Roof work: re-caulking, adding solar + a new vent

[roadtriprachel]

I have edited the original post - perhaps the long length of the post was why only 1 person replied to the query?  And it has only been a day since I wrote the content.... Regardless, here is the truncated version of the long, flowery, original post:

 

1. Any suggestions on roof solar panel installation?  Or over cab roof install ideas? Solar system is in place already - wkng fine.  Just beefing up - need advice on the best method for installing 2 100watt rigid glass panels.

2.  Had a flexible solar panel on roof, adhered with duck tape - tape has left residue - need to remove that.

3.  Seems roof has minor damage - cracks, small chips, few tiny holes.  Would re-fiberglassing the damaged roof areas be the best solution?

4.  Am installing a new roof vent - the ceiling vents that manually open and close, no fan on this one.  Aside from using butyl tape and lap sealant, does anyone have suggestions on replacing old roof vents?

 

Ok - am hoping by editing out all the conversational elements of my

last post perhaps its more readable now and gets more replies, haha!

Edited October 26, 2022 by roadtriprachel
brevity is the soul of wit

[extech]

goo gone and plastic razor blades for the duct tape 

[roadtriprachel]

Thanks.  Will try that.

[WME]

How good, smooth and clean is your roof where you want to mount the new panels??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265024418292?hash=item3db4afb1f4:g:JBwAAOSwWYtgC91H&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8IK%2BMe9mGX0%2B9ZQFvoT9yanu5bv0E9nykT6bo71EUykPP2tY49xVpf4fi%2F%2F36wrjSrAzynv4jUvsGPf%2BQIGxGZ622C6SLACYF7QgqU7MONKaCUBihJnsWTBsrq550UaZEP3JRm98ia09TiMiRahAUFyEs8H%2BIUNxchWWAQds%2BRylV1g0X0qSZCdxxtD%2F2cBhYJ6wI1PFVdIT471mIEld%2BhwdknTtAXEEu1YKGP9s8vSWDKVj1AdxWTFQ%2FuTUgGIV929dzN9IizJkFVt9oJ6lkplrZbKLEn7Bqq06UtoWItQYoXUjLnYx7NbLmbnoYyoAPQ%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_j08MyCYQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGuFYoS5nT8

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by WME

[thewanderlustking]

Really hood video WME!  I’ve seen those mounts before but didn’t think much of them... That video has me convinced otherwise!  
 

The video that played after that one (for me at least) was also pretty good. Same basic procedure but with a slight modification. And a good/quick description of how to test your panels. 
 

 

[AtlantaCamper]

I recently removed my generator and installed a LiFePO4 battery system with solar and a high output alternator.  Attached is a picture of 5 100w panels I mounted on the roof.

I have a set of factory aluminum 1" diameter roof rack parts that I used for the two in the back.  My goal was to make no additional holes in the top of the roof.  I ran the wires down existing holes (the black tank vent for example).  I used 1" square tubing from Lowes and some light bar clamps in the back.  On the front I used 80/20 to make a frame and I mounted it using plates attached to the side, taking advantage of the existing bolts that hold the roof strut spans in place.  All panels are easily removable for cleaning too.

I didn't try to put anything over the cab area.  If I put some there later I'll use the VHB tape and ABS mounts, but I will likely not do that because I get enough charge from my alternator and I don't boondock much.

 

Also of note is the 12V AC unit I installed.  It's working really well and I'm able to cool the camper with no generator!  I have a 300 ah battery with room for a second.  I put a high output alternator in and I can charge up pretty will while driving.  AC unit runs on low/med/high 20/40/55 Amps, which is really not bad.  At 55A it will put out ~9kBU and it's _really_ quiet compared to the old unit.

 

In a sunny parking lot or even driving down the road the solar output (~20 to 25A) is enough to drive the AC on low with zero load on the battery.  

 

[Odyssey 4x4]

3 minutes ago, AtlantaCamper said:

I recently removed my generator and installed a LiFePO4 battery system with solar and a high output alternator.  Attached is a picture of 5 100w panels I mounted on the roof.

I have a set of factory aluminum 1" diameter roof rack parts that I used for the two in the back.  My goal was to make no additional holes in the top of the roof.  I ran the wires down existing holes (the black tank vent for example).  I used 1" square tubing from Lowes and some light bar clamps in the back.  On the front I used 80/20 to make a frame and I mounted it using plates attached to the side, taking advantage of the existing bolts that hold the roof strut spans in place.  All panels are easily removable for cleaning too.

I didn't try to put anything over the cab area.  If I put some there later I'll use the VHB tape and ABS mounts, but I will likely not do that because I get enough charge from my alternator and I don't boondock much.

 

Also of note is the 12V AC unit I installed.  It's working really well and I'm able to cool the camper with no generator!  I have a 300 ah battery with room for a second.  I put a high output alternator in and I can charge up pretty will while driving.  AC unit runs on low/med/high 20/40/55 Amps, which is really not bad.  At 55A it will put out ~9kBU and it's _really_ quiet compared to the old unit.

 

In a sunny parking lot or even driving down the road the solar output (~20 to 25A) is enough to drive the AC on low with zero load on the battery.  

 

Awesome! good stuff. I’m about to put 400 amp hours of LiFePO4 in mine. I’m also putting a 3000 watt pure sine inverter and high output alternator/ 60 amp DC to DC charger/ the same amount of solar as you. I was wondering if the math worked out that I’d be able to run my 13,500 penguin II off of the battery bank while driving or in ideal solar output situations and more or less “break even” on power use. 

[AtlantaCamper]

19 minutes ago, Odyssey 4x4 said:

I was wondering if the math worked out that I’d be able to run my 13,500 penguin II off of the battery bank while driving or in ideal solar output situations and more or less “break even” on power use. 

One of the things I found out in this process is that the specifications don't really match reality all that well in many cases.    You can't get as much current out of your alternator as you think you ought to, solar doesn't generate the amps that you think it should, the chargers/converters are less efficient than the specs and put off a lot of heat, and the voltage drop over a long cable with 12VDC is more than you want it to be... 

 

All that being said, I'm very pleased with my system, but the main thing that makes it work with AC running on solar/alternator was the replacement of the old 115VAC 13.5kbtu roof unit with the new 12V unit.  I would not be able to supply the power needed to run the old unit (well, you can but only for a short time).  The current required to run that roof unit off a 12v battery is likely in the range of 60A to 130A DC.   At that power level you really start running into some issues like I mentioned above.  Everything is going to get hot and be overworked.  The 12V unit requires a lot less power and doesn't need an inverter.  No start up surge either.  It puts it right in the range that I feel a 12V system can supply comfortably and keep a Sunrader cool.   Solar can only supply a small portion of the power required for AC in real time and so you have to count on the alternator. I can easily power my 12v AC unit while driving, but getting a good charge rate at the same time is not as easy.  On the highway I can pull 130A from the alternator and get AC plus a good charge at the same time: 20A for the engine, 70A for the DC to DC charger and 40A to run the AC unit on medium direct from the alternator (bypassing the charger).  If I'm in full sun I can get up to 25A solar charge as a bonus.

 

I think in general you could run the AC unit while driving if the inverter can keep up but you would show up at camp with a depleted battery rather than a fully charged one because the alternator + solar wouldn't match the load. If running your roof unit requires about 10A of 120V AC power then it would take 100A of DC power to the 90% efficiency inverter, this in turn would require 125A of DC power from the alternator given that the DC/DC converter is only 80% efficient. This means you need two 60A DC to DC converters, not one.  In theory a high out put alternator can supply that, but in reality it's difficult.  On the highway under steady state conditions it might work, but in city traffic it's going to get hot and it's going to struggle at idle.  On my 22RE I could initially pull 60A easily under idle or high RPM, and up to 100A at idle if I pay attention to it, but anything beyond that is a real challenge on a single V-belt.  I had to make this extra idler pulley bracket (see image of redneck engineering) to keep the belt from slipping at draws over 80A.  Now I can get about 130A comfortably, but only at RPMs over 1500.  It's a 250A spec unit but that only applies if you have a serpentine belt.  It was quite a learning experience trying to get the current I needed out of an alternator on a 22re with one V-belt...  

 

The key components I'm using are a Quality Power 250A alternator, 60A Renogy DC/DC charger, AIMS 75A shore charger, 300Ah Ampere Time battery, 40A Renogy solar charger, 5X100W solar panels, Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter and a 9kbtu 12vDC AC unit. Oh, and a lot of heavy copper wire.  I plan to add an additional 40A Renogy dc charger.  Later on I could add 3 more 100w panels and a second 300 ah battery. Odyssey 4x4, it sounds like you have good specs on what you plan to add, but perhaps consider a 12v AC unit too.  

 

The 12v AC unit I bought is the same as the Mabru 12000btu unit they sell for $2600 plus shipping.  I found the manufacturer on alibaba, which is Haubon and the unit is the AC-2600EI which costs less than half that direct from the factory (50% of cost for the unit and 50% was for air shipping). Shipping drops significantly with multiple units or if you have an importer you can work with.   Note that Haubon confirmed that I have the same unit as Mabru sells, but it's actually 9k btu and Mabru is pretty much, uh, not being truthful with the 12kbtu spec.  They made it up by measuring with a phone app.  Don't get me started about how uncool that is of Mabru to market this 9kbtu unit as a 12k btu unit and charging a lot for it.    I'm very pleased with the AC unit itself.  It's well made and is more efficient than the competing units because it has a high quality frequency converter and DC scroll compressor.  

 

[WME]

I'm working on/designing a lifepo4 system for my RV. 

I ran across these "all-in-one" units

First one is a 12v 1000w inverter, 40 amp Mppt controller and a 20 amp charger.  It will run a 700w microwave or a window AC but not for very long

 

The second one is more serious the "Thor special" 24v 2.4kw inverter, 2kw solar, 80 amp Mppt and 60 amp charger.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3acQlTZnS4&list=PL7bvIB2TPsCjn6aAPGc2CHzTl8_sIvyPi&index=3

 

[Odyssey 4x4]

29 minutes ago, AtlantaCamper said:

One of the things I found out in this process is that the specifications don't really match reality all that well in many cases.    You can't get as much current out of your alternator as you think you ought to, solar doesn't generate the amps that you think it should, the chargers/converters are less efficient than the specs and put off a lot of heat, and the voltage drop over a long cable with 12VDC is more than you want it to be... 

 

All that being said, I'm very pleased with my system, but the main thing that makes it work with AC running on solar/alternator was the replacement of the old 115VAC 13.5kbtu roof unit with the new 12V unit.  I would not be able to supply the power needed to run the old unit (well, you can but only for a short time).  The current required to run that roof unit off a 12v battery is likely in the range of 60A to 130A DC.   At that power level you really start running into some issues like I mentioned above.  Everything is going to get hot and be overworked.  The 12V unit requires a lot less power and doesn't need an inverter.  No start up surge either.  It puts it right in the range that I feel a 12V system can supply comfortably and keep a Sunrader cool.   Solar can only supply a small portion of the power required for AC in real time and so you have to count on the alternator. I can easily power my 12v AC unit while driving, but getting a good charge rate at the same time is not as easy.  On the highway I can pull 130A from the alternator and get AC plus a good charge at the same time: 20A for the engine, 70A for the DC to DC charger and 40A to run the AC unit on medium direct from the alternator (bypassing the charger).  If I'm in full sun I can get up to 25A solar charge as a bonus.

 

I think in general you could run the AC unit while driving if the inverter can keep up but you would show up at camp with a depleted battery rather than a fully charged one because the alternator + solar wouldn't match the load. If running your roof unit requires about 10A of 120V AC power then it would take 100A of DC power to the 90% efficiency inverter, this in turn would require 125A of DC power from the alternator given that the DC/DC converter is only 80% efficient. This means you need two 60A DC to DC converters, not one.  In theory a high out put alternator can supply that, but in reality it's difficult.  On the highway under steady state conditions it might work, but in city traffic it's going to get hot and it's going to struggle at idle.  On my 22RE I could initially pull 60A easily under idle or high RPM, and up to 100A at idle if I pay attention to it, but anything beyond that is a real challenge on a single V-belt.  I had to make this extra idler pulley bracket (see image of redneck engineering) to keep the belt from slipping at draws over 80A.  Now I can get about 130A comfortably, but only at RPMs over 1500.  It's a 250A spec unit but that only applies if you have a serpentine belt.  It was quite a learning experience trying to get the current I needed out of an alternator on a 22re with one V-belt...  

 

The key components I'm using are a Quality Power 250A alternator, 60A Renogy DC/DC charger, AIMS 75A shore charger, 300Ah Ampere Time battery, 40A Renogy solar charger, 5X100W solar panels, Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter and a 9kbtu 12vDC AC unit. Oh, and a lot of heavy copper wire.  I plan to add an additional 40A Renogy dc charger.  Later on I could add 3 more 100w panels and a second 300 ah battery. Odyssey 4x4, it sounds like you have good specs on what you plan to add, but perhaps consider a 12v AC unit too.  

 

The 12v AC unit I bought is the same as the Mabru 12000btu unit they sell for $2600 plus shipping.  I found the manufacturer on alibaba, which is Haubon and the unit is the AC-2600EI which costs less than half that direct from the factory (50% of cost for the unit and 50% was for air shipping). Shipping drops significantly with multiple units or if you have an importer you can work with.   Note that Haubon confirmed that I have the same unit as Mabru sells, but it's actually 9k btu and Mabru is pretty much, uh, not being truthful with the 12kbtu spec.  They made it up by measuring with a phone app.  Don't get me started about how uncool that is of Mabru to market this 9kbtu unit as a 12k btu unit and charging a lot for it.    I'm very pleased with the AC unit itself.  It's well made and is more efficient than the competing units because it has a high quality frequency converter and DC scroll compressor.  

 

 

Awesome information! I appreciate your time. Yes, I always try to round up on power usage and round down on power output haha. This is just my starting setup. I do not plan on actually running the 13500 regularly, but I was curious if it was more or less possible. I roughly assumed I would probably be able to get 30-40 minutes of AC runtime per 100 amp hours of battery bank. I am also using a soft start kit which def helps the surge load. I also have the factory Onan generator which will be wired into the renogy 3000 w inverter / charger in the case that I do need to top my batteries off while boon docking with no solar. My biggest reason for wanting to run the ac off of battery bank is for having my dogs in the rv. This would likely never be for over 2-3 hours, basically the time i’d be in a museum, event, grocery stopping, etc. I’d rather have the ac silently running in a parking lot in comparison to the Onan humming away pissing everyone off! 

 

Also, I’d love to have a nice 12V ac unit but I got this Dometic penguin ii new in box on craigslist for $400 bucks! Maybe i’ll consider swapping out later and selling the dometic. I also considered possibly removing the Onan at a later time and sticking another 400 AH in the generator compartment, making a total of 800 ah. Then i’d def need to beef up the alternator and solar setup even more. 

[AtlantaCamper]

One of my primary goals was to get rid of my generator.  That's why I went with the 12vAC.  I use my 22re engine now as my generator when I need to charge.  I will be able to provide a higher charge rate off the alternator (once I add the second dc charger) than I can get plugged into shore power or using a generator.

If you have the room somewhere, there are some inexpensive 115vac  inverter compressor based window units that can be _very_ efficient and cost effective.  Or the split systems, but they are hard to fit in a Sunrader.  

You could get probably close to the same efficiency as my roof 12v unit, even through a DC to AC inverter, with the Midea 8,000 BTU window unit that retails for $400.  I pondered putting this Midea in my generator compartment under the bench seat but went with the roof unit instead.  Instead I ended up making a fiberglass new storage area where the generator was (see pic).  You could probably run that Midea on ECO mode with solar without touching the battery and it would provide good pet cooling for much longer than the roof unit you have.  Just a thought, but if you too lose the Onan, put the Midea or similar unit in it's place (they make a 10k unit too I think) and install the rest of the stuff you propose, then you could run essentially indefinitely in the ECO pet cooling mode with solar.  You could run at higher cooling but it would use some battery and then driving or idling to recharge.  I suppose this isn't great for boondocking as you have to run the main engine rather than the Onan, but since I am driving a lot when I'm out with the camper it works in my case.  I've had no problem keeping the 300 ah battery full even with high ac use using only solar and the alternator (no shore power).

[WME]

Some more interesting stuff for small AC apps.

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Electric-Conditioner-Compressor-Motorhome/dp/B09GP9RNYZ

[AtlantaCamper]

11 hours ago, WME said:

I ran across these "all-in-one" units

Those videos by Will Prowse and the associated website https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/ are a fantastic source of information.  That was my primary info source as I designed my system.  He really gives you a lot of good perspective about how to realistically put a DIY system together.  The all in one units are nice because they reduce the install headache of wiring up the individual components correctly and neatly.  The only thing they are missing for RV use is a DC to DC charging option.  I ended up going with components for that reason but you can still add a DC charger to that all on one system so if the rest of the specs match your needs those are great.

 

Designing a LiFePO4/solar install for a ToyHome is going to be a custom job for each person I suspect.   I'm really glad I took the plunge, but it was quite a big time and money commitment.  

[AtlantaCamper]

9 hours ago, WME said:

Some more interesting stuff for small AC apps.

The AC parts in that package are pretty much identical to what is in the roof unit I bought.  I attached a gut shot of the Huabon unit.  The heart of it is the compressor and converter electronics module.  The converter widget takes DC input and outputs 3-phase AC.  Yup, this "12 volt" AC system actually runs on 3-phase AC.  Speed is controlled by changing the frequency of the 3-phase AC.  This is the same as all of those mini-split systems that are designed for home use.  The 3-phase AC variable frequency converter allows the compressor motor to run efficiently at lower speeds and this is the key to the overall efficiency.  Apparently DC input is required to make variable frequency 3-phase AC output.  The home mini-splits with 115VAC input actually convert the 115VAC to DC and then DC turns into 3-phase AC.  When you run a 115VAC mini-split (or the Midea window unit that is based on the same tech) off a LiFePO4 battery bank you start with 12V DC, convert to 115 VAC with the inverter, then the air con unit converts the 115VAC back to DC and then to 3-phase AC to run the compressor.  There is obviously a good bit of loss in there.  While the current generation of 12V air con compressors and associated DC to 3-phase AC converters are not as overall efficient as the home mini-splits running off grid power, eliminating the 12V to 115VAC and back to DC conversion steps with a DC driven air conditioner brings the overall efficiency of these 12 V DC air con units about even with a battery/inverter driven 115VAC mini-split.   There are differences in the efficiency of the 12v compressor/converter packages out there too.  The newest generation is about 10 to 20% more efficient.  The unit I have uses the latest more efficient type, the stuff on Amazon/Ebay is all the previous gen I believe.  10 to 20% isn't huge, but it's something.  For example, that Amazon system is rated at 750W while mine is 650W for the same btu output.  Every little bit helps. 

 

I thought about using a system like in your link and mounting the condenser under the rig (a space efficient place for the condenser) but I couldn't find a good place for the evaporator that would get good airflow. Plus I don't have the experience  to make all of the AC tubing connections.  The roof unit has the best location for air flow.  With the electric variable speed fans it's super quiet and it's low profile on the roof too.   If anyone does intend to buy and install this specific unit let me know as it requires some serious modifications to be fit into a 14x14 hole and have a low profile on the interior air handler.  It was originally designed to fit in the sunroof of a European/Asian semi-truck.  It fits in the 14x14 opening with modifications plus it requires 4 additional 1/2" bolt holes through the roof outside of the 14x14 hole.  I was not able to find a 12v unit using the latest generation compressor designed specifically for a 14x14 opening like we all have.  

 

 

[WME]

Putting anything modern in a 30 year old RV will require a custom install. Add to that the owners desires and you can go off the deep end.

Without a generator and the batteries else where most of the AC and solar could use the generator box. It's all about $$$ and talent

While crawling through Amazon and AliExpress I did find a 550w 8000btu 12v AC. Non truth venders aside.

This winters "plan" is add 200w of ground mounted solar for when parking in the shade. Of course going from 300w to 500w means a new 40 amp controller. I have a 5.5kw generator so no worry about the AC, but to make coffee or heat some thing up in the microwave with out running the generator would be nice. But research shows to get enough watts I would need to go to a 24v all in one and that adds a 24v to 12v DC to DC converter to run the basic RV stuff and a DC to DC charger to charge from the engine alternator (160 amp). Got lots of time to ponder things.

Winter a year from now looks to be Lifepo4 time. a 200ah battery won't fit. but 2 100ah will. So I'm back to a 12v or 24v decision

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by WME

[Maineah]

Wow that looks like two foot tall dollar sign!

[AtlantaCamper]

4 hours ago, WME said:

Putting anything modern in a 30 year old RV will require a custom install. Add to that the owners desires and you can go off the deep end.

Well put, and I did.  I gave this project a wide berth in terms of time and money spent as it's a hobby for me and I've been interested in the off-grid with AC concept for some time now.  I'm really pleased with the outcome.  I guess that's all that matters.

[WME]

This unit showed up in an earlier conversation about the portable eco flow AC unit and batteries. All I know is a member got one back then. Current status???

https://velitcamping.com/products/velit-2000r-rooftop-air-conditioner-12v-24v

 

 

[AtlantaCamper]

8 hours ago, WME said:

This unit showed up in an earlier conversation about the portable eco flow AC unit and batteries. All I know is a member got one back then. Current status???

https://velitcamping.com/products/velit-2000r-rooftop-air-conditioner-12v-24v

 

 

That unit has an rotary compressor as opposed to the more efficient scroll compressor.  It likely works fine, although their specs are all over the place so it's hard to make a comparison of cooling output vs power input.  It does have the bonus of fitting into a standard opening!

[WME]

Well we have totally hijacked Rachael's thread😁.

Any way the member posted the Velit was 50 amps at 8000btu (?) and low was 25 amps. It's only 2 speeds and a fan @ 2 amps. Sounds like it has some sort of variable speed.

[roadtriprachel]

Oh WOW!  This is so awesome!  I like how the thread morphed into another thing, connected to but different from the original query.  I love how a question / topic can open up more questions, ideas and support.

 

I hate that I posted then ghosted!  My bad.  Last I checked the "activity" on here was last time I posted; Oct 26.  Ugh.  And I had made a similar post a week prior that had no replies so I deleted then rewrote the question to get help. 

 

I gave up on being lazy (AKA asking others on here to do my research for me, LOL) and I did a deep dive into the world of Youtube.  While I rlly wannted to hear how and what y'all did to your rigs, re solar, after watching the Youtubes till my eyes bled, I just got up there and did it; I handled the part(s) of the job I could do myself, then hired someone to do what I couldn't.  He did ok but jacked some sh*t up and I'm still dealing with that fallout, sadly, but it's like 95% complete now.  (YAY!)

 

I will post "before" and "after" pics when I reach the 100% mark.  And explain what I did, how and why.  Will also include a list of supplies I used.  My electrical was / is already in place so there's no wiring to speak of.  Just boosting my juice.

 

(Def plan to upgrade to Lithium batteries, a better controller, etc., whenever I get back to the road.  Not now tho.)

 

Omg WME - haha - haven't interacted with you in eons - so grateful you jumped in!!!  Super annoyed I missed it until now, but thats the price I pay for both hating being online aaaand my general impatience with the speed of life.... I miss the forest for the trees sometimes with my impatience, but, fortunately it's getting (slightly) better as I age.  Anyways, I hope you - and your rig - are well.  Thanks for the advice and the video links!!   Will Prowse is my go-to on solar.  I discovered him when my new rv fridge fried the solar / battery array in the AZ desert in 2020... and just WOW - he is such an incredible teacher.  (And VERY easy on the eyes.  HAHA!!). I had purchased mounts like the ones in his video when I bought the add'tl panels (3yrs ago).  Used them in this repair and they seem to be doin just fine so far.

 

I saw that video you posted Wanderlustking - thanks!  - when I did the deep dive into Youtube early Oct - when I was deciding how to tackle this project. I came across it then but am glad you posted it here. 

 

I can't keep track of all the internet research rabbit holes I go down, so it's wonderful that this post includes some of the best I stumbled upon, and MORE, courtesy of folks in the thread!  This topic / question / answer session is a nice one as it really lays out the main issues of solar panel roof install.  Thanks you guys!  As usual, I'm grateful for this forum.

 

And again - not annoyed about where this meandered to!  I've not got a generator, nor do I have an A/C and I probably never will.  Don't have a microwave in the rig either.  (Just got one last year for my house - for the 1st time in maybe 10 years).  And although my electrical needs/uses are way different than those who shared in this thread, that is completely beside the point: this post turned into a fabulous how-to DIY on solar, solar roof install, and more.  Which is BADASS.  When I've got more time I'll read each and every post - not just the ones about my query.  In the meantime - hello to those who jumped in and made things more interesting!   

 

When the wet and the mud clears from here (aka "Winter in East TN), I plan to hop back up on the roof and dial in the last 5% of wk. I did actually think to take some photos, and I'll share those when I post about the finished repair.

Edited January 3, 2023 by roadtriprachel

[WME]

Welcome back.

No microwave, no AC, big load is fridge. Wow you make it simple.

20 amp Mppt controller, 200w of solar panels (they are dirt cheap now) 100ah LifePo4 or more, convert all your lights to LEDs and your done

Photos and a list of the parts would be useful info.

If you haven't found Wills other sites, here is his small RV sized site...https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/

[WME]

As an alternative to panels on the roof, this is my diy solar suitcase. 200w power and $200 all total to buy panels and PVC stuff. This isn't an original idea, but is from several utube ideas

Edited January 3, 2023 by WME

[Andrewups]

Happy that Rachel started this topic 🙂. I found a lot of helpful information. Have a comfortable temperature in the rig it's one of my challenge. I found that some Toy's owner use a generator to run OEM roof A/C. I found that my A/C it's noise and 30 years old. So I taked off my roof A/C and decided to replace it with Midea 8000 btu. I decided to install it in generator compartment and run it with 2200 Inverter generator while I drive. After that I found this topic and now I am poisoned - I  want solar (free) energy also.... Fortunately I haven't yet buyed the Midea or the generator, I still tear down my rig and replace roten wood. If I will go with Midea and after that install the solar panel, do I lose much on the DC to AC inverter? 

 

 

[WME]

A high quality pure sine wave inverter will have a 5-10% power loss. Cheap inverters are 15-20% power loss.

 

Interesting new mini split. Direct power from solar panels OR 120v AC OR both at the same time

https://signaturesolar.com/eg4-hybrid-ac-dc-solar-air-conditioner-1-ton/

Edited January 7, 2023 by WME