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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
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| Quote: |
Warrior- I guess if I'm on a real long trip (which I hope all of them will be shortly), I would have the genny. Would you agree that it makes more
sense to run the gen and charge with an outboard charger? My internal is only a 3 amp charger, the generator's is only 8 amp I believe. I have a smart
charger that does 2/20/40. Thinking I should run the genny and power the smart charger.
Keep those retail recommendations coming.............. |
Perform a dry run with your charger and gen at home, there has got to be a limit before overloading the little guy.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
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our converter on the trailer uses 700watts
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
Member Is Offline
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I have used my Lance for years with an 85watt Kyocera and even in Alaska, we kept up with the energy requirments. Your biggest problem is to isolate
the freezer and determine whether or not it is important enough to spend another battery and panel for it's operation. You may be ahead to update
your freezer/refrig in the camper. We find that if we are careful, we can hold everything we need to be comfortable, it is just that we have
redefined the definition of comfortable.
I think the guys at Quartzite are some of the most knowledgeable about RV solar in the world and there is a guy at Davis Dam that is really up to
date about all of that stuff.
One thing is for sure, buy the best controller you can get and you make your monitoring job a whole lot easier. I started tilting one side of the
panel when I could actually see how much juice I was putting in at any given time. Very simple process that is described above very well. Two arms
that raise the panel and tighten down and then go flat for travel. We have now passed the 100,000 mile mark on the truck and camper and no problems
noted. That is a lot of Baja miles and a small trip to Alaska thrown in for good measure.
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BigWooo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 579
Registered: 1-2-2007
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
our converter on the trailer uses 700watts |
Wow, didn't know converters used so much power. My inverter uses 20 watts so I guessed a converter was about the same.
Correct me if I'm wrong:
Inverter = DC to AC
Converter = AC to DC (or DC to DC of a different voltage)
I understand hook doesn't have an inverter so he can't use the display on that to determing power use. So, if he wants to figure power draw,
shouldn't he be able to plug the camper into the kilowat, turn on whatever appliance he wants to measure, and subtract out the 700 watts (or whatever
his converter uses). Wouldn't the remaining figure be what the appliance/light is using?
He could then use those figures to accurately size his solar panel and batteries.
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BigWooo
Senior Nomad
Posts: 579
Registered: 1-2-2007
Member Is Offline
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Great site!
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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6700
Registered: 9-5-2003
Member Is Offline
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Pompano
Do you have one (or know someone that has one) of the windside turbines?
cost, operation etc???
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msteve1014
Senior Nomad
Posts: 947
Registered: 12-2-2006
Member Is Offline
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(our converter on the trailer uses 700watts )
i think your converter will put out 700 watts if you hook it up to a load that size. it does not use that much power all the time.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
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nope...
plugged it into the kill-a-watt then into the wall outlet to measure the usage of the trailer...
700w
but
that includes the built-in battery charger that never goes off
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turtleandtoad
Senior Nomad
Posts: 730
Registered: 1-20-2005
Location: Wherever I park. See sig for current location.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Good if fishing
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Just a word of warning on the panels themselves.
Camping World used to sell solar panels from ICS (or something like that). I don't see them on the CW website anymore but I'm sure that someone is
still selling them somewhere.
These were actually seconds from the manufacturers of solar panels. The panels didn't quite pass the minimum output required by other panel retailers
but otherwise worked. ICS mounted them in their own frame and sold them cheap (I have 3 of them). They also come with a propriatary plug to daisy
chain them together. Which would be fine except the supplied cables are only AWG# 14; which results in a large voltage drop when you start connecting
them together and have a fairly long run to the controller.
And because of the minimal output, using larger wire and tilting these are almost a must. In the winter I lose about half of their maximum output
because of these problems.
The other major problem is with that frame. It's an extruded aluminum with curved surface and no lip, so that there isn't anyplace to install mounting
or tilting brackets. They come with a kind of clamp for mounting. I'm currently trying to devise a tilting bracket for them. If I don't have any luck
I'll be putting these 3 panels up for sale, cheap!.
My other panels have square frames with a lip that allows me to install tilting brackets.
Mike & Robin; Full-Time RV\'ers
37\' Georgetown w/3 slides & 275 Watts of Solar Power
06 Taco TRD
www.turtleandtoad.com
I am here
To paraphrase Frank Lloyd Wright; I\'m all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let\'s start with keyboards. --
Mike Dean |
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pescador
I have used my Lance for years with an 85watt Kyocera and even in Alaska, we kept up with the energy requirments. Your biggest problem is to isolate
the freezer and determine whether or not it is important enough to spend another battery and panel for it's operation. You may be ahead to update
your freezer/refrig in the camper. We find that if we are careful, we can hold everything we need to be comfortable, it is just that we have
redefined the definition of comfortable.
I think the guys at Quartzite are some of the most knowledgeable about RV solar in the world and there is a guy at Davis Dam that is really up to
date about all of that stuff.
One thing is for sure, buy the best controller you can get and you make your monitoring job a whole lot easier. I started tilting one side of the
panel when I could actually see how much juice I was putting in at any given time. Very simple process that is described above very well. Two arms
that raise the panel and tighten down and then go flat for travel. We have now passed the 100,000 mile mark on the truck and camper and no problems
noted. That is a lot of Baja miles and a small trip to Alaska thrown in for good measure. |
Jim, what is your house battery in the back? More than one?
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Thanks, Roger. I will look it over.
Not finding much on the Escapees site w/o joining, which I still might.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Reality is starting to set in.
I dont have the roof space to accommodate the amount of panel I would need to do it "by the booK" and keep my battery capacity at something near 50%.
I also checked into going with two 6v batts in series. After doing an "energy audit" (and assuming the freezer running about 20hrs/day), I might use
93ah/day so 6v is the only way to go. (freezer is 48ah/day alone; over half!) But the only feasible way of doing this for my situation is going with
sealed AGM batteries (dont want gel cel) as one would have to be on it's side. LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE RUNNING ABOUT 350.00 EACH!
Then there's a single panel, the CC, wiring and mounts and I'm up over 1500.00 already.
Maybe I'll look into some really nice earplugs for the genny hours. I'd have to run the genny for 2-3 hours anyway, under this scenario.
And just accept that I will be going into "town" every third day for nieves and hielo.
I can see how this would work in a larger rig with more roof space and more battery space but I'm not sure it's practical in a unit this small WITH
THIS FREEZER WISH.
Remove the freezer from the equation and an 85-120 watt unit could work with even a single 12v battery.
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805gregg
Super Nomad
Posts: 1344
Registered: 5-21-2006
Location: Ojai, Ca
Member Is Offline
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Hook check out Engle Referator freezer units, they use very little juice.
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Al G
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wondering what is next???
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Also Hook consider the two 85s long hinged so they fold face to face foe travel...you will be using you engine/Alt then for.
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
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we use one of these in the kitchen
for beer and sodas...
uses only 80 watts at 110v
we have used this kind for
many years in the "office"
there's a small (really small)
freezer inside for "small" stuff
keeps beer COLD and of course
leche for the morning coffee
it is 110v and needs an inverter but
we used it for a couple of years in the garage
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jorgie
Nomad
Posts: 430
Registered: 8-25-2006
Location: on another road,again
Member Is Offline
Mood: on the road....again,again
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I can stand beside the 500 [0r 600 ] Eu500i Honda and don't know it's running.....or dig a hole to baffle the sound. The Spartan L50 hold 350+
amp/hrs/wk each. recovery is 85% charging from the 500 Honda is about 2hrs day....runs on the smell of an oily rag.
a camper should be able to find space for smaller Batts 2 off should produce 190 amp/hrs/wk each charging about one hour/day so 2x190x.85 would be
available power........
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by jorgie
I can stand beside the 500 [0r 600 ] Eu500i Honda and don't know it's running.....or dig a hole to baffle the sound. The Spartan L50 hold 350+
amp/hrs/wk each. recovery is 85% charging from the 500 Honda is about 2hrs day....runs on the smell of an oily rag.
a camper should be able to find space for smaller Batts 2 off should produce 190 amp/hrs/wk each charging about one hour/day so 2x190x.85 would be
available power........ |
I love that........."runs on the smell of an oily rag". 
I am reluctant to buy another genny that small as it wouldn't give me the option, however rare, of running my A/C. I have the Yamaha YG2800i right
now. It's 60db at 1/4 load which is what it would be for charging. Not so bad.
What's a Spartan L50?
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by 805gregg
Hook check out Engle Referator freezer units, they use very little juice. |
I think I have a rebadged Engel, although not a Series II model. About the same consumption as even the Series II.
[Edited on 12-16-2007 by Hook]
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jorgie
Nomad
Posts: 430
Registered: 8-25-2006
Location: on another road,again
Member Is Offline
Mood: on the road....again,again
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It's still early....yawn....Trojan L50.....60db means deeper hole to baffle the noise, a bit ply to deflect it.....my 104 watt solar keeps the 2x12
marine batts in good shape but at 92 amp/hrs/wk each they are too light for some useage but have kept the batts at 12.79 volts for over a year . If I
could lift a L50 I would buy 2 .....196 lbs each...ouch.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Solar panel question: If panels are putting out, say, 7.1 amps at 17.3 volts, does the amperage increase as the charge controller steps the voltage
down to a safer level for the batteries? Or does the charge controller steal some of it or ???
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