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Old 05-19-2018, 09:48 PM   #1
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Solar panels.

Starting to think I should get a small panel to help keep battery charged when parked a couple days.
What’s a decent one I could get without going overkill? Someone said to make sure it comes with a shut off so it won’t over charge.
What watts or voltage should I get?
Thanks
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Old 05-19-2018, 10:15 PM   #2
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Need more info...

You said "parked for a few days"... Do you mean in the driveway or at a campsite?

What battery set up do you have now? 12v, 6v.

What are your electrical needs when camping? Do you want to run the heater, A/C, or just lights and smaller power draws?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Droes View Post
Starting to think I should get a small panel to help keep battery charged when parked a couple days.
What’s a decent one I could get without going overkill? Someone said to make sure it comes with a shut off so it won’t over charge.
What watts or voltage should I get?
Thanks
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Old 05-20-2018, 12:27 AM   #3
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100 watt kit from Renogy on eBay at $270 & convert it to 2 6v golfcart deep cyxle batteries.
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Old 05-20-2018, 12:57 AM   #4
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I have a 12v 24dc now. I just want to run lights and small stuff.
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Old 05-23-2018, 03:56 PM   #5
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I camp off the grid pretty often, and I use this solar panel and charge controller:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've never run out of battery, and have been out at least a week before. You do need to watch your power usage, but as long as you're not doing anything too crazy it should be okay.

I mainly just run lights, the water pump, phone charger, and sometimes the vent fan.
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Old 05-23-2018, 04:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bensinc View Post
I camp off the grid pretty often, and I use this solar panel and charge controller:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've never run out of battery, and have been out at least a week before. You do need to watch your power usage, but as long as you're not doing anything too crazy it should be okay.

I mainly just run lights, the water pump, phone charger, and sometimes the vent fan.


Thanks
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Old 05-24-2018, 07:35 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Droes View Post
I have a 12v 24dc now. I just want to run lights and small stuff.
12v 24dc?
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Old 05-24-2018, 03:09 PM   #8
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A good condition, deep cycle/marine Group 24 battery (80AH) can run an A-frame with modest use of lights and heater (up to 5 hrs/night) for 2 nights. Using the battery for other purposes - stereo/CPAP usage will reduce the run time.

The cheapest way to double the time without charging is to add a second battery. We moved to 2 GC-2 232AH 6V Interstate golf cart batteries from Costco (total cost $150) to run our A-frame for up to 4 nights without recharging. At the end of 4 nights, we are usually ready to move to another site, or we made sure we had a powered site. And the fridge and water tank are approaching empty.

Next cheapest alternative is solar. But storage of panels while traveling, secure setup to work unattended in Colorado winds, and having to use sites with good sun exposure are negatives we didn't want to deal with. 160-200 watts of solar panel is enough to keep your A-frame batteries charged under most conditions.

A 2K generator will both recharge the batteries and run the A/C (at least on my 2014 A122 - I understand newer/HW A-frames have bigger air conditioners that need more power). However, the generator is the most expensive option, and requires hefting the generator and generator fuel. Again, more hassle than we wanted with our camping.

happy with 2 batteries and 4 nights dry camping - KISS
Fred W
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2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
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Old 05-24-2018, 03:38 PM   #9
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"Someone said to make sure it comes with a shut off so it won’t over charge."

If you buy a portable solar kit, it will come with a charge controller. If you have a Zamp solar port on your camper, be aware that Zamp reverses the polarity of their wiring compared to other manufacturers so you'll need an adapter to plug in another brand. (See the video below for more info on that.) You can also just take the cable from your portable panel and connect it directly to you battery with alligator-type clips.

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Old 05-24-2018, 07:30 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccamper View Post
12v 24dc?
as well as reply: What battery set up do you have now? 12v, 6v."

In order to answer questions properly, we need the right questions.

Is it "I just want to run lights and small stuff." or "keep battery charged when parked a couple days."

First of all, it's a 12 volt system. Even if you use two 6v golf cart batteries, it is still a 12v system. It won't ever be a 24v system. (You're in the A-Frame section, not Class A Motorhomes.)

If you just want to keep the battery topped off while parked, you can get a small panel in the 20 watt range. It will keep the battery charged enough that the smoke/gas detectors won't start beeping and it will be ready when you use it.

If you are talking about power for use while camping, think bigger and think about how much you plan to use. 100-200 watts is typical for A-Frames. Everyone starts out "just lights and small stuff" and it grows from there.

You can consider adding battery capacity then too.

You don't need to think about disconnecting the solar panel. You should always use a charge controller and that will take care of preventing overcharging the battery.

Another consideration point is whether you want permanently mounted panels, or portable ones that you set up on the ground. Advantages and disadvantages to both.

It's a big subject. Too big for one thread here. Do some research and you will come up with better questions that will get you better answers once you know what you want to do.

There is a forum dedicated to this topic here.
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Old 05-25-2018, 08:35 AM   #11
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pgandw - A couple of questions if you don't mind - Did you put your 2 six volt batteries in a box? If so which one did you use? How did you mount the set up?
I'm thinking of switching to two 6v batteries also.
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Old 05-25-2018, 10:27 AM   #12
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https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-HM426-Co.../dp/B003VAUG5A


https://allbatterysalesandservice.co...atteries-gce-g
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Old 05-28-2018, 10:22 AM   #13
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pgandw - A couple of questions if you don't mind - Did you put your 2 six volt batteries in a box? If so which one did you use? How did you mount the set up?
I'm thinking of switching to two 6v batteries also.
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. When I bought my A-frame, I had the dealer do a dual 12V battery install as part of the dealer prep. He used a commercial box for both batteries mounted behind the propane tanks, and I believe (not sure), he had to reroute the propane line under the battery box. The box wasn't really big enough for the 2 Interstate Group 24s the dealer supplied - the battery edges overlapped.

I had 5 problems with the install and original equipment, causing me to end up where I am today.

1) No shutoff switch so I was removing one of the battery cables after each trip. Because of the 12V batteries, I bought a marine dual battery switch, but I never got around to installing until the other problems. I eventually mounted it on the end of the battery box, and use it frequently.

2) Propane leaked at the pigtail connection to the A-frame piping. We could smell it, but since it was outside, the leak never set off the propane detector. Dealer fixed right away - showed me the defective union fitting.

3) Unbeknownst to me for a long time, the WFCO converter never went into trickle mode. Found this out taking voltage measurements when I had the battery problems. May or may not have contributed to the fire. Ended up replacing the WFCO with a Progressive Dynamics unit rather than getting a warranty replacement. Not sure whether the WFCO ever went into bulk mode or not - I never caught it, and only heard the WFCO cooling fan once. The PD converter works great in all 3 modes. I get barely audible capacitor squeal when the converter first turns on. The cooling fan is very quiet.

4) The single tie down strap for the dual battery box cover was inadequate for the crosswinds while towing in Eastern Colorado and Nebraska. The winds ripped the battery cover off, never to be seen again. I made a new wooden cover for the battery box - still with a single strap - which also blew away. I made a second cover of wood, with eyes for 2 bungee cords to secure it. This has worked well.

5) I eventually had an electrical fire in the battery box when I reconnected the 2 12V batteries in parallel after trying to charge them separately with a separate battery charger - the battery fuses had blown in the WFCO converter for unknown reasons. The parallel cables glowed cherry red from the current between the 2 batteries at different voltages. The heat of the cables was enough to cause the hydrogen venting out the batteries to flame. I was able to grab some lineman's pliers and cut the cables, which caused the fire to die out.

The battery tops had holes and were molten, the cables were charred and melted. The battery box was unharmed, but I was pretty shaken.

After careful measuring, I found the Costco Interstate GC-2 batteries would fit tightly in the box, and were the cheapest way to replace the batteries ($150 for the pair). I replaced the cables, and installed the cut-off switch. I also wired in a voltmeter with a switch just inside the entrance door beside the stereo.

The GC-2 batteries and the PD converter work wonderfully, and I can check battery or converter status at any time with the voltmeter.

Photos below. The battery cutoff switch photo won't display correctly.
Fred W
2014 A122 Rockwood A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
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Old 05-28-2018, 11:56 AM   #14
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Fred W - Thank you for your thorough explanation. I really appreciate it!
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