All Electric and Boondocking

[RunningHard]

We only dry camp, never use parks. My next coach will be all electric with solar. We run the generator when needed as we have no one next to us to bother.

[RV-SOLAR TEC]

It all depends on your roof space. What type of rv did you order? I installed 2600 watts of solar on a class a with 800ah lithium batteries and they run their air conditioner in the boonies. As i said, it all depends. Even with a 1500watt system you are able to do ac. Not 24/7 but... We need more infos on what you wanna run and what rig you have and what solar is worth to you. Just add up fuel and your nerves and also complaints of your boondocking neighbors and also the savings on campgrounds you don't have to pay.

[mcdade54]

Obvious either will work so it becomes a matter of preference. We are on our second electric/gas setup with 200AH of LiFePO4 batteries and 320 in solar. We have boondocked 7 days in a stretch and with sunshine, no generator. I personally dislike the noise of the generators even with these quiet ones.
Not mentioned in the other responses is a battery monitor. In 2 years I went through 3 sets of LA batteries because I didn't know their status or understand the charging times. Regardless of the type the battery monitor will give you confidence of the real status, not a guesstimate.
Battery knowledge is essential. Plenty of info on the web and a lot more opinion.

[Jeff802]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0rZY5uotKI

This video is 3 years old but gives you a basic understanding. A soft start is essential for this to work at all.

[tophog]

This is becoming a relatively standard setup these days for serious boondockers. The heart of the solution are the lithium batteries and the newer 3K hybrid inverters and if course solar. Lithium charges up to 5x faster and has 2x the working amp hours compared to LA and Agm. Then again it comes at a cost.

https://youtu.be/meUD10D9pdQ

[Farfman]

Originally Posted by Ram-Man

Trying to figure out if this is even an option or not. If we had an all electric coach with solar panels and was boon docking a few days, how would this go? Would I constantly be running the generator to make this work? The air would have to be running in the environment I would be in just to help with info. 2 people showering and would need the frig. Any experience would be appreciated.

Also if this is not a good idea, should we go gas instead. Coach is ordered and running out of time to make any changes. We ordered the all electric but still confused if that was right for us or not. Thanks for any input.

NOPE. To use the A/C you'll need to run the generator. UNLESS you've spent an addition $12K for the appropriate solar system.

[PeterFTH]

[QUOTE=Ram-Man;4685913]Trying to figure out if this is even an option or not. If we had an all electric coach with solar panels and was boon docking a few days, how would this go? Would I constantly be running the generator to make this work? The air would have to be running in the environment I would be in just to help with info. 2 people showering and would need the frig. Any experience would be appreciated.


No battery/solar combination will run a/c. Period. You don't say the output (wattage) of the panels - they come from almost nothing to 500+ watts per panel. You don't mention your amp hours of battery capacity - if by all electric you mean the domestic refrigerator, you would need a whole lot of solar and batteries to make that fly. There are 12vdc refrigerators that draw 6-10 amps when running - you could work something out for that, but you will be putting time on the genset for air conditioning and to top the batteries - I run mine an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening but my refrigerator is propane/electric. Not enough information but you need to do more research - get with the manufacturer and get a detailed explaination, sans the BS they want to shovel your way, and get the facts so you'll know what you are dealing with.


Also if this is not a good idea, should we go gas instead. Coach is ordered and running out of time to make any changes. We ordered the all electric but still confused if that was right for us or not. Thanks for any input.

[mlpeloquin]

The new electric refrigerators use about one amp and that is only when they are running. So you should not have a problem with it. The AC units do require the generator. Then there is the satellite dish, TV, Blue Ray, stereo, and don't forget the wife's hair dryer. Hair dryer is a generator item. So keep track of the electrical use. There are current/power meters that you can plug in and then the appliance plugs into it. Once you know you can plan accordingly. A battery monitor is a must.

[RoadRelax]

Our 2008 Winnebago Journey has the usual propane equip for refrigerator and hot water heater. We don't stay in areas without electric hookup, and plan our trips for arrival at a facility before dark. I cool fridge day before so contents stay cold during travel without needing propane. Likewise, the hot water. I can't find a reason to justify cost of removing propane tanks that don't present a problem. My foodie wife prefers to cook with gas, our source at home is propane. I read comments about the dangers of having the tanks but have never seen or heard of an incident firsthand. Surely, other factors contributed. I have fittings inspected as part of maintenance. As I seldom use, and don't boondock, is there anything else I should do to maintain their safety and my wife's great cooking? Also, when did propane become considered stone age?

[sledbiker1]

How many watts or amps are in 1 pound of propane.

How many watts or amps are in 1 gallon of diesel.

I use dc or ac for led lights, charging computers and screen, GPS, ipad, drone, segway, water pump and using the built in charger/inverter for the cappuccino machine in the hush hush. Area. You know all the fun stuff...

I like Boondocking, I make a cappuccino in the morning for 2, using the generator and it charges 4-6 volt batteries in a hour= 1/2 gal diesel the reason why my batteries charge back so fast is because our fridge is on propane, stove is on propane, hot water is on propane and furnace is on propane. Having a 200 lb propane tank, I feel like I'm a power plant.

When I'm at a State Park or campground with only 30 or 20 amp and it's 100 plus outside I'm cool inside cause I know I can run 1 AC no problem cause everthing else is using propane. While we look at the maps for a nice tree in area near a lake or a sea side where its cooler...

Remember I said, I have a propane furancecool:

[CagefreeRV]

Consider: A battery and a 20# LP tank are about the same size and weight. In heating energy, However, each 20# LP tank has about 105 times the energy of a 12vdc 100AH battery.

My simple dry camping solutions:
1. Go north or high during summer
2. Go south during winter
=No A/C w/genset needed
LP for heat and 100W solar charging of my 150AH Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery keep us cozy for weeks of dry camping. We use 250Wh/day electric.. My battery and PV give up to 550Wh per day.

[Flair-22]

Originally Posted by oscarvan

AC?

Propane fridge is independent, but $$$.
.

This statement is a bit misleading. Propane/120v fridges are not too expensive, certainly no higher than an all electric oe, and I never cease to be amazed at how little propane my Norcold fridge uses.


I don't think you can boondock with just electric; propane makes way more sense.

[leroybrown]

We are on our fourth RV and it is our first totally electric. We boondocks 90% of the time and the total electric is my perfered way to go. And I don’t want or need solar. Just keep the auto gen start set to your low voltage preference and forget about it. If it’s hot out the geny runs 18 to 24 hours a day. If it cold out the geny only runs once every day or two if we’re parked. About the same as our last RV which had propane range, hot water and furnace and fridge. I like only having to keep one fuel tank filled, and never have to worry about finding propane. I’d never go back to using propane. And boondocking is what we do.

[MRUSA14]

I think part of the divide here is different people’s definitions of boondocking. For the guy who said he never goes to a campground with hookups, and particularly if he is a full-timer, then it may be worth it for him to cover his whole roof with solar and install lithium batteries. But for the average RVer who boondocks mostly for a night or two when between campgrounds, that level of investment will never pay off. Even if you do make the investment to have a major solar installation there are serious limitations. There is no denying that the guy who uses solar alone is going to make a lot of sacrifices that the generator user doesn’t. Such as being able to go where it is hot in summer and use multiple air conditioners, being able to have full power in shady, rainy or nightime conditions, etc.

Different strokes for different folks. Like every other choice in RVing, you choose which compromises you wish to accept.