solar question

**treichelt** · 08-12-2021, 04:19 PM

the answer is one of the kind I am using. I run the microwave several times a day, run tv and dvd all night long and charge our laptops etc. and all that with 2 panels. i went to 4 panels to get more input to keep up charging the batteries etc. if the fridge is cooled down, it doesn't take much as I found out today to maintain it. (98 degrees here today). batteries were fully charged and since the generator provides enough power for the power consumption during the day, this is really working well for me. Not sure what people are talking about when they say it wasn't meant to do this or that. looking at their specs it can and does all I need it to do. I went with this idea and I think some people were quickly to dismiss this, but I can use at places where no generators are allowed, like a lot of hip camps we go to, provides 12 and 110 volt power, use it inside , no fumes, no noise and when we go to the beach or places like that, take it with us. I still take my honda 2000 as a backup. it only takes 1.5 hours to fully charge this generator from shore power if needed. my biggest issue was trying to figure out what was eating a lot of the power, and as I found out, my 2 - 6 volt batteries which were pretty drained did that. so I think if I leave, batteries fully charged and fridge cooled down, I can maintain everything. We have a trip coming up tomorrow which will be another good test beside what I tested today. Thanks again for everyone giving your input.

**treichelt** · 08-12-2021, 04:21 PM

it turned it on to see if when everything is fully charged, if the generator / solar panels can maintain. my blonde moment thinking my batteries were charged and then wondering my the 230 watt draw. I really should have checked that first.

**Redapple63** · 08-12-2021, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by treichelt

the answer is one of the kind I am using. I run the microwave several times a day, run tv and dvd all night long and charge our laptops etc. and all that with 2 panels. i went to 4 panels to get more input to keep up charging the batteries etc. if the fridge is cooled down, it doesn't take much as I found out today to maintain it. (98 degrees here today). batteries were fully charged and since the generator provides enough power for the power consumption during the day, this is really working well for me. Not sure what people are talking about when they say it wasn't meant to do this or that. looking at their specs it can and does all I need it to do. I went with this idea and I think some people were quickly to dismiss this, but I can use at places where no generators are allowed, like a lot of hip camps we go to, provides 12 and 110 volt power, use it inside , no fumes, no noise and when we go to the beach or places like that, take it with us. I still take my honda 2000 as a backup. it only takes 1.5 hours to fully charge this generator from shore power if needed. my biggest issue was trying to figure out what was eating a lot of the power, and as I found out, my 2 - 6 volt batteries which were pretty drained did that. so I think if I leave, batteries fully charged and fridge cooled down, I can maintain everything. We have a trip coming up tomorrow which will be another good test beside what I tested today. Thanks again for everyone giving your input.

Thanks for your response, definitely a unique application, and if it works to fill your needs that is excellent. I just wanted to make sure you understood and you do, so kudos for thinking out of the box. I guess I need to be more receptive to unconventional thinking as that becomes innovation.

**huntindog** · 08-12-2021, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by treichelt

it turned it on to see if when everything is fully charged, if the generator / solar panels can maintain. my blonde moment thinking my batteries were charged and then wondering my the 230 watt draw. I really should have checked that first.

OK. If you do the same test, then shut off the converter and see if the watts change.
If the watts change (it should go down) then you will know what your RV draws from the battery. From that you can compute how long you can go on battery power in that state. (no lights water pump etc.)

**Wandering5thwheelers** · 08-18-2021, 09:12 PM

As I have a solar panel on the roof of my 200MK TT that runs my fridge, lights, water pump, etc., while off grid. I just wish I understood not only what’s being discussed here, but more on how solar panels and inverters/converters work…as I am a widow who used to rely on my wonderfully talented, smart husband to explain it to me…this, while interesting, sounds like gooblie gook to me. No offence

**Ynot4me2** · 08-19-2021, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by Wandering5thwheelers

As I have a solar panel on the roof of my 200MK TT that runs my fridge, lights, water pump, etc., while off grid. I just wish I understood not only what’s being discussed here, but more on how solar panels and inverters/converters work…as I am a widow who used to rely on my wonderfully talented, smart husband to explain it to me…this, while interesting, sounds like gooblie gook to me. No offence

Sorry to hear about your husband, glad you are still RVing though.

So your solar panel does not directly power what you listed. Your inverters/converters do and they are either feed from your battery or shore power (which could also be generator). Your Solar panels and your converter (when on shore power) charges your battery.

**bryancass** · 08-19-2021, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Redapple63

Lots of good comments here. Just to make sure the OP has context of a Solar Generator. As has been pointed out a Solar Generator is a marketing name for a battery coupled with a small inverter. I don’t believe the intent of these devices were ever meant to run an entire rv. You would be better served to couple your solar panels through a solar charge controller direct to your batteries. You can use your Solar Generator to charge devices such as laptops, cell phones and other items, and can use the built in inverter to say watch tv with a DVD player, maybe run a router or other WiFi device.

I have a Jackery 500 and we use it exactly as described above. We can get nearly 6 hours on out 40 inch tv and DVD player.

I have a similar 'generator' with 500wH capacity also. I use it when boondocking for my wife's CPAP, and to charge small USB devices. I was boondocking last week and ran the 12v RV battery dead with just interior lights, fridge and whatever detectors and stuff runs 24/7. I got about 1.5 days out of it. I have a 100w solar panel with controller that I then hooked up to the 12v battery and had it about 3/4 charged by the end of a sunny day.

**rootusrootus** · 08-19-2021, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Wandering5thwheelers

As I have a solar panel on the roof of my 200MK TT that runs my fridge, lights, water pump, etc., while off grid. I just wish I understood not only what’s being discussed here, but more on how solar panels and inverters/converters work…as I am a widow who used to rely on my wonderfully talented, smart husband to explain it to me…this, while interesting, sounds like gooblie gook to me. No offence

Solar panel -- also called PV. Just like you expect, turns sunlight into power. Specifically, it turns it into DC power. Most often at a little bit over 18 volts, with the current varying dependent on how much sunlight hits the panel.

The solar panel on your 200MK will be a Furrion 165 watt solar panel, and it will be directly wired to a Furrion solar charge controller in the front storage area of the trailer on the left hand side (have to poke your head in and look up, it is most likely screwed into one of the bed supports). The solar charge controller takes the power from the solar panel and reduces it to be compatible with the 12V system. The actual voltage varies, it will be higher (14+ volts) when charging the battery, and perhaps 12.5 or so when the battery is full and no appliances are running.

The converter does pretty much the same thing, but instead of taking DC power from the solar panel, it takes AC power from your shore connection. It can also charge the battery and simultaneously supply the rest of the 12V system on the RV with power. One difference, however, from the solar charge controller -- the converter supplied by Grand Design does not support anything other than lead acid batteries. The solar charge controller, on the other hand, has a mode button and it can be changed to lithium mode.

An inverter is just the opposite of a converter, it takes DC power in and outputs 120 volt AC power for all the plug-in receptacles in the trailer. Grand Design does not include one with your trailer, so if you have one it is because you or your husband had it installed.

I'm not sure if that was helpful or not.

For what it's worth, this particular thread is discussing a fairly unique choice, using a 'solar generator' (which is just a battery wired up to an inverter, put in a pretty box with a receptacle on the outside, which also has a connector that solar panels can be connected to to charge the battery) to provide more power to the RV. It wouldn't be any of my first few choices for accomplishing the goal, but it could work for the right situation.

As for what you want to do with your own trailer, it will come down to your use case and what you run into. If you do not already have a lithium battery, that would definitely be the first thing I would consider -- especially with a 12 volt fridge. Expensive, but worth it in my opinion. How much battery depends a bit on how long you need it to go without being connected to any power (I like to assume zero solar power for this calculation, because there will be days when that will happen). You can add another similarly sized solar panel and keep the existing charge controller, but beyond that you would need to upgrade it.