Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > RV SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES FORUMS > Going Green
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 04-23-2016, 07:40 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Joeymozzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 148
Decisions

If you had $500 (give or take with taxes). Would you buy a decent 3k watt gen or a 200w solar kit? I see both at Home Depot. AC isn't a priority. Rarely dry camp and just wanna run lights, charge battery, fridge and outlets
Joeymozzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 04-23-2016, 08:19 PM   #2
Community Moderator


 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,182
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joeymozzer View Post
.... Rarely dry camp and just wanna run lights, charge battery, fridge and outlets

If by rarely "dry camp" you mean no shore power......then why need either ? Connected to shore power you have all the power you need.

The generator would give you the ability to run your AC, microwave oven, hair dryer, etc the solar (at the price you are considering spending) would not.
pasdad1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2016, 08:21 PM   #3
Community Moderator


 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,182
You can get a solar kit much cheaper than $500

Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByiRV2 - RV Forum1461464460.497899.jpg
Views:	249
Size:	288.0 KB
ID:	125065
pasdad1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2016, 10:12 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Joeymozzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 148
Rarely meaning I would like to go more than never. I would like to go at least 2-4x a year
__________________
2014 Coachman Clipper 17BH

One local trip under my belt....many more notches to nitch
Joeymozzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2016, 10:16 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Joeymozzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 148
What would 200w of solar be good for? Doubt I'll need a hair dryer lol just to charge phones, laptop and watch movies on DVD player
__________________
2014 Coachman Clipper 17BH

One local trip under my belt....many more notches to nitch
Joeymozzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-24-2016, 07:01 AM   #6
Community Moderator


 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,182
Decisions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joeymozzer View Post
What would 200w of solar be good for? Doubt I'll need a hair dryer lol just to charge phones, laptop and watch movies on DVD player

You also need lights, power for your propane refrigerator, smoke alarm, water pump, etc...
...it all adds up ...

How many and what type of batteries do you have ? You need to figure out how much battery capacity you need to make it from dusk to sunrise and only use 50% of the battery capacity. (The 50% number comes from the fact that batteries will degrade MUCH faster if you routinely discharge them more than halfway each time you use them)

Then you size the solar setup large enough to charge the batteries fully, even in cloudy or winter conditions. Also be aware that solar panels only achieve about 85% of the rated output in real-world conditions ( and that is in the best case scenario)

So this 200w setup I mentioned will most likely output on average 170w or less.

As a hypothetical example: You have a 100ah battery. In the morning you have discharged it to 50%. You need to put back into that battery about 50ah (+15%) to recharge it

It would take the 170w solar 4.8 hours to do that given ideal sun conditions. Factor in clouds, etc and you can see this will just barely meet the needs of using just one small battery.

Note: these are just "rough estimates".....the charging will probably take longer because a battery doesn't take constant current right up until it's fully charged....the charging current gradually tapers off less and less.... Charging a battery from 80% to 100% takes quite awhile due to this fact.
pasdad1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2016, 05:16 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Plaskett Creek USFS Campground CA Hwy 1
Posts: 507
Solar! Either option requires good batteries.
LarryW21 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2016, 05:23 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
vsheetz's Avatar


 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
Not many details to advise well from. But I say Generator. 200w of solar is minimal and likely will not provide for the need - not enough capacity, may be shaded, may be bad weather. Imho.
__________________
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.
vsheetz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2016, 05:46 PM   #9
Community Moderator
 
CountryFit's Avatar


 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 8,017
Blog Entries: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by vsheetz View Post
Not many details to advise well from. But I say Generator. 200w of solar is minimal and likely will not provide for the need - not enough capacity, may be shaded, may be bad weather. Imho.
... generator first. generator is a necessity, solar is a nice to have. jmo.
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
CountryFit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2016, 08:11 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Posts: 201
Please, don't park near anyone if you're using that $500 generator from HD! It would be like running a lawn mower while everyone else is trying to enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors. Spend a little extra and get a decently quiet Honda or Yamaha.
If you don't need A/C or a hair dryer or the microwave, then solar would be the way to go. I installed our 400w system for about $600 and love it!
Percival6 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2016, 05:12 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Isaac-1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: SW Louisiana
Posts: 8,824
I agree spend an extra few bucks and get a good Yamaha or Honda 1000 watt inverter generator (typically $600, or $950 for 2000 watt), don't waste money on the $500 made in china junk they sell in the big box stores. Yamaha's are typically slightly better bang for the buck than the Honda's they seem to have a one upmanship rivalry in Japan, however here in the US Honda has better name recognition and typically sells a slightly inferior unit for a slightly higher price.
Isaac-1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2016, 09:55 AM   #12
Community Moderator
 
CountryFit's Avatar


 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 8,017
Blog Entries: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Isaac-1 View Post
I agree spend an extra few bucks and get a good Yamaha or Honda 1000 watt inverter generator (typically $600, or $950 for 2000 watt), don't waste money on the $500 made in china junk they sell in the big box stores. Yamaha's are typically slightly better bang for the buck than the Honda's they seem to have a one upmanship rivalry in Japan, however here in the US Honda has better name recognition and typically sells a slightly inferior unit for a slightly higher price.
while recognizing these two, i would look into champion. america made, solid, proving record, just a portion of the cost comparing with these two; though maybe slightly louder. overall better bang for the money imo.
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
CountryFit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2016, 01:58 PM   #13
Community Moderator


 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,182
Decisions

Quote:
Originally Posted by CountryFit View Post
while recognizing these two, i would look into champion. america made......

Nope. Not American Made. Now I admit that might be more than is happening with Honda or Yamaha generators.....but they aren't making them here in the USA.

They do design and engineering in USA, but manufacturer in China.

Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByiRV2 - RV Forum1480539484.687983.jpg
Views:	139
Size:	110.6 KB
ID:	145723
Click image for larger version

Name:	ImageUploadedByiRV2 - RV Forum1480539498.973757.jpg
Views:	138
Size:	132.5 KB
ID:	145724
pasdad1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2016, 04:10 PM   #14
Community Moderator
 
CountryFit's Avatar


 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Between the Oceans
Posts: 8,017
Blog Entries: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by pasdad1 View Post
Nope. Not American Made. Now I admit that might be more than is happening with Honda or Yamaha generators.....but they aren't making them here in the USA.

They do design and engineering in USA, but manufacturer in China.
i stand corrected... looking forward realizing the promise to bring them back here.
__________________
Steven & Polly
2000 Country Coach Intrigue 40' ISC 350
2018 Ford Explorer 4WD
CountryFit is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Decisions, decisions jeepthrills MH-General Discussions & Problems 10 03-20-2013 08:55 AM
Decisions, Decisions sharmanrn National RV Owner's Forum 24 11-21-2012 07:46 AM
Decisions Decisions BuffaloBarb Travel Trailer Discussion 19 08-15-2011 11:53 PM
Decisions, Decisions Junebug4743 Camping Locations, Plans & Trip Reports 12 08-16-2007 06:11 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.