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n0arp
FT
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Walaby wrote:I for one didn't realize that Solar can now power A/C. Interesting.
Mike
It can, with lots of caveats. We had to put in a mini-split system to make the math work (24/7 thermostat control) in our fifth wheel, with nearly 3kW on the roof and the equivalent of 1800AH of lithium.
In our truck camper, it's weather dependent with the factory 11K unit but we can usually squeeze by on thermostat <70F without the generator until it gets into the mid 90s. Really wish we had a good way to retrofit a split - maybe one day I'll get creative and figure it out.
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Lantley
Ellicott City, Maryland
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Walaby wrote:I for one didn't realize that Solar can now power A/C. Interesting.
Mike
I did not realize solar could power A/C either, but my neighbor showed me his new 5'er with a state of the art solar set up.
He ran the A/C for me to observe without being plugged in.
It is a real game changer.
His solar set up cost about the same as a factory installed built 5500 Onan.
My next fiver will have a A/C capable solar system.
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memilanuk
Dry side of the Cascades
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Quote:...going to be annoyed that you haven't bothered to invest in an appropriate solar setup for your usage.
Quote:...solar set up cost about the same as a factory installed built 5500 Onan.
Being annoyed at other people that they haven't spent a few extra thousand dollars (at least) so *you* don't have to hear a generator... priceless ![[emoticon]](https://forums.goodsamclub.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/rolleyes.gif "rolleyes") ![[emoticon]](https://forums.goodsamclub.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
Don't get me wrong; I fully intend to work at putting solar on our TC, and hope to limit gen runtime as much as I can. I highly doubt it's going to be as 'over the top' (pardon the pun) as the one shown above.
But I'm doing it for my benefit, not yours. And because I already *have* said generator (two, actually, the built-in Onan 2500 and the Honda EU2200), I'm not in any particular hurry when what I have now is a) already paid for and b) works. I imagine there are a lot of people out there in similar situations.
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n0arp
FT
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memilanuk wrote:Quote:...going to be annoyed that you haven't bothered to invest in an appropriate solar setup for your usage.
Quote:...solar set up cost about the same as a factory installed built 5500 Onan.
Being annoyed at other people that they haven't spent a few extra thousand dollars (at least) so *you* don't have to hear a generator... priceless
Don't get me wrong; I fully intend to work at putting solar on our TC, and hope to limit gen runtime as much as I can. I highly doubt it's going to be as 'over the top' (pardon the pun) as the one shown above.
But I'm doing it for my benefit, not yours. And because I already *have* said generator (two, actually, the built-in Onan 2500 and the Honda EU2200), I'm not in any particular hurry when what I have now is a) already paid for and b) works. I imagine there are a lot of people out there in similar situations.
If you aren't going to be able to keep quiet without hookups, go to a park. Or at least park away from others. It's pretty simple -- don't come park 30 feet from me in the middle of nowhere, and start up a generator and run it all night long. That's blatantly rude on multiple levels. That's happened to us numerous times and we've moved sites due to it, probably enough to use all the fingers on one hand when counting.
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noteven
Turtle Island
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A decent clearanc 4x4 truck & truck camper has taken me waaay back dere out of generator range a number of times ....
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memilanuk
Dry side of the Cascades
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jshupe wrote:It's pretty simple -- don't come park 30 feet from me in the middle of nowhere, and start up a generator and run it all night long. That's blatantly rude on multiple levels.
That part, I'll agree with you on. If there's tons of room to spread out, why cluster together? Must be all that solar... attracts the lookie-lous ![[emoticon]](https://forums.goodsamclub.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/biggrin.gif "biggrin")
A lot of our 'off-grid' camping to date has been more 'dry' camping, than full-on 'boondocking', which probably accounts for some of the difference in perspective.
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GDS-3950BH
DC
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This entire thread is priceless lol.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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Being annoyed at other people that they haven't spent a few extra thousand dollars (at least) so *you* don't have to hear a generator... priceless
I couldn't have said it better. Kudos to you.
2011 Bighorn 3055RL
2011 F350 DRW 6.7L 4x4 Diesel Lariat and Hensley TrailerSaver BD3
1992 Jeep ZJ and 1978 Coleman Concord Pop-Up for remote camping
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pnichols
The Other California
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egarant wrote:Since when did generators become an esential piece 0f camping equipment?
Must I hear a dry campgound buzzing all day long because people and KIDS can’t unplug?
Do people come out to camp anymore to enjoy the outdoors or do they come out to sit in their RV and run their generator ALL DAY so they can live the “at home” life while camping?
So beautiful cheap campgrounds are ruined by the sounds of generators, lost are the sounds of the birds, groundhogs and geese surrounding the campground.
And the Park Service is to blame as well, what is the point in “limiting” generator use to daytime hours? Running them during the day is just a annoying as I am awake and outside trying to enjoy the scenery.
Some parks, very few…limit generator use to 2 hrs in the am and again in the pm, now that makes more sense.
Please don’t try ahd justify your use with health reasons….those are few and far between.
Boil water on the stove, pan heat your meals, feel the sun on your face, put the friggin electronics away, your CAMPING!
Good luck without generators where we just came back from:
10 days of drycamping 90% SHADED with only small moving spots of sun in the woods along the shore of a beautiful lake in Northern California. Nights were cold (high 30's and low 40's) ... so heat was definitely needed evenings, during sleeping, and early mornings.
We camped in adjoining drycamp sites with a large family group and we all needed to run generators for our battery charging, hair drying, microwaving, electric bike charging, and outdoor electric cooking (via a portable pellet cooker).
Those of us with motorhomes also idled our motorhome engines for ultra-quiet and ultra-fast battery charging.
We had a spectacular time together and it would not have been possible without our quiet motorhome built-in generators, idling of our main engines, and an ultra-quiet Honda EX650 suitcase generator (a legendary generator no longer available, new, for years).
I would NEVER buy a motorhome without a built-in generator in it or leave home in a towable RV without a portable generator along. Complete self-contained RV camping requires that generators be included in one's electrical power mix. Generators make it possible to be ready for anywhere, anytime camping. Solar (especially portable solar with long extension cords) is nice - but only as an addition to well installed built-in or properly chosen portable generator capability.
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2005 E450 Itasca 24V Class C
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pnichols
The Other California
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RambleOnNW wrote:profdant139 wrote:Ramble, that's a great setup!! Two quick questions (not to hijack the thread). First, which brand of suitcase did you get? Second, with a 160 foot cable run, do you experience any significant voltage drop?
And (to bring it back on topic after my borderline hijack), if I had a setup like yours, I would be more willing to leave my generator home!!
Profdant139 - I have a Renogy 200 watt. Open it is 36” high x 52” long. They have a lighter taller narrower one but it won’t fit in storage. I have a 2nd controller to locate near the batteries that I use for the 160’ run case since the 0.2 ohm estimated wire resistance implies a 2 volt drop. Most of the time I just use 40’ with the built in controller. I like to keep the setup flexible to use to charge the chassis battery or other batteries.
Cold camping we run our gen before 10pm and crank the heat up so the furnace doesn’t kick in for a few hours.
Ramble, your portable solar setup is real close to what I would/will add to our 2005 24ft. E450 Class C!
I'll probably never use a portable with it's controller at the panel. I'd use an MPPT controller at the batteries permanently so that voltage loss between the panel and the coach batteries will be minimum at all times.
The V10 idles so quietly, charges coach batteries so fast via the alternator, and only consumes about 0.7 gal of fuel per hour when idling ... that I've been doing that a lot lately and wondering if I even want to add any solar. Our camping style is usually only short stays at any one place, so the batteries get topped up when driving between locations.
* This post was
edited 06/11/21 06:18pm by pnichols *
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