Solar, would it be worth it in my case?

[sjturbo]

Hope I am posting in the proper forum. DW and I tend to boondock or stay in parks with no electric. Although we have a generator I am reluctant to use it because of the smell and noise. I have a 2010 Laredo 316RL! I am considering solar but have some concerns based on my application. I have read much regarding the placement and pitch of the panels. Specifically that any shading by vents or other obstructions can reduce the panel output considerably or completely. And, With my physical limitations I am not able to venture up the ladder to "tilt" the panels. My concern is that the real estate of the roof of the 316RL is very broken up by various vents and the air conditioner. So my dilemma is since the panels will be laying flat and likely at any given time will be partially shaded by the various vents and obstructions, am I wasting time and money for little gain?

[Festus2]

I don't think that vents and/or A/C 's would interfere to any great degree with the efficiency of any roof mounted solar panel especially the vents. Being able to adjust the angle would be desirable but not crucial and not being able would only result in a minor loss of efficiency.

Some solar panels are more susceptible to loss as a result of cloud cover than others so do your homework before buying.

I think that having solar is the way to go if you are frequently dry camping and you won't regret investing in this option.

I use solar (85w) but the panel is not roof mounted and I can move it around to take advantage of the suns position in the sky.

[Ken / Claudia]

During the 8-9 years I had a Artic Fox many others spoke of the solar on the roof and liked them. Mine had the wires etc but, I did not purchase the panels. Due to most camping is in Oregon and I run the genny when ever I need or want to.

[ingo.bauer]

Our Laredo 294RK has 240W worth of panels on the roof and for most of the time that keeps my batteries at a 100% all season long. The generator only runs for AC or when absolutely needed.

You can see pictures in this thread
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/gro...scussionid=360

[sjturbo]

Thanks Ingobauer! Do you run an inverter? What is your battery bank? And what are power hogs?

[WaltBennett]

I'm in the process of installing a solar system. Got 4 x 100w panels so I could place them where I wanted. Took off the high vent covers as they would have caused too much shadow and we seldom open them anyway. Did not get an MPPT charge controller as there would have been little benefit for the money. Bought a 3kw inverter from eBay and remote and am installing that now - more than we'll need, but the price was too good. All cable and hardware came from the local big box hardware store. Only thing left after that is four Trojan T105 batteries. Whole system should come in well under $3,000 and will run everything save the AC (could do that too, but not for more than 1/2 hour).

Forgot to add that none of the panels tilts. I can't understand why they should on a roof that changes orientation all the time. They've just the slant the roof contour gives them - enough to have water run off.

[ingo.bauer]

Originally Posted by sjturbo

Thanks Ingobauer! Do you run an inverter? What is your battery bank? And what are power hogs?

I am in the process of installing and wiring a 2000w inverter into the "power environment". I am running 3 type 24 marine deep cycle batteries ....

[Desert185]

I just spoke to a friend today who has been motor-homing for awhile with solar panels. He doesn't know if he would go through the expense of installing solar again and suggested that I should buy a much less expensive Honda 1000 or 2000 generator for charging the batteries. They sip gas and are pretty quiet. We already have a 1000, so that's the plan for now.

[rjsurfer]

Solar would never work for my wife and I. We live east of the Mississippi and most of our travelling is done in the winter when we travel south to warmer climates. We always look for shady campsites too boot and usually have at least A/C and water hookups.

On our cross country trips were we don't have hookups our Honda 2000 works the air conditioner quite well, we do have to turn off the converter/inverter of course and switch all accessories to gas operation but our 4 T-104's pick up the slack on any DC load that's left.

I thought about portable solar panels but its not worth the hassle and theft risk.

If we lived in the western USA where shade is less prevalent I would give it a try.

Ron W.

[WaltBennett]

The nice thing about solar is it will work while you're traveling just as well as when parked. That's why I didn't worry about tilting the panels and don't care if there's shade at CGs where we've shore power anyway.

[Desert185]

FWIW...Costco has 2000W, 51dB, AP2000iQ gens with Yamaha engines capable of paralleling to 4000W for $599 each. Three year warranty and Costco return policy. They even have USB ports.

I have decided to forego solar, as the numbers just don't add up when you can charge the batteries, run the coffee maker or the microwave or the AC for $599, or even $1200 for a Honda or Yamaha 2000 gen.

[Yosemitebob]

In our scenario, we bought for the charging of the batteries while in storage. One panel 100 watts, with controller. Batteries never go down, and enough power to charge them during the day while we are out. I don't rely on the solar as others, it is primarily for charging. This way I can use the generator, if needed during the day, cooling etc., and batteries for the rest of the time.