johnfv2 Report post Posted March 23, 2009 I'm sure quite a few of you RVer's have boned up and installed solar. How's about getting us all up to speed on the subject. Thanks for any info that may arise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttt1953@gmail.com Report post Posted March 23, 2009 I'm considering buying a single solar panel that can be plugged into the 12v outlet on the dash, to keep the chasis battery charged. Does anyone do this and what wattage panel do you use? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted March 25, 2009 We have a solar panel on the roof of our 2004 Monaco Windsor. It came factory installed so I can't comment on installation and connection issues other than to go out and scratch my head looking at the wiring. It is integrated into the circuitry of the coach and contributes to the 12V system. I would guess that it helps to keep the house batteries charged while we are driving. Monaco separated the house batteries from the alternator several years ago. The out put is about what the base draw of the coach is when everything that can be shut off is off. We get between 5 and 7 amps at 13.1V on a good sunny day. Our panel is 2 x 4 feet. We are heavy power users. Before the brakes are cool the TV is hot! I can't see any difference in our electric usage or battery life when we are parked, even when boondocking it doesn't seem to make much difference. I'm sure if we were to minimize our energy use it would be more noticeable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffreywg Report post Posted March 25, 2009 TButler With respect to your solar panel...as long as there is sunlight, your solar system is charging. I have a 100 watt system that I purchased from Camping World. They installed it to the refrigerator which is not how the manufacturer recommeded. According to the manufacturer, it should be wired directly to the house batteries. I ended up doing it myself...so much for Camping World's "lifetime Installation" guarantee. You might want to check and see how yours is wired. It is very simple to route it to the batteries. I used 10 amp wire. Your solar monitoring panel will show you how much your system is charging and, like I said, will charge as long as there is sunlight. Good luck. Jeff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnfv2 Report post Posted March 26, 2009 Doing a little research I came upon this site from 1 of our members, and additional sites from this site. It's super informative. I'm also an electric hog so I'm planning in the near future to go to about 4 or 5 panels at about 250 watt's each. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
johnfv2 Report post Posted March 26, 2009 Opp's I forgot to give the site address, which is http://www.jackdanmayer.com/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmannett Report post Posted October 10, 2010 John, I installed 440 watts on the roof of my coach. Also, I teach a solar class at some of the national and regional rallys. If you still need information on this, let me know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
