baby@captaincarole.com

Thanks Brett!!

Hi Brett, Thanks you for the great info. Helped me talk to the various RV solar panel companies. I did find one thing interesting when talking to the Four Winds tech rep. He exclaimed "You're wasn't going to mount these panels on the roof was I?" I replied actually I was. He said no they should be mounted on the rooftop a/c units, of which I only have 3 not the 4 I figured I'd need. Every one else says roof mount them and use great silicon sealant and you'll have no leaks. One more thing, understand it is better to wire them in parallel for more power/efficiency? thanks, Carole

Hi Brett, This question also applies to me - new first time rig owner. Live in Denver (300 days of sunshine they say). Will be using it as a live aboard and in the winter traveling south, always trying to chase the sunshine! Form the the manuals I received I was able to figure out both furnaces are 91 watts & 51 watts respectively; TV 210 watts: my laptop maybe 50 watts; lights 10; satellite dish 30. Know the question is the microwave (1000 watts). It won't run currently off the batteries. and from the online solar calculators it looks like if I enter even a total of 30 mins a day, the calculator show me over 500 watts per day. I have 4 inhouse batteries and two chassis batteries and an inverter installed. and also a 10,000 watt generator. But my summer state park sites are without any electrical hook-ups. The rig is brand new Four Winds Montecito (43'). Admit to not understanding much about how the batteries work with the solar panels. Do they just draw energy as they need from the solar panels? Do the solar. If my microwave needs more watts than what I see on the websites for panel output, does that mean every time I need the microwave I have to start the generator? I understand I need a controller. IS there also somewhere where I can see a wiring diagram of how this all fits together - being a visual learner that would help. Thanks, Carole