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Old 06-19-2020, 08:32 PM   #38
Chance
Senior Member
 
Brand: Still Looking
State: Texas
Posts: 6,187
THOR #2121
Quote:
Originally Posted by Long & Winding road View Post
I agree..... most of us dont "need solar".... We just "Want it".

I have NOT installed solar ... yet... but it still on my short list. We do a lot of day trips. Might stay parked 6 + hours at a trail head (Mtn biking) or local lake front in off season .... Plus we will work several hours a day on the road while traveling. So I find solar would help sometime so I would not have to use the Genny as much or at all (if not too hot outside).

Plus my Frig. is setup on my inverter now so its nice to run it on 12 v instead of propane while on the road. So if the engine is not running the frig will pull my 2 agm batteries down pretty quickly when stopped. Sometimes I forget to turn the propane back on and turn the inverter off etc.

I don’t want solar or “anything” unless it serves a real purpose or meets a need. I’m a believer in less-is-more as long as my needs are met. As a great man said, make it as simple as possible and no simpler.

If I stop to ride for a few hours, my batteries won’t go dead without solar during that short a period, and will recharge while I drive afterwards or at campground with hookups. Solar just adds more stuff on roof that I could do without. If I needed more juice, I’d add an extra battery before I’d add solar. Solar is great for boondocking multiple days in a row without driving, but we’ve never done that or have plans to do so. If some day that changes, I’d consider solar then.

Regarding your fridge, I certainly hope my next motorhome will have a 12V (or 48V) modern compressor fridge. I do not want another propane absorption fridge. I know for those boondocking for days at a time propane fridge makes sense, but that’s not us. For our type of travel/touring and camping, electric compressor fridge makes much more sense to me. I do want an efficient one though, not something designed for a house.

Also keep in mind that as alternators and batteries become more and more powerful, it makes solar less of a need for those that drive daily (unless they are in campground on shore power, in which case they don’t need solar anyway). Some high-capacity alternators can produce much more energy in an hour of driving than most solar systems in a 24-hour period. Granted, batteries must be able to accept fast charge rate, and that’s not always the case.

As usual, Devil's in the details.
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