Solar panels

[Mychesh]

We are considering purchasing an Anthem and we are wondering if the purchase of solar panels are worth the money. What are the pros and cons Also are they reliable and do they need any maintenance? Again thank you for your advice.
Steve

[TonyDi]

Steve
I just upgraded my solar panels to 120 watt. I know that they will keep the batteries up when not in use and will help charge them when boondocked. Other than keeping the panels clean there is not a lot of maintenance to them. I felt they were worth the price to install.

[Mychesh]

Thanks ToniDi so really all they are is an expensive battery charger :-).

[johnnyreno]

Originally Posted by Mychesh

Thanks ToniDi so really all they are is an expensive battery charger :-).

YES

[brobox]

I ordered the 200w solar panels, but later learned on this forum they won't do that much unless you get up around 600w. If they do a little, I guess they will be OK. I had just sold my previous MH that buyers went nuts over the little 5w solar panel it had. I ordered the Entegra panels mainly because of the resale reaction I had from buyers. I will probably never get my money back or $2700 worth of use out of them.

[Crippsfl]

Originally Posted by brobox

I ordered the 200w solar panels, but later learned on this forum they won't do that much unless you get up around 600w. If they do a little, I guess they will be OK. I had just sold my previous MH that buyers went nuts over the little 5w solar panel it had. I ordered the Entegra panels mainly because of the resale reaction I had from buyers. I will probably never get my money back or $2700 worth of use out of them.

When I ordered mine, I asked the Entegra Factory Rep if it was worth the money. He asked if we were going to dry camp much. My response was not very often. He said that it would offer very little benefit for us and that it really didn't add that much anyway even if we did dry camp. 200 watts just isn't that much power. I figured I could run a generator for a long time on $2,700 if needed. When I left a RV park, I would already be fully charged and charging while driving anyway. That alternator on the big Cummins must be there for a reason.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Crippsfl

When I ordered mine, I asked the Entegra Factory Rep if it was worth the money. He asked if we were going to dry camp much. My response was not very often. He said that it would offer very little benefit for us and that it really didn't add that much anyway even if we did dry camp. 200 watts just isn't that much power. I figured I could run a generator for a long time on $2,700 if needed. When I left a RV park, I would already be fully charged and charging while driving anyway. That alternator on the big Cummins must be there for a reason.

After the fact for me,...... I totally agree. Plus I store inside...what was I thinking?

[Saltydog44]

We didn't get them since we rarely boondock. It was really hard to justify although I think Brobox is correct on resale value if you do a private sale. I doubt it would help much on a trade in.

[450Donn]

200 watts is really not much! Wow, all these years i have had 250 watts on my trailers roof and can go wor days without ever firung up my generator. Hummm must be doing somethign wrong.
In reality solar has its purposes, mainly if you are off grid they will provide battery charging capabilities. But there is another side to solar. And that is battery capacity. A person considering solar needs to have a properly matched battery bank to the panel output. The other is power managment. If you are power hungry, running lots of electronics all day, trying to use the coffee pot or an electric stove, good luck! You would be out of power in about 10 minutes no matter how many panels you had.
The vast majority of motor homes have never been disconnected from the grid except when moving down the road. That is not a condemnation, just a fact. So i see no reason to consider adding solar to any Rv unless your plans are for extended boon docking. Then it is a great way to extend your stay without the use of generators.

[Mychesh]

Thank you for the responses exactly the advice we were seeking. Am I right in thinking that the solar's are constantly charging ALL the battery banks? Does this happen even when the MH is shoreline connected? If this is the case would the auto gen not cycle as much?? And if we do boondock are you not allowed to use your generators? Sorry for all the questions

[Crippsfl]

Originally Posted by 450Donn

200 watts is really not much! Wow, all these years i have had 250 watts on my trailers roof and can go wor days without ever firung up my generator. Hummm must be doing somethign wrong.
In reality solar has its purposes, mainly if you are off grid they will provide battery charging capabilities. But there is another side to solar. And that is battery capacity. A person considering solar needs to have a properly matched battery bank to the panel output. The other is power managment. If you are power hungry, running lots of electronics all day, trying to use the coffee pot or an electric stove, good luck! You would be out of power in about 10 minutes no matter how many panels you had.
The vast majority of motor homes have never been disconnected from the grid except when moving down the road. That is not a condemnation, just a fact. So i see no reason to consider adding solar to any Rv unless your plans are for extended boon docking. Then it is a great way to extend your stay without the use of generators.

Don,

Is your TT a full electric trailer? Is your refrigerator a full sized residential 110 volt unit or is it LP gas? In order to "match up" the batteries (8 - 6volt AGM), 200 watts is a drop in the bucket.

I am not criticizing your thinking, but it does not work on an all electric coach with large power requirements. I suppose if I covered the roof with solar panels, I could extend battery life. It is just not the way I will be using the coach.

[Saltydog44]

Originally Posted by Mychesh

Thank you for the responses exactly the advice we were seeking. Am I right in thinking that the solar's are constantly charging ALL the battery banks? Does this happen even when the MH is shoreline connected? If this is the case would the auto gen not cycle as much?? And if we do boondock are you not allowed to use your generators? Sorry for all the questions

When you are plugged in to shore power, the batteries are kept charged with priority going to the house batteries so the autogen shouldn't kick in.

As to running the generators when boondocking, that would depend on where you are parked. It's pretty easy to respect "quiet hours" if they apply.

It's my understanding that all Entegra's have small solar panels that have do some trickle charging but I can't imagine that it's much. We did not opt for 200 Watt additions.

[MRUSA14]

Originally Posted by Mychesh

Thank you for the responses exactly the advice we were seeking. Am I right in thinking that the solar's are constantly charging ALL the battery banks? Does this happen even when the MH is shoreline connected? If this is the case would the auto gen not cycle as much?? And if we do boondock are you not allowed to use your generators? Sorry for all the questions

When you are connected to shore power, solar panels will be of no benefit as all your needs can be supplied by shore power. If you are in the shade, solar panels are essentially useless. If you are parked in full sun, the generator may work a little less due to solar panels but it is inconsequential. I bought the solar option and I would not do it again.

Some locations have generator quiet hours. You can set these hours on your auto genstart panel and the generator will start early and "pre-charge" your batteries before the start of quiet time. Nice feature.

[Crippsfl]

Originally Posted by Saltydog44

When you are plugged in to shore power, the batteries are kept charged with priority going to the house batteries so the autogen shouldn't kick in.

As to running the generators when boondocking, that would depend on where you are parked. It's pretty easy to respect "quiet hours" if they apply.

It's my understanding that all Entegra's have small solar panels that have do some trickle charging but I can't imagine that it's much. We did not opt for 200 Watt additions.

Comes with a small 5 watt solar panel strictly for chassis batteries when coach is stored.