Have a solar setup in mind. Thought I'd pass it by my new Heartland family for opinions.

[rsg1963]

Hi everyone! I did a search but finding a whole solar setup plan is proving difficult.
Picking up our new 3760EL Big Horn tomorrow morning. It currently has the residential refer and the standard 2 12v batteries/inverter/switch that come with that option. We dry camp and the residential refer was not my 1st choice but we bought it anyway.
Also buying a 3100w Champion 75537i Pure Sine small generator as support.
So I have spent the last 45 days learning about solar options. Here is what I am planning, please feel free to chime in. I am hoping for the voices of experience to correct me, if I chose a really poor option or part, or just plain forgot something obvious:
1) 1ea Magnum MS2812 2800 Watt Pure Sine inverter with 125amp charger.
2) 3ea Go Power! Overlander 160W 9.14A Solar panels (480 watts total)
3) 1ea Magnum ME-RC50 Remote Panel
4) 1ea Magnum Energy ME-BMK Battery Monitoring Kit - State Of Charge with 500 Amp Shunt
5) 6ea Trojan T-105 wired in Series and Parallel (12v - 675 ah)
6) 2/0-ish gauge welding cable short as possible to inter connect batteries and inverter. With Noalox and some decent copper terminals at the ends.
7) 3ea Noco HM426 Dual 6-volt Commercial Grade Battery boxes
8) MPPT charge controller 50a range? <<<not sure which one to get on this.
9) <<<the things I forgot>>>

 

[Lance & Jo]

I installed a similar system on our sail boat (home for 15 years, 10 years cruising), Heart inverter/charger and only 120 watt panels and a 6kw diesel gen set but essentially similar system. Had originally thought to do same for the trailer but due to early $ problems I put it off and am now glad I did. My thoughts:
1. It adds a lot of weight to the trailer, batteries alone are 62 lbs ea or 372 total. All the rest plus mounting hardware probably another 200 or more. Amounts to a significant impact on carry capacity and as others will tell you weight seems to add up very quickly in these trailers.
2. Unless you are planning some way to keep the panels pointed directly at the sun their actual output will be less than max. On the boat my panels were up high and horizontal with nothing but the mast to block the sun (no trees) and I generally saw around 60% of max for daily output, less on cloudy days.
3. We boon dock occasionally, especially in Mexico and generally find we like to park under the trees, out of the sun!
4. For us I have found a good generator (I like the Honda 3K) and an extra battery are the most cost effective answer.
5. Not sure what your electrical needs are but if you haven't done so yet suggest you add it all up convert to amp hours (multiply AC by 10 to convert to DC) and then see how much you can satisfy with solar on daily basis.

If you do go forward with solar you can get some power/minor weight savings by wiring the panels in series. Use a smart DC to DC controller and remember in this application voltage is the big concern not amps so the controller needs to be able to handle the increased voltage.

If you haven't done so already there are several off the grid sites that offer lots of insight.

Hope this helps some

Lance

 

[Dave-Nichols61]

We just had the solar elite package installed at home in Canada, this system is 320 watts, four batteries, so far we are very happy with is system, we have a double door rv fridge, not a residential fridge. We have been as low as 60 percent and we are fully charged by noon. You can see our system by going to gpelectric.com we have 4 6 volt batteries

 

[wdk450]

Before you spend the money and do all the install work, think out how often you plan to boondock and where that will be. Most all free boondocking in California will be on the desert somewhere. If the desert temperatures require use of the air conditioner, it is almost impossible to have a solar system big enough, and a generator will eat up more money in gasoline per air conditioned day than it would cost to stay at a moderately priced RV park with hookups.

Good luck to you, and I have a 400 watt panel and mppt controller that I decided NOT to install that I have been hauling around with me that I would like to get rid of. Send me a PM if interested.

 

[Brazos]

rsg1963,
I am all for solar for boondocking and traveling. However as Bill Knight points out you do have to conserve and Air Conditioning is not in the picture with solar. There are several members here on the forum with solar installs using different methods. A search in the Solar and Wind Power threads one can find several installs. It is best to size your system to your needs and consider costs. You can use solar and use a generator as a supplement for when you use your air. A visit to Jack Mayers website is worthwhile to gain knowledge about installs. Jack Mayer
A good thing about solar is you do not have to feed it once installed. I never use Air Conditioning because of the times of year I do most of my traveling.

 

[rsg1963]

Thank you guys for the replies and great info. I see now I should have added more info to my OP.
We moved from a Jayco Recon ZX 40' toyhauler, which we used often for dry camping (boon docking). Although this Bighorn unit has only half the fresh water tank and nearly half the waste tanks capacity, we still expect to dry camp often.
The lack of an Onan 5500, and the residential refer is whats prompting me to look at a better battery solution to augment the occasional portable generator use mentioned in the OP.
Heavy needs such as the AC or Microwave/convection will nearly always prompt the generator to be fired up, we know this.
We also wanted the MS2812 because of it's powerful charger so when we use gen power it will be more effective at shoving volts at the batteries than a standard charger (at least this was the idea on paper)
Also, I was gifted two new L-16 Trojan batteries today which changed my original idea of 4 or 6 T-105's. When I save up enough money I will consider 2 more L-16's but not until i can be sure 435ah is not sufficient for our needs. Those babies are HEAVY!!! whoah. And as Lance mentioned, weigh really adds up quickly.
So now it's down to the question of inverter/charger and solar panel choices.
Has anyone used the Magnum MS2812 is similar units?
Is there a consensus on panels to use? Go Power! 160's seem nice and efficient for their size but is there anyone here with actual usage to speak to them?

Thanks again for the input it is truly appreciated.

 

[Dave-Nichols61]

we have a 3070re bc, most of our camping is boondocking, we installed go power, 2-160 watt solar panels, we are happy so far, but not sure if u can run residential fridge with it, go to gpelectric.com for more info

 

[hrntfxr]

got me thinking now.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

I installed 4 of these solar panels in June (with MPPT controller...2 Trojan T1275 batteries and remote monitor pad) and I was able to camp 21 days straight in Oregon and I had 100% charge every night.

The great thing about these panels is the stick to your roof and you can walk on them. Very easy to get up there and inspect the roof and wash everything down. The other benefit is you don't have to drill any holes in your roof...that was a huge deciding factor for me.

Here is what is looks like on the roof and the control inside (sorry..image isn't good quality)

 

[Silverado23]

I installed a bunch of these. http://www.recycledgoods.com/solopo...e-lightweight-24-volt-solar-panel-sp1-85.html
They are around 7ft long each and since they are shorter than other flexible panels I was able to install more panels around the various vents etc than if I would have installed the 18ft flex panels that many have used.

The biggest disadvantage(?) was they needed an adhesive to glue them down on the roof. I used a butyl rubber caulk (2 tubes per panel) that was marked to be safe for EPDM rubber roof over most of the back of each panel and then used Dicor lap sealant over the edges of each panel. I used a tristar MPPT 60 charge controller and also have installed the panels in 3 banks so I can cut power if needed.

Even with 3 inches of ice and snow covering the panels and a dark cloudy day, This arrangement was still producing some power. around 5 amps @ 12 volts.

 

[scottyb]

Hi everyone! I did a search but finding a whole solar setup plan is proving difficult.
Picking up our new 3760EL Big Horn tomorrow morning. It currently has the residential refer and the standard 2 12v batteries/inverter/switch that come with that option. We dry camp and the residential refer was not my 1st choice but we bought it anyway.
Also buying a 3100w Champion 75537i Pure Sine small generator as support.
So I have spent the last 45 days learning about solar options. Here is what I am planning, please feel free to chime in. I am hoping for the voices of experience to correct me, if I chose a really poor option or part, or just plain forgot something obvious:
1) 1ea Magnum MS2812 2800 Watt Pure Sine inverter with 125amp charger.
2) 3ea Go Power! Overlander 160W 9.14A Solar panels (480 watts total)
3) 1ea Magnum ME-RC50 Remote Panel
4) 1ea Magnum Energy ME-BMK Battery Monitoring Kit - State Of Charge with 500 Amp Shunt
5) 6ea Trojan T-105 wired in Series and Parallel (12v - 675 ah)
6) 2/0-ish gauge welding cable short as possible to inter connect batteries and inverter. With Noalox and some decent copper terminals at the ends.
7) 3ea Noco HM426 Dual 6-volt Commercial Grade Battery boxes
8) MPPT charge controller 50a range? <<<not sure which one to get on this.
9) <<<the things I forgot>>>

Hello rsg1963. That is a pretty impressive sytem you are planning for your 5th wheel, at least on the storage and inverter side. I assume you have already planned the space required and weight involved for the 6 T-105's? I was barely able to squeeze 4 6V batteries into the Cyclone 4100 generator compartment. I no longer have the Cyclone, but i recently upgraded my current RV from 6 to 8 T-105's. In doing so, i had to totally reconstruct the battery tray and the configuration. If you can carry them, they will run your fridge. I was able to make it overnight on 6 batteries with fridge and normal TV and lighting use, just not enough reserve to make coffee in the morning. You might also look at going with 3/0 or 4/0 cables for the MS2812. It recommends 4/0 if you are more than 5' from the batteries. I am less than 5' so I am using 3/0. Are you planning to install a sub panel for your inverted / pass through loads?

 

[porthole]

Geez Scotty - that's a lot of rust for a Texas lad, I would expect that up here in the Salty Jersey State.

 

[wdk450]

Scotty:
That is really an IMPRESSIVE battery set-up. There is always somebody out there (like me) who can find a minor fault and suggest an improvement, though. I noticed that you positive systems hook-ups were on the outside edge of the battery system, and evidently, the negative battery system cables were on the inside edge. Since removing the metal frame connected negative connections is always to be done first and reconnected last (making the positive connections safe from short to metal ground) when servicing; I would think it would be more convenient to have the negative cables and connections on the outside edge, and the positive connections and cables on the inside edge.

 

[scottyb]

Geez Scotty - that's a lot of rust for a Texas lad, I would expect that up here in the Salty Jersey State.

Yessir it was. I think the previous owner would have done better with AGM's. I hope to never let the corrosion get that bad.

Bill, you are right. That thought never crossed my mind. I was just trying to keep the factory setup as closely as possible due to cable lengths. The original six batteries were 90 degrees from what they are now, but I kept the terminal orientation the same. You might notice some extra cables on the old setup. There was actually a 6V system on top of the 12V system. It used to run some halogen lighting on the low setting. Since I changed them to LED, they no longer operated on 6V, so I eliminated it. That one had me scratching my head for a while.

 

[carl.swoyer]

I use 4 group 31 agm batteries and I can program my Magnum ms2812 with the Appropriate incoming shore power and the Magnum will put a bulk charge on them. These batteries charge alot faster than the wet cells and if I'm using my generator it is pretty fast as well.

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