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03-18-2021, 07:34 PM
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#61
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 359
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RavensRoost
I cannot give you answer yet as it has been parked in the driveway hooked up to house power (15 amp) since we picked it up. Still provisioning it, hope that is done soon or the Amazon driver will want to be put on payroll since he is here so often..... .
To partially answer your question in a round about about way, the panels were pulling a little over an amp on a very cloudy day with the inverter (circuit) turn on with lights on, batteries were showing at 100%.
I will run an experiment and unplug from house power and see how it goes with the fridge on.
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I'm doing the exact same thing over here. I did unplug it for a couple days. I saw up to 6 amps one day, but you have to create a load to see it go up.
In my case, I have my 12v fridge to load it up with.
Everything else here same as you, plugged in to 15a outlet, Amazon trucks coming constantly.
__________________
TT - 2021 Rockwood 2608BS
TV - 2020 F-250 XLT 4WD SRW 6.2L gas
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04-10-2021, 02:37 AM
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#62
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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So we just took our new UL2606 out for it's shake down cruise dry camping. We love the trailer, but man-o-man, the power issue drove me mad. Like others here we have a DC fridge and the Go Power package with the 190w panel. We also have 2 6V AGM batteries. We don't run any electrical appliances except the fridge, moderate use of lights, and a little radio once in a while, and I was shocked to see how precarious our available energy supply was throughout the day and especially overnight. God forbid that I might have needed to run the heater!
Down the line I'll increase more storage capacity (lithium), in the mean time I want to increase the gathering capacity. I have a 100W panel form my old rig with a nice controller from Renogy that I used to hang on the trailer frame. This may be a stupid question, but would it do any harm to set that up in ADDITION to the Go Power system? I guess the alternative would be to simply change the connectors and plug it into the secondary outlet that came with the rig, but someone said that it is wired straight to the battery which I find really odd--especially since it's advertised as being part of the Go Power package.
Thank in advance for your help.
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04-10-2021, 05:52 AM
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#63
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 733
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmerced
So we just took our new UL2606 out for it's shake down cruise dry camping. We love the trailer, but man-o-man, the power issue drove me mad. Like others here we have a DC fridge and the Go Power package with the 190w panel. We also have 2 6V AGM batteries. We don't run any electrical appliances except the fridge, moderate use of lights, and a little radio once in a while, and I was shocked to see how precarious our available energy supply was throughout the day and especially overnight. God forbid that I might have needed to run the heater!
Down the line I'll increase more storage capacity (lithium), in the mean time I want to increase the gathering capacity. I have a 100W panel form my old rig with a nice controller from Renogy that I used to hang on the trailer frame. This may be a stupid question, but would it do any harm to set that up in ADDITION to the Go Power system? I guess the alternative would be to simply change the connectors and plug it into the secondary outlet that came with the rig, but someone said that it is wired straight to the battery which I find really odd--especially since it's advertised as being part of the Go Power package.
Thank in advance for your help.
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It won’t hurt it a bit to run solar two systems to charge your battery bank. I’d suggest not using the solar on the side plug though, due to the 14 awg wire the factory uses to wire it.
Having toyed with my camper a bit, it’s my opinion that for my needs, using the furnace, 12-volt fridge, lights and minimal inverter use, my two 100-ah lifepo4 batteries are a absolute minimum for 3-5 days off grid with the one 190 watt panel and cloudy skies. After that I’d need to use a generator to recharge the batteries. Another panel would certainly extend my off grid time, as would one or two more 100 ah lifepo4 batteries.
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04-10-2021, 11:10 AM
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#64
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 733
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I forgot to mention that ideally, your current 190 watt panel and your previous trailer’s panel (200 watt?) should have relatively close volt and amp specifications if you connect them to one controller. This, as I understand it, is a non-issue if you decide to use your two charge controllers and their respective solar panels to charge your battery bank.
Ok, now that I’m envious of your increased wattage capabilities, I’m going to order an HQST 200 watt panel for mine, and a second charge controller if I get the official okeedokee. Go Power wants a lot of money for their 190 panel.
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04-10-2021, 04:24 PM
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#65
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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I'm stunned at the draw down on this trailer as opposed to the 2018 Vibe that I had (and which I was so ecstatic to get rid of). My two 12v batteries and 100w panel on it were more than enough to keep me going. My two GoPro AGM butteries have a hard time staying topped off. You're right about two more batteries. I'm just going wait for the ones I have to run their course then going lithium. The mental gymnastics of figuring where I would put two more batteries has me reaching for a bottle of Makers Mark.
14awg?! A 200W panels is 16.+ amps...just a hair more than what 14awg is rated. The panel I have is 100W (I edited my original comment later), so I should be fine. Definitely upgrading to 200W however, so that's good to know. Thanks.
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04-10-2021, 05:11 PM
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#66
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 733
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmerced
I'm stunned at the draw down on this trailer as opposed to the 2018 Vibe that I had (and which I was so ecstatic to get rid of). My two 12v batteries and 100w panel on it were more than enough to keep me going. My two GoPro AGM butteries have a hard time staying topped off. You're right about two more batteries. I'm just going wait for the ones I have to run their course then going lithium. The mental gymnastics of figuring where I would put two more batteries has me reaching for a bottle of Makers Mark.
14awg?! A 200W panels is 16.+ amps...just a hair more than what 14awg is rated. The panel I have is 100W (I edited my original comment later), so I should be fine. Definitely upgrading to 200W however, so that's good to know. Thanks.
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I couldn’t be happier with my lithium batteries. Their performance is phenomenal. They just keep plugging away with no voltage drop, right down to 10%. The biggest advantage I’ve noticed is how quick they charge compared to lead acid, even just by the solar panel.
I just looked at the specs for your AGM batteries. They look really nice, especially the higher charge voltage. I’d probably try setting the charge controller to the lithium profile and monitor the charge.
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04-10-2021, 06:07 PM
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#67
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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The Go Pro controller actually has an AGM setting. Otherwise it would be anterwsting to try that (at some risk I suppose).
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04-10-2021, 06:19 PM
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#68
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 733
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I think the risk would be minimal due to your battery’s recommended charge voltage of 14.4 to 15.0. I’d probably make periodic temperature checks but at the amperage your panel would be generating, I wouldn’t expect heat to be a problem. I think it’d be worth trying.
Your batteries really have impressive numbers, much better than many of the “deep cycle” batteries I’ve researched.
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04-10-2021, 06:35 PM
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#69
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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Well then...I'll check out those stats. Maybe we"ll give it a go!
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04-10-2021, 11:38 PM
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#70
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CivEngPE
We have the 1000W inverter and haven't found it to be very limiting at all. The only thing that it can't do is run the microwave or our electric coffee maker. We just brew on the stovetop if running on batteries.
Upgrading to a 2000W inverter involves more than just swapping them out. The DC power cables to the inverter will need to be upsized to handle the increase in power. Also, the microwave isn't on the inverter AC circuit. So, if this is a driving factor, you will need to figure out how to get AC power from the inverter to the microwave as well.
Finally, for us, the (2) 190-W solar panels are just enough for our normal day-to-day loads. if we were to try running an electric coffee maker and/or microwave I'm afraid we would end up having to top up with the generator. If we needed to do that, we could just run the coffee maker when on the generator.
All in all, it just didn't seem worth it to us.
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I'm with you on that: a French press is great! We only have one 190 panel upon the roof with two 6V AGM batteries. I get frustrated that the batteries are topped of by evening. Between lights, a little music and a DC fridge, I concerned I might run short on power for the heater on a cold night. After reading these comments and talking a little with folks, I'm just going to add another panel with the side power port and quit worrying about it.
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04-11-2021, 10:55 AM
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#71
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 83
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This is a terrific thread. I am awaiting delivery of a 2021 Rockwood Roo with the factory solar package. I would really rather not buy a generator and I am still toying with how best to keep the batteries charged. I’ll either plug a portable panel into the side port, or possibly spring for a solar generator like a Jackery just for peace of mind.
Please keep the real world experience is coming in!
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04-11-2021, 11:23 AM
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#72
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: North of Seattle, WA
Posts: 17,330
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robcrawford
This is a terrific thread. I am awaiting delivery of a 2021 Rockwood Roo with the factory solar package. I would really rather not buy a generator and I am still toying with how best to keep the batteries charged. I’ll either plug a portable panel into the side port, or possibly spring for a solar generator like a Jackery just for peace of mind.
Please keep the real world experience is coming in!
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Anything "solar", be it panels or a solar generator (solar panels, battery, inverter, in one package) relies on SUN for power. Sun is sometimes in short supply so a generator is almost an essential if you camp off grid for any length of time. As an example, I spend 4 days on the East side of our state boondocking. It only takes a couple overcast days to get you to the bottom of your battery bank as there isn't enough solar output to even keep up with consumption.
That said, you don't need a huge generator to charge batteries. The smallest of Inverter type generators will provide enough to power a converter charger that draws from 1,000 watts to 1500 watts depending on size.
The term "generator" as used by Jackery and others is misleading. They are merely solar powered storage devices. Without sun they are just a battery that goes dead if not charged.
__________________
"A wise man can change his mind. A fool never will." (Japanese Proverb)
"You only grow old when you run out of new things to do"
2018 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BDS
2023 f-150 SCREW XLT 3.5 Ecoboost (The result of a $68,000 oil change )
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04-11-2021, 01:45 PM
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#73
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,775
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robcrawford
This is a terrific thread. I am awaiting delivery of a 2021 Rockwood Roo with the factory solar package. I would really rather not buy a generator and I am still toying with how best to keep the batteries charged. I’ll either plug a portable panel into the side port, or possibly spring for a solar generator like a Jackery just for peace of mind.
Please keep the real world experience is coming in!
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If you don't plan on running the a/c or microwave, you might be fine with an adequate solar system and not need an inverter generator.
We prefer to carry a generator because we often dry camp in wooded campgrounds.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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04-11-2021, 10:51 PM
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#74
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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I've camped several years w/o a generator using just my 100w solar panel and two 12 v batteries, but have been fortunate. I'll be buying someone small just to top off my batteries. Any place hot enough to make me run our AC w/o being plugged in is a place I don't need to be.
another thought...a lot of us have that Go Power rooftop panel. Remember that typically we're all looking for that piece of shade. A secondary panel on the ground with a 20-30 foot run of wire is advisable.
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04-12-2021, 08:41 AM
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#75
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanMike
The term "generator" as used by Jackery and others is misleading. They are merely solar powered storage devices. Without sun they are just a battery that goes dead if not charged.
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I totally get that. Really just need something to keep the trailer batteries topped off, be it an additional battery bank, solar, etc.
We are former tent campers who don’t use a lot of electricity. But I’m concerned about the 12v fridge that is included in the TT. But who knows... now that we have the bells and whistles, we might be tempted to use them even when off-grid.
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04-12-2021, 08:43 AM
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#76
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 83
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmerced
Any place hot enough to make me run our AC w/o being plugged in is a place I don't need to be.
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04-12-2021, 06:06 PM
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#77
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 13
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Hey Rob...
A couple things just came:
1) I just took a look at my rooftop panel...it was FILTHY! Stupid me. When I picked it up form the dealership, I just assumed they had cleaned it. Tomorrow I'll see how much difference that makes.
2) I just spoke with Go Power (very easy to reach). If you have that Go Power connector on the side, to use it you'll need to add an external controller apart from the one Rockwood supplied It doesn't matter inside your trailer. I'm just going to plug in with my Renogy stuff from my last trailer.
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04-20-2021, 12:39 AM
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#78
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnmurr
My unit took 4 months to come in.
I priced out a matching solar panel from the dealer, but with installation, etc. it was too price (like $700). So, I bought a 175 W Renogy panel for $200 and I'll install it myself.
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Hey John, if you haven't already installed this, would you please document it for us and share to this thread or a new one?
Thank you!
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04-20-2021, 08:55 AM
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#79
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Boomerang camper
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: FL
Posts: 23
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190W solar is a "Starter" kit
I have a G19FD on order and will upgrade the solar immediately following delivery (~mid-June). The cost to add a second panel is cheap ~$250 with all hardware and cabling. The matching Go Power panels are insanely priced. so I purchased a Rich Solar (CA company) 200W panel rated for 9.8A peak charge current. The junction box blocking diodes will prevent panel-to-panel current flow, so there is no concern about using mixed brand panels. This will boost my peak charge current to ~20A, well within the existing 30A Charge controller rating. I also have a 100AH LiFePO4 battery waiting. I expect the extra panel to double my useful energy availability and possibly permit 3-4 days boondocking.
I will report my results after I have the system operational for anyone interested. I intend to test the LiFePO4 capacity as well. It is a Scream Power unit that I purchased for $490 from Amazon. I'm a retired Electrical Engineer, so this camper and solar upgrades are doubling my pleasure in getting back into camping.
Stay tuned.
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04-20-2021, 09:14 AM
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#80
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 4,553
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slbroug74
… The matching Go Power panels are insanely priced. so I purchased a Rich Solar (CA company) 200W panel rated for 9.8A peak charge current. ….
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Does the Rich Solar panel match the specs of the Go Power panel?
__________________
TV: 2021 Ford F-150 4WD XLT Crew w/ 3.5L EB & HDPP, payload: 2,416#.
RV: 2020 Rockwood Mini-Lite 2507S, Propride 3P hitch w/ 1400# spring bars
Camping nights: 2021, 52; 2022, 99; 2023, 88; 2024, TBD (Est: 80+)
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