Solar Panel System which really preferred ?

[astrocamper]

Another advantage of LiFePO4 batteries is the efficiency of charging. Much less energy is being converted to heat. They also are much better at delivering the rated amp-hours when under heavy inverter load. The voltage stays higher during the discharge cycle.

[Reed Cundiff]

We are definitely on the same sheet of music.

Reed and Elaine

[lincolnmath]

I had the Go Too brand in my 014 Lance, liked nothing about it. The last Lance I had the Zamp brand installed with there controller far superior, I like it so well I also bought there 180 watt portable system for both my MH & camper. You pay more but its 1st class IMO, I think its all built in OR as I recall. Good LUck

[astrocamper]

I camped 9 years with a 5x8 converted cargo trailer and 240 watts of solar on the roof feeding a pair of Trojan T105 batteries. That trailer has been sold to a neighbor and he is still doing fine with the 10 year old Trojan batteries. As long as the water levels are checked the solar charger keeps them in very good shape. They seldom got discharged below about 60-70% state of charge which helps them last a long time.

That system powered an Engel freezer, fantastic fan, furnace, LED lighting, laptops, phone and astronomy mounts.

My point is if you size your solar system to meet your needs then you will be satisfied and your batteries will last a long time.

[okmunky]

I have 2 solar systems - one on my RV and a second on the off-grid tiny house/cargo container conversion I’m building in southern Arizona.

The RV has an odd assortment of panels because I was very naive when I first went down the solar road. The tiny house has 1500 watts of used panels from Santan Solar, a 60 Watt Morningstar MPPT charge controller, a Trimetric battery monitor and 4 lead acid 6 volt golf cart batteries. I recently added a 3,000 watt pure sine wave inverter so that I can run an 8,000 BTU window air conditioner for 8 hours each day.

I found a mentor who helps me design and build my own systems. It’s not hard if you have some basic skills and don’t fear climbing to your roof. I suggest you read this first.

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

[SLOweather]

Originally Posted by okmunky

The tiny house has 1500 watts of used panels from Santan Solar, a 60 Watt Morningstar MPPT charge controller, .../

60 WATT or 60 AMP?...

[jcussen]

Originally Posted by SLOweather

60 WATT or 60 AMP?...

Even if 60 amp, not very efficient. Even if he only can harvest 1200 watts from his 1500 watts of panels, would be 100 amps at 12 volts to his batteries, 60 amp solar controller is not big enough unless he is running a higher voltage battery bank and inverter.

[profdan]

Trek, you are going to love boondocking -- the privacy and the silence. And I agree with the general tone of the comments above -- get as much solar as you can afford.

Having said that, we boondock for weeks on end with just a 120 watt portable solar panel. (We are minimalists -- I don't recommend doing what we do, unless you like a spartan existence.)

But you did mention two items that are energy-intensive (and which can be mitigated): the coffee maker and the microwave. Each one uses a thousand watts or more, putting a big load on your batteries and your inverter.

We started making "pour over" coffee while camping, and it is so delicious that we now use that method at home! It is as simple as it sounds -- a paper filter, a cone or basket, and boiling water is poured over the grounds. Toss the filter when you are done -- no grounds to rinse. The water boils on the stove -- propane is a lot more plentiful than electricity.

Even though we use a microwave at home all the time (mostly for vegetables), we don't use it while boondocking. We steam veggies in a foil packet or a skillet on the stove. DW misses her microwave popcorn, but we have peanuts and other great snacks instead.

I'm assuming you have LED bulbs throughout your rig, right? If not, that is another big energy saver.

Good luck!!

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by jcussen

Even if 60 amp, not very efficient. Even if he only can harvest 1200 watts from his 1500 watts of panels, would be 100 amps at 12 volts to his batteries, 60 amp solar controller is not big enough unless he is running a higher voltage battery bank and inverter.

Lots of home solar setups are run at higher voltages. I really wish all the rv and auto stuff was at maybe 24v to cut back on the size of everything.

[jcussen]

Originally Posted by DirtRider

Lots of home solar setups are run at higher voltages. I really wish all the rv and auto stuff was at maybe 24v to cut back on the size of everything.

Yes, my home 5200 watt system runs 57 volt batteries with 250 volt solar controllers and 48 volt 120/220 inverter. Can be done on an RV, but still the problem with supplying 12 volts to the many coach systems that require it. A lot of the older trucks and buses ran 24 volts for everything, saved a lot of wire on a 45 ft bus.

[n0mad]

Originally Posted by jcussen

Yes, my home 5200 watt system runs 57 volt batteries with 250 volt solar controllers and 48 volt 120/220 inverter. Can be done on an RV, but still the problem with supplying 12 volts to the many coach systems that require it. A lot of the older trucks and buses ran 24 volts for everything, saved a lot of wire on a 45 ft bus.

Most 48V systems in RVs just use a standalone 12V battery with a couple of DC-DC converters in parallel.

Ours just has the OE-style junk RV/marine battery and two Victron Orion-Tr 30A 48/12 DC-DC converters.

[Reed Cundiff]

Jcussen

We have 48 V (nominal) LFP battery suite as noted elsewhere. 12 V DC goes through 500 W Meanwell 48 V to 12 V converter which is sufficient for all cabin DC usage. The landing gear require more power so son left original AC to DC converter in system for this purpose. It may be inefficient to go 48 V DC to 120 V AC to 12 V DC but this is only for a few minutes. Have to remember to turn on inverter.

[jcussen]

I did think about setting up a 48 volt system on the coach, but as I have a big 12 volt load, two air compressors, and hyd slide motors, plus all the normal loads, [I have 72 12 volt lights in my coach!} did the math involving dc to dc converters and could not justify the cost and added complexity, so just stuck with 12 volts. May work out for many though.
48 volts works fine at my house though, run fridge and freezers and charge car, and can run a window unit if a power outage.

[Gillk]

I have a 2002 Rexhall Aerbus and occasionally I run down the motor battery
My house batteries (leadacid First Interstate are solar charged so I simply use the house batteries to help start the motor
if installed by a professional solar installer you will be very happy with using solar.
I would suggest not being a cheap skate in purchasing solar equipment, you will only get what you pay for
Good luck!!