recommended voltage meter

[Yarome]

 

I've considered, would the Go Power! GP-PSK-120 120W Portable Folding Solar Kit with 10 Amp Solar Controller ( be a good choice for my situation?

 

They can be convenient, but just be aware that 'packaged' kits like that will generally run you 3-5 times the price to capability over stand alone components.

 

Solar might seem intimidating, but it's really nothing more than running a couple of wires here and there. Lean a panel outside someplace.. run a couple of wires to a simple controller and a couple more to your batteries. You're good.

 

You might take a read through Jack Mayer's RV Electrical and Solar pages. Even if you go with a kit setup it would still give you a much better understanding of what's going on in your rigs electrical systems.

[grennier]

Yarome, thanks for pointing this out and directing me to Jack's page.

 

I'm always up for saving some money.

[Yarome]

I'm always up for saving some money.

 

Just ball-parking it for a simple battery maintainer.. stand alone, you would be looking at around $100-$125 for a 100 watt panel, under $25 for a basic 'smart' 30amp solar controller (vs. 10 amp), and maybe another $25-$30 in wiring, connectors, and a fuse. All told.. under $200 for a system that would allow you a little growth (adding additional panels up to 30 amps) vs. $540 for a "fixed" (10 amp limit) kit system.

 

If you decide to go that route there are any number of folks around the forum that are 'extremely' solar savy and always willing to help with any questions you might have.

[KRum]

So now you have ~+$500 to spend on a solar setup!... That opens a whole new can of worms...

 

Here is my recommendation...

 

Go with a permeant roof mount system that requires no setup and storage concerns...

 

Take a look at this complete 200w kit:

http://www.renogy-store.com/200W-12V-Monocrystalline-Premium-Kit-p/kit-premium200d.htm

 

The main thing you might like about this kit is that for $35 more you can add this nifty plugin remote MT5 - Tracer battery/solar meter! It shows solar production, battery charge & usage by toggling thru the display!

 

 

 

Other nice issues:

 

This kit comes with 200W but can be expanded to 400W in the future by buying a couple more panels and series wiring setup

 

Trick: I have found that if you email Renogy with any question concerning their kits they reply back promptly and usually offer a discount if you buy - so send them an email and see what happens

 

Finally look into the 30% Federal tax credit you can file on any solar added to a second (RV) home

 

PS - I have no connection wit Renogy - But am looking to buy one of their 600w kits in the near future.

[Yarome]

This kit comes with 200W but can be expanded to 400W in the future by buying a couple more panels and series wiring setup

 

400 watts on a 20A controller....

 

With just about any "kit" you end up paying a premium for the convenience of a kit rather than actual performance. Generally, for severely under wired (20' of 12AWG for the Renogy), very sub par components, IMHO.

 

It's less than the Go Power system, but you're still looking at a 200 watt system on a 20A controller for $460 vs. adding an additional panel to the previous stand alone example for a 200 watt system on a 30A controller for under $300.

 

To each there own, but I've never see a 'kit' system that could come close to justifying their price tag.

[Kirk W]

 

Based on what I've learned here, I will purchase and learn how to use a multi-meter.

 

Regarding solar, which is something I've considered, would the Go Power! GP-PSK-120 120W Portable Folding Solar Kit with 10 Amp Solar Controller ( be a good choice for my situation?

The mulit-meter has many uses and allows you to at least have some ideas of what is causing a problem before you see an RV tech to fix things. If you practice with it before you have a problem you will find it to be very helpful. On solar, I'd not spend the money until you have traveled some with the RV to learn just how you are going to prefer to stay. If you only dry camp for one night stops and spend most longer stops where there are power and water, there will be no need for any sort of solar connections. The RV world is full of many impressive aftermarket items that have impressive literature and which do wondrous things for those who use them. But you can spend a fortune on things that many of us rarely or never use. But nobody can tell you what will be best for your situation since you don't yet know for sure what that situation is.

 

If you take a little time and use the RV for a while, trying a few of the options that you have for spending time on the road, you will quickly begin to have a feel for what style of travel you and your lady prefer. You own an RV that is already 11 years (12 model years) old and to spend a lot of money before you have developed a style of travel is in my opinion a major mistake. Unless you have very deep pockets, keep your money until you travel some in the RV and then upgrade things as you discover that you need them rather than trying to add everything any of us like before you hit the road. When I was 54 I too was studying solar systems to figure out what we would need on the road. At 57 we became fulltimers and thanks to advice from a very experienced fulltimer we were fortunate to have known, we waited and didn't add a lot to our chosen RV prior to starting to travel and we soon discovered that we were not going to use many of the neat features that I had planned to add. My advice is to slow down and test the lifestyle first as it is very easy to add those things which you find a need for but you never recover money spent on what you do not use.

[grennier]

Kirk, excellent advice on slowing down and examining my needs first. It's exactly the conclusion I was coming to based on this discussion thread.

 

I was discussing this issue with a friend last night and he's going to give me a simple setup (20w I think, possibly 50w, I don't know yet) to play with that he previously used to charge his bass boat batteries. I'm going to use this simple system to build my knowledge and assess my needs before expanding any further. And all for $0!!!

[arlipscomb]

For fixed panels don't forget to add the cost of installation by a competent and qualified professional. It is not a modification I would take on my first year.

 

To address the issues Kirk brings up, that is the reason I have a rather modest installation that is "portable" and relatively inexpensive. I know that I need a way to maintain my batteries, but do not wish to leave things plugged into the house. That requirement may be different for others. I also had a panel laying around so my only cost was the charge controller. Once I add a new panel I understand that I will have an expensive maintainer that, in a pinch, can save me a few hours of generator time on a long weekend dry camping.

 

This brings us back to the original question in a way. What do your batteries require? If you are out for a 3 day weekend unplugged, what is going on with the batteries and is the generator keeping them topped off? Get some data and go from there.

 

 

ETA: I see you have a good solution there. Good.

[Sehc]

Renogy has a good reputation among those that do use them.

[Shadow Catcher]

The only way to accurately know the SOC (state of charge) is with a battery monitor that keeps track of current going into and coming out of your battery(s) the Bogart Trimetric or a Victron https://www.victronenergy.com/battery-monitors/bmv-700 (there are others) I chose the Vectron because of its ease of setup and small size, it is in a teardrop trailer.