Any battery bank sized to run on this size system isn't something you want to be moving around . There is always the inherent danger involved with spilling acid and accidently shorting out batteries.
Some people don't realize the cost of removing a RV refer till they go to replace it. I would never give up the propane option.
-
Thank you guys for your responses...
It doesn't have to be that big for the RV but in order for the system to be reasonably functional at home I would need a large inverter and charge controller(s) so I guess the RV system size was merely a function of sunk cost in all the rest of the equipment, especially since I can get the panels for $40 each. One added note, the original owners of our 5th wheel replaced the refrigerator with a household unit - all electric, no propane - so I have 290 continuous watts and 690 peak that would always be on the system when we are in transit or boondocking.
Additionally, many of the places we camp are 95+ degrees in the summer (last weekend it was 106 at our campsite but fortunately we were staying at an RV park) so it would have to be big enough to run our portable 10,000 BTU air conditioner. I'm not sure 300-600w of power would be sufficient to keep the batteries charged for a long weekend in that environment. My 6-9 panel guesstimate was to make sure we had enough power for everything else after fridge and A/C were satisfied. Also, the used panels are now more than 8 years old so they are not putting out 165w anymore. The controllers would need to handle the original open current specs but real life output I'm sure will be down about 10%.
I am unable to keep the RV at my home and store it at a facility about 1 mile from my house. I would have no problem buying a secondary, inexpensive PWM controller which I could quick connect to keep the batteries topped off in the RV since I would not be transferring the panels. I guess I could always transfer the batteries to the home with the other equipment instead of buying a second battery bank - which would be very economically friendly - but I fear I would lose interest in transferring the system if it involved that much work.Leave a comment:
-
Leave a comment:
-
Depending on where you keep the RV parked you should be able to run a heavy gauge extension cord or possibly some underground conduit from your inverter to your loads without having to remove any equipment. Then again if you don't keep your RV at home, obviously this won't work.
As your guy said, anything is possible but it would be expensive and unless you could find another way to keep your RV batteries on a float charge you would need to continuously move this equipment back and forth. Sounds like a whole lot of work for a couple bucks worth of additional electricity.Leave a comment:
-
Why so big? It seems like most RV owners are happy with 300-600 W of panels, and around 400 Ah. A system like that would cost well under $1000.Leave a comment:
-
Dual purpose "portable" solar setup for home and RV
I currently have a grid tie system that has worked beautifully for more than 4 years so I began to consider solar for my 5th wheel as well. We are not full timers, more like frequent weekend warriors who are considering a 1-2 month trip in it later this year. But I am a believer in the technology and I began to look into the possibility of adding it to our trailer mostly out of curiosity. I know the owner of the company who installed my grid-tie system and asked him how much he would charge to install solar in my 5er and he politely declined the project. However, he did offer to get me anything I needed at his cost and even offered me some used 165w panels relatively cheap which he took off another client's house who recently upgraded to newer panels. At this point the idea became a real possibility especially if I could double the system as a supplemental setup for my home. I can't tie them into the grid like my existing home system but if I could find a way to utilize the setup with a battery bank at home when I am not using my RV I could justify a much larger price tag for my RV system.
Anyone have any experience utilizing a PV system for more than one designated purpose? According to my grid tie contractor it is doable if I was willing to do all the transfer of equipment each time I needed it and he mentioned something about quick disconnects so I could more easily move the inverter and charge controller(s) to my home so I wouldn't have to duplicate those costs. I wouldn't have to move the panels because I could get them cheap enough to just buy more, and I doubt I would want to move the battery bank so I would probably buy a duplicate GC2 setup, but the supporting equipment adds several thousand dollars that would kill this project if I can't find a way to use it the other 300+ days a year when I am not camping.
The RV system would include somewhere between 6-9 panels, an 80amp MPPT controller (or two 40a, or possibly even three 30a Kid controllers), an inverter or maybe an inverter/charger and monitoring displays. The home system could be as large as 12 panels.
How realistic is it to think the inverter and charge controllers could be setup in a way that it could be reasonably moved between my house and my trailer? Anyone ever thought about something like this? I can't imagine I am the first part time camper to want solar but who needs to cost justify it with a duplicate purpose?
Without trying to complicate this scenario any more I should add that I have also considered setting it up as an isolated 24v system, separate from my12v RV batteries, but I am concerned that might add too much complexity to an already unique setup. Although that would certainly make it easier to run as a home system if I can find a way to make it work in the RV.
Is this just a pipe dream? Any thoughts are appreciated.
Leave a comment: