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โJul-31-2019 07:49 AM
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โJul-31-2019 02:51 AM
A: A Stick....
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โJul-30-2019 06:55 PM
2013 GMC 2500HD Duramax Denali. 2015 CreekSide 20fq w/450 watts solar and 465 amp/hour of batteries. Retired and living the dream!
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โJul-30-2019 01:03 PM
About like asking, "How long should a piece of string be?"
I get by with a single Group 27 Deep Cycle battery and a single 50 watt panel for weeks at a time. I watch a little television, recharge my phone and other electronics, and operate a couple of lights at night. Others would need ten times that if they want to make coffee, run a refrigerator, and light up the night sky.
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โJul-30-2019 06:57 AM
Our trip to AZ was quite different from our trip to the WI woods.
Just right for Grandpa, Grandma and the dog.
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โJul-29-2019 07:08 PM
I have but a single battery and like the OP use power lightly. The site I referenced recommended 200 watts for a single 100 AH flooded cell battery, 400 watts for two such batteries. Iโve just started using that system and it looks like itโll keep my battery topped up easily even on partly to mostly cloudy days.
I think youโll find 100 watts lacking if there are any clouds or your rig is shaded in your site (and donโt we find shady sites more pleasant in the summer heat)?
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โJul-29-2019 05:25 PM
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โJul-29-2019 03:31 PM
I would say go with 200 watts.
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โJul-29-2019 02:04 PM
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โJul-29-2019 12:48 PM
2022 Grand Design Imagine XLS 22RBE
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โJul-29-2019 12:25 PM
A: A Stick....
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โJul-29-2019 11:54 AM
Even with a single 100 watt panel being sufficient, a single day of rain eliminating the benefits renders your actions near useless.
To go frugal, and have meaningful benefits,,,
If you can, switch to a pair of GC-2 batteries and your single 100 watt panel. When you select the controller get at least a 30 amp unit, so you can add to the system as finances allow.
Your single group 24 only yields about 76 Amp hours of power.
Most sources say you should not routinely draw it past one quarter of that amount, one third at most,
so you have 25 amp hrs available normally before you start damaging your battery.
A pair of GC-2 batteries wired in series will give you a total of about 210 Amp hrs, of which 50% is usable with no damage to the batteries.
4 times the readily available power.
$180 for batteries in conjunction with a single 100 watt panel will give 4 times as much available power as you currently have, as well as the ability to regain much of that power by solar in a single day. You can hit a rainy day or two without running out of power at your old use rate.
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โJul-29-2019 10:50 AM
Start with the energy audit.
I'd recommend upgrading the battery capacity. A single group 24 may not be enough.
The bare minimum for solar is 60 watts per 100 amp-hours of capacity. The realistic maximum for battery charging is 150 watts per 100 amp-hours of capacity.
This web link may help:
https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/
Jebby14 wrote:
how much solar is too much/not enough/just right.
seems like every calc I look at is different. looking for some real world advise.
trying to keep a regular group 24 deep cycle preforming under light load. Fridge controller, water pump for the toilet, co detector and maybe a light for a min or two. plus any parasitic draw.
would be nice to get enough extra that a rainy day doesn't leave me dead in the water.
thinking 100W should be ok, 200w being ideal. <100 likely not worth the time and money IMO
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.