04/04/2012 12:54 PM

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Message # 881777

Deleted user

Let's get a discussion going with those of you who have actual experience adding solar power to your coach.

o Is it even worth replacing the OEM panel with an aftermarket 5w panel just to trickle charge?

o What about upgrading the panel size - 10w - 15w - 100w ? Upside/Downside?

o What will the existing OEM wiring handle before you have to upgrade or run separate wiring?

o What NOT to do!

o Specifics on your coach's setup, panels, mounting, wiring, controler, what brand equipment are you using?

It’s solar, so the sky’s the limit!!

06/03/2012 8:57 AM

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Reply # 941617 on 881777

Deleted user

I have a 2001 Storm 31W that I am now adding decent solar capibility to. I'm not finished yet, but I can make a few posts that address the concerns of solar power.

First, that teensy 5 Watt panel over the AC is just about useless for anything beyond keeping the batteries charged between trips. If you run an 1156 bulb, drawing about 1.25 Amps, for 4 hours, you will have drained 5 Amp-hours from the battery. The 5 Watt charger panel can supply 5 Watts (at absolute lucky best; in reality more like 4 Watts). OK, so with 4 Watts (which is 1/3 Amps) going into the battery, you need to do that for 12 hours just to break even. And chances are that you are drawing a lot more power on a typical day, what with pump, other lights, vent fans, refrigerator control and entertainment.

Increasing the power from a solar array is mostly related to the size of the array. The sun pours down roughly 100 Watts per square meter, but you can't get that due to solar cell efficiency, cleanliness of the cell surfaces, angle of the sunlight on the cell array, air clarity, air temperature, cable losses, power supply efficiency and battery efficiency. I'm installing a cell array that is about 1.5 square meters (16 sq ft), and that array has a tested capability of 215 Watts, which means that the array alone only converts 14% of that solar energy to electrical power. If you need more power, the only answer is more array area.

My coach, equipped with a 225 Amp-hour battery pack, will have a pair of Evergreen ES-E-215-fc3 String Ribbon 215 Watt panels. I was lucky to buy these panels from Sun Electric in Miami for 78 cents per Watt (about $1.25 per Watt delivery included). I will use a Blue Sky 3021i MPPT power controller to manage the charging and a Blue Sky IPN Pro Remote Digital Monitor ($625 more).

This should get some discussion started, and I will post more later. I am now about $1200 and a lot of labor into this project, so it might be interesting to step back and note that the same $1200 would buy 300 gallons of gas, which could run my genset for about 300 hours. I'm not sure this project was economically justifiable, but, if you like to tinker and do projects, it sure has been a grand adventure!

Ed Price
El Cajon, CA USA
2001 Fleetwood Storm LE 31W
1961 Amphicar
2008 Explorer

06/03/2012 9:22 AM

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Reply # 941628 on 881777

Deleted user

My first addition to my earlier post would be that, no matter how you obtain your DC power, you should convert over to LED lighting for your most used internal lights. A decent high-intensity LED plug-in replacement for an 1156 lamp will yield similar light intensity (most places I prefer the warm white, but jigsaw puzzles look better with a mix of warm and cool white). Cost is about $13 per lamp, but DC power will drop from 15 Watts to 0.4 Watts (1.2 Amp down to 0.03 Amp draw). Or maybe easier to understand, you can run the 1156 for about 5 minutes, or use the same amount of power to run the LED for 200 minutes. Power not used is power you don't have to pay to store and generate. Convert over about 10 lamps to LED's in your main living area and you can almost forget power conservation.

And then it may be a good time to scrap your old CRT television (mine weighed about 50 pounds and was centered over the windshield, a lot of mass high up and really hard to watch, and it drew about 225 Watts) with a new digital-capable LED flat screen. I'm converting the old bay to light storage and installing a Toshiba 24SL410U 24" TV (weighs only 9 pounds and draws only 100 Watts maximum; more on this later).

Again, modernize, minimize weight and minimize power consumption.

Ed Price
El Cajon, CA USA
2001 Fleetwood LE 31W
1961 Amphicar
2008 Explorer

07/06/2013 9:05 PM

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Reply # 1334555 on 881777

Deleted user

I would like to know how much fuel per hour a 5500 watt onan quiet will use while running an a.c. on my 07 terra lx. What should I expect to average on milliage without running the gen with a workhorse 8.1. It has 12,000 miles. thanks harold

07/07/2013 2:05 AM

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Reply # 1334625 on 881777

Deleted user

Harold:

You didn’t say, so I’m assuming gasoline fuel, not diesel or propane. The Onan Owner’s Handbook says the Onan 5500 Watt generator uses 0.3 GPH with no load, 0.6 GPH at 50% load, and 0.9 GPH at 100% load. This Onan can run both of your roof AC at once, and I would guess the actual consumption then would be about ¾ GPH; thus, at $4 per gallon for gas, that’s $3/hour for running your AC, so factor that into your total cost if you see an RV campground that costs $25 for the night but you can draw free electric power.

Again, assuming you mean a GM 8.1 liter gasoline engine, much depends on how and where you drive. Start with the pessimistic assumption of 8 MPG, the watch you usage and maybe you might get closer to 9 MPG. Look at it this way, the coach is cheaper and roomier than a 30’ yacht, and gets better mileage too. However, the ability to float is sometimes appreciated.

Ed Price
Chula Vista, CA USA
WB6WSN
1961 Amphicar 770
2001 Fleetwood Storm 31W
2008 Ford Explorer

07/07/2013 9:44 AM

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Reply # 1334757 on 881777

Deleted user

We have a 2013 Excurison 35B. We added 2 - 120 watt solar panels and a blue sky controller. Also changed all lights to LED bulbs. We run everything on panels all day. Also have a residential refer that runs on panels. Camped at NASCAR for seven days without using our gen.

10/09/2013 12:43 PM

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Reply # 1408655 on 881777

Deleted user

I have (8) 140 watt solar panels on my 36 American Dream 36 feet,I am running two controllers. One for three panels. So I can see what panels are working during the day. I have change all lights to LCD, I have (6) 6 volt heavy battery's. I am planning on getting a 400 watt wind generator for evening power. I never have to use my genny. Also Slab City seems best price I have found. He will install and he has a lot of stock on hand. Mike is a good guy. He is located downtown Slab City. Near Niland, California, not far from Salvation mountain.

05/09/2014 4:14 AM

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Reply # 1550828 on 881777

Deleted user

OK, two years down the line with my 450 Watts of solar panels, and everything is great. I decided against installing a big 120VAC inverter; instead, I use 12VDC for all my lighting and ventilation. I bought a small 400 Watt inverter to run my LCD TV, audio amp and DVD player. I bought another small 100 Watt inverter to charge cell & smart phones (it has 1 Amp & 2 Amp USB ports, plus a 100 Watt 120VAC convenience outlet). I also bought a 12VDC power converter specifically for my laptop computer. I can watch a movie, provide reading lighting, let the LP furnace run automatically all night, and I still have 85% battery capacity at dawn. I installed my solar panels flat to the RV roof (giving up a bit of efficiency), but by a half-hour after dawn, the panels are pumping a few Amps charge back into the batteries. Although I mostly boondock, I almost never run my 5500 Watt generator, unless I need microwave popcorn. I think that putting my RV power usage mostly on the 12VDC system was a better choice than providing extra batteries and a heavy inverter to create a 120VAC capability.

Solar Power and your Fleetwood