Rodger
Tucson, AZ.
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Moved from "CVC".
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MrWizard
Van Nuys, Ca
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brucec315 wrote:We will be camping this summer without hook-ups. Is it more practical to purchase a solar charger or should we just run the generator? How much is needed to keep one house battery charged to keep the ac/dc refrig running?
a bigger battery bank and several hours of generator each day
the ac/dc fridge with a compressor, is the killer, if your going dry camping you need a PROPANE fridge
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Rodger
Tucson, AZ.
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See this thread in "Beginning". http://www.trailerlife.com/cforum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/21605829.cfm
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bill h
el segundo
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We do fine on 165 watts of solar and two GC batts as long as the sun shines. Otherwise, we run our little Honda EX650. It is quiet and very fuel efficient. We don't run the gen until the batts are down to 505, and charge only up to 80% to minimize noise and fuel burn.
We tilt the panels in the winter due to low sun and short days.
Bill and Susan
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smkettner
Southern California
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brucec315 wrote:Good input! I already have a generator but not always find it the courteous thing to do in some campgrounds. I may look into getting a second house battery so I can go longer without running the generator. Thanks again for the quick feedback.
What are you charging with? You can minimize generator time if the converter/charger is rated 20+ amps per battery and charges at 14.2/14.8 volts.
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kcabpilot
CA
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Joined: 04/07/2008
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Another thing to consider with solar is that the panels are permanently attached to your RV. This means that you really need to park or camp in an open area that is fully exposed to the glaring sun to get your money's worth out of them. I've been camping for a lot of years and that is something I rarely, if ever, do. Campsites are normally nestled among shade trees and we normally look for a spot that isn't exposed (especially in the summer).
I think solar makes a great supplementary source of power but the cost is prohibitive. I'm hoping that will change because I'd really like to have a solar system too. It may not completely replace the generator but it would certainly cut generator use down significantly.
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Our 2008 trip to The Canadian Rockies
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dixoncider
socal
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Having the panel mobile makes a big difference. on my last trip I did not use the generator except for 5 minutes for the microwave. The guy next to me had his panels hard mounted to the roof but was parked under a tree. I would get up and turn the panel towards the morning sun and that made the difference the trees would block the panels late in the day. I have one 125watt panel. works good and very quiet, I do have a generator also just in case.
94 Ram 2500 Diesel
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ryanallie1
Magalia, Calif
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Joined: 04/12/2005
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Hi All.
I can only speak for us. A Solar System would be a total waste of money for us. As we mostly Dry-Camp/RV'ing. We also head for the Northern Mountains, which means a lot of very big and tall trees, so there would be very little sun light for Solar to do any charging with. Solar is by no means cheap. And a lot of RV'ers who have Solar, also count on their generators when there isn't enought sun to charge the battries. You also have to concieder if you have Solar, you need to be in the sun most of the time, which means your RV gets pretty warm. A generator is needed again, for running the A/C. For us, a Solar System isn't worth the cost. Thats why we bought the Twin Honda EU2000i's. They don't use very much gas to begin with. And if we only need to run one of them, its still even cheaper yet. And one Honda EU2000i will run everything in our RV, except the A/C, but that is what the second Honda is for. Its also very nice to never have to worry about any kind of weather being an issue for us either. We'll take the shaded site any time over a site in the sun. Good Luck. Happy Camping, Dan & Jill
1997 Ford F-250, H.D. Extended-Cab, Short Bed, 7.3 PSD, K&N Air Filter, 5000 lbs air bags w/on board compressor w/guage, SuperChips Tuner/Programer. 1996 Nash 24fter 5er, 15K "Lil" Rocker Hitch w/BedSaver, Twin EU2000i Gen's W/Kit. Nam-Vet, 33 Months.
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qtla9111
Monterrey, Mexico
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JMHO, generator first, solar second and as many batteries as you can handle. Some talk about cost versus pay off, I think peace of mind and freedom. Downsize your a/c if you can to get the most out of your generator.
1998 Nissan Pathfinder
2004 Shadow Cruiser 18ft.
Living and Boondocking Mexico
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