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| Full Timing Setups; Solar Panels,Batteries & Inverters | |
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| Topic Started: Apr 1 2006, 10:20 PM (2,407 Views) | |
| MicknPat | Apr 1 2006, 10:20 PM Post #1 |
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I have been on a number of motorhoming forums long enough to see on ALL the same questions asked time and time again only to then disappear into the bowels of the forum. One in particular relates to solar panels, MH domestic batteries and inverters. People like myself who know very little about the technicalities of these devices visit forums to ask those with a bit more knowledge about such things. One answer I continually see from the knowledgeable members mentions something about a piece of string 
very helpful.Surely a far more helpful and positive answer would go something like this. In my MH / RV I have installed, a 2 panel 80watt solar panel, connected to 2 x 12volt 120ah batteries connected in parallel and a 600 watt inverter. The RV is fitted with a 21" colour TV, microwave, air-con, electric fridge, and lighting. We normally watch the TV for 4-5 hours each night, microwave just to heat meals,lighting 5 hours and air-con when hot 2-3 hours and 1 hour on laptop computer. With the equipment fitted and appliances used as indicated we have never had a problem for power and never need to use a hook -up. So there it is, all the above is purly fictious and I'm sure if George Telford was a member he'd be here in a shot saying that would'd work with that, it's just an idea of how experienced members can give others some idea of what will work with what,obviously persons who never watch TV or haven't air-con can cut down on the power out put or invertion thus saving ££££'s. :) :) :) |
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Currently touring & full timing USA / Canada in ......... 2005 Fleetwood Discovery 39S 'A' Class Diesel Pusher & 2008 3.7 ltr Jeep Liberty Ltd   Skype Name: voyager1836 | |
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| thehutchies | Apr 2 2006, 09:33 AM Post #2 |
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Hi all, In our MH we have 2x85Ah leisure batteries. No solar panels. No inverter. No a/c. No television. No microwave. No computer. We eat raw roadkill and the children play with the bones. No, really we eat very well and play very well, but we live very simply. For three months in France last year, we never once used the new generator we had bought. When it was hot, we sat in the shade, when it was ridiculously hot (39 degrees) we all jumped in the river. We rarely used the lights, just sat out in the dusk with a bottle and a plate of merguez. Trips to the shops tended to keep the batteries topped up enough for showers and we knew various aires with free electricity for a proper top-up. Winter would be a different matter, however............. |
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| ScotJimland | Apr 2 2006, 09:48 AM Post #3 |
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Hi thehutchies I agree with your living style, keep it simple and your power needs are minimal .... For winter there will be the extra load of the heater blower, lighting and perhaps TV, using the gennie or going into a site for a hook up I feel will be inevitable for short periods, I doubt if solar panels would cope unless you were very frugal or you have huge solar panels. It will also obviously depend where you are and how much sunshine is available .. and how often you move location. My plan is to have 4 x 120ah batteries, 2 x 120 watt solar panels and the gennie for back-up. Staying on a site long term isn't what we intend to do, why else have an RV if you stay for several weeks or months static? It does the RV no good, you may as well rent a static caravan. I envisage longish periods of 'free camping' with the odd day or three on a site ... JSW will be along soon to tell us how he copes .. 
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36ft GeorgieBoy Cruisemaster - 5.9lt Cummins diesel pusher.  George in the Sahara... Jan 2007 My Picture Album | |
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| johnsandywhite | Apr 2 2006, 10:37 AM Post #4 |
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 Sorry MicknPat. I am almost ALWAYS guilty of that particular statement. However, I usually go on to say what I personally have fitted. You don't really need to be TOO technically minded to work out what you may require. I started off with 2 x 85ah batteries and 1 x 120 Watt Solar panel. Soon realised that with my heavy use of electicity and being a Wild-Camper, that it wasn't enough. I fitted 2 x 110ah batteries, then 2 more and then fitted 1 x 120 and 1 x 50 watt myself. I then had 4 x 110ah batteries and 270 watts of Solar power. This turns out to be almost ideal except in the worst case scenario of dull winter periods of more than 2 or 3 days. In that case I resort to a little generator power in an emergency. Must watch the end of the movie. :lol: I originally fitted 2 x 300watt invertors, but added an 800 watt later. My latest the Newmar. I have had fitted while in Quartszite. 2 x 125 watt Solar panels and 2 x 110ah batteries. The Solar panels are contolled by a Solar Boost 2000E Big Sky Controller which is an MPPT charger and also allows equalisation. The Solar Boost takes the extra voltage that is normally provided by the Solar Panels and converts it into amps for extra charging. I need to fit more batteries when I can find where to fit them.  I also have an 800 watt invertor to fit, but perhaps may get a MUCH larger one later.  My string is required to be larger than the average user. :lol: :lol: :lol: |
Been there and done that, but never stop learning. We are not dreaming. We are doing it for real. 
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| MicknPat | Apr 2 2006, 11:09 AM Post #5 |
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John, Did you remember to remove ALL the string from the Gulfstream?
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Currently touring & full timing USA / Canada in ......... 2005 Fleetwood Discovery 39S 'A' Class Diesel Pusher & 2008 3.7 ltr Jeep Liberty Ltd Skype Name: voyager1836 | |
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| ScotJimland | Apr 2 2006, 11:38 AM Post #6 |
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: |
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36ft GeorgieBoy Cruisemaster - 5.9lt Cummins diesel pusher. George in the Sahara... Jan 2007 My Picture Album | |
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| johnsandywhite | Apr 2 2006, 12:23 PM Post #7 |
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No. I left that piece of string on. I bought some new string for the Newmar. :lol: :lol::rolleyes: Think I might have to think of buying some rope. :lol: :lol: :lol: |
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Been there and done that, but never stop learning. We are not dreaming. We are doing it for real.
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| Roi | May 9 2006, 09:40 PM Post #8 |
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you may ubderstand all of that but i don't have a clue what you are taliking about. what do you need the inverters for? my aim would be to only use stuff that runs on 12 volt. I get the batteries and solar panels [at least i would if i knew the difference] I hope to run all my entertainment on the laptop and power that with a 12 volt connection. tv and music, dvd's and cd's and it does all of that with no messing about. I have a radio so that is seperate and no further problems. I have a 12 volt sat box [not sky] and hope to end up with that running if i can ever find out how to get any sort of decent prog on it. that will go into my little 7 inch tv or the laptop if i can work it out how to. apart from that no nukeowave and lights for maybe an hour or so in an evening [small floro but thinking of LED as they run with less power so i hear.] I have a genny for reserve but so far have not needed it but probably will need more power when i get all the stuff up and running. my shower is primitive. I put a kettle on and boil it, opur into a pressure bottle along with a few more litres of cold, pump it up and shower. No power required. I intend to put in a bank of leisure batts and the solar panels but am seriously worried about the extra weight [the van not me, i dont worry about mine, past caring] any advice [in very simple language] would be appreciated. roi |
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| ScotJimland | May 10 2006, 08:34 AM Post #9 |
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Hi Roi We have a 600watt which when not on hook up we use for charging the laptops, cameras, phones etc. It could power the TV and digi box, something we may do when we are fulltiming.. and it has been used on the odd occasion to vacuum the carpets.. |
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36ft GeorgieBoy Cruisemaster - 5.9lt Cummins diesel pusher. George in the Sahara... Jan 2007 My Picture Album | |
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| johnsandywhite | May 10 2006, 10:14 AM Post #10 |
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 Hi Roi. Welcome back. Creosote :lol: It's all a matter of what your needs or requirements are? For instance. I know people who are quite happy to go to the Pub/Bar every night. Call at the Fish shop/Take away etc on the way back, stagger to bed and fall fast asleep. Their only hobby is watching Football, Cricket, Rugby etc on the large screen TV in the Pub/Bar. We on the other hand. Prefer to stay home, have a glass of Vino Tinto, watch Satellite TV or play Guitar through the computer (Full size) or sing Karaoke. I charge up batteries for my Model Aeroplanes. Charge our mobile phones/Laptops and my Shaver. I can (most times) boil kettles all day long. All using an Inverter with the onboard batteries. It also takes quite a lot of battery power just to run the ancillaries of an RV. If we were to spend most of our time on Camp sites? We wouldn't need all that power. But we ARE Wild Campers (as you know). So our needs are to be (as much as possible) self sufficeint. Therefore. Lots of Solar power and lots of Batteries to store that power. Happy RV Fulltiming/Wild Camping. Forgot. 12 volt appliances are VERY expensive. You can buy an Inverter to run most normal household appliances (even Microwaves) for a quarter (or less) of the price of 12 volt versions and of course MORE efficient. IMH&HO.
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Been there and done that, but never stop learning. We are not dreaming. We are doing it for real.
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| Roi | Jun 13 2006, 11:20 PM Post #11 |
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I thought that running 240 volt stuff thru an inverter was wasteful of power. my inverter gets very hot and that has to be wasted power. thats why i got the 12 volt to 15 volt [i think ] for the laptop, less waste. [then i broke the laptop so am going to get a new one when i get some money], I really must learn about this electrickery stuff I aim to be self sufficient too and so far have not had to fire up the genny in anger but we do tend to move on every 3-4 days. We only have the one battery at the moment and a reserve battery [strange system but not worked it out yet- neither has any sparky ]
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| johnsandywhite | Jun 14 2006, 10:43 AM Post #12 |
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Hi Roi. There has been a BIG discussion about this with George Telford (Mathews) about this very subject. He has measured the results in testing both 12v converters and Inverters. He says the Inverter is the most efficient. He admitted that he originally thought that the 12 volt converter would be more efficient but found the opposite when he did his tests. I don't care either way. I just use whatever I happen to have at hand. :lol: |
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Been there and done that, but never stop learning. We are not dreaming. We are doing it for real.
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| Roi | Jun 14 2006, 11:06 PM Post #13 |
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I casn think of no better reason NOT to use an inverter. have thought hard about giving up MHF because of that ......... for the moment I shall just ignore him and anything he says and then visit him :ph43r: |
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| ScotJimland | Jun 15 2006, 03:41 PM Post #14 |
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Hi All I seriously doubt the validity of GTs tests, but like JSW I really don't care.. and I think another MHFs member did a the same test with the opposite results.. hoo hum.. I've better things to do and worry about :lol: |
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36ft GeorgieBoy Cruisemaster - 5.9lt Cummins diesel pusher. George in the Sahara... Jan 2007 My Picture Album | |
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| zaskar1 | Jun 16 2006, 08:02 AM Post #15 |
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I casn think of no better reason NOT to use an inverter. have thought hard about giving up MHF because of that ......... for the moment I shall just ignore him and anything he says and then visit him Glad it's not just me that feels like that! :angry: |
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4:22 AM Nov 26
