Off grid Camper 1,000 dollars to spend.

[dkpro1]

Care to explain?
I'm suggesting he CAN have solar power setup for LESS THAN $1000.
Do you say this is not possible.???
Why do you say this is a waste of time?

21 amp hours a day from a 90 watt panel at best is a waste of time

[johnar]

Care to explain?
I'm suggesting he CAN have solar power setup for LESS THAN $1000.
Do you say this is not possible.???
Why do you say this is a waste of time?

[dkpro1]

2 cents

Hi,
Just my 2 cents.
You bought a 17ft camper for 500 dollars. Nice.

You got a thousand dolleroos to get some power happening.
Ok. Cool.
You will NEED a solar panel, a charge controller, and some batteries to get you started. (and a Multimeter!!)

Batteries CAN BE the biggest`expense. As mentioned earlier, you may need to start off with something like, old truck batteries.
OR, 6 2volt cells from an old forklift battery. (12 volts) If you look around scrap metal dealers, you just may find some. If you do, hav your multi meter handy. Look into the top of each cell, hopefully there will be some liquid still in there, and the tops of the plates wont look completely stuffed.
Check each cell with multimeter. If you get a reading of about 1.6 volts or higher per cell, they may be good enough to have some sort of life left in them. If you can find 6 like that, and get them for between 20 and 40 dollars each, you're doing ok. (ideally they'll be reading around 2 volts each, and worth around 40 bucks each. (or less).
Forklift batteries are ignored by many, because of the sheer weight and size. But 6x2volt cells is 'not so huge, and can be moved by 1 person, cell by cell.
Anyway, enough about FKLFT batteries. Just a thought, when thinking of 'old batteries'.

So, lets say you have $200 for batteries. That leaves you 800.

Personally, i would go: 1 90watt solar panel. (or 80, or even 60 or 70 watt, depending on cash) Lets say about $200 worth of panel.
Thats 400.
Solar Controller 10amp. $50. I can recommend for that price, mine cost $38 and working fine.
Cables, clamps etc. $50.
Leaves 500.
Then you can spend a few hundred on a decent charger / generator .
Could have enough left over to buy inverter for laptop. Say, 200 watt, around 150-200
You may even have a couple of bucks left over.
Use gas or fire to make a cuppa.

OOPS. nearly forgot. You''ll need 20-40 dollars for a digital multimeter.

this would be a waste of time

[johnar]

Hi,
Just my 2 cents.
You bought a 17ft camper for 500 dollars. Nice.

You got a thousand dolleroos to get some power happening.
Ok. Cool.
You will NEED a solar panel, a charge controller, and some batteries to get you started. (and a Multimeter!!)

Batteries CAN BE the biggest`expense. As mentioned earlier, you may need to start off with something like, old truck batteries.
OR, 6 2volt cells from an old forklift battery. (12 volts) If you look around scrap metal dealers, you just may find some. If you do, hav your multi meter handy. Look into the top of each cell, hopefully there will be some liquid still in there, and the tops of the plates wont look completely stuffed.
Check each cell with multimeter. If you get a reading of about 1.6 volts or higher per cell, they may be good enough to have some sort of life left in them. If you can find 6 like that, and get them for between 20 and 40 dollars each, you're doing ok. (ideally they'll be reading around 2 volts each, and worth around 40 bucks each. (or less).
Forklift batteries are ignored by many, because of the sheer weight and size. But 6x2volt cells is 'not so huge, and can be moved by 1 person, cell by cell.
Anyway, enough about FKLFT batteries. Just a thought, when thinking of 'old batteries'.

So, lets say you have $200 for batteries. That leaves you 800.

Personally, i would go: 1 90watt solar panel. (or 80, or even 60 or 70 watt, depending on cash) Lets say about $200 worth of panel.
Thats 400.
Solar Controller 10amp. $50. I can recommend for that price, mine cost $38 and working fine.
Cables, clamps etc. $50.
Leaves 500.
Then you can spend a few hundred on a decent charger / generator .
Could have enough left over to buy inverter for laptop. Say, 200 watt, around 150-200
You may even have a couple of bucks left over.
Use gas or fire to make a cuppa.

OOPS. nearly forgot. You''ll need 20-40 dollars for a digital multimeter.

[dkpro1]

DK Pro, what are the capabilities of that system?

Is it used to charge a battery? If so, what type/size and how long does it take to charge? Or does it also feed directly to the rig's power supply/outlets/lights/etc.?

Just wondering, thanks.

For a minute I thought I had wandered into the wrong forum, Doomsdayprepperforumtalk.com, or something like that.

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It would only charge battery it would produce 50 ah pre day on average ....if you had a 225 amp hour battery down 50% would take 8 hours to fully charge

[albert436]

DK Pro, what are the capabilities of that system?

Is it used to charge a battery? If so, what type/size and how long does it take to charge? Or does it also feed directly to the rig's power supply/outlets/lights/etc.?

Just wondering, thanks.

For a minute I thought I had wandered into the wrong forum, Doomsdayprepperforumtalk.com, or something like that.

gasp.png

[dkpro1]

1000 bucks

Hello, I bought a 17 foot camper for $500 and I am trying to figure out the best method for making it off grid for 1,000.

My needs are simple and can be adjusted accordingly. I want to be able to run a decent sized fan on hot days. occasionally make a cup of coffee or hot water for tea (assume the lowest amps) run a laptop/charge phone and tablets. Maybe as a luxury run a small 19 inch led tv, although this is entirely unnecessary as a tablet will suffice and draws far less power.

Originally, I thought about covering the entire roof with solar panels and getting a couple deep cycle batteries. After going through these forums a bit, I am now thinking different.


1 decent sized solar panel, large battery bank and a generator to top off the battery bank.

Tell me what you would do with 1,000. Assume economic collapse and this vehicle is your safe haven. This 1,000 dollars is going to be very important, although the situation hypothetical.

I do 230 watt mppt systems instaled for $899.00

[Sunking]

So for the OP that was looking to not spend much on a solar battery system for his RV.

Regardless of the reason (major earth event or just dry camping) I would say that $1000 will not get you much in the way of solar powered system. So unless you have the extra $$ to build it right so it will give you the power you want and last 4 to 5 years I would stay away from the solar panel part.

I would invest in one of those quite inverter type gas generators and some deep cycle batteries like the ones for RV coaches. Those items will cost you around $1000. If you want to go with the solar panels you can expect to easily double that cost.

Add a battery isolator to the mix so the alternator can do the majority of charging or at least while driving.

[SunEagle]

Getting back on topic

So for the OP that was looking to not spend much on a solar battery system for his RV.

Regardless of the reason (major earth event or just dry camping) I would say that $1000 will not get you much in the way of solar powered system. So unless you have the extra $$ to build it right so it will give you the power you want and last 4 to 5 years I would stay away from the solar panel part.

I would invest in one of those quite inverter type gas generators and some deep cycle batteries like the ones for RV coaches. Those items will cost you around $1000. If you want to go with the solar panels you can expect to easily double that cost.

[Naptown]

Dry charged have shelf life issues too. Activate within a year of MFG. Not a long term storage item, just to enable shipping & stocking without worry about monthly top-off charge.

What about NIFe? same dry storage issues?

[russ]

Wait, stop and think about it.... it will be only you and the then unemployed Washington politicians (the ones that hunkered down in those special shelters in DC). Not the best neighbors if you ask me. No family... friends... no electric company to screw out of a few bucks.... just add me to the list of the departed
Just my thoughts

Totally agreed! Politicians here are even worse - bigger thieves.

[Mustang65]

Wait, stop and think about it.... it will be only you and the then unemployed Washington politicians (the ones that hunkered down in those special shelters in DC). Not the best neighbors if you ask me. No family... friends... no electric company to screw out of a few bucks.... just add me to the list of the departed
Just my thoughts

[Mike90250]

.....buy a pallet of dry charged ones if that concerns you.

Dry charged have shelf life issues too. Activate within a year of MFG. Not a long term storage item, just to enable shipping & stocking without worry about monthly top-off charge.

[thastinger]

And in a year they will be boat anchors.

You only need to wait 6 weeks to go get them and start maintenance charges on them.
If it were to go dark, 20% of the population would be dead in a week (nursing homes/hospitals/insulin/med dependant)
by 6 weeks, you only have to deal with the half the people that are remaining

I don't want to argue hypotheticals, the OP indicated he didn't have the money to buy it all now. He should get the batteries last so they are fresh when he is ready to commission the system.

[SunEagle]

Well if you believe like me, and I know you do, we will be spared that event and not have to suffer with it.

10-4 on that.