Solar Questions
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Topic: Solar Questions
Posted By: itsjoprairie
Subject: Solar Questions
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2018 at 10:36pm
| We want to install 2 100 watt solar panels on the roof. We want to know if anyone has done this. Is there a custom rack designed for the Rpod? We have the 179. |
Replies:
Posted By: john in idaho
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 9:33am
| Guess you like camping in the sun? I like the shade of a pine tree and an extension cord for the solar panels. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 10:30am
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Owners have added solar panels on the roof. without knowing what floor plan you have, what you want to accomplish, and what your needs are, it's difficult to give good advice. I suggest you try searching the forum for "solar" tons of info and discussion has gone on over the years. ------------- |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 6:01pm
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its..... You may want to consider some other options for solar panels than a rigid attached style. They don't give you a lot of flexibility vis-a-vi where the sunlight is, unless you are parking in the salt flats of Utah or in the Arizona desert. If that's the case, you may want to invest in a generator to run your AC. The flexible panels and the suitcase style panels give you more alternatives to get your panels into the sun, without necessarily having your trailer in the sun. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably get the suitcase style panels that come with their own controller. All you have to do is connect them to the battery. We have a 100W flexible panel. I have it set up so I can put it on the camper shell [aka topper], on the front or back of the roof of our Pod, or on a table, the ground or anywhere else there is good light. The times I've used it we've had enough power to meet all our DC power needs, including running the heater in the morning, charging phones and a computer, lights, etc. We don't have a tele [either DC or AC] but do have a small inverter to charge the computer battery. We have power to spare. You may want to do a quick assessment of your DC power consumption and tailor your solar panel wattage to fit your needs. There is no point in buying way more than you can use unless, of course, you want to sell surplus power to other campers who are running out of watts.
------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 6:10pm
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I have a 100 watt suitcase style Renogy w/built in controller and it provides more than enough power for our day-to-day needs - we too have a 179. We always use propane for our fridge so our 12v requirements are minimal. We're in Colorado so most days we have lots of sun. As lostagain described, we have a long cable on ours so we can move the panels during the day as the sun moves. Not sure I'd want fixed panels (although more often than not our Pod ends up in the sun!). When folded up, the panels are easy to carry and store when travelling. FWIW, my son has a van with 100 watts of panels fixed to the roof, but he is usually out in the desert somewhere (he's a climber).
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Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 8:49am
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We also use the Renogy 100 watt suitcase system. It is great! We have a 25’ cord and can move the panel to follow the sun. We have used it for 2 seasons and it has surpassed our expectations. The panel keeps our two 6 volt golf cart batteries fully charged. We have been out as long as 2 weeks in one place without shore power and still had plenty of solar power for all of our needs. Vann ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 9:02am
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------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9">
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Posted By: itsjoprairie
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2018 at 8:50pm
| What did you run with the power? |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2018 at 7:26am
You don't "run" anything with solar. You recharge the battery(ies). When boondocking, your 12v is running everything except the a/c, microwave, and outlets. You run the fridge on propane, it needs 12v to run it's brain. Water heater on propane, it needs 12v to run it's brain. Lights, entertainment center (on most models), Fantastic Fan, etc all run on 12v.
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Posted By: itsjoprairie
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2018 at 7:39am
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Thanks. I was wondering if you got enough solar from the batteries for a heater or AC. We live in Texas so AC is a huge must when camping here. I didn't think you could get enough from a small solar set up for those! |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2018 at 8:39am
Heater yes (the RPod heater runs on propane and the battery runs the blower/thermostat) but not AC. You have two choices - stay in campgrounds with electricity available, or use a gasoline-powered generator. If choosing to do the latter, use the search function for this forum - there have been lots of posts lately with good information on choosing and using a generator.
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Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2018 at 4:11pm
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Search for "Off Grid Solar Powered RV Air Conditioning - Is It Possible?" on the "Gone with the Wynns" blog. There is also a YouTube video with it. https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/off-grid-solar-rv-air-conditioning - https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/off-grid-solar-rv-air-conditioning ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: 3sunsets
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2018 at 9:09am
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I'm very very new to this solar thing but after reading so many post it appears to me that you can potentially run the A/C but it would very very expensive for the necessary modifications to your system. check out this link from StephenH https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/off-grid-solar-rv-air-conditioning - https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/off-grid-solar-rv-air-conditioning |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2018 at 9:16am
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"Possible" and remotely practical can be two different things. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 14 Jul 2018 at 2:11pm
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Agreed! For a large motor home like that of the Wynns, it is doable as they have lots of space for solar panels and lots of room for batteries. I expect that they are not having to purchase all of the items used out of pocket but likely have some form of sponsorship to help pay the enormous cost of their setup. For an R-Pod, a generator makes much more sense if one wants to run the AC with no shore power.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2018 at 7:51am
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Think of your Solar use for anything 'except' your Frig or AC unit. There're Frig units out there that are specific for Battery, but you don't have the choice of Propane/AC power. Very efficient on battery, but again, your frig doesn't use all that much propane and works very well on it. There is a AC unit that is being worked on (to me still in design stage) that works on the Peltier system. Looks promising, yet still not ready for full production and not something I will call out by name nor recommend as of yet. Hopes I can in the near future. I run a 130w panel, ground stood so the trailer can be in the shade. Also allows me to turn it for optimum gain during the day. With my dual 6v batteries I have yet to run out of power (or even get low enough to be concerned). I just finished a 46 day run through the Nor'east Maritimes with 1/2 of those being boon docking. I'm now convinced a 100w panel would have been fine for me! ------------- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways 2017 Tacoma http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build 2004 F150 My Overlander |