No generator, no problem!

[Suprasoup]

i have seen panels flying off RVs, Sprinter vans, campers often enough that I would take the safety consideration seriously. Thread locking compound on all the bolts are your friend. Something about the vibration on onroad/off-road vehicles tends to loosen bolts over time. I periodically check the ones on the trailer before travel just in case.

Last thing you want is to injure or kill someone.

[Wrybread]

'm not the world's engineering police , but saying something works just fine now gives you some responsibility for what others reading your stuff may go and do.

I definitely wasn't saying to take mounting the panels lightly. I was saying it's easy to do well using the existing time tested methods. People definitely need to do a bit of homework when mounting panels. For my part, the easiest and safest method I've found is to use purpose built solar panel mounts, follow their instructions, use common sense with mounting points, and use a through bolt and a backing plate if you don't trust your roof's integrity. And a really nice thing to do is add a safety tether made from stainless airplane cable on each panel so even if a panel does somehow come loose it can't go far. Hell even a piece of rope or ratchet strap webbing would do it, but obviously fibers break down quickly on the roof of an RV and you want something that will last years, which is why I like to use airplane cable.

And for whatever it's worth I've logged probably hundreds of thousands of roadtrip miles, all around America, Canada, Mexico, a bit of Guatemala, and Europe, in heavy RV areas and have never seen a panel fly off a roof. Not to say it doesn't happen, but I must be really lucky... Well technically it did happen to a camper some friends and I used to store in La Paz, Mexico for surf trips, when a hurricane tore the storage area to shreds. But that took off the whole roof of our camper so I'm not sure that counts... The panel was still clinging to that roof though, amazingly enough.

[Suprasoup]

I was driving behind a sprinter van when his panel let loose on I-70 in Colorado. He had left it tilted and a strong cross wind ripped it off his roof. Another time was in NM on the way back from AZ. The RVer had installed his panel mounts (Z mounts) using VHB tape. The VHB tape gave and the panel ripped. Landed probably 100ft from my truck. Chocolate brownie moment for me.

I wouldnt call them frequent but I do seem to see them at least once or twice a year in the Southwest. Up there with kayaks and paddleboards flying off roof racks.

[MambaJack]

I guess RV roof real-estate has gotten larger over the years. Vents and air conditioner housings used to break up the roof and not be as usable

panels.jpg

Yea, lot easier with a custom build.
2k

[MambaJack]

I am not saying you are incorrect about solar and an RV. I am just saying that you are in a very small percentage of people that consume very little electricity. Congrats on your ability to do so.

Totally agree with this!

[MambaJack]

You forgot the price of batteries in your simple math.

After calculating my loads,
I ended up with 2k of panels, 5.5kWh of usable battery, for about $4500.
That would by a nice generator and a lot of fuel.....

[extrafu]

After calculating my loads,
I ended up with 2k of panels, 5.5kWh of usable battery, for about $4500.
That would by a nice generator and a lot of fuel.....

Batteries were still not consider in the original simple math. All of what was said was unusable without them.

[PNW_Steve]

After calculating my loads,
I ended up with 2k of panels, 5.5kWh of usable battery, for about $4500.
That would by a nice generator and a lot of fuel.....

Yes it would. But how much quiet will it buy?

I set my 5er up for RV park stays. No solar and a relatively small house battery. This Summer we have done quite a bit of boondocking and had to run the generator quite a bit. It was a shame to be in such a peaceful spot and have to run the generator so much.

I added some solar and greatly reduced generator use.

Silence is golden.....

[Wrybread]

Amen on the silence being golden. Not to mention never ever having to think about power, or lug any fuel around, or maintain a generator. That's pretty amazingly golden too. So odd that these are controversial statements on a forum that's the number one Google hit for "RV solar forum", but alas.

[Mike90250]

There is no problem if your solar array and RV lifestyle work well with each other sans generator.

Sadly though, not every RV'er can accomplish that, and it's unreasonable to expect they will. The price of fossil fuel will ultimately drive that decision. Until then, generators will be run by the casual, and if there are not quite times in the campground, others will hear them. So the mission is to help where feasible, folks get PV safely installed or on mobile sandwich boards to minimize the generator usage. But not all folk in all locations, can achieve this.

What I don't want to see, is folks pushed to batteries and solar, without being able to sustain it, and 6 weeks later, have 4 dead boat anchor batteries and unworkable solar on their roof. That sort of experience gets much more campfire story time, than the successful installs. I'd rather have 3 successful, happy solar RV's than 3 who got burned by salesmen with happy joy stories, without a clue about the discipline to adjust lifestyle to work with solar.

[Wrybread]

That sort of experience gets much more campfire story time, than the successful installs.

I'm starting to think that's only on this forum. In real life I've never met a single person with a modern RV solar system that has anything but glowing praise for it. Not even once. And I've met many.

[J.P.M.]

I'm starting to think that's only on this forum. In real life I've never met a single person with a modern RV solar system that has anything but glowing praise for it. Not even once. And I've met many.

Seems to me I've seen/watched examples of how it's sometimes easier to sugarcoat things than admit a screwup/bad decision/execution.

[Wrybread]

That's just internet forum logic, especially around here. In real life people with modern rv solar systems tend to love it, and if they don't like something about it they're glad to say so, and/or fix it. No "sugar coating" required.

[SunEagle]

That's just internet forum logic, especially around here. In real life people with modern rv solar systems tend to love it, and if they don't like something about it they're glad to say so, and/or fix it. No "sugar coating" required.

It is amazing I have held myself from posting on this thread for a long while.

As I stated before it looks like you have found a way to make solar & RVing work for your life style. I am happy for you and those that can accomplish the same.

But I can say that I am an RVer and I have talked to hundreds of other people at RV events. Most would rather have a solid grid connection for their rigs or use their generator because batteries just aren't enough to supply their comfort needs.

So please understand there are a number of RVer's that can't do what you do. If that is so hard for you to believe then I will just shut down this thread and any others that come up that contain all this griping.

Do you get my drift?

[jflorey2]

I'm starting to think that's only on this forum. In real life I've never met a single person with a modern RV solar system that has anything but glowing praise for it. Not even once. And I've met many.

So have I. There was an RV park near the dropzone at Perris and I was always getting asked for help when people had problems. Disaster stories I've heard include: (in order of frequency)

1) People who kill their batteries because one out of several loads does not have an LVD, and they leave it on
2) People who kill their batteries because their loads significantly exceed their generation
3) Solar mounts that are inadequate that result in people losing their panels to high winds
4) Solar wiring that becomes inadequate because the system "evolves" as a result of 1) or 2) - but is not upgraded until something melts or blows out.

In addition, the majority of solar + larger inverter systems I have seen do not get the neutral switchover correct, resulting in a potentially dangerous installation.