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CRHyde58 · 02-07-2016, 01:28 PM

I know this is a vague question, but I don't know what I don't know. How many solar panels does it take to power a fifth wheel?

KSagal · 02-07-2016, 01:37 PM

My understanding is that the solar panels are used to recharge the house batteries. So, the amount you need is more reflective of the type of camping you do than the size of your rig.

If you do only camping where you plug into 110 volts each night, then the solar panels will only recharge the loss you had during the day's travels. IF you do not stop and make your own lunch, as an example, they may not work at all that day.

On the other hand, if you frequently stop where there are no facilities, then the solar during the day will recharge your house batteries, and maybe even run some of your use during the day. This is great if you are not at campgrounds, and the alternative is to run the truck engine or generator to charge those batteries.

So, the size of your solar system, and the amount of panels you want, will need to be tuned to the type of camping you plan to do.

twinboat · 02-07-2016, 01:56 PM

Along with the above info. You need to do an energy audit to see what kind of battery bank you need to get you thru the night, with some reserve for cloudy days.

You will not power the Air Conditioner, an electric water heater or an electric cooktop.

With a 3 to 4 battery system and power inverter, you can keep a residential 120 volt fridge running, do some microwaving, drip coffee, some lights at night, along with TV and computer charging.

Look into 400 to 800 watts of solar tied to 4 deep cycle batteries. Many systems are running on 4, 6 volt golf car batteries.

Tie them to a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter, a 60 to 80 amp smart charger and a Honda eu2000 portable generator, as backup, then head for the woods.

WYRon · 02-08-2016, 09:19 AM

You really need to ask yourself two questions. First, what are you trying to accomplish? An occasional night at walmart watching TV, or a week of boondocking. Second, what are your expected electrical needs when disconnected. If you have a propane refrigerator and stove, you're in the summer with no need to run the furnace fan, and you don't have 3 big screen TV's to run, then perhaps its pretty minor. On the other hand a residential refrigerator, 2-3 TVs with DirecTV satellite, and needing to run the furnace fan...well that's another story.
In terms of sizing you need to be first aware that the nameplate rating of the solar panels is not what you're going to get. I have 6 panels with a nominal rating of about 1,000 watts, but I'm pretty happy if I get 400-500 watts. That's because you're typically mounting the panels flat so they're not properly aligned to the sun (if you actually are seeing the sun!). The other consideration is how many coach batteries you have and their capacity. There's not much point adding a lot of capacity that the batteries can't store. There are a lot of good sources on the internet for these questions.