Adding Solar

[zero]

I finally got around to installing solar on the roof of my Minicruiser. Not a lot of room up there. I put on a pair of 100 watt panels. I already had a dozen of them in storage and figured I might as well use them for something. I made "Z" brackets from 1" angle-aluminum and bolted together with stainless-steel 1/4" bolts Fastened to the roof with #10 stainless-steel screws. Plenty of air flow under them and not very high. Hopefully they will make more power in electric then they lose me with wind-resistance and a drop in fuel mileage.

Main reason I want them is because we sometimes leave our RV parked for half-a-day with our dog inside. Like to run the fans for her. My two batteries can do the job fine but this way they don't get run down.

[zero]

I forgot to add . . the reason for the two-piece Z brackets are so the solar panels can be easily removed and not leave holes to leak in the roof. Same reason for the MC4 type quick-disconnect electric plugs.

[jmowrey]

We only have one 100 watt panel and one battery for our 85 Dolphin. When we are in route, the panel lives inside, mounted to the bathroom wall where it doesn't get in the way. When we arrive at our destination, I take the panel out and hook it up to the cables which I have running out of the electrical cord storage compartment on the side of the Dolphin. The cables are about 30 feet long and curl up nicely and stow inside the cord compartment when we're on the road. This way I can position the panel to follow the sun throughout the day and avoid shade. I have a simple wooden brace on the panel which allows me to position it at the optimum angle for our latitude. We get great results with this setup. Generally, whatever power we use during the night is replenished by noon at the latest the next day, even on partially cloudy days. And we don't have to worry about wind drag or holes in the roof.

[zero]

We only have one 100 watt panel and one battery for our 85 Dolphin. When we are in route, the panel lives inside, mounted to the bathroom wall where it doesn't get in the way. When we arrive at our destination, I take the panel out and hook it up to the cables which I have running out of the electrical cord storage compartment on the side of the Dolphin. The cables are about 30 feet long and curl up nicely and stow inside the cord compartment when we're on the road. This way I can position the panel to follow the sun throughout the day and avoid shade. I have a simple wooden brace on the panel which allows me to position it at the optimum angle for our latitude. We get great results with this setup. Generally, whatever power we use during the night is replenished by noon at the latest the next day, even on partially cloudy days. And we don't have to worry about wind drag or holes in the roof.

Yes, I've done that too. Solar panels certainly work a lot better when pointed at where ever the sun is. I just didn't want them stored inside the camper anymore. Also - even though the overall output is lower on the roof - they are always there and always hooked up. I don't have to think about it and no set-up needed.

Storage space inside our RV is at a premium.

My house is on solar also. Also all fixed mount. Fixed mount but with two positions. Summer and winter. And again - not as good as self-tracking mounts. But they are expensive and not all that cost-effective where I am.

[zero]

. When we are in route, the panel lives inside, mounted to the bathroom wall where it doesn't get in the way. When we arrive at our destination, I take the panel out and hook it up to the cables which I have running out of the electrical cord storage compartment on the side of the Dolphin.

One other advantage to having the panels on the roof. I can have them hooked up and working and not worry about someone running off and stealing them - as can be easily done when on the ground. Last week we went to a car show and left our RV for 4 hours in the parking lot. Had to leave our dog inside the RV with the fan going (no pets allowed at the show). Without the roof setup - I could not have used the solar at all.

[Maineah]

Here is one I built for my tow behind camper. It's a 100 watt and the support bars are adjustable so that I can change the angle and of course turn it. It connects to the batteries with a 50 Anderson power pole over kill yes but I had them all ready. When I'm not around it is pad locked to the safety chains yeah it can be stolen but they would have to work at it. It has enough power to charge the batteries and run the Fantastic fan on low with full sun. It folds flat an lives on the bed when traveling.

[zero]

Mine had the MC4 connectors simply because that's the latest standard that many panels come with now. Water-proof quick disconnects.

We've used out-side panels for years. Works nice but we go many places we cannot use them when leaving a vehicle parked. It's those times we want them the most - for keeping our dog cool when left behind. We hate doing that but we're finding more and more places not allowing dogs anymore. That is - unless the are "service" dogs. I'm considering telling people I'm retarded and need my dog to lead me around.

Went to the county fair and tractor pulls last evening. Parked/crammed into a parking lot 1/4 mile away and using non-attached solar would not have been possible.

My setup has 12 amp ASC controllers (Specialty Concepts). I bought two dozen of them used maybe 10 years ago from a take-out in California. $15 apiece and none have failed. Kind of nice. Water-proof, battery temp sensor, etc. But now - you can buy brand new Chinese 20 amp controllers for $15. How good they are - I don't know. I have one sitting here in the package but never tried it yet.

I already have a 40 amp DC circuit wired up into our cabinets with a terminal board. That because of the ham radio, scanner, CB radio, booster amp, etc. So it was easy to wire the solar from the roof right into that circuit.

Not much added height for the roof install. I suspect it makes little difference in wind resistance but who knows? Frigs vent is right behind the forward panel and that vent is higher.

[jmowrey]

Yes, I've done that too. Solar panels certainly work a lot better when pointed at where ever the sun is. I just didn't want them stored inside the camper anymore. Also - even though the overall output is lower on the roof - they are always there and always hooked up. I don't have to think about it and no set-up needed.

Storage space inside our RV is at a premium.

My house is on solar also. Also all fixed mount. Fixed mount but with two positions. Summer and winter. And again - not as good as self-tracking mounts. But they are expensive and not all that cost-effective where I am.

Sounds like a good set up for you. We got lucky with being able to carry the panel in our bathroom. It just barely fits hanging on the wall, footprint wise. Since it's so thin, the amount it sticks out from the wall is not an issue on the wall next to the toilet. It's up close and personal when you're sitting there, but not a problem.

Also, I forgot to mention that we use a dual battery controller for our system so we can use it to charge both the coach and vehicle batteries. We set it full time to the coach battery during the summer months when we are using the Dolphin a lot. In the winter, it's nice to be able to trickle charge both batteries to maintain them through our winter here in Santa Fe.

Joe

[zero]

. We set it full time to the coach battery during the summer months when we are using the Dolphin a lot. In the winter, it's nice to be able to trickle charge both batteries to maintain them through our winter here in Santa Fe.

Joe

Sounds nice. If I lived in an area like Santa Fe - I'd do the same. Around here - I would not leave the RV outside unless were using it. Too much rain, snow, and rot. I DO use solar panels for trickle charging/maintaining batteries in various tractors and trucks. I had to wire two small 12 volt panels together in series to maintain the batteries in my Allis Chalmers HD6 because it has a 24 volt system.