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Old 01-26-2014, 07:14 AM   #29
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Hey you all this seems like an amazing option I had never even thought of.

Thanks for the discussion, I am now going to research solar panels!
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Old 01-26-2014, 07:20 AM   #30
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One alternative is to use high voltage panels which are less vulnerable to shading. We have a 185W 66 cell panel feeding a Morningstar MPPT SunSaver and get usable current from dawn to dusk and in shaded sites. this feeds a 150AH Lifeline battery monitored with a Victron battery monitor. I typically see 35 volts in shade and 50+ when in full sun.
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Old 01-26-2014, 10:55 AM   #31
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If I had the room on a roof multiple 250+ watt 24 volt panels would be a consideration.
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Old 01-26-2014, 12:44 PM   #32
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I also thought solar was a good option for our dry camping trips. We have 620 watts of panels and on a perfect day it will put 36 amps into the batteries. But, we do not get many perfect days. With the residential refrigerator, sat receiver, tv and occasional micro wave, I still have to run the 10kw generator 6 hours per day to keep the six batteries above 12.2 volts. I just bought a 2000 watt Honda generator that will run a 50 amp charger for 10 hours on less than 1 gallon of gas. We can hardly hear it run. The solar system will keep the bank up during the day, but goes down hill at night and early morning when all the power is needed. IMHO, the $800 for the Honda was a better investment than the $2000 I spent on the solar. Having both is the best way to go.
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Old 01-26-2014, 03:36 PM   #33
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you may want someone to look at your install, something doesn't sond right with 600+ watts.
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Old 01-26-2014, 05:24 PM   #34
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aaa just be happy with what you have the AC is not going to hurt that much when the sun is lower
your all ready facing 5 to 7% away form the sun with that one

just add more panels
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Old 01-26-2014, 06:45 PM   #35
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Nice until the hail storms hit..or falling coconuts Jus Saying I know for a fact I will break them so I opted out I will run the genny im not worried about the ozone layer and neither are the Chinese who mfg. most of the components on them
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Old 01-26-2014, 06:55 PM   #36
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I am having trouble with the math here. I understand the math of how solar is producing; I just don't get how it saves money short or long term for dry camping, particularly as, unless your doing BLM lands, most of the parks that you'd dry camp have a real problem accommodating a 45 footer. As I see the equation, you're going to need somewhere on the order of 400-600 mights of dry camping to cover the cost of a $3-6000 system (depending on who does the work). I know they could be a plus, but you still need generators for AC and/or heat pumps. While my dry camping experience remains short of many, it seems that if I run the generator 2-3 hours a day to recharge the batteries, while dry camping which is my limited experience, that's a lot of dollars. And you still need a dump and fresh water source. Particularly if I can sub in the kind of quiet portable generators I saw at the Tampa show for a quarter of the cost, max. JMHO, but as Brobox suggested, this is a bandwagon that one needs to look at hard before making the leap. Am I missing something other than the liberty afforded by boondocking that is at play here?
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Old 01-26-2014, 06:56 PM   #37
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Ditch the fridge it uses 20 amp rate in 24 hrs. You need 60 amps rate in 8 hrs just for the fridge alone.
I have 200 watt solar with 3 batteries and can never see voltage under 12.2,
While using generator 4 hrs per day i never saw my voltage higher then 12.2.
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Old 01-26-2014, 07:09 PM   #38
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We have the big 5 watt solar panel that Newmar puts on as standard equipment. Does everything we need it too. All we do is boon-dock and never have any problems. May have to run the genny one hour in the morning and one at night. If it hot out it runs whenever the AC does. Simple. I wouldn't hang any of that junk on the roof of our rig if somebody gave it to us with free insulation. Save your money for gas or diesel. It cheaper then water.
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Old 01-26-2014, 07:15 PM   #39
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I think im with the portable genny b4 all that stuff as you can use it even away from the coach I cant fold panels up and take em any where, like I said earlier just sayin no offense please don't take it as anything other than constructive
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Old 01-26-2014, 08:23 PM   #40
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I think im with the portable genny b4 all that stuff as you can use it even away from the coach I cant fold panels up and take em any where, like I said earlier just sayin no offense please don't take it as anything other than constructive
Doesn't Entagra put a built in a portable, as its on the wheels of the coach jenny? I used to carry around a portable Jenny when we bought our 1994 Jayco-Entagra. In the back of the pickup. Never again. The built in ones are so much easier. No fuel to carry and fill. Way less noise and you can start it and stop it going down the road. Their great if you don't have one in the rig, but not cool to drag around. You'll never save a dime. In fact it will cost you money to run a second Jenny.
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Old 01-26-2014, 08:38 PM   #41
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Doesn't Entagra put a built in a portable, as its on the wheels of the coach jenny? I used to carry around a portable Jenny when we bought our 1994 Jayco-Entagra. In the back of the pickup. Never again. The built in ones are so much easier. No fuel to carry and fill. Way less noise and you can start it and stop it going down the road. Their great if you don't have one in the rig, but not cool to drag around. You'll never save a dime. In fact it will cost you money to run a second Jenny.
Yes, Entegra puts a generator on board, 12500 w on the Anthem and Cornerstone. As with most generators, it drinks .5 to 1.5 gallons of diesel an hour. So that is where this equation starts WRT solar. How much generator do you need a day (without AC which you'd have to run regardless of solar or not), versus how much solar...and then weigh the costs of each to boondock. The portable generator perspective might be a relatively quiet and cheaper alternative to the Onan, as opposed to solar, which, JMHO, seems awfully expensive.
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Old 01-26-2014, 10:29 PM   #42
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Yes, Entegra puts a generator on board, 12500 w on the Anthem and Cornerstone. As with most generators, it drinks .5 to 1.5 gallons of diesel an hour. So that is where this equation starts WRT solar. How much generator do you need a day (without AC which you'd have to run regardless of solar or not), versus how much solar...and then weigh the costs of each to boondock. The portable generator perspective might be a relatively quiet and cheaper alternative to the Onan, as opposed to solar, which, JMHO, seems awfully expensive.
You might save a little, but very little, and you will charge slower, and be very limited to what you can run off of a little 2KW Honda. It is way cheaper to boondock and run you geny 2 hours a day then it is to rent a campground spot. I don't even care what my geny uses, and I never know as I just fill the rig up when it get below a half tank. If you can afford to drive a 13 or 14 Anthem, what's a few gallons of diesel got to do with anything. Personally I just refuse to carry along another geny, as the one on board is just to convenient. Money has nothing to do with it. If I have to carry around a portable geny, I might as well get a tent. I would start the V10 if my geny broke down and let it run, before I would use another geny. And I have several of them but they aren't going in the MH.
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