Solar: Important or just convenient??

[Rookie RVer]

I have had varying advice from installers. Two have told me that if we're not good docking then solar is a convenience to keep batteries topped off especially during storage. They both told me to just gt a small window panel and use that for house and chassisbatatery charging. The many others advise that roof solar is critical for house batteries especially and that if not installed or installed right the house batteries likely would be ruined costing many hundreds of $$ that will make the cost of solar worth it. What's the feeling out there?? I'm sure there are opinions to be shared. Thanks yet again!
Walt

[SteveJ.]

If you do not boondock or dry camp solar does you no good. It can be useful for long term storage but simply plugging in or fully disconnecting the batteries will suffice.

Google up Handy Bob solar for some decent info.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

RookieRVer-

Solar makes sense if you boondock regularly and don't want to run a generator to charge batteries. It helps if there's sunshine, too. In my part of the country, there are many woods, so solar is less helpful. Ditto for inside a storage building.

I have owned two motorhomes, for a total of nine years. Neither had solar. I rarely boondocked. Each motorhome had a single bank of two six-volt house batteries and one twelve-volt chassis battery. Immediately after I bought each coach I replaced the aged house batteries with Lifeline GPL-4CT AGM batteries. The only battery failure I had was with the second coach's chassis battery; it failed after an expected number of years of use.

I suspect there are hundreds of thousands of active RVs that do not have solar, yet have reliable twelve-volt systems and do not require frequent replacement of the batteries.

During periods of non-use, knowing when to completely disconnect battery banks and how to do it correctly is the key for those who don't have solar.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Solar is nice to have when it works. Between shade and clouds it's not a slam dunk. I would rather park in the shade than bake in full sun just so my panels work. You're getting the hard sell, your batteries will not self destruct without solar panels. I would offer if you want to dabble in it just get a nominal 100-200W portable setup and get a feel for what goes into getting solar to work. From there you can decide to stop there or press forward with a more capable system.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by Rookie RVer

I have had varying advice from installers. Two have told me that if we're not good docking then solar is a convenience to keep batteries topped off especially during storage. They both told me to just gt a small window panel and use that for house and chassisbatatery charging. The many others advise that roof solar is critical for house batteries especially and that if not installed or installed right the house batteries likely would be ruined costing many hundreds of $$ that will make the cost of solar worth it. What's the feeling out there?? I'm sure there are opinions to be shared. Thanks yet again!
Walt

The bolded is/are scare tactics for sure!

Solar can certainly be nice to have. Great to have if your intention is to routinely camp without hookups for more than a few days at a time. Solar also helps with long term outside storage without electricity to help keep the batteries charged. But as mentioned, disconnecting the batteries usually works fine when stored for a few months. And of course, solar can be very helpful during a long term emergency situation. Would have been nice back in 2005 when hurricane Rita moved through and left us living in the motorhome for about 3 weeks without power.

You do need to be proactive in maintaining the batteries. Storing for more than a month will probably require some charging or disconnection of the batteries to keep them from running down too low. Regular lead acid battery water levels need to be routinely checked if kept on a charger.

Personally, I would experiment with your storage and camping to see how things go before investing money in something you can most likely do without. My opinion, but it's based on never having solar on any of our rigs in the 40 plus years we've been RVing.

[laj]

Just a thought: How did we get along for 50 yrs. before solar? I boon dock 95% of the time, always have.

Never had a problem before taking care of my batt, not going to have one now. Jmo, run from people trying to make a hard sell. You can usually plant a garden where they stand.

[tmandoug1]

I have a 200 watt Portable suitcase that I utilize when in storage for long periods of time. Maintains my 8 battery bank and ghost draws for a couple of months. This is a rare occasion as we are full-time.

[pasdad1]

It matters how, how long, and where you store your RV.

Are you full time, part time, or a weekender? Where do you live? Frigid North or South?

Like others have said, if you can plug into electric when stored, it will keep batteries charged. Or you can simply full charge batteries, and then leave them disconnected for the months of storage.

Solar works for areas that don’t see much snow, and you have no electric, and you want the RV ready to go on a minutes notice.

If the solar is covered by snow, or many days of cloudy, dreary weather, no power will be coming in, and the batteries could potentially die. Expect to check on the RV at least monthly.

[Crasher]

What laj said. Isn't it amazing that before solar came along everyone got along just fine with their batteries and generators? I had 620 watts of solar installed on our Bus when new. It was the "IN" thing to do. We did boondock a few times and I was impressed to see the panels adding 35 amps to the house batteries at the peak of the day. Most of the time it was in the low to mid 20's. It was comforting, but not enough to keep an all electric coach charged. I still had to run the generator a couple hours in the morning and evening. Would I do it again??? Probably not. Does it work for those who have low electrical needs/demands and live off the grid a lot??? Most of the time, yes. Is it practical for the person who can plug into power 90% of the time?? Probably not.

[Rookie RVer]

You folks are spot on as usual. We are in Denver so we do get some winter sun but we rarely good dock, if ever, except on those travel nights we might stop in Walmart. And I have a disconnect switch on my house batteries that seems to work well....if I remember to throw the switch. I try to get to the rig during storage to start the engine, start and run the genset, run the A/C, and cycle the levelers so in my ignorance I do believe that activity exercises the batteries. I will add checking the water level.
This is without the best source of reasoned and experienced comments and opinions. Thanks! Walt

[Nwcid]

I see you did reply, but as others have said, it is about your use.

I would say 1/2 the people on the solar "fad" is just that, a "fad". They will rarely, if ever use their systems close to their capacity or very often.

I know the comment was how did we boondock before solar, well times were different. How did we live before cellphones, non-partly line phones, air travel, cars, electricity, etc. Times have changed.

For people like me, we are not "camping" for a weekend or a week. We are living in our unit while boondocking. I have spent roughly 8 months in my RV this year. My wife and I telework. This means I need reliable internet, we need to run computers, lights, etc during the day. I run a CPAP all night and we like to watch TV before we go to bed. All of these take power.

Sure I could run a generator for 12hr/day and even if the generator only used 0.7 gal/hr of fuel, at $5/gallon I would have used over $3000 just in fuel this year. That is roughly 1/2 of what I have invested in my battery/solar/inverter set up. The nice thing is I do not have to listen to the generator all day.

[dvspl]

You've already received a lot of good advice so I won't add any except this: don't ask a solar installer if you should install solar. Sort of like asking a used car salesman if you should buy a used car. Good on you to ask for other opinions then make up your own mind.

[Tckhan]

Our new trailer came with a 165w panel to help with the new type 12v fridge. I wish it had a LP fridge for those time off grid. My needs have to include solar to insure I keep things cold. Also want to keep the batteries up since our electric auto level can run into issues with low voltage. Its all the new tech that's burdening our batteries now.

[ArtJoyce]

If you don't bondock/dry camp or have a residential/compressior/12v fridge or an all electric camper. There is no reason for solar except to may kerphe battries charged.