Going Solar! My 2 options...

[Elefantdude]

I originally wanted to get all the components to install solar in my 2015 White Hawk 27DSRL.

But now, they have solar generators that I can just plug into! Jackery or Goal Zero Yeti are a couple of brands available.

What are your thoughts - Pros and Cons of each?
These are the pros and cons I see for each:

Solar Components Installed in TT:
PROS: More secure than Solar Generator,
CONS: Can get expensive with all the components needed. Drilling holes.

Solar Generator:
PROS: Just plug in, Not as expensive, Portable for home use
CONS: It is a portable device, so not secure

I know there are more PROS and CONS for each. Just reaching out to the community to see what your opinions are. :-)

TIA!

[RogerR]

How much power in battery form do you need? That is always the question. In my case, not much except for furnace fan while camping with no hookups. Based on that I decided to get 200 watts of solar and a single 100 amp lithium battery. Total maybe $850 all in from Renogy. 1 hole in roof to run wires down into cabinets then under bed and holes for the screws. No big deal. Drill a hole though the floor and pull wires up through it and fill it with Dicor.

The 'Solar Generators" I have seen are lithium batteries in a box with a handle and in some cases a solar panel. Not a lot of capacity.

[EJH]

For roughly $1,000 you can a Jackery Explorer 500 ($500 and provides 35-40 AHs depending on exact usage). 2x 200 W solar panels ($240 might require a little DYI to connect to the Jackery, or you get less wattage panels that are made for the Jackery, etc). The Jackery includes a solar charge controller. You are done.

For the same $1,000 you can get 1x Renogy or equiv 100ah Lithium battery ($500) 200W solar panel ($240) a PWM controller ($50-100) or a MPPT controller (better and $130-200) plus all the wiring and mounting hardware AND THIS IS POWER EVERY 12V item in your trailer. The Jackery will only power what you plug into it.

That being said, I also have a Jackery, and have added a port to connect it to my trailer's electrical system as a back up in case my main battery was to die (not likely for my usage). This isn't something most need, but I felt like messing around and did it

Really no reason to go the Jackery or equiv route. Get a lithium iron phosphate 100AH battery and update other items as needed.

[Elefantdude]

https://www.thervgeeks.com/solar-generator-for-rv/

[XoXSciFiGuy]

I have one of those power boxes you speak of, not Jackery, but it has the built-in MPPT solar controller etc. Before I went to trailer camping with the Jayco, I would connect it to a solar panel during the day for nighttime power.

I do NOT recommend this setup for a trailer. Those power boxes are for portable power on a limited basis outside your trailer. You are far better off going the solar panel...MPPT controller...and instead of using your typical Lithium-Ion battery, go with the safer and longer-lasting Lithium-Iron Phosphate battery. (LIPO4).

A 100-amp hour LIPO4 battery will last you thousands of charges as long as you don't drain it down to zero all the time. And that sucker will run all your DC needs without even breaking a sweat. It also holds its charge a lot better than any regular lead-acid, or AGM deep cycle, or lithium-ion battery, and has zero chance of fire. My power box has the LIPO4 setup and when I turn it on after three months of sitting, it still shows charge at 100%.

You can build a system that does 200 watts solar on your roof, run that Lipo4 on it with an MPPT charge controller and zero worries. Power boxes are more for camping without a trailer. Or for running a laptop sitting outside near the campfire. Or for charging a phone while you are sitting near the campfire. The reason for using an MPPT solar controller on the system is to prevent reverse battery drain after it gets dark.

Here's one way to compare a Jackery 500 with a solar panel/100 amp hour LIPO4 setup. That Jackery probably holds 500 watt hours of power. The 100 amp hour battery does 1200. If you hooked up two of those batteries to your system, you will get almost 2500 watt hours of power. That will last you through the night for sure, even running a fairly large TV and your DVD player. If you want to cut the load on your DC system, switch out your interior and exterior lights for LED chip bulbs. Brighter and use much less juice.