SOLAR or GENERATORS.... That is the question

[bdreinv]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

On our sailboat we used solar for years, it was great and maintaining charge on our battery to support 12V items.

However on our TT I went with EU2000i. For me the ability to have 120v power for TV & some small appliances was easier with a generator vs building a battery bank large enough and wiring in a inverter.

Even when there are no generator restricts we rarely run more than 2 hrs AM and 3-4 hrs PM.

My "power investment" has been a lightly used Honda EU2000i for $650 on Craigslist + ~$5/trip in fuel.

I would like to know how much solar uses have invested in the system including upgraded battery banks and inverters for comparison.

In our 16 Eagle 321 RSTS it came pre-wired for Solar,that helped a lot.Bought one 275 watt industrial panel,in line fuse /breaker, and one 30 amp MPPT charge controller.And about 16' of cable.Didn't upgrade the two deep cell 12 volt batteries.Did install myself I have very little knowledge of Solar.Spent less than 600 bucks.We do have one Honda 2000 for microwave.Batteries always at full charge and the silence is really nice! Happy Trails

[Ottawasteve]

Where we often camp in Northern NY, there are often a lot of empty non-electrified sites available when all of the electrified sites have been reserved. So if we are booking last minute as we often do, it is non-electrified or travel much much further to find a serviced camp site. A generator allows us to turn a non-electrified site into an electrified.

Our most common outing is a 3 or 4 day weekend trip and my dual battery bank just won't last the 4 days. For us, the generator is a necessity to recharge batteries and at this stage, we can't justify the additional cost of purchasing enough solar gear and additional batteries to accomplish what 2 hours of generator time does, rain, snow, cloud or shine.

Our Honda 2000's make less noise than a neighbour's A/C, but we are still mindful of the noise it makes. Depending on the camp setup, I will try to ensure that the muffler is pointed away from neighbours as much as possible even pointed to access road if nobody across the way and I'll even string out an extension cord to place the generator where it has some trees or brush to baffle the noise. We run our gen in accordance with the available campground hours or enough to recharge batteries every day or so, whichever is less. If I needed to charge my batteries and was charging them during limited available generator hours and a neighbor asked that I turn off my Honda 2000 gen because he/she did not want to hear it, I would suggest they try some alternate water access only campsites where they could avoid the sound of gas engines all-together.

I do wish there was a simpler more affordable solar solution, but the idea of drilling that many additional holes in my roof to install solar panels along with additional battery maintenance etc. of a solar system just isn't for me at this point.

Construction generators, Harley Davidsons, yappy dogs and loud diesel TV's should be banned at all times in all campgrounds.

[DanNJanice]

We use both, although we prefer just to use solar. For example, this weekend we are going to set up camp on Friday evening and leave late on Monday, no hookups the entire time. Given that it is summer, it is unlikely we will even start the genny, unless we decided we needed the microwave, which is rare.
However, if this were the dead of winter in the rainy northwest, the solar would not be able to keep up and the genny would be required.
For us, I feel it is best to have both.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by bdreinv

In our 16 Eagle 321 RSTS it came pre-wired for Solar,that helped a lot.Bought one 275 watt industrial panel,in line fuse /breaker, and one 30 amp MPPT charge controller.And about 16' of cable.Didn't upgrade the two deep cell 12 volt batteries.Did install myself I have very little knowledge of Solar.Spent less than 600 bucks.We do have one Honda 2000 for microwave.Batteries always at full charge and the silence is really nice! Happy Trails

Just curious... in your picture - it is overcast and you are shaded by trees. How much charge current (amp-hours) did you get in the park you were in that day?

On a day / location like you have in the picture, I would barely be able to keep up with our batteries discharging from our everyday loads (Smoke Detector, Fridge Controls, Water Heater Controls, water pump usage)

I track our battery array voltage every day, making sure we are at 90% charge before dinner time. If not - we have to make up that charge deficit with the generator.

[Cdash]

Interesting thread. Everyone has a different perspective, based on their experiences and desires and the ways that they camp.

I used to be generator, but am now mostly solar with some generator (when we are camping without hookups).

We made the investment in a Yamaha 2400 inverter generator quite some time ago, in order to camp in national park campgrounds with no hookups. If we were going to have and use a generator, it was going to be a quiet one.

After struggling with keeping batteries charged and dealing with limited generator hours, last year I invested in 200 Watts of solar (Renogy 200 watt kit that I use as portable panels) after being inspired from some on here. Pretty cost effective and it kept my 2 6v’s pretty well topped off. We still bring the generator to run the microwave, the AC and rarely a hair dryer on occasion. This had really limited the run time of the generator.

I'm considering a couple more panels to put on the roof full time, but we'll see......

[John7349]

Cdash
I like your idea of using the Renogy 200 watt kit as a way to see if Solar works out for your type of camping. I'm thinking of doing the same. That way I can expand if I like the results.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Cdash

We still bring the generator to run the microwave, the AC

This is where my head's at.

Until we can wean ourselves off the microwave and the AC - the generator (or a full hookup) is our only option.

I've only found one popular video where someone's tried running their AC off solar: Off Grid Solar Powered RV Air Conditioning - Is it Possible? - Gone With The Wynns


"I called Coleman-Mach and asked about the power draw from the A/C and they confirmed the “Locked Rotor Amps” of our Coleman-Mach 15 is 61amps.

I was told: The Locked Rotor Amps (LRA) refers to the power draw of the initial startup. Once the Air Conditioner has been run the first time, the oil will be out of the compressor and the coils will be saturated.

This means the compressor will need less power than the initial 61a when the A/C starts back up in order to keep the RV cool.

That said, they would not recommend running our RV A/C through our exact inverter, they recommended we look into installing one of the Power Saver models, specifically the Coleman Mach 1 PS which has a 41 LRA.

I asked about a Soft Starter and I was told they have successfully used the Micro-Air EasyStart in the past."



61 amps
It seems completely impractical.
If you want AC, you're running the generator.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Cdash

Interesting thread....... We still bring the generator to run the microwave, the AC and rarely a hair dryer on occasion. ...

Can't have a BAD HAIR DAY!!!


Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by pconroy

This is where my head's at.

Until we can wean ourselves off the microwave and the AC - the generator (or a full hookup) is our only option.

.

Microwave is doable. We set up what needs to be done with the microwave so that we can do it between 12 and 1PM, when most of the power comes from the SOLAR panels. Heating food for a minute or 2 in the evening works out ok also.

Forget AC unless you have $$$$$$ and an additional trailer to tow a SOLAR array and batteries.

Don

[ensign]

I have both.

I had the generator first. Then I moved to a 100W solar suitcase.

What I like is that, with the suitcase, I never really have to run the generator simply to charge the batteries. I run the genny when I need AC, and sometimes I do, like when it was 112 in Phoenix last summer, or when cooking something fast in the microwave.

All that said, I just love making solar power. It makes me happy. I run my genny a lot less now, even with only 100 W

Ensign

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Can't have a BAD HAIR DAY!!!


Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

For me, that statement is true! Not enough hair to get messed up!

DW it's really good about camping without hookups, but every now and then, she just needs a hair dryer. In these instances, the proper response is: "sure thing, dear".

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by John7349

Cdash
I like your idea of using the Renogy 200 watt kit as a way to see if Solar works out for your type of camping. I'm thinking of doing the same. That way I can expand if I like the results.

It made the most sense to me at the time, and still does. I upgraded the charge controller to be able to add a few more panels, but still PWM, so it was a minor cost increase.

I wired my solar on the side connectors to the charge controller, so hooking up the panels is just hooking up to that on the outside. I could still use to extend my cables a bit for shady sites, but haven't yet.

[Mustang65]

I enjoy looking at the total Ah's since installing the SOLAR on the TT

Today it is 33,315 Ah's.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[Ela1948]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I enjoy looking at the total Ah's since installing the SOLAR on the TT

Today it is 33,315 Ah's.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

Just to let you know that I can truly appreciate solar, Don. We installed a 72 panel grid on the farm last December. It is a 20.52 kW system. It pays 3 electric accounts on the farm. We have the capability to monitor the system thru Solar Edge which allows you to see what the system is doing at anytime on your smart phone from anywhere you have cell service. We love it!!!!