First summer with new Palomini 186 RBS

[PJWMSON]

Hello my first time on a forum, so here goes. A nice unit overall for the two of us. The main issue is the 12 VDC fridge. First time out we had to run our Generator on the second night, as voltage dropped below 10. Weather was very hot 30 - 35C. Provincial campgrounds limit you to 2 hours in the evening and 2 in the morning, so not a lot of time to recharge 2 6 volt ‘Wet’ batteries. Typical campground with part shade and 4-6 hrs of sun max.
If you do the numbers and consider common conditions one 200 W panel is not enough in extreme weather, and ‘wet cell’ batteries should not be drawn down more that 50%. Storage of power must also be considered. Throwing more solar panels at the problem is not the answer.
In cooler weather I can get three to fours days as long as I also get some sun. The reality is 12 volt fridges are power hungry. It is rated at 13.5 amps but runs about 7 amps and 4.0 ah’s.
I may consider upgrading to Lithium Iron, but this is expensive.
My dealer would have saved me lots of aggravation if they had given me the option of a second 200w panel right out of the gate. It was my idea to upgrade to 2-6 volt batteries, one 12 (as it comes on the lot) would be crazy.
Anyway that is my rant, and here’s to next year!
PJWMSON

[RockDodger]

If you dry camp a lot it is an annoying issue. They require a fully charged battery system to function correctly. Like you said, solar power isn't going to cut it unless you go hi-tech on power and that's expensive. We decided a while ago that we only get sites with shore power so we at least have a reliable source of energy. The fridge is definately an energy hog.

[PJWMSON]

Thanks for your comments, and yes we mostly dry camp. It will take time to find a balance and likely we will upgrade the batteries.
Not sure what we will settle on but wet cell lead batteries look like they are in the way out in any case.

PJW