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baphenatem

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About baphenatem

  • Birthday March 21

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Warren, MI
  • Interests
    Boondocking, solar power.

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  1. You have to watch it with solar "packages" lest you sell yourself short in the performance department. There are a few primary questions that you have to ask yourself before committing to a system. The first two go hand in hand, i.e. "How much solar do I need?" and "How much space do I have on the roof for it?" I usually start with the second one as it is quite often the limiting factor, especially on smaller rigs. The only way to tell is to get up on the roof of your RV and see what spaces you have available for solar modules where shading by vents, air conditioners, etc. will not be a problem. Take a look at a solar sales website, such as wwww.altestore.com and see what they have available that will fit your application. Keep in mind that you will need to use modules of the same current rating if your are going to connect them in series and use a MPPT charge controller, or use modules of the same voltage rating for parallel connections and either a PWM or MPPT charge controller. Series connected systems are less shade tolerant, but parallel connected modules will usually require larger conductors between the roof and the charge controller, which should be installed near the batteries. Another thing to consider is the cost of shipping. Small modules of up to about 180W can usually be shipped inexpensively via UPS, but larger modules will require truck freight, which can easily double the purchase price.
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