Solar Power

[craigav]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

450w@12volts. If you did 1800W@ 48V do you convert the 48V back to 12V ?

Yes, using a "MPPT" solar charge controller such as the "PowMR MPPT Charge Controller 60 amp" from Amazon, the input voltage can be up to 80 volts for 12v setups. So four 12v panels which actually put out close to 20v max, wired in series, will provide just under 80v to the controller, and the controller reduces the voltage to what is needed to charge up a 12v battery or a 12v battery bank. Also the higher voltage solar controllers that are MPPT are a bit more efficient. ~CA

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by craigav

wired in series,





Also the higher voltage solar controllers that are MPPT are a bit more efficient. ~CA

You're right - upping the voltage and keeping the amps down means you can get away with thinner gauge wire. A big advantage.


A big disadvantage to series is shading.


I'm up to only two panels, but my plan will be to do parallel/series when I hit four. Two groups of series wired in parallel.

[craigav]

Originally Posted by pconroy

You're right - upping the voltage and keeping the amps down means you can get away with thinner gauge wire. A big advantage.


A big disadvantage to series is shading.


I'm up to only two panels, but my plan will be to do parallel/series when I hit four. Two groups of series wired in parallel.

Hi PConroy, I have read your previous comments and in complete agreement with all you have shared especially that if Mr Bucket2 or anyone else here wants to add solar that the costs don't really have to be overly expensive. It is easy enough to start out small and add to that later if desired. I will add some more thoughts to what my plans are in another comment, perhaps a bit later. I will state that solar isn't all that hard to setup really, just that there are more things to consider than what meets the eye, at least at first. ~CA

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Bucket2

You are too kind but it certainly gets my attention!
My demands are not too great, maybe coffee pot when I can't run generator to wake up neighbor, microwave, furnace possibly some and I mean some TV and keep batteries charged but all these can be done another way. And last, hiw complicated to do the wiring.
I'll mull this over carefully, thanks so much for your help.
Mel

I'm doing a Pour-Over for my coffee, Zero electricity and under $5!


Microwave - sure it's 1000 watts but it'll only be for a couple of minutes. No problem. Just don't zap a whole turkey.


Furnace - your RV furnace is 12V, already running off the house battery.


TV - wattages vary, but they're not much. 60 watts give or take a dozen.




Your total electric consumption is pretty low.
I'll bet you can make your budget.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by Bucket2

Hi fellow RV'rs ,
Thinking very seriously about solar power for my 05 26ss Greyhawk, but not sure where to get information...I know, some say trade in for new, I love my coach and I think i can figure it out with research, so who do I ask, I know the forum.
The way I look at it I should be able to add two or four solar panels to the roof, mount two special batteries somewhere wire it and bingo, KINDA.
My MH probably has an inverter because it already has a generator, is that right? I'm not too concerned about A/C just the furnace, microwave, TV etc. A/C would be a plus but not necessary.

If the inverter I have won't work then I will have to purchase that as well.
Am I close to what has to happen or way off base? where do I get the panels and can they help me with some instruction
Would appreciate any advice I can get and you all have a very merry Christmas and STAY WELL!
Mel

https://diysolarforum.com/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546567119...p_mob_ap_share

And YouTube your but off!

[Fork in the road]

Originally Posted by Bucket2

Hi fellow RV'rs ,
Thinking very seriously about solar power for my 05 26ss Greyhawk, but not sure where to get information...I know, some say trade in for new, I love my coach and I think i can figure it out with research, so who do I ask, I know the forum.
The way I look at it I should be able to add two or four solar panels to the roof, mount two special batteries somewhere wire it and bingo, KINDA.
My MH probably has an inverter because it already has a generator, is that right? I'm not too concerned about A/C just the furnace, microwave, TV etc. A/C would be a plus but not necessary.

If the inverter I have won't work then I will have to purchase that as well.
Am I close to what has to happen or way off base? where do I get the panels and can they help me with some instruction
Would appreciate any advice I can get and you all have a very merry Christmas and STAY WELL!
Mel

Check out Northern Arizona Wind And Sun. They can guide you through the process.

[alwalk63]

May have been mentioned but YouTube has so much. Gone with the Wynn's covered it several times.

[RichCarter]

Whenever we go camping, we're looking for a shady spot. That's not hard to find here in the northeast where most campgrounds are heavily treed. It's pretty obvious that if you're mounting solar cells on your roof, you'll be avoiding shade when you select your site. So you'll be wanting to run your air conditioner more often than someone who picked a shady spot. Too bad your solar system can't provide enough power to run your AC all day long. You'll want a generator so you can run your AC on hot days. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of a solar array... Maybe you're better off with a small, quiet inverter-generator; less expensive than a solar system and might run your AC. just sayin...

[GDBurk]

Take your questions and unit, if possible to a good solar dealer. Don't go to an rv dealer as they don't usually know anything about solar. Figure out your needs (watts) calculate the number of panels you'll need and then get a controller and inverter that will work for you. Choose quality over price and you should be okay. I have 855 watts in solar panels and a 2500 watt Magnus inverter with a 90 Amp Outback controller. I use 6 6-V batteries and have all the power I need to run everything except the A/C.

[rvtinkerer]

Check out Will Prowse on youtube, he does everything solar and lithium battery's.
He has a book on Amazon, title is Mobile Solar Power.
I think that this information will answer your questions.
The book is 17.00 dollars,well worth the price.

[ALJO]

Just search the WEB for the Mobile Solar Power.PDF it is a while for FREE online

[craigav]

I have everything purchased to add plenty of solar power to mine, however I purchased it when I planned to go full-time and this is no longer the case nor is the install high on my list of things to do anymore. With that in mind, I have a hard time recommending solar for RV's "if" the RV'er doesn't plan to boondock often in an area where generators are not allowed. Solar is a significant cost, especially if you have to hire an installer, and commonly you are not going to be able to run the A/C anyway (at least not for very long if at all). For the cost of the solar setup, you probably will not come out ahead vs running the generator ~30 minutes or so in the morning and in the evening (and of course whenever you need the A/C on). Just my thoughts, I likely will still install my setup, or use it elsewhere. I would consider though a powerful enough battery bank and inverter to run the coffee maker and charge that battery bank with the generator, engine alt, or shore power, but even then, I wouldn't do that just for the coffee maker and instead I would make my coffee w/o using electricity, many easy ways to do that. ~CA

[Mad5581]

I'm sorry my friend and fellow Oregonian. Your getting discouraged. I have seen solar systems that can power everything including another rv at once. Upwards of $30k I've seen $1000 systems that work well for individuals. Ill start with solar is $1 per watt one of the most expensive means of powering anything. My current setup is 495 watts (3 165 watt panels) it goes to a 30 amp charge controller (I should have done 50/100 for future expansion) and into 4 6 volt batteries. I have about 300 amp hours of available power. I have an xantrex 1500 watts inverter. The inverter is wired to my fridge (it is a residential fridge) it is also wired to both tv outlets so it works the TV and anything else plugged into that outlet. I can use almost anything I want off the inverter. I can not use coffee maker, microwave, AC's. The inverter is adequate for any one of them at once but my batteries are not. The load from then will eat my batteries in minutes. My setup was more or less designed to keep the fridge going on travel days and to be adequate for a 1 night parking lot stay. It is plenty adequate for that. I have boondocked for 5 days before and only ran the genny for about an hour to 2 hours each evening just to top off my batteries and maybe cook dinner. I run it for about 15 mins in the am for the coffee. Now my system not including the inverter was $4000 installed. If I had done the installation it likely would have been $2100 or so. My recommendation is before you do any solar get the best and most amp hour batteries you can afford. The batteries are literally the heart and soul of your power system. You can have 1 million watts of solar but without adequate batteries all your doing is throwing power away. Buy your system over time. Start with good batteries. Then a 50 or 100 amp charge controller (don't be cheap here get a good one) then slowly add panels as you can afford them. When you run your wires get the biggest and best you can afford also. Dose no good to make 1000 watts if you can only get 400 to your controller. If you do it over a little time you can have a nice system for that $2000 and have it expandable for later add ons. No need to get the most expensive inverter get an inexpensive pure sine wave and put it close to your batteries. Do a manual switch over vs an auto switch for the inverter. There are ways to save. Good luck.

[Bucket2]

I really appreciate your help and the fact that you're a fellow Oregonian....my daughter is the office manager of the Gatti law firm in salem,( not Gatti anymore).
Anyway this idea all started with my wife wanting some TV , But I'm wondering about getting a dish satellite and a 12 volt tv and then a 100 watt panel to help the batteries, or just get more batteries.
I need more bench racing time I guess.
Mel

[Mad5581]

Bucket2. I get that. All my wife said was she wanted the TV to work.. lol gotta have the noise or she can't sleep. Really if all you need is the TV, lights, and furnace. I would get more batteries and one of the portable solar kits I think they come in 100 watts upto maybe as much as 200 watts. They come with a built in charge controller also. The best part is you can kinda chase the sun with them. As the sun move throughout the day you can adjust the panels. Just have a quick connect put on the side near the batteries in your rv. I think they come with 10 or 20 feet of cord and you can always get an extension for the cord. The kits usually have a big bag the panels go into for storage. I would just make sure you buy some chain and a lock and lock them up if your gonna leave or when you go to bed. Dont want them "walking away". Look at Zamp solar they make their own panels and controllers and they are based in Bend. They are not the cheapest but they put out a good product and are way easy to do business with if you ever have a problem.

[pconroy]

As long as we're tossing out names - my panels are off Amazon and are ACOPOWER brand. No concerns, great price. My MPPT controller is an EPSolar/EVEver brand - been fantastic. My wires are from Home Depot, the battery is from Costco.

[StevePowerTX]

I had a solar charging system installed on our 2015 Whitehawk 27RBOK by the dealer when we purchased it. Bad decision. They screwed up the installation TWICE! The first time we boondocked virtually the entire electrical system friend. Took out the batteries and the TV. The dealer replaced everything free of charge.

The 2nd time it simply overcooked the batteries and nothing worked. We were on candle power for the night. Before returning it to the dealer yet again I decided to educate myself. I asked a ton of questions on this forum and for the most part got a lot of patient help. I was continually told to check the controller. Problem was I couldn't find the damn thing. I looked here. I looked there. I looked everywhere. Even crawling under the trailer and pulling back some of the insulation. It became obvious there was no solar controller. I was flabbergasted. At that point I had learned enough to know it was like having an engine with no throttle. Just ran wide open all the time.

I then decided to figure out what I actually would buy for batteries, inverter, controller etc., if I was to purchase myself. I decided on Bogart Engineering products in the main and the best batteries I could find, $600 a pop. Then I went to the dealer with a list in hand.

I got some push back about my choices from the service manager but I was armed with knowledge and relentless. "Here's what I want. That's what you're going to get me. And I'm not paying a dime." I hit him with amp hours, cable gauges, cable routing, the lot. Not only did i get everything I asked for but he had them install a lockable diamond plate battery box and an additional solar panel all at no charge.

Bottom line, my advice is that it's a complicated job, requiring a fair bit of physicality and circus tricks to do an install as well as plenty of knowledge. At 82, the amount of time it would take to learn what has to be done and then DIY it would perhaps be better spent actually traveling. I'd locate someone who is really experienced in these installs and pay them. I'd avoid dealers as they really don't have much experience and don't really care much about customers after the sale.

One other possible option. I have good friends who has a 24' TT, Rockwood I think. They travel extensively using mostly state parks, rarely hook ups. They have a folding solar panel they simply set up and plug in. Seems to keep the batteries charged just fine with no problem having things like lights and the TV working fine overnight. The fridge and heater run on propane of course so what else does one need if you're happy without A/C and the microwave?


BTW, my system since installed to my specifications has worked flawlessly.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by StevePowerTX

I had a solar charging system installed on our 2015 Whitehawk 27RBOK by the dealer when we purchased it. Bad decision. They screwed up the installation TWICE! The first time we boondocked virtually the entire electrical system friend. Took out the batteries and the TV. The dealer replaced everything free of charge.

The 2nd time it simply overcooked the batteries and nothing worked. We were on candle power for the night. Before returning it to the dealer yet again I decided to educate myself. I asked a ton of questions on this forum and for the most part got a lot of patient help. I was continually told to check the controller. Problem was I couldn't find the damn thing. I looked here. I looked there. I looked everywhere. Even crawling under the trailer and pulling back some of the insulation. It became obvious there was no solar controller. I was flabbergasted. At that point I had learned enough to know it was like having an engine with no throttle. Just ran wide open all the time.

I then decided to figure out what I actually would buy for batteries, inverter, controller etc., if I was to purchase myself. I decided on Bogart Engineering products in the main and the best batteries I could find, $600 a pop. Then I went to the dealer with a list in hand.

I got some push back about my choices from the service manager but I was armed with knowledge and relentless. "Here's what I want. That's what you're going to get me. And I'm not paying a dime." I hit him with amp hours, cable gauges, cable routing, the lot. Not only did i get everything I asked for but he had them install a lockable diamond plate battery box and an additional solar panel all at no charge.

Bottom line, my advice is that it's a complicated job, requiring a fair bit of physicality and circus tricks to do an install as well as plenty of knowledge. At 82, the amount of time it would take to learn what has to be done and then DIY it would perhaps be better spent actually traveling. I'd locate someone who is really experienced in these installs and pay them. I'd avoid dealers as they really don't have much experience and don't really care much about customers after the sale.

One other possible option. I have good friends who has a 24' TT, Rockwood I think. They travel extensively using mostly state parks, rarely hook ups. They have a folding solar panel they simply set up and plug in. Seems to keep the batteries charged just fine with no problem having things like lights and the TV working fine overnight. The fridge and heater run on propane of course so what else does one need if you're happy without A/C and the microwave?


BTW, my system since installed to my specifications has worked flawlessly.

Wow a dealer not knowing how to install solar!, imagine that!

I agree with you. If I were to have someone do a solar install I would make sure they specialize in solar. I don’t give the dealer anything but warranty work, but now that that’s over I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a dealership for work unless there is no alternative. I’ve found a few specialized shops near our frequent travels. In the event I need work done that’s my first choice. But you never know when or where the inevitable happens!

[pconroy]

I'm 64 so climbing up, down and around is work but still do-able for me. But I'll share some things I did to make my installation easier on me.

Two 100 watt panels up on the roof. Aluminum angle bracket for mounting, VHB tape. Assembled everything down low, then pulled it up and stuck it down.

10g wires run along the roof. No big deal to me. Some eternabond tape keeps them in place. Then, rather that holes in the roof, the wires head back over to a 2" PVC conduit pipe attached to the rear ladder.

Into the pipe conduit, down and pop out at the back bumper. From there, they snake (zip tied) under to the big rear compartment (basement) in the 31FK. And that's where my Solar Charge Controller is. More 10g wires back under the vehicle and over to the house battery.

I mounted the SCC to a piece of plywood and had it all pre-wired up. Fuses etc. Did all that work standing upright.



I really minimized the climbing - most of the wire snaking takes place under the vehicle.

[Bucket2]

I like your advice and was headed in that direction.

Maybe with two good 6 volt batteries?