PV Gap

Ramon Said:

How to find out how many solor panels I need?

We Answered:

only use the the last 3 items, no prob.------ then use a solar heated shower(water bag on the roof).,,use propane for the fridge and cook top.,, For AC go where is cool in the summer and warm in the winter... for more answers post this in boating. same application but smarter people.

Ruben Said:

Which Charge Controller for solar project?

We Answered:

MPPT is a waste at those power levels. Generally, you will only benefit from power tracking when the array is 500w or more.

In fact, at 40w total, you might be able to get away with no charge controller - you'll be putting less than 2 amps into the battery.

Chris Said:

How to turn my 1972 Ford Champion RV into a Green Machine?

We Answered:

well wiring it up would be easy if you have a very basic understanding of dc power the hard part is making it look good after words but if you don't know anything about dc power i would go to home depot and buy a book about it they have pictures and make it very easy to understand and the best way to make it green is to but a green motor (if they make one strong enough for what you need) and then throw the biggest alternator you can find and after you do that you can put in bigger fuses because you will be making more power and it will keep the lights from dimming when you use multiple things but dont go to big because you might melt everything and then you have to re wire it all and you might have more damage than that

Darren Said:

If I plan on living in an RV park, in a 1970's model RV, what should I update to save money?

We Answered:

Old may be beautiful and classic but you take a risk with something that old. If the previous owner took well care of it you may get lucky and little may need done.

Now I would start at the top make sure the roof is good it may need a fresh coat of roof sealer paint.

Next would be the plumbing check for leaks everywhere, under the sink to under the chasis. check the condition of the holding tanks, fresh, black and grey. are the hook ups not leaking or frozen so you can dump waste? are the monitors working for the tanks. Is the water pump working?

Next would be the electricle. Does the Wireing look good, nothing altered freyed or brittle. How old is the battery, is it a deep cycle rv battery, often folks get a cheap replacement and say "New Batteries" and it could be the wrong type. You mentioned you will have access to electricle does the system have a working inverter. If it has a generator is it working do you have proof of it ever being serviced anything over 60hrs of use should have had at least one oil and air filter change. Does the fridge work if not 2 choices to be made, A regular eletric replacement energy star saver of course or an RV gas electric model. if you ever plan to boondock you will need the gas/electric.

Now you did not say if this is a trailer or motorhome. If it's a motor home and a 1970's year rig it may never need to be smoged in ca. usa. but regular maintenance is still required is there proof of all that if not have a mechanic give it the once over. Tires should have no cracks and there should be no leaks from anywhere.

Man the list could go on for days so I reccomend the Yahoo Groups and look up the RV section for more advice. I have and found a ton of it.

Kurt Said:

Can you live in an RV full time? Only one person. No hookups though in the spot I'm thinking?

We Answered:

yes

Chester Said:

Electric powered cars, what about electric powered RV's.?

We Answered:

According to Federal vehicles regulations, Electric Cars are restricted to 25 MPH speeds, and roads with 35 MPH or less speed limits.
of course this does not apply to conversion cars, or electric motorcycles. this includes 3 wheeled cars that are classified as motorcycles.
So if there were to be any electric powered R V's they would have to be conversions, and not factory produced.

Aaron Said:

If I am using a 5500 Watt Generator for RV, should I use inverter? So confused...?

We Answered:

What are your energy needs?
If you simply need power for lights and a fan, running a gen all night longs makes no sense at all. Doesn't the RV have battery powered lights as well as AC lighting? If you have a refrigerator, does it have an LP gas option? If not, that might be an option to explore and probably cheaper than running a gen in the long run.

If you need power for air conditioning then you are out of luck since these are huge power users and will probably kill a battery (using an inverter) in a very short period of time.

Running a gen is very expensive and not very efficient. We ran our house for ten days one winter when the power was out. We ran the gen 8 hours a day, 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. This kept the deep freezer (huge power hog) at an acceptable temperature and provided lighting for the evening hours. We carried water and ran a wood heater to reduce our dependence on electricity.

I would advise the same strategy for you. Determine what you really need electricity for and switch everything that you can to other forms of energy. This may allow you to downsize your generator to make it more economical to run and run it less as well.

Run as much as you can off the 12V battery at DC rather than using appliances designed for 120V and requiring the use of an inverter. It is more efficient and will allow you to use a small solar panel to help with the battery charging. When you are running the gen you should also use it to help keep your aux battery charged and a second aux battery may be justified. You might be able to use a solar panel to charge one battery and swap it out with the other when it becomes depleted.

The key is analyzing your energy needs, reducing them as much as possible, using alternative sources of energy where practical, and optimizing your use of the gen. If you think about it, this is the world's challenge as well...