Solar for outlets
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Topic: Solar for outlets
Posted By: Beth81
Subject: Solar for outlets
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 11:51am
| We have a 2017 RPod that we just purchased used. We are wanting to hook up some solar panels to use when elect is not available. Before getting the solar panels, we find that the battery provides power to use the slide out and the lights, but none of the outlets work. Having power from the outlets while using the battery is important, as we need that to run a c-pap at night. Any help with this matter is much appreciated |
Replies:
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 12:06pm
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You will need either a pure sine inverter (12v to 120v) to run the c-pap when off-shore power (no hook-ups) or you will need to buy a 12v powered c-pap, called a travel c-pap. A portable travel c-pap will probably need recharging after each overnight use...however some units have multiple battery and charging options. Here is one place to begin your search: http://www.thecpapshop.com/our-cpap-machines/travel-cpap-machines - https://www.thecpapshop.com/our-cpap-machines/travel-cpap-machines If you decide to keep using your existing c-pap and install an inverter in the r-pod, do not cheap out on a modified sine wave inverter for $50. You will need a good high quality inverter, it will be powering medical equipment after all. Depending on your particular c-pap, normally they can be powered by a good 300-500 watt pure sine wave (PSW) inverter. Expect to pay around $150-$300 for a decent one. If you post the label ratings (volts, plus either watts or amps) we should be able to narrow it down.
------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 1:24pm
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I think you are going in the right direction in order to support your cpap machine when you are off the grid, and as always the devil is in the details. I would think your pod is prewired for solar, so you can utilze that for plugging your solar panels in. You would need to install (or have installed) a pure sine wave inverter as podwerkz stated, that is tied into your pod electrical system. Your outlets would then be provided with 120 volt electricity (limited by the size of your inverter and battery(s) you have installed in your pod.
For travel and going to our off the grid camp, I have a special lithium battery pack that lasts me 2 nights at a setting of 4-8 air pressure and no water or hose heater turned on (it is a resmed 24 volt cpap) to moisten the air...they use too much electricity. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 1:34pm
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I should add, that if you are thinking of integrating solar panels and pure sine wave inverter into your rpod, that to do it properly a charge controller suited to the type of batteries you have should also be installed. And I would imagine 2 12 volt deep cycle batteries or 2 6 volt golf cart batteries would be needed. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 1:36pm
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Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 1:39pm
| Thank you so much for the info. I will have to do some more studying. I just assumed that if the lights fed off the battery that the outlets, or at least one outlet, would also feed off the battery. I thought that being wired for solar would include an installed inverted that would feed an outlet. |
Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 1:50pm
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That is a common misconception...wired for solar usually means it has the wiring installed. The rest of the important bits are still needed to make it work. The rp192 we ordered and are waiting for already comes with a 100 watt solar panel mounted on the roof and a 1000 watt inverter integrated into the trailer electrical system from the factory. This will be to support my cpap machine as well. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 2:30pm
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A lot depends on what CPAP machine you have. I have a DreamStation. It runs on 12V. I run it in the RPod from a 12V power outlet I installed in our 2016 RP179. I don't need to use the 110V power adapter. I just use a 12V cord ordered off Amazon. I actually have a spare because I did not know that the cord for my prior machine would have worked just fine. Some machines are 24V. You could get a DC to DC converter and skip the inverter altogether. I would recommend investigating what DC options are available for your machine. ------------- 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: podwerkz
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 3:45pm
Nope. Gotta add your own. Many newer RVs, especially more expensive ones, do come with pre-installed solar panels, solar controllers, a couple of decent sized batteries, and a nice inverter. But you bought an r-pod and they tend to be kinda basic. I do know that some of the newer, bigger r-pods now come with a central vacuum....what's up with that? Who buys a small camp trailer and decides that they just gotta have a central vacuum system?  But I digress. Let us know what you decide.
------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 3:59pm
For sure  I’m not going to be vacuuming my camper. It it does seem that they would put all necessary solar in so one could just plug up some external solar panels. 
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Posted By: campman
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 8:31pm
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"Solar ready" is the same as when you look at a house for sale and the ad states that "a basement bathroom has been roughed in". Or, if you wish..."central vacuum system has been roughed in". Somewhere along the line someone has to pay for the additional hardware required to make the system work.
It is important to remember that even with a small solar system, you will not be able to use heavy electrical equipment like the a/c or the microwave. For that a generator would be required. ------------- Andy and Laurie '16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg '21 RP192 "If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!" Red-Green |
Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 24 Apr 2021 at 9:10pm
| But I was hopeful they would have one solar powered elect outlet by the bed. Wishful think, I suppose |
Posted By: RoverPod
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2021 at 6:11am
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Here's some additional information about what solar can and cannot do. https://camperreport.com/rv-solar-power/ ------------- 2017 F150 XLT SuperCab 2020 rPod 180 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 25 Apr 2021 at 8:30am
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Why do you need 120vac? Solar is dc so will connect to your 12v battery system via a charge controller.
You wont be able to run the micro, a coffee pot, hair dryer, or the a/c from an inverter, those take too much energy to operate. And all your lights, fan, furnace, water pump, , stereo, fridge are on 12vdc already. So if the only thing you want to run from 120 vac is the cpap then get a cpap that can run on 12v. Install a 12v power port near the bed area and call it good. More efficient, cheaper, and easier than putting in an inverter and a new receptacle from it (you can't use the existing receptacles both from an inverter and from the grid without having a transfer switch) to select between them. Get a power port that has a usb outlet and a voltmeter built in and you can charge your electronics from 12v and keep track of your battery charge level too. That leaves the TV, I suggest getting a dual voltage TV as well so you can run it on 12v too. They're not expensive. As for solar and battery sizing, if you are going to be off shore power for more than overnight get dual 6v golf cart batteries, case size GC2. Start with a portable 100watt of so solar kit and see how that goes. You can always add more solar in future. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Colt
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 12:20am
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http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=102179
Actual data. Sizing a solar system is a little more than just plugging in a panel or 2. ------------- John '16 R-Pod 180 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 8:42am
That data supports getting a 12v powered cpap, the bestek inverter efficiency was only about 60%. As for sizing photovoltaic systems, I've been doing that for 40 years now. There are two parts of course, batteries and PV modules. Dual GC2's provide the highest capacity practical on an rpod short of going to a Li battery system. A Li conversion is too complex for the OP to consider at this point, as well as very expensive. That leaves the PV array itself. Portable is easiest to start with and allows for setting up the trailer in the shade. 100 to 120 watts will provide 25 to 35 amphours per sunny day. That is consistent with the higher loads stated for the cpap in the link (with the humidifier operating), and well above the requirements for the cpap pump itself. Of course there are other loads too, and the OP does not yet have a good idea what those will be. So, I would start with one solar module and a 20A controller what will handle 2 modules, and add a second one if needed. All that being said, we are all still limited by battery capacity from boon docking indefinitely on solar. If you want a highly reliable PV system you will need something in the range of 5 to 10 days battery autonomy. That is more than we can carry unless using Li batteries, and very expensive to do with Li. Unless you have many days if battery autonomy the PV array sizing is very inexact because of solar resource variation. That variation only averages out over longer time intervals. There are sophisticated statistical design tools for stand alone solar systems that predict loss of load probability based on available weather data for the location, array shading and orientation, and a well defined load. None if that is appropriate for a travel trailer moving from place to place, with varying loads, and a small battery. So, if you have critically needed loads and want to boondock for more than a couple of days there needs to be a backup fossil fuel power source for cloudy periods, in effect making our power systems hybrids. That can either be a small generator or the tow vehicle alternator. I carry a Honda 2k gen for that purpose, which also allows use of the microwave and a/c (with an easy start). With a generator on hand the solar array becomes optional and it's sizing rather arbitrary. The objective is to limit generator use. Personally, as I live in the cloudy East and mostly camp in forests anyway, I don't carry solar. It would be dead weight much of the time I find about an hour of runtime daily from the generator is sufficient. I do this around dinner time when we generally want to use the microwave. If it's a hot afternoon I will get the battery recharged then while running the a/c. With the 2k I run the WFCO charger first until the charge current drops to a level where the genny can support both it and the a/c. That is usually only a few minutes. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 10:14am
| Wow. That’s a lot of info . I will simplify when occasionally off grid with a small lithium battery that I will just carry into the camper ( I might eventually try to run a line in somewhere so I can keep the battery outside) and hook to our 500 watt inverter, and plug my Cpap into that. That’s what we did when we camped off grid for 3 days in a tent. That worked fine. We were in a very shaded area, so our biggest concern was keeping the solar panels in the sun throughout the day. Thank you for all the suggestions responding to my question. This R-Pod forum has been very useful, and everyone is so kind about offering helpful information |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 10:43am
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Still, consider running the CPAP directly off DC instead of running through an inverter. That is the best option. ------------- 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: Colt
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 11:03am
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These vacuums will run happily on an 800 watt generator and not cause it to labor. They could readily be run from an inverter for short periods. Both cost less than $40. Both will fit between the slide and the wall and be totally out of the way. Neither one weighs more then 2 or 3 pounds. http://dirtdevil.com/products/power-stick-lite?_pos=1&_sid=d9ce75b37&_ss=r#description - https://dirtdevil.com/products/power-stick-lite?_pos=1&_sid=d9ce75b37&_ss=r#description This one does a really nice job and the brush helps with hair/fur. Had I known about it I would not have bought the Bissell. http://www.bissell.com/featherweight-lightweight-stick-vacuum-2033.html - https://www.bissell.com/featherweight-lightweight-stick-vacuum-2033.html This one pulls 240 watts and does a rather decent job. I was quite surprised. ------------- John '16 R-Pod 180 |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 11:22am
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Beth, you don't need to keep your Li battery outside. It doesn't produce hydrogen gas like lead acid batteries do. It's ok to install it somewhere in the trailer, in fact it's better to do so if you ever camp in below freezing conditions. Li batteries dont like being charged when cold.
------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Beth81
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 7:13pm
| Thank you, Offgrid , for the info. Installing it inside the trailer will definitely make it more convenient to use |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 26 Apr 2021 at 10:04pm
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Beth, look at my mods for how I installed my LiFePO4 battery in our 179. It may give you some ideas on how to do it. If you are putting it in in place of the lead-acid battery/batteries, then you will need to change out the converter so it will have the correct charging profile for the battery. If you intend to have it charge while driving, you will likely need to do like I did and install a separate charging circuit and a DC to DC charger. Otherwise, you might find that the battery is not charging as the tow vehicle's control thinks it does not need to supply power from the generator since the LiFePO4 battery is at a higher charge than the TV's battery. The DC to DC charger and separate charging circuit fix this. We don't have a Lead-Acid battery on the tongue anymore. We just have the 100AH LIFePO4 battery inside. It works pretty well. ------------- 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 |