OK Here we go, First post for me.
I have an older ( 1996 Motorhome ) that we use a lot but don't really go camping. We are retired and to get away from hot summer heat we go north in the summer and south in the winter where it is warmer or a couple of months each. We enjoy going to Festivals and car shows and dry camp in parking lots a lot so shore power isn't usually an option.
I recently acquired a used solar package with some missing parts, It is an Eco-Worthy 1200 watt 24 volt package and is now basically it's 800 watts, the previous owner lost one panel on a trip. The panels are still available so I can replace the missing panel if necessary to bring the capacity back up to 1200 watts.
I also received 2 gel batteries with the package, I don't know if that will be enough or it will be necessary to add more.
My plan is set it up as a stand alone package that will power a 9,000 but mini split and perhaps provide a couple of USB ports for phone charging. I intend to leave the existing house battery system alone.
There's not much info. on power consumption for mini splits however as near as I can tell it uses from 300 watts to 800 watts in cooling and I would think the heating would consume about the same. Using the onboard propane tank for Heat isn't really practical, it empty's the propane tank in about 4 days. The appliances on RV's are really very Inefficient !
I'm sure we will need to some guidance on proper grounding and fusing etc.
I'm a retired HVAC contractor so I'm confident that I have the basic skills to deal with the wiring etc.
The Inverter( 2,000 watt) will likely need to be grounded to the frame of the motorhome , I'm not sure if the onboard Generator , Existing converter and Alternator on the motor will allow me to do this or not, the only connection between the two systems would be the chassis ground and solar panel grounds ? Also in the future I might want to add a second inverter to the existing house battery so I can use the 110 volt outlets when we dry camp.
It's ok to to tell me what is wrong with this idea, That's why I joined this board to get some guidance from more experienced users.
Best.
I have an older ( 1996 Motorhome ) that we use a lot but don't really go camping. We are retired and to get away from hot summer heat we go north in the summer and south in the winter where it is warmer or a couple of months each. We enjoy going to Festivals and car shows and dry camp in parking lots a lot so shore power isn't usually an option.
I recently acquired a used solar package with some missing parts, It is an Eco-Worthy 1200 watt 24 volt package and is now basically it's 800 watts, the previous owner lost one panel on a trip. The panels are still available so I can replace the missing panel if necessary to bring the capacity back up to 1200 watts.
I also received 2 gel batteries with the package, I don't know if that will be enough or it will be necessary to add more.
My plan is set it up as a stand alone package that will power a 9,000 but mini split and perhaps provide a couple of USB ports for phone charging. I intend to leave the existing house battery system alone.
There's not much info. on power consumption for mini splits however as near as I can tell it uses from 300 watts to 800 watts in cooling and I would think the heating would consume about the same. Using the onboard propane tank for Heat isn't really practical, it empty's the propane tank in about 4 days. The appliances on RV's are really very Inefficient !
I'm sure we will need to some guidance on proper grounding and fusing etc.
I'm a retired HVAC contractor so I'm confident that I have the basic skills to deal with the wiring etc.
The Inverter( 2,000 watt) will likely need to be grounded to the frame of the motorhome , I'm not sure if the onboard Generator , Existing converter and Alternator on the motor will allow me to do this or not, the only connection between the two systems would be the chassis ground and solar panel grounds ? Also in the future I might want to add a second inverter to the existing house battery so I can use the 110 volt outlets when we dry camp.
It's ok to to tell me what is wrong with this idea, That's why I joined this board to get some guidance from more experienced users.
Best.