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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Will a 100 watt solar panel be enough
A 100 watt panel will produce about 5 Amps of juice per hour, under ideal conditions. Conditions are NEVER ideal. My system is designed to produce up to 26 Amps under ideal conditions, but a recent boondocking trip, where the sun was about a 45 degree angle to the panels, ended up producing about 4-5 Amps total on a sunny day.
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obiwancanoli
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02/21/21 08:57am |
Tech Issues
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Is there a more accurate way to measure fluid levels?
I'm not a big fan of the meters in my MH that show fresh, gray and black tank levels... They're hardly accurate, but I wondered if there's a better way... ?
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obiwancanoli
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12/21/20 08:43am |
Technology Corner
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Trav'ler Sat dish Problem
Trying to initiate my satellite, message on control box screen says "AZ Motor Stalled"... it won't seek satellites, won't stow away, although the dish is in the down position...
"Select" and "Enter" buttons don't respond, pressing "Power" button doesn't work. Turned off Inverter for 20 minutes to try again... same result...
Any ideas?
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obiwancanoli
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12/06/20 12:04pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Solar panel
Start with an energy audit... determine typical power needs (in watts) by looking at the back panel or bottom of your appliance, and add them up, inflate 25% for unanticipated needs, then convert to Amps (Watts = Amps X Volts; Amps = Watts / Volts.
Then, after determining how many batteries you have (or need/want), add up the total Amp Hours all batteries produce in total. If your batteries are flooded or AGM, safe to consider using NO MORE than 50% of bank before recharging (otherwise, you'll severely shorten their lifespan). If instead you have Lithium batteries, you can generally get as low as 10% SOC, perhaps more, before recharging, thus, you'll have more usable amp hours, longer lasting power, and they also recharge much faster.
Once battery type and amount are known, with a completed audit, you'll know how much power you typically need for a day. Once that is known, then consider the wattage of the solar panels you'll need. They come in a variety of sizes, just know that typically, a 160W panel might produce - at peak performance and circumstance - about 8 amps (or about 5 amps for a 100W panel). From here, you can determine how many panels you'll need, and where to mount them on the roof.
You'll likely benefit by having an MPPT Solar Controller, get one with more capacity than you think you'll need down the road (should you want to add more panels, you won't have to buy a new controller). A 30A controller will handle about 500 watts (panel) and is typical of an initial solar installation, but I've seen up to 1200+ watts of panels on some RV's, likely someone who does a lot of boondocking, where such volume comes in pretty handy.
My most recent boondocking experience has shown me that I'll need more than the 480 watt, 3-panel solar net. I have Lithium batteries, and in the low Arizona sun, with 3 fixed 160W panels flat on the roof, they produced less than peak charging capability, thus, more panels would be needed to charge the batteries faster, and to a higher level. I'm thinking another 3 panels ought to do it, and I also have one 120W portable panel I use as well, as I can point this at the sun and angle it for better charging ability.
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obiwancanoli
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11/28/20 12:08pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: GFCI not cooperating with me
Just saw your post...Prior to this trip (where all was previously fine) was there any work performed on your electrical system??
3 tons
No, everything had been fine
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obiwancanoli
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11/26/20 12:41pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: GFCI not cooperating with me
Yes, Gdetrailer, my water heater is both electric and propane, and I have two GFI's - one over the sink, another in the bath... both won't reset, and both seem to be on the same circuit. Can plug in at home, but I'm not there... boondocking northern AZ
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obiwancanoli
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11/25/20 08:21am |
Tech Issues
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RE: GFCI not cooperating with me
At the moment, I'm boondocking in N AZ... and yes, GFI outlets did work before. Never had this issue, so was a bit baffled... Don't know the brand Inverter I have,
it came with the MH (2017 Ventana LE)... I'll keep working on it.
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obiwancanoli
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11/23/20 06:51am |
Tech Issues
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GFCI not cooperating with me
I can't seem to get my outlets working that have the set and test buttons for GFCI... there's a red light that continues to blink very fast, and Inverter is on. I press the set button, nothing happens... and, the outlet seems to make a noise as if it IS being set, and does so occasionally throughout the night... what am I missing here?
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obiwancanoli
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11/22/20 02:35pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Which Way from Napa to Quartzite?
If you take 395 I would drop into Death Valley NP for a few days.
Although the grade in/out of DVNP will make Grapevine look like an overpass.
Problem is snow at those high elevations... Have no experience driving MH w/toad in snow, and don't want to begin here, despite the attraction of driving 395... Takes longer, which I don't mind, given the scenic route, but think 99S to Bakersfield, 58 to I-40, then 95S will do OK... weather over Tehachapi looks good, little chance of rain, no snow in the forecast...
Thanks everyone for your suggestions... really helpful...
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obiwancanoli
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11/18/20 11:46am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Which Way from Napa to Quartzite?
Why not take I-80 across and then get on US 395 south? Much more scenic and the last time I was on it the road surface was in excellent condition for Cali.
Yeah, have considered that, too... 395 IS a very scenic route, particularly along the backbone of the Sierra... I'm going to look at that again... thanks!
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obiwancanoli
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11/18/20 09:35am |
Roads and Routes
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Which Way from Napa to Quartzite?
I've a 35' MH and will be towing my car via tow dolly. Live in North Bay (Napa, CA) and headed to Quartzsite.
I was hoping for an alternative route, and considered Hwy 58 Bakersfield to Barstow, then on to I-40, after which I'll head South on 95...
Didn't really want to go the Grapevine route, but weather forecast shows little chance of rain (or snow) either way I go...
Help!
EDIT: I fixed your topic title to give some detail.
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obiwancanoli
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11/17/20 07:57pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: What's a good battery level monitor?
Amazon
That is not a good enough answer for someone who doesn't know what is what.
LeRoy
Go to www.amazon.com, type "Victron 712" in the search box at the top of the page....
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obiwancanoli
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11/17/20 06:24pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: What's a good battery level monitor?
Amazon
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obiwancanoli
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11/17/20 05:40pm |
Tech Issues
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Getting My Mail on the Road
Planning to do some travelling in 2021, a few days here, a week or two there, and technology affords me the opportunity to receive and pay bills online for the most part... but, when I will receive physical mail, using a service such as Escapees, or Good Sam, would seem to require me to be settled in for a longer period, to make sure I get the mail I'm expecting, since forwarding mail is a typically longer process...
Do RV parks accommodate such services when, for example, your stay is an extended one, say, a month? Can one have mail sent "General Delivery" to and be held by a local Post Office for pick-up? If so, how long will they hold it? I can imagine that when one knows where one is headed, and when, one can arrange for mail to sent ahead of time, for retrieval when I arrive, but for those of us who travel on the fly, fluidity is key when a specific date one would arrive isn't yet known...
Is such a dilemma easily handled? Or will I encounter a challenging issue here?
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obiwancanoli
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11/13/20 10:28am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Thoughts on the Cost of RVing
Lifestyle. Passion. Convenience. Adventure. Joy.
I could come up with more, but I'd be boring you.
I remember the first time I visited Yellowstone, Arches and Zion, the Canyonlands of Southern Utah, the Grand Canyon... Not only was I in awe of the magnificent examples of Mother Nature's power, I felt like I was the first person to see it. It was one of the most powerful moments in my life, and for a while, I felt out of time... It was as if I were an explorer on the adventure of a lifetime, and I wanted more. Much more.
Each of us adjusts our lifestyle to do and have the things we want that make our lives worth living. For me, it's also about sharing that experience, an almost religious perspective on the power of my God, and his agent, Mother Nature, to provide me with experiences, in some ways, too magnificent for words to describe. But I knew in my heart, each time, that this was where I wanted - needed - to be. It felt like it was something I HAD to do. Thus, we find ways to make the lifestyle fit our budgets, that we may satisfy the passion in our lives to explore, to find peace, solitude, and joy in the time we have left.
Fuel cost? RV park cost? Maintenance? Everything else? Not especially important takeaways, compared to the benefits... saved a long time to reach a comfortable retirement, and, lucky for me, I reached that goal. And while Covid has limited my travels, this first year of retirement is but a peek into a future ripe with adventure, and the exploration of a land I've spent too little time getting to know better...
I can only hope my contemporaries find their RV lifestyles as fulfilling for them as it is for me...
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obiwancanoli
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11/08/20 08:42am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Turning off the Charging Process
What is the exact scenario?
If you disconnect the batteries from the charger when it gets cold, you still need 12v from somewhere. That would be the converter if you have shore power.
No shore power? No battery because it is too cold? Now you need another battery that does work in the cold. (SiO2 says PT :) )
Is the battery able to discharge (run loads) in the cold but just can't be recharged in the cold? (I am unclear how that is with Li)
So what is the scenario? Some have avoided this whole thing with various types of heating for their Lis to keep them in their operational zones. Not sure how you power those heater things off-grid when the batts can't be run without them. Kind of confusing!
Up to you to better describe the worrisome scenario here.
No problem DIS-charging, as in supplying AC via converter... the issue is in RE-charging. The tank warmers were initially meant to be attached, via adhesive, to water and gray water tanks, but are easily adapted to the battery bay. Further, my research suggests minimal amp needs to keep them going, and these have an on/off switch. Of course, the batteries would remain connected, for they're needed to power not just the tank warmers, but everything else inside.... and I'm thinking there will be times I'm not connected to shore power.
Reality is, I was exploring possible solutions, and looking for experience. I chose Li's for a number of reasons, and recognized early on that charging in colder temps would be problematic, but y'all are more experienced than this rookie (3 years in), and my hope was to find options I hadn't considered...
Installing the batteries inside would be ideal but for the fact there's no place to hide them except the ward in the bedroom, or, the drawers under the dining bench seats - valuable storage to sacrifice...
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obiwancanoli
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11/07/20 07:28pm |
Tech Issues
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Turning off the Charging Process
After accepting the Limitation that I can't - and shouldn't attempt - charging my new BB Lithium batteries, it occurred to me that a few of the places I might like to go could get to freezing, or below, and gee, I could just turn off, switch off, or otherwise disengage the charging system so that I don't fry my batteries (no pun intended) if they somehow found themselves trying to recharge (I have Solar, and a generator).
Is there a way I can easily disengage the charging process at will, and reinstate when temps rise?
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obiwancanoli
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11/07/20 06:01pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: First visit to Quartzite
Howdy Ralph - re: stuck in sand - I’m thinking of buying a set of Maxtrax recovery boards for just such an occasion.
Someone else I told about my episode suggested them. I might be too old and stiff to dig and place them, though. I think I'll just be more careful. :)
Ya the genuine Maxtrax have handles molded in and the tips form a bit of a shobbel so you can tip them in to the tires - once a tire gets a holda them out you go...
I wonder... would these work with a Class A?
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obiwancanoli
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11/07/20 08:46am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Heading to Quartzsite, AZ from Sacramento, CA
58 East seems to make the most sense to me... by the way, 35' MH w/toad...Diesel 340
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obiwancanoli
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11/07/20 07:56am |
Roads and Routes
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Heading to Quartzsite, AZ from Sacramento, CA
Heading to AZ mid-November, and I'd very much like to avoid going over the Grapevine near Lebec, CA both for weather risk and ease of driving. Is anyone familiar with a less wintery route that might make the trip a bit easier? Travel time isn't really an issue...
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obiwancanoli
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11/06/20 07:28pm |
Roads and Routes
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