diy solar

diy solar

Needed: someone to help us with system install on rv

kmbush56

kmbush56

New Member
Joined
May 14, 2021
Messages
24
Hello, we are looking for someone to help us install our solar system on our rv. We have all the parts ready to go but it is a big job. Please contact me for additional info but we really need help. Thank you, karen
 
There have been posts like this in the past. I don't think they have been successful at getting help. It's not that we mind getting our hands dirty, but installing a system that we didn't design and won't be there to maintain puts us in a difficult situation.

If you add your location you might get some interest. Otherwise, we're very good at providing reviews of designs.
 
What area are you in? What parts do you have? What are your expectations?
Without saying too much here at this point I would be very interested in helping.
PM me if you like
Dave
 
HRTKD said:
There have been posts like this in the past. I don't think they have been successful at getting help. It's not that we mind getting our hands dirty, but installing a system that we didn't design and won't be there to maintain puts us in a difficult situation.

If you add your location you might get some interest. Otherwise, we're very good at providing reviews of designs.
Click to expand...
Hi, thank you for replying. We are in Delray Beach Florida. We are pretty much following the diy camper solar system from this forum. We bought all the parts and the pdf but we are gonna need help physically and since this is our first endeavor we would like someone with experience to help us.
Karen
 
604LABSDave said:
What area are you in? What parts do you have? What are your expectations?
Without saying too much here at this point I would be very interested in helping.
PM me if you like
Dave
Click to expand...
We are in south Florida and we have all the parts listed for the diy camper solar system 24 v with 4 sock 206 amp hour batteries. The plans were from this forum.
 
kmbush56 said:
the parts listed for the diy camper solar system 24 v with 4 sock 206 amp hour batteries. The plans were from this forum.
Click to expand...
Good, i was hoping this wasn't going to be a "i bought all this stuff because it was on sale, will it work?" thread. Those are hard to watch.

Can you provide any info about your panels, how you hope to arrange them, you SCC and anything else that might be of importance (running AC or oven)?
 
Yes this is the best time of year here, except for the influx of snowbirds!!!!?

Anyways, we have 4 200 watt panels and whatever doesn’t fit on the roof of our 2022 freedom express 192rbs we want to use as shutters or somehow have them installed on the sides so we can tilt them up when not traveling. Being in Florida we will need to run ac a lot. I’m from California, born and raised conserving power and warmer so I go easy on power. Our goal is to live in the rv off grid while looking for some nice rural acreage to build an off grid home.
 
kmbush56 said:
we want to use as shutters or somehow have them installed on the sides so we can tilt them up when not traveling.
Click to expand...
Have you considered deployable "carry out" panels for whatever does not fit on the roof? The advantage is that if you park your RV in the shade (which we all do when we can), you can carry the panels out into the sun and maybe even follow the sun for maximum solar harvesting.

Getting someone to drill holes into the side of your RV might prove to be difficult. I am not sure i'd be comfortable doing that to my own RV.
 
MisterSandals said:
Have you considered deployable "carry out" panels for whatever does not fit on the roof? The advantage is that if you park your RV in the shade (which we all do when we can), you can carry the panels out into the sun and maybe even follow the sun for maximum solar harvesting.

Getting someone to drill holes into the side of your RV might prove to be difficult. I am not sure i'd be comfortable doing that to my own RV.
Click to expand...
Yeah we like that idea too.
 
604LABSDave said:
What area are you in? What parts do you have? What are your expectations?
Without saying too much here at this point I would be very interested in helping.
PM me if you like
Dave
Click to expand...
I think I pm you. Not sure if I did it correctly...
 
800 watts of solar will not be enough to charge any battery in order to run an AC through Florida summer nights for a proper good night rest.

This would be the proper path:

- remove any fans from the roof, install wall mounted fans instead
- fabricate and install C channel strut rack for solar panels that cover the ENTIRE roof
- buy 5 full size 465 watt commercial grade solar panels and install on roof
- build a 600 Ah LifePo4 battery bank with 12 x 200 A cells
- install high efficiency mini split AC with the condenser under the trailer
 
You're going to have to go to 24-volts to pull the amps from an inverter to power an RV rooftop. What BTU, 13, 500, or 15,000? I have the 15,000 on my 28-foot (overkill... yeah, but I got a deal). I have a friend in Corpus Christy who lives in a 30-foot towable, and he runs a 15,000 like mine on a 24-volt system and a 600ah bank to my 400ah. He runs his rooftop during the day with 2400 watts of solar panels making juice and switches to a 5000 BTU window unit at night which he can run all night on batteries with no problem. I'm copying his setup for mine, a 28-foot 1988 class C.
 
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