Factory solar on 29G

[pilotpip]

I'm building my 29G. We don't really boondock. When we used to during deer season running a 2000 watt generator for a few hours was more than enough to keep 2 12v batteries charged to run the furnace overnight and watch TV for an hour or two at night. Because of this I'm thinking about skipping the $4500 Onan gen. It sits right under our bed, and the exhaust is right under the slide. I have access to smaller generators if I need to charge, and I can go buy a 3500 volt champion or predator for 1/4 the price if I really want to boondock with AC.

Next up is solar. This I can see using. The stock set up is a 175w panel, controller, and inverter prep. I assume this will keep the battery charged for the 12v fridge. What will the 300w upgrade with a 1000w inverter do for me? I know it isn't going to run the AC, but will it keep dual 12v batteries topped off? How about some lithium ion batteries in the storage compartment where the Onan would have been?

Am I an idiot for considering this and thinking about not getting the Onan? I currently bring my 25' rockwood home and park it in the driveway to work on it or get ready for a trip. I have a 50amp hookup in my garage for this purpose. A toy hauler is going to be too long to leave in the driveway, so I'll probably be working on the camper at the storage lot. It would be nice to turn the batteries on and get the fridge and freezer cold a couple days before a trip, and make sure the batteries are topped off. Do I need the upgrade for this?

[TerryH]

We went thru this same train of thought when we got our 31G a year ago. The difference is we almost exclusively boondock. We opted for the Onan but did not get the factory solar. The Onan is not the quietest for sure. We added some sound deadening panels to the enclosure and that helped but still not quiet by any means. We still run it during the day if it's hot and we need both AC's. I carry a Predator 3500 with us to run 1 AC at night when needed. 1000 times quieter than the Onan but will not run both AC's. Not getting the Onan will likely hurt the resale value a good bit if/when you go to sell it. Seems there are lots of boondockers in the toyhauler market.

Couldn't see that the 1000w inverter was going to run much more than the TV. Certainly not the microwave. We're in the process of adding our own larger inverter now so we can run the microwave and such. Will still need the gen for the AC's. Might be worth it if you are not going to boondock and just want to watch TV. The factory 175w panel is there solely for the 12v fridge as you suspected. I doubt the 175w panel will supply enough power to keep the battery charged if you want to pre-cool the fridge for very long without being on shore power. Especially if you have the single lead acid battery that's going to be provided with the trailer.

Adding LiFePO4 battery or batteries is a great upgrade one way or the other. We are in the process of doing that as well. They would certainly work well in the generator compartment if you don't get the gen. Limited availability of storage space in the trailer if you do get the gen. We are wedging 1 - 300ah LiFePo4 under the bed next to the gen enclosure. It's super tight as there is not much room there.

[SMXChris]

Same situation for me with our new 23G, we decided to go ahead and get the Onan generator mostly for the ease of running AC during the day while boondocking. We still have a Honda 2000 that we bring when needing a quieter option.

We do have the solar package and the inverter is great for tv and keeping cell phones charged, but not powerful enough for the larger items as previously stated.

TerryH, I haven’t pulled the top off to see what the space looks like next to the generator, I’ll be following to see how your install goes with great interest, I definitely will be adding lithium batteries as well.


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[TerryH]

Same situation for me with our new 23G, we decided to go ahead and get the Onan generator mostly for the ease of running AC during the day while boondocking. We still have a Honda 2000 that we bring when needing a quieter option.

We do have the solar package and the inverter is great for tv and keeping cell phones charged, but not powerful enough for the larger items as previously stated.

TerryH, I haven’t pulled the top off to see what the space looks like next to the generator, I’ll be following to see how your install goes with great interest, I definitely will be adding lithium batteries as well.


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Not a lot of room but there is enough to get the 300ah battery in there. I'm going to start a thread over in the solar section to document our install.

[SMXChris]

Thanks for the picture, only had the new trailer for a week, was wondering from day 1 how much space may be there.


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[TerryH]

Thanks for the picture, only had the new trailer for a week, was wondering from day 1 how much space may be there.


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Seems like there would be more but the gen enclosure really eats it up. That and the rats nest of wiring and plumbing behind the Nautilus.

[sirtate]

I have the Furrion solar package on my Transcend..
(165W solar panel, 25a MPPT charger, and the 12v 10cuFt Furrion fridge)

Things I've noticed;
On cool days, under 80F, in hard sunlight after March21st but before labour day, it could keep up to the fridge and house loads.
I have 235aH of FLA batts, and on hot days with beer drinking, it's good to keep things afloat for 4-5 days. (Down to 40% on the GC2s)
I'm 42degrees N latitude, and currently, it is hard pressed to get ahead of the parasitic draw of smoke alarms, and such...(snow doesn't help, though)

Remember;
1)hot days require more beer.
2)beer is stored in refrigerator
3)opening fridge to access beer, defeats fridge insulation.

Last May through July, I backed the fridge off to below the "off grid" setting as there wasn't anything perishable in it (just beer) when I parked the trailer in storage for the weekdays.
The panel was able to catch up the battery charge from the 60hrs of boondocking we did the weekend before. The icecubes in the freezer didn't melt. After mid-July it couldn't.

I think 300w of solar would keep up with the fridge, but 1000w of inverter won't cover your house loads.
Price that 300w package, you can likely purchase it aftermarket for less.
The 12v fridge is good, though. Can it be ordered separately?

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[Reddog303]

300W unless you are in direct sunlight will NOT keep the batteries up.Have to run genset every day to keep them up.But I boondock and live in the Pacific northwest so ...