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02-20-2018, 08:03 AM
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#1
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Registered User
Newmar Owners Club Appalachian Campers Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Midlothian, VA
Posts: 4,774
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Have SOLAR? How often do you use it and for what?
Interested to hear who has solar, how much solar you have, when do you use it, what percentage of your travels do you use it...
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02-20-2018, 08:38 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 1,718
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We have 600 watts of solar and we use it almost all of the time from November 1 until late April while we travel and boondock in the Southwest USA.
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Paul J Stough Iowa
2005 Winnebago Voyage 38J
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02-20-2018, 08:41 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 472
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Our last coach, a 2010 Winnebago Adventurer 35phad built in solar panels.....our new coach 2017 Adventurer 38q also has built in panels. The greatest advantage of solar to me is when we are in storage for 6 months, the batteries are being charged and are always ready......but other than that we are afforded passive battery charging.
We do not boondock so that is not an issue, though if you do, I could see a lot of advantages with the proper amount of batteries and the 2000 watt inverter. I might mention, with the inverter in use when we are under way the residential fridge is always on.
So solar is a good thing, saving a lot of propane.
__________________
USAF Retired (26 yrs)
Grumman Aerospace (32 yrs)
2017 Winnebago Adventurer 38Q 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 3.2 L
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02-20-2018, 08:55 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oroville, CA
Posts: 3,133
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Solar is a battery charger. You have many ways on your MH you can use to charge your batteries; 1) engine alt when you drive, 2) shore power when you park, 3) generator when you don't have shore power, 4) Solar.
Wind generators, bicycle powered alternators, small hydro, methane generators; not ready for prime time.
So 'Using solar' is really subtractive, that is, solar can partially or for more $$$ completely replace one other battery charging scenario.
Its the size / type of battery bank that allows you to reduce use of one of your battery chargers, so for the biggest bang for the buck, increase the size of your battery bank.
Some posts here recently have showcased some truly spectacular solar/ lithium systems. Almost 2kw solar and 2,000 ah/hr lithium. Price? in the $30,000 and up range. For a battery charger.
Oh, and at night or cloudy, or you want to park in the shade, then you are back to options 1-3.
BtW, I love solar, I have a 7kw micro-inverter system on the S&B and in a past life I operated a 520kw solar farm with over 5,000 solar panels.
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Bill, Kathi and Zorro; '05 Beaver Patriot Thunder
2012 Sunnybrook Harmony 21FBS (SQEZINN)
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
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02-20-2018, 09:01 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Thor Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Denver
Posts: 164
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We have had a 100W portable panel for some time and use it whenever we are not connected to shore power.
This fall, I installed a Bogart SC-2030 solar charger in the ACE (I also have a Trimetric battery monitor) and disconnected the solar charger that came with the portable unit. Over the winter I've left the portable unit out connected to the SC-2030 and its done a great job of keeping the batteries topped off with no water loss. I got rid of the charger in the portable unit because I didn't have any faith in it being smart enough to manage being connected to the batteries for months.
I've found that 100W hasn't been enough and have had to run the generator for an hour or so at times. So I have collected all then parts and pieces to install 200W of solar on my roof and am now waiting for a stretch of decent weather to do the install. Not today - its 4 degrees out and a couple of inches of snow on the ground.
When I do the install, I will keep the portable unit and the pigtail that I installed with the controller to connect the portable unit using SAE plug connectors. I'll have 300W of capacity, 100W of which I can move around.
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02-20-2018, 09:28 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,323
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Have SOLAR? How often do you use it and for what?
I have a self installed 960 watt flat mount solar system ... all in about 2000 $ and a lot of tinkering. We boondock Quartzite about a month +\-and do a lot of casino camping as we “ reposition” throughout the year
It’s been helpful but we are energy hogs watch sat television until 11pm cell boosters computers kurieg coffee makers .. about a 10 amp constant draw overnight ...I still use a 1 hour generator run in the am and let the solar top the batteries off The generator can pump 100 amps into the battery quickly. And that’s good for the batteries The solar on a good day can get a few hours at 30-40 amps in the winter southwest
Is it cost effective ? No esp if you trade coaches / RV every few years
I did it because it’s something I wanted to do , helps me be more neighborly even though my neighbors in 2 q locations this year all ran small generators almost 24 7 for cpap and other health machine items soooo...
my opinion is unless your hard Core 6 month a year boondockers Or really hate generators it’s a fun project and way to spend some money. I’ve had fun and enjoy watching the trimetric info.
Having someone install a 30000$ system would be super cool and on my lottery win list but nobody can pencil out how that pays back ..
__________________
2023 Coachmen Encore 325SS
2002 Ford Escape toad
2020 GMC terrain
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02-20-2018, 09:32 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oroville, CA
Posts: 3,133
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Bill, I can see by your name that you are one smart fella!
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Bill, Kathi and Zorro; '05 Beaver Patriot Thunder
2012 Sunnybrook Harmony 21FBS (SQEZINN)
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland
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02-20-2018, 03:53 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 522
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Its all in the eye of the RV'er. I have had 900 watts of solar for the past 6 years and love it. Just 2 years ago I changed out my 10 year old AGM's for Lithium batteries and love them too.
I do a lot of dry camping in Colorado during the summer and very seldom will I run the generator. Mainly just if I want the ac on!
For me to enjoy the quite was worth the cost!
Cheers!
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2006 Mountain Aire, Jeep LJ, 900 watts of solar, boondocking life away! Volunteer Fire Fighter!
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02-20-2018, 03:55 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: On the Road
Posts: 277
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... We are fulltimers & prefer Boondocking, USFS, COE, NPS, SP, CP etc over private RV parks... ALL LED'S & 4 good 6V batteries....With the solar panels we don't have to run our generator unless we have a need to microwave for a long amount of time; for under 10 minuets we use the inverter... No noise, no maintenance, no worries... We are currently overseas & with solar, the batteries are topped off every day without being plugged in.. When we are in the RV the batteries are topped off before noon every day... I also have a panel on a "leash" that I use if in a shady spot... This is 4th RV with solar... We also know how to turn the lights off if not being used... Would not be without solar...
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02-20-2018, 04:54 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,323
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cruzbill
Bill, I can see by your name that you are one smart fella!
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Yup lol I can say the same for you sir!
__________________
2023 Coachmen Encore 325SS
2002 Ford Escape toad
2020 GMC terrain
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02-20-2018, 08:06 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club Freightliner Owners Club Retired Fire Service RVer's
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: SO CAL
Posts: 244
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My signature tells the story. I spent 6 days/nights parked in my son's drive way in early June of 2017. No hook ups. I ran fans every day to keep the dogs cool. Our battery bank was full every afternoon. We never dropped below 12.6 volts by morning. We have a PSW inverter because of the requirements of a CPAP.
All in all, we love our solar. It allows us to boondock and avoid campground fees. The savings on camping fees more than pays for our fuel.
__________________
2007 Itasca Meridian 39K
350 HP Cat / Allison 6 Speed
1 Wife and 2 Dogs
960 watts of solar, 440 Amp hours AGM batteries
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02-20-2018, 08:56 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
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We have 1500w solar system. We dry camp often, mostly in the winter months (aka desert season), in southern California and Arizona. Used primarily to eliminate or minimize generator usage for battery charging.
__________________
Vince and Susan
2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH (Cummins ISC/Freightliner)
Flat towing a modified 2005 Jeep (Rubicon Wrangler)
Previously a 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37A and a 1995 Safari Trek 2830.
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02-20-2018, 09:03 PM
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#13
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Community Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 8,019
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since march 2015, we have only one night stayed in a park with utility. that was when we planned to visit glass beach ca and found out nowhere to park overnight but that highway 101 roadside rv park for $15/night with passport america (a unattended park).
all other times we were either boondocking or staying in rv parks without utility, for example, marina at winchester bay, oregon.
solar provides freedom for us. can't imagine doing rv without it.
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
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02-20-2018, 09:12 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 118
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryFit
since march 2015, we have only one night stayed in a park with utility. that was when we planned to visit glass beach ca and found out nowhere to park overnight but that highway 101 roadside rv park for $15/night with passport america (a unattended park).
all other times we were either boondocking or staying in rv parks without utility, for example, marina at winchester bay, oregon.
solar provides freedom for us. can't imagine doing rv without it.
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Can I ask, are you a full timer?
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