Noob question-batteries and solar panel on smaller travel trailer

[TomC_AZ]

If I had a larger trailer like some on YouTube and I was full time living in it I would invest more just to make sure I had power when I needed/wanted it without issue. You can also use the solar tax credit with an RV if you have enough taxable income...

I just found this the other day and looks pretty promising. I just wish I had a bigger awning now. https://xponentpower.com/

As for me my Honda EU2200i with propane conversion works great and will run for a long time off the two 30gal tanks and run the AC just fine. But I also have a couple panels and am looking at investing in a smaller inverter with lithium batteries, but would be well under 2-3k total. It would run the AC but only for a few hours if needed at night during "quiet" time when in state or national parks. (if there are no hook ups)

[RichCarter]

Saw the link. That's just under $6K for a 1200W setup. I'm guessing that's about what my AC unit draws after startup. So for $6k, my AC would run without pulling power from the batteries as long as the sun shines directly overhead on a sunny day. I think I'd need a bit more power to charge the batteries so I can run it at other times. Maybe I'd have to go up to 2000W panels. Then where do I store the extra power. A couple of 12V batteries would only store maybe 2000 watt-hours. I'd probably want ten times that for storage. Where would I put 20 batteries and how much would they weight?

[TomC_AZ]

Get a few of these, they are 100lbs each, https://www.signaturesolar.us/produc...cPwLcVc0SW-BjN

Then hook up to a nice inverter and problem solved. Could prob run for at least 20min or so

Seriously though this would work, but I have seen youtubers do tests on 400ah 12v systems and run 15k AC for about 6 hours. A few of these would easily run all night without stopping. With enough left over in the morning to use the micro and cook some bacon, eggs and the wife to use the hairdryer. The awning and maybe a few extra panels to recharge for the next day. No generator needed.

Of course the total cost would be roughly:
Batteries, 4 of them - 6k
Solar Awning - 7.5k
Inverter - 2k (good one)
Various wires etc.. - $500-1k
Installation - (good friend drinks/pizza) $100
Total Cost - lets call it 17k

And you would have the good feeling of going green, while losing some green of course, which might make you green.

or 1k for really good generator....

[RichCarter]

Originally Posted by TomC_AZ

Get a few of these, they are 100lbs each,

<snip>

Total Cost - lets call it 17k

And you would have the good feeling of going green, while losing some green of course, which might make you green.

or 1k for really good generator....

Yes! Folks are running out buying a pair of solar panels with the expectation that they are going to be able to cut the cord and boondock with full comfort for just a few hundred dollars. They haven't done the math and figured out what it would really take. They are being sold a pig-in-a-poke. If you don't run the AC or an electric refrigerator, use LED lights, and don't watch much TV, solar panels will work.

[bluztoo]

FWIW - I camped right now almost on the Mexico border in Southwest Arizona. Use a lot of fans right now to pull fresh air in fast. Two 100 watt Renogy panels (portable) an I'm able to keep up just fine with my DC output. Note - this does not include microwave or my electric oven I use outside. But you have to kind of figure out how much you are really going to use and build from there. I went in whole hog. I want to last for five days on my batteries with no solar, no shore power and no generator. I built a system that will do that and it's not inexpensive. If you really want flexibility (and not having measured your real needs) I would go with 400 watts of panels, 200 watts of lithium batteries, a charger that charges your lithium batteries while you drive from your alternator, and the normal backups of shore power and generator. Most places now are not terribly generator friendly based on the noise but you can power up during certain hours. The panels and batteries will get you through a long weekend anyway (assuming some sunshine). This does not have to cost a fortune. Solar just makes sense. It's not free because you have to pay for the equipment. But it does really pay for itself once it's in and you can work on finding sunshine just about anywhere. Lithium is a tougher topic, but it's not really that hard. You can get good, cheap batteries now for almost the cost of premium AGM batteries. Only catch is that the cheap ones need to be placed inside your camper so you don't have to worry about temperatures. Lithium can't charge under 32 degrees Fahrenheit but the batteries discharge to almost -20 Fahrenheit. They are one-third to half as light as lead. The big deal though is you're not limited to only using half your watts. My rig came with two 100 watt lead batteries. Of that 200 I could use 100. Lasted me almost a full day with propane fridge, propane furnace, propane hot water heater and then the usual lights, c-pap, etc. I thought that sucked. My favorite park has no hookups even though a National Park. You don't have to buy the expensive batteries with internal heaters. However, if you're lithium batteries are going to be stored externally or even in the current battery bay of most C-class RV's you need to pay attention to the temps. If you place them out front of your TT near the hitch, then too you need to have better batteries. But when you discover you can drain them to almost zero they're well worth it.
Where to start? Get a smart shunt and battery monitor so you can track your actual usage. Then decide what you need and want.
In the course of my project I discovered that good equipment is worth buying, but all of this stuff is made in China now. There is reputable, lower cost stuff.
We're at an inflection point where the industry is rapidly changing. They just brought out the solar on many mainstream models and will soon be adding lithium batteries to that too. High end stuff is already coming that way.
Now - even if you shoot for the moon it is doubtful you'll be running your AC off your batteries and solar. It's possible but you had better have a very expensive system. Of course that's not the goal. But you can get it to the point where you're able to run your microwave from your batteries. It's a powerful draw but it's not sustained like AC. I found out the worst culprit is the drip coffee maker. Uses generally like 1200 watts, but again if you do that for the period you need to make the coffee you'll be already. You don't want to leave the warming feature on the pot though. It amazes me how much info is out there and how fast this is going. We have more choices than ever before and boondocking for long periods has become a reality - off grid. Right now it is all confusing though if you're trying to upgrade. It's not too hard, just takes some basic planning. Most can do the installation on their own. In the end it is well worth it. You feel secure when you're out somewhere knowing that you're inverter is not going to start chirping, especially when you're not able to fire up your generator immediately.

[TomC_AZ]

Bluztoo, totally agree. I was being a bit funny and sarcastic and a bit serious on my previous post as you can easily spend a TON of money on some of this equipment but totally miss the mark for what you really need.

In my case our trailer is small, overall total length including tongue is 20ft. I believe the living space is like 16ft or so. This means my roof space is at a serious premium. It came with a 190w panel and a 30amp PWM controller. I am looking to upgrade and add a couple more 200w panels (no more than 600w) and a newer 30amp MPPT controller just so it performs better in all climates/environments/shade etc..

Batteries are another area that can be $$$$ or $$$ depending on need/wants etc. I am looking into some options that will include low temp cut off but not break the bank. I will not put in more than 4 batteries. Depending on the cost I would like to have 300ah batteries however realistically will prob end up with 100ah for a total of between 400-900ah. (I believe you meant AH not Watt when talking about batteries)

Now for an inverter I am flip flopping as it depends on how it is integrated in to the system. If I choose to power everything then I will go with a 3000w (again smaller trailer) hybrid inverter that is in direct line with my shore power plug. Then goes to the power center. This will then have the ability to power anything, including the AC, if I so choose even for short periods like hot late AZ nights and not need the generator. If I do not go this route it will be a 2000w inverter that will power most plugs just not everything, but would include the Microwave.

If I go with the larger battery setup I will also use a few 200w ground solar panels that go direct to the batteries just to help boost them.

In the end the 400ah setup would actually power most configurations for a good amount of time (especially when you consider daily recharges and driving recharges etc..). It would be all most need if you don't need/want AC or other luxury type items.

it will cost a couple $$$$ but be well under 5k. If you were new you could spend good generator money plus a little more on solar and prob do fine without the generator.

Of course I do have to stipulate that I would be doing all of the work/install etc. If someone else installed it would cost much more but not come with any better warranty.

[bluztoo]

Sounds like you have a good plan and know what you want. Make sure you get batteries with the low temp cutoff. I went with SOK batteries cause they had a warranty, cost me half of what Battleborn would, and met my needs. Still more than the generic ones on Amazon. My brother who converted his MB van bought two generic Chinese ones, installed them inside and he's happy with them. It's likely most of the lithium batteries are good for at least seven years, possibly longer. And having a warranty doesn't guarantee the company won't go out of business. I went with a 3k watt inverter/charger and there's a lot of good ones on the market. I did all my own work too. In the end a reasonable setup can probably be had for about $2k to $3k, a lot different than the high rollers who have installations done for $12k. I should mention that Battleborn does treat their customers very well so I understand the attraction. In the end I'll have 400w in panels on the roof, the inverter/charger at 3,000 watts, a dc/dc charger between my alternator and my rig, and a solar controller. My biggest frustration was finding space. I found the perfect space for my batteries under my bed. But .... my slide out runs the length of the driver's side of my rig. The bed area has a bunch of slide tech (rollers, etc.) built into and on top of the bed. I can see the space I want to use, but I can't get there. I will say it shouldn't be this tough but it's still a jungle out there. Within five years all this stuff will be either standard, easy to order or simple to upgrade. Enjoy your project!

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by Shmipshmop

Hi All. Got a travel trailer this past summer and got to use it a couple times before it went back in the shop (but that is a different story!). I was wondering if you all had experience with running only one 12v battery for short boondocking trips. Is it enough? Me, two kids and my wife. I have a generator but would prefer not to run it all of the time. I was looking into 2 6v but haven't decided yet. And a follow up, I disconnected my battery for the winter and forgot about the damn solar panels lol. I'm hoping I didn't screw anything up by just disconnecting the battery. It has a cover on it btw. Any suggestions? Should I do anything in the meantime? Thanks so much. -p

Our RV is permanently set up on the side of a mountain. I have a 100W Renogy solar panel connected 100%. When we go home the battery switch to the trailer is turned off (no parasitic drain) but the solar is still connected.

In Summer when we come back the battery is always at 100%. In Winter, as long as the snow load is less than 1", the solar panel is still providing minimal juice. Come Spring the battery is always still at 100%. With no drain, even though the panel is only working part of the time (depending on snow), there still is enough juice part of the time to overcome the self drain.

I used to bring tha battery home in the Winter and trickle charge it, but the Renogy has eliminated all that hassle.

[Shmipshmop]

mine is a 3300w i/g that i already had, but i have not done a lot of desert area camper camping, so i actually don't know how much generator I would actually use. I guess I will figure it out.