FTA solution for my RV

[freezy]

a long-term 200watt solar panel will cost around $500. You would need about 15 of them to be able to also charge batteries to cover peak load and get you through the night. (eg...A 1500watt hair dryer needs 1500watts to operate, 900 watt microwave, 230watts for a 56" dlp led tv)

That's $22,500 just in panels, you need batteries, regulators, cabling on top of that. Would you move the array yourself or just leave it static and miss a lot of good light? There are sunlight tracking motors but they need to be tied down. Or you could add more panels. Each panel is around 60" x 40" (16.66sq.ft). So 250sq.ft. or more (8ft x 32ft)

Solar isn't cheap. Only people rich enough that can afford to not worry about an electric bill can afford to put it in.

 

[wanderer189]

Hey Freezy, you can actually build the solar panels yourself, much cheaper, you can buy enough 5" solar cells to make three 62.5w (180w+ total) watt panels for around $100-125, depending on if you want them to include and send you a reverse diode and tin stripping to solder them together, you can get a bz mppt 500 watt charging controller now for around $250 which would handle around 8 home made panels @ 12volts. Wire/cabling costs could vary, depending on how you wire the system, 12/24/48v array as well as how you wire your batteries, 6/12/24/28v, etc..

You can use a 60 or 100 amp breaker box and 15 amp breakers from lowes or home depot to use for a control box for hooking the panels together. Batteries will depend on how much reserve power you desire. Deep cycle are not the best, wont last as long, but work, even golf cart batteries are a better choice. The ones I am testing with deep cycles and are 115 Amp Hours each from wally world.

Most things in travel trailer are already 12v, such as most of the lights, stereo, water pump, furnace blower and most r.v. fridges run of 110v or 12v. Mine has been replaced with full size 110v, but after initial startup, only pulls around 600w while running, Rooftop AC pulls the most at around 2000w, but I have a 8000btu window AC I can pop in at only 850w and works just as well. Mr. Coffee takes 1500w, and I can heat the trailer with one ocillating ceramic heater (900w-1500w). Not always used, but I also have thrown in the cabinets a 1500w toaster oven and 1500w 2 burner hotplate. Two 19" flat screens are 65w each.

Go to any big truck stop and you can find many 12v devices that are decent and will run cheaper on electric than 110v devices, I have a small wet/dry shop vac, slow cooker, hand held vaccuum with beater bar, don't use a hair dryer, but they are available...lol

The biggest users of the electric, just like in your home are going to be heat and ac. As far as the panels and size, by building them, you have more control of the size you want them. I'm not sure how I am going to mount use them yet. I have found a great source for R.V. solar stuff, such as roof mounts that are adjustable, portable stands, etc.

If you are interested in any of the resources I have let me know, would be happy to share them with anyone. Not sure if I can post outside links on here or not.
Many variations to all this, size and wattage of cells you buy, batteries, etc.... Mine is the pour mans version....lol

On a funny side, I spent this past summer running around my house with a 12v battery and a 2000w inverter testing everything in my home to see what I could get away with. My neighbor is intrigued by my experiments and one day I warned him I was going to try to run my full size washing machine off of my get-up. Told him I wasn't sure if one 115ah battery was going to be enough battery, so if he saw my pick-up parked at my back door with jumper cables going into my house, I would be jumping my washing machine!!!!

 

[freezy]

so how many watts of solar panels are you running? 3 watts per 5" x 5" cell approx. 3000watts would be 1500 solder joints.
How many homemade panels/batteries do you need to run 24/7 without interruption?

 

[rv1pop]

202 watt solar panels at $343 each already built and tested, in frames and wired. That is $1.70 per watt. I use propane for heat and refrigeration in the motorhomes. Future changes will be a 12v/ solar water pump for my 343 foot well, Wood stoves for heat and hot water in the buildings. I already fill a 300 gallon tank with water and use a 12 volt pump to keep the pressure near 35 - 40 #. I have 3 800 watt inverters, one 1200 watt and one 4800 watt. I have a total of 12 12 volt (or equivalent) batteries in my main battery banks with remote single (or 6V series pairs) in outbuildings. Depending on your location / sun, you may need more, but conservation is the big item. My total FTA and internet (including telephone) system at home uses 47 watts peak (ie 4amps @ 12VDC) for all the dishes, switches, router and receivers. Add the motor home intermitant use at under 25 watts (2 amp). My present big power hog is my desktop computer which runs off the inverter - inverter typical effeciancy is less that 40%, so the 300 watts of AC requires 700 watts from the battery, which is a huge 65 amps! OR 3 1/2 solar panels on a good day - which explains why I am not on the forum too often.
I also use LED lighting where I can, 4 watt LV outdoor fixtues for safety lighting that has yet to be converted to LED or that need a wider light than LEDs give.

I have seen home built solar panels but for me, that much time and energy will be better spent building fuel cells. Twenty four hour output replacing and/or charging deep cycle Golf Cart / Stacker - forklift batteries.

But this may really be OT... The question was more directly for FTA so to get back to that specific, one good solar panel (at least 130 watts) 110 AH of 12 batteries, a 12 volt TV, the smallest inverter for the receiver - unless you can find a 12v fta box. (I have used an 80 watt inverter which will also charge all our cell phones.) Note that the square wave inverters - called modified sine wave - put out about 96 volts of true power which will work most switching power supplies. Micowaves and heaters and some chargers (esp. TOOL chargers) will fail or be extremely inefficient on these inverters. So far only one FTA reciever has failed to work on the cheap inverter, and its twin worked fine.

 

[freezy]

That was wanderer189 that was trying to get off the grid. my bad.

 

[wanderer189]

Do apologize for getting side tracked!!!

 

[rv1pop]

Do apologize for getting side tracked!!!

Well for the most part, none of these are really OT. RVing is really off grid. At least I have never seen a long enough extention cord to be grid tied! Some of the "household" things we brought up may have been OT, but, hey, my property is an RV park -- only it is private. But, you are welcome to come up and stay a while as long as you are self-contained. I will help you set up / aim your dishes, or give you a port on my multiswitches!

 

[rv1pop]

Not FTA, but my daughter just bought an enegy efficient washing machine that would run off a 400 watt full sine wave inverter - it would be destroyed by a modified sine wave. I could use it in my big motor home with the right inverter. We were really suprised by how well it spins the clothes dry. They would dry on hanger or a clothes rack while we were moving.
We have not found a true KU dish that will track while driving, or locate the bird automatically when you get parked. We did try one that actually tried to work, but the dish itself waas too small. We tried a setup like is used on airplanes, but with NO success. But then, that setup was also way too expensive -- and we were only able to try to test it for about two shifts. The tech / developer said it very likely was a software problem - and Boeing would not let him spend too much time working on it! When the 787 Dreamliner is in full production, he may be able to try to get it working for FTA on the BBJ, but most buyers are happy with what is already working.
Now that is a real RV!

 

[wanderer189]

Hey rv1pop, bet that washer cost a lot of nickles!!! How large/where at??? I know a place sells a washer/dryer all in one machine but it pulls 13amps. Might have to take ya up on that invitation one of these days, I am in progress of heading to TX, just few miles from border to 40 acres of sand and mesquite trees to see what I can do with it, might work with developer their installing solar for them, will see when I get there, you are welcome to head that way if you'd like, must be self contained as well..lol

Back to FTA and KU, I know Winegard/Directv offers a KU/KA dish called a "Trav'ler" for RV's, They claim HD and DVR ready. Don't know specs on it though??? Sorry

 

[rv1pop]

Finally back to a computer/internet! The washer is a GE enegystar compliant and is nice. She got it from Sears. It is NOT a dryer, but it really has a super spin cycle. I do not remember the size but it is the largest she could find with 6 in the family.
I am in Georgia right now. No LOS from where I am parked but I may be able to set up a dish by the road. I got a slimline dish that I have a mount for, but none for the Primestar. I will not make that mistake again! The ladder mount only worked twice so far. Enough for now.
POP