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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5912
Registered: 7-18-2011
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Solar for Camping?
Anyone have any experience with those portable solar panels people use for camping? I would like to power my blender for margaritas when in the
middle of nowhere. Just kidding.
But, any thoughts/brands/experience?
Gracias.
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Curt63
Super Nomad
Posts: 1171
Registered: 3-28-2009
Location: San Diego, Ca.
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Mood: Fish tacos and Tecate
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Solar is great for daytime. Most Baja days (90% of the time Im sleeping on an empty beach) my happy hour starts about 3. Organize the camp, pile up
firewood, make my bed, start dinner. no work after dark. just drinking and sleeping. most nights 830 or 9 is lights out.
No worries
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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I've thought about solar before primarily for an Engle type refer/freezer....I want something to freeze ice in order to replenish ice for the chest
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
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I hear that Curt63. I'm always amazed when I check the clock before bed and it's 8:40PM. Although, THAT IS 4 HOURS after the sun sets in Winter and
4 hours in the dark is generally more than enough, especially if waves were caught, food was eaten, and shots possibly taken.
I don't plan on staying up late with these solar panels. Just want to charge a few "items" if needed on long stays.
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Ateo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajaboy
I've thought about solar before primarily for an Engle type refer/freezer....I want something to freeze ice in order to replenish ice for the chest
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Another good idea. Ice is generally a top priority in the desert and one has limited possibilities of ever producing ice. I want to hear more.
Solar Ice. Two opposites. 
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Ateo
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajaboy
I've thought about solar before primarily for an Engle type refer/freezer....I want something to freeze ice in order to replenish ice for the chest
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Another good idea. Ice is generally a top priority in the desert and one has limited possibilities of ever producing ice. I want to hear more.
Solar Ice. Two opposites. |
My preferred method for ice is to freeze gallon milk jugs. They normally last three to four days. I would love to buy an Engle so I could refreeze
the jugs and extend my ice range. But I have been too lazy to do much research on solar options. I want something easy and durable.
Thanks for starting this thread...
[Edited on 12-26-2012 by Bajaboy]
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Curt63
Super Nomad
Posts: 1171
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Location: San Diego, Ca.
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Mood: Fish tacos and Tecate
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This might help
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=52727#pid6197...
No worries
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
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Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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if you are not camping for months then just get a QUIET honda 2000
why have the extra expense for solar panels$$$ charge controler and batteries
with a honda you'll be way ahead$$$
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Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
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Thunderbolt Solar Panel Kit 45 Watt
This is what I have to charge all my batteries. It really works great and has 2 lights & a charge controller. I tried it on 2 L-16 batteries and
it worked on them too.
You'll probable need to copy and paste the URL below or the top line into Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Thunderbolt-Solar-Panel-Kit-Watt/dp/B0...
[Edited on 12-26-2012 by Russ]
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
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Hook
Elite Nomad
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Location: Sonora
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You seem to be talking about two very different needs in describing "items" and then being able to make ice. The needs, in terms of batteries and
charging systems, are very different.
Are your "items" simply charging batteries like cell phones, laptops, cameras, electric toothbrush? Or does it move more into your car stereo and a TV
or ?
Really, you need to tell us everything you might need to charge.
BTW, if you're not REALLY joking, a blender can be easily run on an inverter with your car engine running.
I have a cabover camper with a 6 cu. ft absorption fridge in it. I also took my Engle type 45 qt. 12v with me this summer. It was sure nice not having
to buy ice even one time, while traveling the Western US in August and September. I used the absorption fridge to keep all foodstuffs in it that were
not liquid, as well as making ice in the freezer portion of it. We just got in the habit of filling the ice trays with fresh water whenever we got
into camp and moving the finished cubes into a ziplock next to the trays. Standard sized cubes were done, overnight. You really dont need THAT much
ice if all it's used for is adding to drinks. It's easy to stay ahead.
You can also run the absorption fridge at higher temps (~40F) to better preserve veges and keep things like butter a bit softer.
All liquid products stayed in the compressor fridge. That is a swing compressor and it draws about 2.1 amps @ 12v, WHEN RUNNING. That thing is so darn
efficient we had to keep it at a little under 2 (on a scale of 1-5) to prevent freezing drinks.
No television for us, at least at this time. So, the biggest draw, by far, is when we occasionally have to run the furnace on a cold night at
elevation. That even far exceeds the fridges and any lights we run from dusk till sleep (~3 hours). Of course, the fan might be running, off and on,
for 6-8 hours, with no solar supplement in the dark.
Coffee is boiled water and a French press.
I only have room for a single battery. So, I went with a Lifeline GPH 31XT battery, powered by a 140 watt Kyocera panel through a Morningstar Sunsaver
Duo controller. I liked having a controller that would charge the house and the truck battery independently. I simply wired the second battery bank
leads to the truck battery side of my battery separator. With the SunSaver Duo, you can set it to deliver a 50-50 mix to both batteries OR a 90-10
mix, favoring the house battery. When either battery is fully charged, it reverts all charging to the other one. This setup keeps up with all my
needs.
We'll see how long the Lifeline lasts. Pretty pricy for basically a faster charge rate. I could buy 2 standard group 31 lead/acid batteries for the
cost of this.
I have a built-in generator. Rarely use it. Mostly for the microwave. Really dont use the A/C much.
With this setup, the only limiting factor that determined how long we could stay in a remote camp was the amount of fresh water we could carry.
If your electrical needs turn out to be minimal, I'd consider upgrading the battery on your vehicle and getting a decent inverter you can hook
directly to your battery, either with clips or replacing the wiring and fuse in your "cigarette lighter" outlet. Unless it's a diesel, I'd take that
over everything associated with running a generator (fuel can, funnel, fumes, storage for the genny and fuel can, electrical cord, power bar). Just
idle the vehicle engine for occasional charging and high demand needs. A diesel is too noisy to do that, though, IMO. I have one, I know.
[Edited on 12-26-2012 by Hook]
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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For an Engle fridge set to freeze you will need at least 100 watts of panel. I ran mine on freeze for a winter with 3) 55watt panels and the largest
Costco marine battery I could get. If you use the Engle as a fridge turning it down during the day and up at night you could get by with a smaller
system but when set to freeze, especially if you are freezing gallon jugs, it will run almost constantly.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
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I can confirm what Mono is saying about the Engel draw on freeze. It's non-stop running and can take over 24 hours to freeze a completely thawed
gallon bottle, especially if it is more than one.
Mono, are you then loading the frozen gallon bottles into an ice chest for your foodstuffs and drinks?
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landyacht318
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Engel=Norcold=Sawafuji compressor.
If Compressor noise and vibration will be a factor, get a danfoss compressor powered fridge. These are rechargeable, and the compressor speed can be
adjusted to dial it in for a specific use.
ARB chest type fridges use danfoss compressors.
My Norcold died, I now have a danfoss powered Vitrifrigo front loader. Much quieter, and uses less battery
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
I can confirm what Mono is saying about the Engel draw on freeze. It's non-stop running and can take over 24 hours to freeze a completely thawed
gallon bottle, especially if it is more than one.
Mono, are you then loading the frozen gallon bottles into an ice chest for your foodstuffs and drinks? |
No,
we live off the grid so I just use mine as a deep freeze, but I know if someone wanted to freeze jugs and use them that way, it would run constantly.
I love traveling with the Engel in the back seat for all our beverages and snacks but found it will run the truck batteries down pretty quick if I use
it to freeze fish while camping.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
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Location: Sonora
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As I recall, Danfoss's draw between 6 and 7 amps at 12v, when running. How do you figure they use "less battery"?
Finding replacement parts for many of them, especially the ones from Australia, is a real pain, too.
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wilderone
Ultra Nomad
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Margaritas:
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/waring_TG15.html?gclid=CLe...
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Ateo
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5912
Registered: 7-18-2011
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Thanks all for your contributions. I think what I need is something like Russ posted. Simple charging of phones, a light or 2...........nothing
major.
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
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get the inverter. it'll charge the phone that you can't use anyway. propane for cooking and lighting. get a 2way or 3 way fridge from a RV and run it
on propane to keep your stuff cold. ice is around $1000 for a unit.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9011
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| Quote: | | I love traveling with the Engel in the back seat for all our beverages and snacks but found it will run the truck batteries down pretty quick if I use
it to freeze fish while camping. |
Yep, that's how I found out the limitation of my truck batterie(s). I was trying to freeze fillets over a three day period and after the second day
and night of running the Engel, it had drained BOTH of my large truck batteries. I needed a jump.
After that I started researching solar panels...................
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msteve1014
Senior Nomad
Posts: 947
Registered: 12-2-2006
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I have the arb reefer. It takes 2 85 watt panels to keep up when it is hot outside. My panals are old, but yours will be old some day too. Freezing 1
gallon jugs will take a long time. Freezing a days catch of fish is not a problem.I have a lot of batteries, but that only comes in to play if you
have a long time with no charging.
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