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Old 11-26-2006, 04:34 PM   #1
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Michigan
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SUN #115
emam
Solar Power? Anyone know any good installers?

Does anyone have Solar power hooked up on their Sunline? I have been combing the web and found a few installers that seem to be very knowledgeable, but all are on the West Coast?!

I guess no one minds burning fossil fuels here in the East Coast?

I would really like to have enough solar power to not have to worry about finding a campground every night and would like to be able to have the option of Boondocking when we want. I know I wont be able to use my A/C, but I'm not too concerned with that, if it gets too bad, I can always spark up the generator.
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Old 12-18-2006, 05:09 PM   #2
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SUN #121
srd357
solar power

I dry camp all the time. I have 2 batteries that can keep me going for 5 days before I need to hook up the truck and recharge. Just bought a solar panal and regulator from ebay for under 200.00 with shipping. In the spring I will install it useing the refer vent as an anchor. Looking forward to SPRING!!!!!!!

Steve
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Old 12-18-2006, 08:00 PM   #3
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emam
Since I posted that message, I've done quite a bit of research, and I found a great company that makes RV specific solar equipment that is lighter and smaller than most of the competition, yet produces more power!!

www.amsolar.com is the name of the company, and I cant say enough about the customer service. I ordered my equipment on Friday and it's supposed to be in tomorrow. I drop the TT off at General RV in Wixom, MI to be installed and I'll post some pictures when the install is finished.

Although everyone I've talked with has said you can do it yourself, I'd rather have it installed professionally and know I have a warranty if anything goes wrong. The extra cost should make up in piece of mind in the long run.

I think I can fit 3 panels on the roof and with a bank of 4 6-volt Glass Mat batteries, I think I should be able to last a few days without having to worry about shore power or charging with the generator. I ordered a 2000watt inverter and the eletrician at General RV said that a 1500 watt unit would run our TT fine, but the price difference was only a few hundred dollars and with a 2000watt unit, I should be able to run the microwave or A/C (Not at the same time) with no worries.

I'll post some pictures when the unit is finished.

We are also planning on upgrading to the 10 cubic foot fridge that Thetford just came out with. It's almost the same size as the Dometic that came in the Sunline, yet adds a full 2 feet of cubic space. I figure that will make a huge difference for our journey
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www.everymilesamemory.com
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Old 01-24-2018, 12:56 PM   #4
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Preston is an unknown quantity at this point
I am installing 400 watts of solar and would love to see your set up. Where did you put controller? How does it enter trailer?
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Old 01-24-2018, 01:54 PM   #5
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mainah is an unknown quantity at this point
I dry camp and can go indefinitely with a 100 watt single panel. I run a fantastic fan,pump, lighting a small inverter and other do dads including my ham radio gear. It is a home made unit that sit on the ground in it's own frame folds up and I store it on the bed when not in use. The best thing you can do is reduce your loads it's not a house so you can't be using every electrical device know to man. There is plenty of power to charge phones run a laptop,TV etc. but leave the microwave home. Many people have a romantic ideal that given enough panels and batteries they can run electric heat or an AC that ideal was tried years ago be major RV manufactures they gave it up as a bad ideal. Here is another thing that most people don't realize the panels output is based on 1000 watts per meter mid day at the equator flat on the ground any time you move north or south of that the output goes down where in am in Maine a 100 watt panel is more like 75. Placing panels on the roof robs you of morning and afternoon max power capability you'll only get full power at noon time. You'll never run the AC with a 1500 watt inverter remember the AC breaker is 20 amps meaning your looking at 2400 watts max with double that for an inrush current. So conservatively we'll say 2000 (16 amps +-) watts @ 120 volts that equates to about 190 amps of 12 volt DC battery current (really big cables and very short length) not taking in any losses will it run yes, but not very long. A microwave yeah but they are short duration it would be a whole lot cheaper to go out to dinner. Remember you have to be able to replace that too and 3 panels ain't going to cut it.
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Old 01-24-2018, 02:03 PM   #6
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mainah is an unknown quantity at this point
Quote:
Originally Posted by Preston View Post
I am installing 400 watts of solar and would love to see your set up. Where did you put controller? How does it enter trailer?
Series wire your panels and put the controller as close as you can to the batteries. This will reduce voltage loss in the cables. The panel voltage per will be around 20 volts so you will need a 24 or 48 volt controller. Do not mount the controller with the batteries any out gassing from batteries will kill the controller. One trick is the run the cables inside of the stink pipe and bring them out in a cabinet obviously they will need to be sealed with some thing.
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