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Old 01-03-2020, 09:08 AM   #29
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Solar has been around for awhile now, what are the thoughts on full solar vs additional generator, vs generator alone. Thanks for the input.
Have both - will NEVER be without the Generator.

Solar works for those who can stay where the need for A/C and additional heavy loads are not needed - but requires - IMHO - dedication to the commitment it requires - Which IMHO is not a Trait shared by the Majority of RV'er's.

So..........

JMHO,
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Old 01-03-2020, 09:15 AM   #30
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I actually prefer the BOTH route.

Solar makes a great battery maintainer. No need to plug in.

It adds redundency... what if gen won't start. Been there done that.

It removes or mitigates the amount of gen run time when dry camping.

I have learned techniques with mine...such as adjusting the Inverter shore connection called AC-IN...to facilitate using two 15kbtu a/c units when only given 30A shore connection. I set my coach so that everything BUT the A/C is running off solar...and the A/C's are the only things using the shore power. Both A/C units have MicroAir Easy Starts installed to make this possible. Works really well. Another technique is to run the Front 15k unit off the inverter while driving. The combination of solar and alternator thru BIM are ample to run the A/C and still arrive with fully charged batteries.

Like them both.
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Old 01-12-2020, 03:26 PM   #31
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For me, solar is more hassle than it’s worth. For the little bit of power it produces, I can run my generator for a few minutes. What drives me crazy is the people who have solar panels and electric cars that look down on others using their generators. They usually comment on how they are saving the planet with their electric car. They need to think the whole thing through. They think the cord they plug their car into gets the electricity out of thin air. I guess they are the same people who think steaks come from the grocery store.
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Old 01-12-2020, 03:37 PM   #32
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For me, solar is more hassle than it’s worth...
Huh? The sun shines and your batteries charge. Where’s the hassle?

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What drives me crazy is the people who have solar panels and electric cars that look down on others using their generators. .
Bitter much? Seems you’re the one looking down on people.

Lighten up Francis.
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Old 01-12-2020, 03:43 PM   #33
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For me, solar is more hassle than it’s worth. For the little bit of power it produces, I can run my generator for a few minutes. What drives me crazy is the people who have solar panels and electric cars that look down on others using their generators. They usually comment on how they are saving the planet with their electric car. They need to think the whole thing through. They think the cord they plug their car into gets the electricity out of thin air. I guess they are the same people who think steaks come from the grocery store.
In our pre-solar days, if we had run the furnace over night it would require 3 to 4 hrs of geny time to get the batteries back to perhaps 97%. Carry a 3500 watt geny and 115 amp converter setup. With solar the same batteries after a night with the furnace running I see 100% battery charge well before noon. I turned off the converters when the solar went live and never used them since.
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Old 01-12-2020, 04:14 PM   #34
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A ten amp panel ($200) and a decent Solar controller ($150, Victron, 15A w/ smartphone Bluetooth app), with a fuse and 8 ga wiring etc., for under $500 will keep a couple of house batteries charged unless you overuse them them! Changing incandescent bulbs (2A) to LED (.45A) makes a huge difference. For more solar applications, technology is improving. AC mini splits (Low amp draw) can sometimes be fitted. Rooftop mini split 12V. technology is coming too! And 12V. Cooling unit replacements for high end Dometic and Norcold fridges are available for $1000 or so, which will run on solar and batteries, getting you off absorption units. So, depending on what you want to do, it won’t be long before AC is possible on solar. But it won’t be cheap! 12V Lithium batteries are around $1K each for 200 ah useable, only weigh 28 lbs., and can be mounted in nearly any position. My Onan 5500 uses a gallon of gas per hour to recharge. I also have a 3100 Champion with remote that uses 1/4 that amount and is much quieter. Do the research. A fellow named Solar Bob has a lot of newby info online. Green is good for everyone!
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Old 01-12-2020, 04:26 PM   #35
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For me, solar is more hassle than it’s worth. For the little bit of power it produces, I can run my generator for a few minutes. What drives me crazy is the people who have solar panels and electric cars that look down on others using their generators. They usually comment on how they are saving the planet with their electric car. They need to think the whole thing through. They think the cord they plug their car into gets the electricity out of thin air. I guess they are the same people who think steaks come from the grocery store.
Not sure where the hassle is. Installed my system 4 years ago and haven't touched it since them. If I am not using air conditioning, I never have to run my generator even for a few minutes. Solar is a one time cost, running your generator is a continuous expense.
I have an electric car also, obviously not to save the planet, otherwise I would not be driving a 42000 lb motorhome that gets 7 miles to the gallon. My electric car is charged by solar at home, so I am saving about $2500 a year in gas costs, this is the only reason I bought it. AND when I was younger, worked in an abattoir hanging carcasses in the cold room, so know where steaks come from.
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Old 01-12-2020, 04:35 PM   #36
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I have 3 ways to heat the Coach, 3 ways to heat the water, 3 ways to run the fridg, and now 4 ways with solar to charge the battery’s. With an RV redundancy gives you more options. Not sure it would have been worth it if not a DIY, but it was interesting to learn, and with what I learned on the RV I think I could now do my own home system. My panels were $1 a watt, at that price, it is becoming cost effective. Not including my time, or new Lithium Battery’s (I could have kept my older AGMs) it was just about $2500 for 1200 watts all in. It could have been even less, but I wanted the Magnum solar controller to integrate with my inverter, and control panel. But I still want/use the Gen. and would not do Solar only, large appliances like my 3 roof ACs need more power then solar alone can provide, but there are a lot of time where solar is more than enough, or at least close.
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Old 01-12-2020, 05:10 PM   #37
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200 Watt solar panels on the roof with a suitcase panel on the ground to chase the sun, pair of 200AH AGM's and a generator for back-up.............perfect!!!
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Old 01-12-2020, 06:21 PM   #38
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Solar has been around for awhile now, what are the thoughts on full solar vs additional generator, vs generator alone. Thanks for the input.
It depends on what you want to power, time of year, latitude etc. As an example, I plan on spending 6 months of the year in AZ in the winter. The amount of usable solar in Dec in AZ is 73 kWh for the month, or 2,355 Wh daily for every 1,000 watts of solar panel. I am a full timer with a residential fridge which uses 1,500 watt hrs per day. Assuming another 1,000 for everything else I need 2.5kWh so 1,000 watts of solar would work. For batteries you would need 4 6V Trojan T105's or equivalent for a total of 225 AH @ 50% DOD or 2,700 WH. HOWEVER, if you will have cloudy days you need to store more than 1 day so more batteries, and more solar to re-charge the batteries.
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Old 01-12-2020, 06:49 PM   #39
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Solar works only when the sun shines and the solar potential of your location. My RV is all electric and solar isn't really an option. 3-15kW A/C's for heat and cooling, electric cooktop, residential refer. Solar in TN was a bust while it worked much better in AZ, but not for A/C or heat. I have 8 GC1 AGM batteries. I never leave home w/o 12.5kW gennie. Previous RV was all electric with $10g+ of solar panels and LiPo batteries and was a bust.
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Old 01-12-2020, 06:58 PM   #40
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I think when people read the responses to this thread it's important to see what type of RV the people have when they respond.

A small travel trailer will have much less power consumption then a large Class A.

My parasitic draw is high enough that my ~300 watts of solar will barely keep up. If I shut off the salesman switch I can keep my house and chassis batteries up. If I am camping and make a real effort we could get by without running the generator but in most cases I'd still have to run it to top off the batteries at night.

I recently just installed a residential refrigerator and will now have to run my generator several times a day to keep the batteries up. I am considering increasing battery bank and adding solar but will wait so I can do a cost/benefit analysis based on our RV usage.
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Old 01-12-2020, 08:56 PM   #41
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Solar works only when the sun shines and the solar potential of your location. My RV is all electric and solar isn't really an option. 3-15kW A/C's for heat and cooling, electric cooktop, residential refer. Solar in TN was a bust while it worked much better in AZ, but not for A/C or heat. I have 8 GC1 AGM batteries. I never leave home w/o 12.5kW gennie. Previous RV was all electric with $10g+ of solar panels and LiPo batteries and was a bust.
Running A/C's on solar is a foolish notion. If I needed A/C I would turn on one or both of my 2Kw Honda Inverter Generators.
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Old 01-12-2020, 09:05 PM   #42
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I agree
I have a 5er....
I don’t want to listen to gen set all day long
I dry camp or boondock frequently
And I want things to work like micro
and kurig coffee pot Laptop and sat TV
I built my system with that in mind
900 watts solar Morningstar 60 amp MPPT controller
600 AH AGM’s batteries (4-6V)
Magnum 3000 hybrid inverter
Honda 2000 that is generally not used

To me it’s not the cost of the investment
but enjoyment of the outdoors

I usually see SOC in the mid 80% in the morning and full charge by 10 or 11 am..
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