kayakthecoast Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I've been watching these panels waiting for a sale price. $135 bucks each with free shipping so I snagged 2. Any one using them on their rv? Recommend a solar panel charge controller? Grape Solar GS-STAR-100W Polycrystalline Solar Panel, 100-watt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CAVMMMG/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_exNovb127XZN1 I'll be doing a solar instal once I get my system together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 And a mere $233CDN up here on Amazon.ca! We always get $crewed up here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 Road trip south then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 Canadians have a long tradition of 'importing' stuff back from the US. That's why something like 80% of us live within 100 miles of the border. I think the only thing we don't bother with is the beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back East Don Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I think the only thing we don't bother with is the beer. I can't say as I blame you there but the craft beer is getting better down here depending on what you like to drink. My family is from New Brunswick. Beer is always a treat when I visit but in the Maritime's the selection sometimes seems limited. Solar intrigues me but not certain it would offer me much benefit. I made a lot of changes to make consumption little as possible. We camp at a bunch of places where we have no electric but our stays are limited to a few days. We've not had issue on battery. Granted we only camp in good weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace57 Posted April 24, 2015 Share Posted April 24, 2015 I have 2 - 100w on my Dolphin with 2 deep cycle batterys and I don't even think about power now. I used a 30 amp charge controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted April 24, 2015 Author Share Posted April 24, 2015 This charge controller looks good and pretty cheap http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MB0N8K6?vs=1 Even has a couple of USB charges built in. Should be good for the wall in my over cab area I returned it, wanted a charge controller/remote meter. See last post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snail powered Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 This charge controller looks good and pretty cheap http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MB0N8K6?vs=1 Even has a couple of USB charges built in. Should be good for the wall in my over cab area there are a few youtube videos on this model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I've been watching these panels waiting for a sale price. $135 bucks each with free shipping so I snagged 2. Any one using them on their rv? Recommend a solar panel charge controller? Grape Solar GS-STAR-100W Polycrystalline Solar Panel, 100-watt https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CAVMMMG/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_exNovb127XZN1 I'll be doing a solar instal once I get my system together Looks like a good deal. The standard "low" price on solar panels right now is $1 per watt. Ten years ago it was $8 per watt. Things have really changed with the Chinese being in control of the silicon resources. Often the "killer" on solar is the shipping. Some sellers refuse to ship with anything but "truck shipment" and that ruins potential savings. Deals on Ebay with free shipping are the way to go. With controllers? I've yet to see one go bad and I've had over 30 different brands and types. On an RV it makes little difference if you use a $10 controller or a $100 controller since the wattage is so low and I'm assuming - you are keeping the solar array @ 12-14 volts. The only advantage to a higher cost controller is when you have many panels and want to wire in series to make high voltage. Cheap controllers must have the same input as output. I.e. panels at 12-18 volts and battery bank at 12-14 volts. Higher cost controllers allow combos like 150 volts from the solar panels and a choice of battery banks of 12 volts, 24 volts, or 48 volts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passman Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Dang it! Reading this thread cost me $300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Panels are nice. I too take care of the electrical issue by just having really low power use. But I know some people like all the comforts of home, which is why we have RVs in the first place. I have two 45 Watt panels. I just use them because I know that the less I discharge my battery, the longer it will last. It would be a really rare thing for me to go through all my battery charge, with my LED lights...and almost no other power draw, other than charging my laptop and cell phone. I have a 12V fan that gets used when it's really hot; furnace fan when it's really cold. So the panels just give me peace of mind that there's really no way I'll draw my battery down dangerously low. But I'm always camping in the sunny west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmowrey Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 We used a dual controller for our system. That way, we can trickle charge the vehicle battery as well as the coach battery during long downtimes, and especially during the winter months. Also, we only have one 100 watt panel. But rather than mount it on the roof, I hang it on the bathroom wall inside the coach while we are on the road. When we arrive at our destination, I plug it into cables which extend out from our power hook up door. That way, I can position the panel to receive maximum exposure wherever we are, as well as move it throughout the day as the sun changes position and angle. Since the goal is often to set up our camp in the shade, we can set the panel up as much as 40 feet from our Dolphin to access sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Yep, mobility helps quite a bit, though that means you need to store them somewhere. Tradeoff is worth it to me. Though at this time I don't have a way to charge both batteries at the same time. Realistically I'm not parked for more than four days at a time, so I'm ok. And I can always just switch back & forth manually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Anyone using some way to tilt your panels while up on the roof? I can see advantages in the winter months when the sun angle is low in the sky. Panels arrived today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Windynation.com http://www.windynation.com/-Polycrystalline-Solar-Panels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I made a portable one it folds flat and I just put it on the bed when I'm moving. I can elevate it and of course turn it so it gives me max gain during the day, it's a 100 watt panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Yeah I figure a person could make a tilt frame a lot cheaper than any commercial product, and fairly easily. But notice I say "a person", not "I". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 1, 2015 Author Share Posted May 1, 2015 Maineah did a good job if I need to add onto my system I'll be stealing his design Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 2, 2015 Author Share Posted May 2, 2015 Got the panels installed! Still figuring out where to mount my charge controller? Supposed to be close to the batteries BUT my batteries are up front by the engine. I may mount the charge controller half way between panels and batteries. Any issue with this? I decided to bolt the panels, used butyl tape, covered bolt heads with dicore lap sealant then placed eternabond tape over that and sealed edges. Pic of through bolt from inside of my ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 Just use a larger ga. wire than the book calls for. It will reduce the voltage loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 2, 2015 Author Share Posted May 2, 2015 10 gauge wire for ten feet from charge controller to batteries ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passman Posted May 2, 2015 Share Posted May 2, 2015 http://www.jackdanmayer.com/Wiring.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 4, 2015 Author Share Posted May 4, 2015 Cheers, great info. Any issue running my roof solar cables down inside my toilet vent pipe? To get from roof to bottom of rig? Gases effect the electrical cabling?? One less hole to drill in my roof, only reason I'll use it and it's right near my panels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passman Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 I have no idea. I would think it would be fine from what I've read though. I'm going to rig a plug in on the side so I can just run the cable to the plug whether I'm using them on top or have them set off on the ground while the rig stays in the shade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Cheers, great info. Any issue running my roof solar cables down inside my toilet vent pipe? To get from roof to bottom of rig? Gases effect the electrical cabling?? One less hole to drill in my roof, only reason I'll use it and it's right near my panels Not down the inside, run down the outside though the collar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgibson4 Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Cheers, great info. Any issue running my roof solar cables down inside my toilet vent pipe? To get from roof to bottom of rig? Gases effect the electrical cabling?? One less hole to drill in my roof, only reason I'll use it and it's right near my panels The instructions for our evaporative cooler suggest running the 1/4" plastic water supply line (pressurized) up any available drain vent pipe. I would think that it would be fine to run wires that have undamaged insulation. That wiring is going to have to withstand the elements (sun, rain, frost, etc.) so it has to be durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 I finished my solar instal! I returned my original charge controller and purchased a Morningstar sun saver duo dual battery charge controller with a remote wired meter. I wanted a more professional look. The duo will allow me to add a second battery bank in the future very easily. As soon as I hooked em up I was charging away a 7.4 ah! Not bad for 200 watts of panels. I used 8 gauge wire 16 feet to reach my batteries in the engine bay. Charge controller I mounted in the Sunrader closet, and remote meter on the wall of the cabinet. Hardest part was fishing my wires around behind shower/toilet (hint, remove your vanity and you have access back there).Now I'll just need to buy or make a front wind deflector for in front of my panels. Feels good using the suns energy.Is this economical? Not really cost me $450 bucks and I can run my Honda generator A LONG TIME on that! But now I can leave my generator behind in the summer, so it gives me options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakthecoast Posted May 8, 2015 Author Share Posted May 8, 2015 Sorry for sideways pics, if I add from my iphone they always seem to be sideways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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