w6pea
San Diego, Mexifornia
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ladymc53 wrote:What kind of money are we talking about for enough panels to keep 4 batteries charged? Will we be able to run our Air Conditioner with 4 batteries and solar panels? We don't want a generator. But don't know the cost. Thanks.
No you will not, you will need an inverter also, at least a 3000w inverter.
And a few more battery's and a lot of panels to keep the battery's charged. Hope you have deep pockets Putting 2 100w panels and a charge controller is a little more than 1600 bucks and that does not include battery's
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Beaker
Brevard, NC
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Someone will come on here to explain things but running an air conditioner on batteries is not going to happen! It may be 13 amps at 120 volts but on 12 volts, multiply by 10, = 130 amps not counting inverter loss, starting amps, etc.
P(W) = I*V
1440= 12(amps) * 120(volts)
1440= 120(amps) * 12(volts)
Sure wished it worked the way some are thinking.
Trickle charging for batteries is much easier done.
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luvdoggiez
Sunny Amador county California
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Festus2,
I have thought about a very similar setup as far as a portable set up is concerned. THinking we could park the rig under the tree to be in the shade and then put the panel out for the sun light.
My question is, how long a cord do you have? What guage did you use so that you had minimum voltage loss?
Thanks for the help! Happy camping! - Eric-
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traveln_circus
Wa.state
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Beaker wrote:Someone will come on here to explain things but running an air conditioner on batteries is not going to happen! It may be 13 amps at 120 volts but on 12 volts, multiply by 10, = 130 amps not counting inverter loss, starting amps, etc.
P(W) = I*V
1440= 12(amps) * 120(volts)
1440= 120(amps) * 12(volts)
Sure wished it worked the way some are thinking.
Trickle charging for batteries is much easier done.
When I did the math I forgot to factor in the 12 volt ratio in the conversion. As beaker mentioned it is not possible in a rv. Bite the bullet and get a nice quiet generator (Honda or Yamaha). You will be happy. We can not hear our Honda running inside the coach.
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juzplanekrazy
Huntington Beach Ca.
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You'll never be able to run a AC unit off of solar and battery's, Unless you have a setup the would run a house. That being said if you want a pretty decent solar setup to keep your 4 battery's up you'll need about 150watts of panels minimum. At a cost of around $1500.00. If you just want to keep them up while in storage you can cut that in half easy.
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hypoxia
Arizona
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I have a Honda EU3000is which I use. I have two campers, one with 75 watts of solar on the roof, the other one has no solar.
We sure notice the difference when dry camping! With solar we leave fans on all day when we leave with no worry about dead batteries. There are a lot of power benefits with solar. I plan to add it to my other camper, just run the wires thru the refrigerator vent.
For A/C a generator is a must. There is no economic justification for the solar but I sure like it and feel it is worthwhile.
Originally I had the solar on a long wire so I could track the sun but I am lazy so eventually just mounted it flat on the roof.
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Festus2
BC Canada
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luvdoggiez/Eric
For my portable setup, I have a 25' length of 12 gauge. This is the minimum recommended gauge for this length. I bought 3-wire, heavy duty, outside grade extension cord wire. It is flexible and can be easily coiled. I have a quick disconnect at the solar panel end so I can easily remove the panel from the cord. The other end of the cord is "permanently" fastened to the charge controller. I found that 2 - wire cord is too stiff and is not as easy to coil and store as the 3 wire. I didnt use the green(ground) wire - just the black and white - but it makes no difference.
I am pleased with the tracks inside the basement storage area to hold the solar panel when travelling or leaving the campsite for long periods. It keeps the panel secure and out of the way as the track is mounted on the cross members of the frame (the "joists" of the 5th wheel overhang/bedroom area). So far, I am happy with the way it works. It isnt as convenient as a permanent, roof-mounted one but other than that, I think you can get more effecient use out of it by moving into the sun and at a more optimum angle. You avoid having to drill more holes in the roof --- there are enough there already!
As mentioned, I also built a simple, foldable, "sandwich board" to hold it up while at the campsite. For me, it works well but it may not work for everyone. Price wise --- the panel was $450, the controller $40 and the cord and other supplies about $40-$50. So for around $600, it was well worth it.
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smkettner
Southern California
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I have the 15 watt solar Battery Minder and it barely keeps a float charge on the four golf batteries while in storage and all loads disconnected. It gets to about 13.7 volts in summer and 13.4 in winter. In a year it has not that I know of hit 14.2 and switched to float mode. For actual recharging I recommend 100 watts or more.
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FormerBiker
Wildomar, Riverside County, CA 25OR624
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We are running 2 130w solar panels to charge 3 type 27 batteries. We only run TV/Sat, coffee maker, an occasional fan and a small vacuum with our 1800w inverter. We could run microwave also but choose not to. We also use a 3600w Onan LP generator for occasional A/C and microwave use. The generator is also there to charge batteries if conditions are not good for solar.
All else such as lights, furnace, fantastic fans, water pump, and small TV in the bedroom are run from the 12v battery supply.
Our solar can charge easily at 14+ amps and the batteries are usually fully charged by early afternoon.
We dry camp mostly and rarely run the gen.
DW and I installed the 2 panels ourselves and hooked up the controller, etc. It is not rocket science but get a big enough array to meet your needs. There are worksheets out there to calculate your usage so you can determine what you need.
IMHO getting less than 100w is a waste of money and only good to charging batteries while in storage.
One other thing, if you have "wet" batteries they cannot be neglected. You will be adding distilled water at least once a month. More often if you have more usage.
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retired4fun
Colo
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I bungee our 110w solar panel to a 4 foot aluminum step ladder. That way I can park in the shade and follow the sun. If I need a ladder I rob it from the solar panel. Kill two birds with one stone.
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