Solar panels

I haven't bought my RV yet but was wondering if anyone has solar panels.  Did you install yourself or get professional installing.  How do they work for you? What kinds of things do I need to know or ask? I'll be buying a small class c.

Appreciate the resources here.

The forum on Arizona wind and sun is a great place to learn about solar installations. I can tell you what works for us, but every situation is not the same/ You need to do an energy audit to find out how much power you use in a day. Average it out over at least a week.

I installed 4 125 watt panels, 4 225 amp/hour6 volt batteries, a MPPT charger and a 2000 watt inverter. With this system, we can stay off the grid indefinitely , as far as power goes. We can use our laptops, watch TV with a satellite antenna and the normal lights and water pump. It will power the microwave for reheats (under 5 minutes.)  It will not run the AC.

Unless you are going to spend most of your time off the grid,  75% or more, solar power would not be cost effective. Just get a good generator.

halfwright said:

The forum on Arizona wind and sun is a great place to learn about solar installations. I can tell you what works for us, but every situation is not the same/ You need to do an energy audit to find out how much power you use in a day. Average it out over at least a week.

I installed 4 125 watt panels, 4 225 amp/hour6 volt batteries, a MPPT charger and a 2000 watt inverter. With this system, we can stay off the grid indefinitely , as far as power goes. We can use our laptops, watch TV with a satellite antenna and the normal lights and water pump. It will power the microwave for reheats (under 5 minutes.)  It will not run the AC.

Unless you are going to spend most of your time off the grid,  75% or more, solar power would not be cost effective. Just get a good generator.

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With 500 watts solar and 900ah battery and the other goodies Did you DIY? And what was the cost? Just wondering how long to recoup cost?

Yes, I did the install myself with a lot of help on the technical side of things from Arizona wind and sun. There are many things to be considered--like wire size and length, fuses and locations. I spent about $2400 on the system, but solar panels and chargers have dropped a lot in price in the last 4 years. I think I could do it now for $2000.

I installed the system because we were planning on going full time and I did not know how we were going to travel. We used it a lot the first 6-8 months when we were still in the "vacation" mode.  Since then, we volunteer or work for site and are not travelling as much and utilities are provided. 

The payback is different and depends on whether you figure the savings over a full site hookup the cost of the site or the cost of running a generator while boondocking. 
If you figure boondocking fulltime with a generator and using $6/day in fuel, it would take a year to brake even.
If you figure the savings as compared to a $30/night site, the payback is much quicker. Plus, the "Wow" factor figures in also. When you are in the middle of the forest watching TV or making a pot of coffee, it still makes me think, "Wow, this is neat."

The first question is "do you need an off-grid power source at all"?  If you camp mostly in RV parks, the answer is probably No. If Yes, the next question is "how much power is enough?" (the energy audit that halfwright mentioned).  Once you have a good estimate of daily power consumption, you need two things: (1) batteries to supply the power and (2) solar panels to recharge them. They go hand in hand.  These lead to another "how much" question, which is do I expect solar to supply 100% of my needs, or will there be an alternative (e.g. generator) for back-up or for unusually heavy loads. In other words, can you size the solar system for just typical power consumption, or must it support the worst case scenario (heavy consumption coupled with successive rainy/cloudy days).  The amount of batteries you can reasonably carry in a Class C will be a limiting factor.

Physical installation should be practical for any modestly handy person. Basic mechanical attachment and 12v wiring skills are all that is needed. Hiring a pro isn't necessarily better unless you are prepared to give thoughtful answers to questions I outlined earlier.

If you decide that a solar system is one of the options you would like, make sure that the MH that you select is prewired for one. That makes it much easier to add on a solar system. If it already has 1 solar panel, you might be able to replace the 1 panel with a set of them. I just did that to my Class A. An easy DIY Project.

Great answers.  I won't be off grid much.  Am seeking something that can recharge a few appliance and technology batteries if I'm parked somewhere without electricity for a few days.  I prefer not to use a generator except for emergencies.

I will definitely make sure my RV purchase is wired for a solar panel.

All good points thanks guys, I think some solar is in the cards as well a smaller/quieter gen. thrifty on fuel. Yamaha? abt. 2000w  And either diesel or propane big genset that comes with coach at times. A propane powered genset would burn a lot cleaner so oil service not as often as an gasoline model. Taking all points in and lurk a lot on others posts. And learning a lot.  Just want be efficient and comfy Thanks again.

Sunseeker2016 said:

Great answers.  I won't be off grid much.  Am seeking something that can recharge a few appliance and technology batteries if I'm parked somewhere without electricity for a few days.  I prefer not to use a generator except for emergencies.

I will definitely make sure my RV purchase is wired for a solar panel.

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The problem I have read about prewired RVS, is that usually the wiring is smaller that it should be.

Paul & Ann said:

The problem I have read about prewired RVS, is that usually the wiring is smaller that it should be.

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You are correct you would need a heavier gauge.From the panels I think? Maybe more.... #6/ good copper if I remember right from handybob.

To tag along what halfwright suggested on doing an energy audit.  What worked well for me was before I purchased and installed solar, was to install a high quality battery monitor which indicated quite clearly how much power we were consuming under different circumstances.  Armed with that information I believe we made an intelligent decision on how much solar power we required.

Excellent source of information can be found here: https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/ & here http://www.jackdanmayer.com/rv_electrical_and_solar.htm

Sunseeker2016 said:

I haven't bought my RV yet but was wondering if anyone has solar panels.  Did you install yourself or get professional installing.  How do they work for you? What kinds of things do I need to know or ask? I'll be buying a small class c.

Appreciate the resources here.

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Hello not trying to steal your thread but we too are considering  going full time/class A soon as well. 

Sunseeker2016 said:

I haven't bought my RV yet but was wondering if anyone has solar panels.  Did you install yourself or get professional installing.  How do they work for you? What kinds of things do I need to know or ask? I'll be buying a small class c.

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Howdy and welcome Sunseeker2016, I full-time in a Class A with 650 watts of solar which provide nearly all of my electrical power. I designed and installed the system myself.  I agree with most of the other advice already posted. If you are going to do it yourself, there is a learning curve that can be a bit challenging. Don't stress, ask questions and you'll get thru it in short order.  Also be aware that there are very, very few hard and fast rules - maybe none. 

I did the installation on our coach (six 160 watt Grape mono-panels, an Outback FM-80 MPPT controller and all the wiring), but I hired a guy named Bob Shearer to help me understand and avoid some of the problems that people often encounter when they go solar. It was not hard to do myself, and the cost, including Bob's stipend, was about $3000.00, but most RVers wouldn't need as big a system as ours. We boondock a lot and our motorhome has some fairly high-consumption appliances.

Bob writes an excellent online blog called HandyBob's Solar (or something like that) and I highly recommend it to anyone who's considering solar, whether you plan on DIY or paying someone to install it.

I disagree with the need for factory pre-wiring. I have not seen a single pre-wired setup with, what I would consider, adequate wiring - including our own coach that came with factory-installed solar. It was totally ineffective for boondocking and I disconnected it. Adequate wire gauge on a 12 volt system is important.

Like everyone else said, knowing your actual consumption is important to sizing your solar system properly, so it will do what you want it to do. And it's very easy to put a lot of solar panels on your roof and think you're all set, but that would be a waste of money if you didn't have the battery capacity to store all the power the panels can generate. Consumption, generation and storage go hand-in-hand.

In my opinion, if you're going to go solar, another must-have device is a good battery monitor - not a simple volt meter like what typically comes with an RV. Solar is obviously very helpful when boondocking - so is knowing your battery-bank's condition. A good battery monitor will tell you your battery-bank's condition far more accurately than a simple volt meter. Boondocking without one is like driving wthout a fuel gauge.

Kev

Kevin do you have picture of your panels? got to be full on top? Thanks

Here ya go. There are six 160 watt panels on the roof (960 watts total), unless you want to add the 10 watt panel installed by Winnebago. Each two panels are wired in series and they all connect at a junction box (Arrow). I installed them so I'd have enough room to install more panels if necessary, which is why I'm using an 80 amp MPPT controller, but so far I haven't needed them. On a sunny summer day, the outback indicates that the panels are generating about 45 amps at peak output (mid day). In the winter, which is when we use solar the most, I'm getting about 35-40 amps at mid day - and that's without tilting the panels. Tilting them toward the sun would increase their output by about 25%

Kev

Kevin Means said:

Here ya go. There are six 160 watt panels on the roof (960 watts total), unless you want to add the 10 watt panel installed by Winnebago. Each two panels are wired in series and they all connect at a junction box (Arrow). I installed them so I'd have enough room to install more panels if necessary, which is why I'm using an 80 amp MPPT controller, but so far I haven't needed them. On a sunny summer day, the outback indicates that the panels are generating about 45 amps at peak output (mid day). In the winter, which is when we use solar the most, I'm getting about 35-40 amps at mid day - and that's without tilting the panels. Tilting them toward the sun would increase their output by about 25%

Kev

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  Thanks nice coach What was the purpose of the 10 watt panel trickle charger? I guess you get nervous about tree limbs and wind?

Yeah, the only reason I can think for Winnie to install such a ridiculously small solar panel, would be so they can say, "Ours has solar." On a sunny summer day, in direct sunlight, that 10 watt panel "might" put 3 amps back into the battery-bank - for the entire day! Heck, one flush from one of our macerator toilets uses more amps than that. (Well, maybe not, but you get my point.)

I have to admit that when I was installing the panels, the thought of a tree limb snagging them crossed my mind, because we do boondock. I wasn't too concerned about wind, because they're installed with expansion screws, and I've never even heard of one that was installed like that blowing off. But if you look closely at the junction box, you'll see that its leading edge is raked backwards - to guide things like limbs and wires over the top of it. It sits about six inches high, whereas the panels are only about two inches high.

Kev

Kevin Means said:

Here ya go. There are six 160 watt panels on the roof (960 watts total), unless you want to add the 10 watt panel installed by Winnebago. Each two panels are wired in series and they all connect at a junction box (Arrow). I installed them so I'd have enough room to install more panels if necessary, which is why I'm using an 80 amp MPPT controller, but so far I haven't needed them. On a sunny summer day, the outback indicates that the panels are generating about 45 amps at peak output (mid day). In the winter, which is when we use solar the most, I'm getting about 35-40 amps at mid day - and that's without tilting the panels. Tilting them toward the sun would increase their output by about 25%

Kev

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Nice rig and great solar install you have there Kevin.  My Northwood Snow River came with a 20w panel and as you found with the 10w was just about useless and the wiring was ridiculous and not well done, so I removed the 20W when I did my install.

Geez 10w and 20 must be trickle charger cause that's about it. You could always use them for a bike or boat maintainer?