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09-30-2014, 12:15 PM
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#225
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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Early last year I became RV-less. Issues with my Ford 4X4 & I didn't think it was worth putting a few thousand into it. Had friends that kept asking to purchase the 27ft TT I had rebuilt.
After serious consideration, sold them the TT & traded in the 4X4 for a low mileage Toyota RAV4.
My thought & plan is to go to a used class A & dolly tow the front wheel drive RAV4. But also decided to wait till I'm 100% out of debt to get the class A so the cash would be available for any modifications & upgrades. I'm two years from being able to do that.
And I ended up doubling the mileage of my daily driver.
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09-30-2014, 01:04 PM
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#226
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 153
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I would agree with HH that the flexible panels are not the most cost effective way to go. Also, there has been some manufacturing problems. The technology is exciting but not proven yet, IMHO. Depending on what you want to run and for how long you want to be away from connections, 400 to 800 watts of panels and 4 to 8 golf cart batteries (or equivalent) will be a very robust system. If you just want to run lights and few 12 V accessories, then 100 to 200 watts will be fine with 2 to 4 batteries. You'll need a controller and an inverter. I have had real good luck with Monringstar's TriStar controllers. I had a 45 amp PWM controller and then when I went to grid tie panels, I got a MPPT-60. Both are really well built and rugged. My MH has a 2KW Modified Sine Wave inverter and I supplement it with a 1000 Watt Xantrex Pure Sine Wave inverter for the sensitive stuff.
__________________
34' Holdiay Rambler Neptune
Solar and Jeep
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09-30-2014, 01:21 PM
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#227
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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Good info JeepTJ5.
My thought is as many solar panels as you can fit or afford.
And my thought is on the complete rebuild to get with an apartment size all electric refrigerator. Less power used would be a small chest freezer to make ice & keep cold stuff in a cooler.
Terry will have to have a generator along anyhow to operate the AC. So no big deal to charge the batteries if they get low.
I know once we get our class A, at the first sign of frig trouble it will come out & a small house frig go in. But will also have an automatic that the batteries get low the gen will come on & charge them so going electric with the frig makes sense for us.
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09-30-2014, 01:29 PM
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#228
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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At a rough, 100watt panels are going to be about 26"X45". Put the panels on the sides of the roof with a walkway up the middle.
I use a little 3gal pump sprayer with water & sometimes alittle bleach added & a squeegee to clean my solar panels.
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09-30-2014, 01:32 PM
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#229
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club Nor'easters Club
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 5,802
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rebuild
HH, sounds like a good plan, I'll bet you miss the TT thou. not so much the Ford truck with gas mileage. JeepTJ5, Too bad on the flexable panels, that would be a super way to go, easy to put on the roof ect. I think right now in the early stages in planning I will go with 4 batteries and 5 to 600 watts of panels.
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Terry and Eleanor
79 32' AMF Skamper 5th Wheel Toy Hauler
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09-30-2014, 01:36 PM
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#230
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club Nor'easters Club
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 5,802
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rebuild
Just a thought, wouldnt a propane/electric be better? I could run on propane when I'm off the grid.
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Terry and Eleanor
79 32' AMF Skamper 5th Wheel Toy Hauler
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09-30-2014, 02:03 PM
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#231
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harley1994
Just a thought, wouldnt a propane/electric be better? I could run on propane when I'm off the grid.
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Yes, as long as its working. But best case still doesn't work as well as a residential on electric. There is the fire hazard issue with a Norcold. So Dometic would be my choice if you go that way. And there's that thing about them needing to be level to work which includes the highway driving (hills can shut it down).
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09-30-2014, 02:09 PM
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#232
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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Three sets of these & you have 600watts.
Solarblvd
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09-30-2014, 02:15 PM
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#233
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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Check the class A section on the amount of owners replacing their LP frig (especially Norcold) with residential frig. And the number of people ordering new MHs with residential frig.
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09-30-2014, 03:13 PM
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#234
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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I had issues with the F150 but when the condenser went out in the AC that is when I had to make some hard decisions. Gas was hovering at $4/gal at the time. Had to look at long term plan. That plan included another year before starting to collect SS.
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09-30-2014, 03:21 PM
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#235
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club Nor'easters Club
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 5,802
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rebuild
I never knew that a propane frig caused any problems, of course I really never asked ether, so a residential frig is economical to run on solar? I didnt check on power consumption. And it would/should run when moving? those collectors sound like a good deal, has anyone had any experience with them? I will have a generator on board my MDT.
__________________
Terry and Eleanor
79 32' AMF Skamper 5th Wheel Toy Hauler
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09-30-2014, 03:36 PM
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#236
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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I have some of the brand solar panels I posted. They won't give the output something like a kyocera but cost about half. Worth paying twice the price to maybe get one more amp per panel?
Norcold has multiple class action lawsuits. One is for poor quality product. The other is for fires they have caused. Most of these are for the 1200 series which is the most common. BTW, they need 12VDC for the control board.
Neighbors have a Sunliner class A or something like that. First time the Norcold went out it was $1200 for a new control board. Second time it failed they had it removed & a Dometic installed. According to her, it works better then the Norcold ever did.
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09-30-2014, 04:10 PM
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#237
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 471
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2007 Suncruiser is what the neighbors have. Before hurting my hip I was a volunteer firefighter so driving something large wasn't an issue.
Drive their MH once for them. They had it scheduled for a repair & he had a family emergency he had to go take care of. Rather then reschedule she ask me to drive it to the city for them. I actually found it easier to drive in the city then our narrow country roads. He was back home to pick it up when the repairs were done.
He does contract work as a heavy diesel mechanic & usually has to be 15 or 20 minutes from the work site. Sometimes his wife is with him & sometimes not.
Anyhow, that's the story on that. No problems with the Dometic so far. Three years after new the control board went out on the Norcold. Two years later something else failed.
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09-30-2014, 04:14 PM
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#238
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Vintage RV Owners Club Nor'easters Club
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 5,802
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rebuild
I have a Dometic propane/electric now, so I was going to use it but I may have to rethink this, decisions-decisions-decisions LOL
__________________
Terry and Eleanor
79 32' AMF Skamper 5th Wheel Toy Hauler
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