My Solar Charging Set Up

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Jim,

If you watched your battery status through an Ah meter such as http://www.victronenergy.com/battery...and%20BMV-602S you would be able to see a lot more detail than voltage and charge rate.
The state of charge of the bank has a lot to do with how fast it will accept charging.
Just a thought from the systems that I use on my boat.

Rob

[TucsonJim]

One of the primary reasons I went with AGMs was that I don't have to fiddle with venting. If using lead acid batts, you can put them in a battery box and tee in flexible vent hoses to your outside vent. I did that with my last FW and it worked okay. But it was a pain any time I wanted to access the batteries.

[TucsonJim]

Hi Jim,

Hi Jim,

If you watched your battery status through an Ah meter such as http://www.victronenergy.com/battery...and%20BMV-602S you would be able to see a lot more detail than voltage and charge rate.
The state of charge of the bank has a lot to do with how fast it will accept charging.
Just a thought from the systems that I use on my boat.

Rob

Dang it! More gizmos to buy and fiddle with. Thanks!

[WhittleBurner]

Good post Jim, this close to what we plan on doing. Only we have 100w (will likely expand ) plus I'd like to add an inverter so we can run a toaster
Or a TV on rainy days. We had the same set up on our old Aliner minus the inverter.

[gr8daggett]

Jim
Also have to say THANK YOU for such a complete wonderful thread.

Just helps people like me mod up so much easier.

P.S.... Hope to winter in Tucson next year.
Just cover my trailer in Arizona sun instead of an ADDCO cover and snow.

[offtohavasu]

Mostly just keeping the price down since this was my first time setting up a solar system. If I ever upgrade, it would be to a MPPT controller. However, this one works just fine and I have more than enough capacity to fully charge each day in the Arizona sunshine.

Gotcha! I know all about that Arizona sun (as you can probably tell by me screen name)

[TucsonJim]

Here's some more information regarding battery charging. If you have a volt meter, you can determine when it's time to recharge the batteries. You should never let your batteries get below 40% state of charge. If you frequently run them down less than this, you can really shorten their life.

[Canadianbro]

Hey Jim,

Thanks for the great post. Very informative.

We just traded in our Wildcat on a Reflection 303. I had installed a 200w system with MPPT controller from www.windynation.com in the Wildcat and lab to do so on the 303. The system works really well with the only frustration being the controller did not come with a display. Windy Nation said a display would be coming out but I haven't seen one yet.

I'm thinking of adding another panel and going 300 watts to add some more capacity to install an inverter to run the microwave and coffee pot from. I can leave my generator at home then.

My frustration is GD has not done any prep for roof mounting of the panels. In fact I was told that installing them would void my warranty. My sales guy said he would be speaking to the GD factory rep and see if he can get some advice. On my Wildcat I ran the wires down the drain vent pipe which worked really well.

Jim, one word of caution, esp since you do not have an MPPT controller, watch the length of those wires. Voltage drop is everything in solar panel efficiency and added wire length is robbing power. The idea of getting the panels into better light is the right idea as it will boost the voltage and current coming out of the panels so it's a bit of a trade-off.

I'll update if I hear any good news about the roof install.

Paul

[Long Ride]

Tuscon Jim, thanks so much for the great post and links. We are planning a purchase of a GD 27RLS later this year and trying to figure out the best setup for dry camping a week at a time. Do you have a generator back-up? If so how is it set up?

We are trying to figure out the best set-up for dry camping a week at a time on the East Coast (AC needed on occasion and always seeking shade) but want to be able to charge batteries while driving. I thought with the portable solar I could clamp them to roof racks while driving but is it better to just charge with the vehicle alternator? Does anyone have a Honda/Yamaha 2000i mounted and operational in the forward compartments?

Also trying to figure out what makes sense to pay the dealer to do vs what I could do. Do you mind sharing your wiring diagram? it sounds so well thought out and field tested...hows that for a thousand questions...:-)

Future Owners of a GD 27RLS and 2015 Ford F150 3.5L Eco-boost

[TucsonJim]

Tuscon Jim, thanks so much for the great post and links. We are planning a purchase of a GD 27RLS later this year and trying to figure out the best setup for dry camping a week at a time. Do you have a generator back-up? If so how is it set up?

We are trying to figure out the best set-up for dry camping a week at a time on the East Coast (AC needed on occasion and always seeking shade) but want to be able to charge batteries while driving. I thought with the portable solar I could clamp them to roof racks while driving but is it better to just charge with the vehicle alternator? Does anyone have a Honda/Yamaha 2000i mounted and operational in the forward compartments?

Also trying to figure out what makes sense to pay the dealer to do vs what I could do. Do you mind sharing your wiring diagram? it sounds so well thought out and field tested...hows that for a thousand questions...:-)

Future Owners of a GD 27RLS and 2015 Ford F150 3.5L Eco-boost

I do use a generator, but not very often. I have a Honda 3000 in the bed of my truck. Since I don't have an inverter (yet), I'll fire up the generator to make a pot of coffee, use the AC or the microwave. However with that said, when I'm camped in the boonies, I'm usually at pretty high altitude, so the AC is rarely needed. We'll be spending 10-14 days at a time this summer with no hook ups, so I'll be giving the solar charging a good work out. I also charge the batteries while driving, and there is no need to use the solar charging at that time. A 3-4 hour run, and your batteries should be close to fully charged.