We also have NO desire to park or camp out in the bright hot Sun and bake inside so the solar cells can see the Sun when we can be cool and comfortable in the shade and not need any A/C at all. We also get a big kick out of the gobs of RV'ers we see who have to park in terrible spots just so their dish can see the sky at a low enough angle. Might work fine in the desert but not where we ever want to be. Our MIFI Jetpack works fine anywere and we can get about anything or any programs and the Internet on our laptops.
Guess we all like different things and comforts!
Many things to think about!
A superb CC LB 4X4, GM HD Diesel, airbags, Rancho's, lots more
Lance Legend TC 11' 4", loaded including 3400 PP generator and my deluxe 2' X 7' rear porch
29 ft Carriage Carri-lite 5'er - a specially built gem
A like new '07 Sunline Solaris 26' TT
We spent a week down in Rye Patch, Nevada and there was not a tree or shade for miles. It was a great area for dirt bikes and gold/crystal prospecting and I really want to go back for several weeks. It seems silly not to take advantage of the 5000 watt-hr per day you would get down there with solar. That is like running a 100 amp engine alternator for over 4 hours per day!
Solar is dirt cheap now at $1 a watt. I just don't know if the larger panels are up to the rigors of the road.
I like your results with paralleling 12V batteries. What happened though when the 12V batteries you had parallel connected failed shorted? Did it take out the other batteries in the bank?
"That is like running a 100 amp engine alternator for over 4 hours per day!"
OR
A 250 amp of alternator for 1-1/2 hours. Our diesel engine uses approx 1 to 1-1/2 pints of diesel fuel per hour when idling at 800 RPM. 800 engine RPM's spin the twin alternators real fast due to the difference in pulley diameters. Charges like mad! You don't have the same engine though!
I have a question? What real good does it do to say you have cheap or free solar current for what when you have to run a generator anyway on propane or diesel or gas to run the A/C when in the hot blistering Sun or sweat to death when boondocking? No "currant bushes" (pun) to plug into to run the A/C on shorepower out there! The solar power needed to cool your TC electrically with an A/C unit would be huge and you'd have to always keep it clean of dust cover and god forbid if there's some high clouds. Under shade trees etc or a reflective fly type cover (like used over a tent) suspended a foot or so over your TC would provide some needed free shade to lower the inside heating.
I'm not against solar power at all, I've just notice what unintended issues it presents and how the users are visibly fooled into thinking it's utopia. You need to do what ever you think is best for your needs and solar is just another source with limited benefits just like a generator or an inverter or batteries. All require energy to operate and all have limits and costs attached. The only one that will do it all when boondocking is a generator/alternator but it comes with a noise level when running. Nothing is free because for free you get nothing!
* This post was edited 02/16/14 10:24am by travelnutz *
travelnutz wrote:
I have a question? What real good does it do to say you have cheap or free solar current for what when you have to run a generator anyway on propane or diesel or gas to run the A/C when in the hot blistering Sun or sweat to death when boondocking? No "currant bushes" (pun) to plug into to run the A/C on shorepower out there! The solar power needed to cool your TC electrically with an A/C unit would be huge and you'd have to always keep it clean of dust cover and god forbid if there's some high clouds. Under shade trees etc or a reflective fly type cover (like used over a tent) suspended a foot or so over your TC would provide some needed free shade to lower the inside heating.
I have a question? What real good does it do to say you have cheap or free solar current for what when you have to run a generator anyway on propane or diesel or gas to run the A/C when in the hot blistering Sun or sweat to death when boondocking? No "currant bushes" (pun) to plug into to run the A/C on shorepower out there! The solar power needed to cool your TC electrically with an A/C unit would be huge and you'd have to always keep it clean of dust cover and god forbid if there's some high clouds. Under shade trees etc or a reflective fly type cover (like used over a tent) suspended a foot or so over your TC would provide some needed free shade to lower the inside heating.
We were in Rye Patch in late April or early May (forget) and the temp was not too bad (it actually got cold at night). We plan to stay in areas that have daytime temps in the 55 to 85 degree range during the day...this is why we have a mobile RV!
I am thinking if we must use the AC it would be to cool down the camper for an hour or two before going to sleep until the outside temp drops. That would be a pretty huge draw on the battery bank, but with the 500 watt window type AC unit we have it would actually be doable on a 24V 400ah battery system. It may be that we need to run the generator or use a lot of fantastic fans...or just drive to a cooler, higher location.
All that beautiful work making an outstanding high quality TC and just let it sit 11 months of the year? Bet you'll use it a lot more and in many different weather/temps situations!
Interesting!
travelnutz wrote:
For you, limiting your TC desert time will certainly work with the temps you mentioned but few people will limit their TC use to only a month a year. We sure wouldn't as there's 12 months in each year and not one month goes by that we don't use one of our RV's even once. Usually many times.
All that beautiful work making an outstanding high quality TC and just let it sit 11 months of the year? Bet you'll use it a lot more and in many different weather/temps situations!
Interesting!
For you, limiting your TC desert time will certainly work with the temps you mentioned but few people will limit their TC use to only a month a year. We sure wouldn't as there's 12 months in each year and not one month goes by that we don't use one of our RV's even once. Usually many times.
All that beautiful work making an outstanding high quality TC and just let it sit 11 months of the year? Bet you'll use it a lot more and in many different weather/temps situations!
Interesting!
We are using it 12 months a year! We are just going to move around the country more often. In Florida in Jan it is sometimes 80.
Quote:
We also have NO desire to park or camp out in the bright hot Sun and bake inside so the solar cells can see the Sun when we can be cool and comfortable in the shade and not need any A/C at all. We also get a big kick out of the gobs of RV'ers we see who have to park in terrible spots just so their dish can see the sky at a low enough angle.
We also have NO desire to park or camp out in the bright hot Sun and bake inside so the solar cells can see the Sun when we can be cool and comfortable in the shade and not need any A/C at all. We also get a big kick out of the gobs of RV'ers we see who have to park in terrible spots just so their dish can see the sky at a low enough angle.
I certainly had a good chuckle about the comment of those poor people left to park out in the sun, instead of the shade. My first thought was; “Thanks for leaving those spaces open for me!! And, the unobstructed views.”
Seven months of the year, I am far from any sight line that a single tree is visible. Who needs shade when the overnight temps are in the 30?Fs and daytime temps get into the 70?Fs? Bring it on! While many are not able to change Latitudes, with the seasons, some do. Often these people have Solar. But, I did anticipate this dilemma and designed my Solar to have two phases. Sometimes use this capability when in places like Northern California, with their 150+ foot tall trees. I have a Solar bank on a trailer, that I just park out in a meadow and run a drop cord (just like plugging into a pedestal at a campground) back to my TC that is parked in the shade. One must adapt/create solutions rather look for obstacles that become roadblocks.
Yes, Jfet, I have both Solar Systems set to be divided so as they can be tilted (One solar system was set up to provide enough Watts, to make up for the loss of not tilting). Between November and February, I prefer to park facing East or West, so as to tilt my 1st Phase (600w) Solar System. I worked out the distance apart, by using a calculator. One side needs to be dropped a couple of inches, so as not to overlap the back group, in the steepest angle times of December. This is the reason I am an advocate of smaller Solar Panels and this issue is one of the reasons why.
While some are perfectly fine with climbing up on the roof and tilting their panels, I’m not. Why? Because I have some mobility and balance issues, just getting older too. But, imagine walking on a moving boat deck, or walking across the backs of horses (OK extreme, but thought of that image when spending a couple of winters in the Mojave Desert and their Perpetual Winds (Can you say, Tehachapi Pass, Windmill Farm?)). When one bends over, certain things happen to your inner ear. My other point is I don’t want to be walking on my TC roof, any more times than necessary, to minimize wear and tear (I walk in my socks up there).
Again, I can’t stress enough the factors of wind, especially in the west. After living in Boulder, Colorado for decades, a virtual wind tunnel, I have a lot of respect for wind. While your solar panels are rated for wind, they are not rated for extreme winds. Being in Death Valley, during one of their Haboob Storms, and watching helplessly as my panels were bulging like balloons, I will be a town crier. Many winds come up unexpectedly and become too dangerous to run out and try to unbolt and retract your solar panels, without them being ripped out of your hands. We won’t even talk about the wind ripping you off a roof or ladder. For me, wind can be a constant issue, during my winter travels, in and around the Desert Southwest and spring/summer Thunderstorms of the plains and Midwest.
Battery placement, can be used to assist in minimizing your Vehicle sway and stabilization of driving down the road, as my planning did. Short battery cable runs, insure minimal watts/AmpHs losses, as well as matched cables. Placing charge controllers/Invertors in close proximity of battery banks is critical, in the success of a system. Most systems have remote monitors and they can be placed just about anywhere (<35ft.+). A good Battery Monitor will give you the needed information of daily and immediate condition of your batteries and Solar Production. They too can provide remote monitors. A failed battery is very unlikely and monitoring will provide protection if and when this may occur. Many of us “Solar Snobs” can tell by their monitor what electrical draw is being used. You can become very aware what might be malfunctioning, or left on accidentally, by just the readout of these monitors. Good planning and a few $$ well spent, provides you countless points of protection, just as checking air pressure in your tires. With time, you will have this knowledge too.
Jfet, you have demonstrated a great willingness of planning and anticipating what might be encountered during your upcoming adventures, please give some thought to some of my experiences, and years of field testing, as well.
b
If you "solar snobs" as you call yourself, wouldn't be dollars, trouble, and worry ahead if you just bought a Honda 2k generator, a 6 gallon gas can, and went camping, instead of the endless plotting, planning, configuring, reconfiguring, tilting, not tilting, wind-worrying, upgrading, monitoring, and such.
Don't claim to know. But I do wonder.
To each his own. On 2nd thought, i reckon you enjoy it.
Never mind. Carry on.
![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile")
Joe
2012 Ram 3500 diesel, dually
2013 Lance 850
Pretty good truck, pretty good camper.
Just Sally (German Shorthair) and me,
full timing, and shooting and catching
most of our meat.
btw, I live and camp mostly in Arizona, and have never felt the need of an AC. The right time of year and the right altitude makes a lot of difference.
Cal
stickbowjoe wrote:
I just wonder...
If you "solar snobs" as you call yourself, wouldn't be dollars, trouble, and worry ahead if you just bought a Honda 2k generator, a 6 gallon gas can, and went camping, instead of the endless plotting, planning, configuring, reconfiguring, tilting, not tilting, wind-worrying, upgrading, monitoring, and such.
Don't claim to know. But I do wonder.
To each his own. On 2nd thought, i reckon you enjoy it.
Never mind. Carry on.
Joe
I just wonder...
If you "solar snobs" as you call yourself, wouldn't be dollars, trouble, and worry ahead if you just bought a Honda 2k generator, a 6 gallon gas can, and went camping, instead of the endless plotting, planning, configuring, reconfiguring, tilting, not tilting, wind-worrying, upgrading, monitoring, and such.
Don't claim to know. But I do wonder.
To each his own. On 2nd thought, i reckon you enjoy it.
Never mind. Carry on.
Joe
You are absolutely correct. Of course depending on the tone you convey this.
I actually have 2 generators, a Honda and an Onan. As there are times when the sun don’t shine’, for days.
When someone talks to me, about getting solar, I advise them that it would be cheaper to go with a generator. Hands down.
But, some go the solar route, for their own reasons, or just have a big check book for such things. The easiest thing to do is increase your battery bank, charge well before you leave home, moderate your power usages, while gone, and charge up when you get home. As most people are just going out for a weekend or a few days.
Some of us use our TCs for extended periods of time, as I do, and a generator running every day is just, well, beating your head against the wall. Let alone expensive, noisy and then I would need to go into town and get additional fuel. Who wants to run their generator 2 to 3 hours a day and arrange their daily life around running a generator? Solar works for me, as it does for some others. But in the big picture, running a generator is just as good an alternative in the short run, and in most cases, less expensive.
Everyone has different uses and to determine other’s uses and demands by one’s own uses, is well short sighted. It would be a very boring world where everyone drives the same type of truck, uses the same type of Truck Camper and eats the same type of food.
Me, I would miss my Burritos and Salmon dinners out under the stars, away from Campgrounds and City Lights, if my life were to be like everyone else’s.
One of the nice things about this forum, we get to know each other’s proclivities, when you are around a bit, or just ask. This information often carries weight with the information that is being shared. Such as going to someone with an Eagle Cap Truck Camper, when an issue it specific to that type of camper. Jfet would be my go to person, when a question comes up about; “Why doesn’t someone just build their own Truck Camper?”
b