keigm Report post Posted January 20, 2018 I have a 2014 Mountain Aire all electric coach. It has 8 AGM House Batteries and a 2800 watt inverter. I’m a neophyte regarding solar and wondering about what it would take to augment my system with solar panels. Any ideas as to where to go to learn more about this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted January 20, 2018 I have 8 100 watt panels with a MPPT charge controller. In bright sun it will charge 38-40 amps. I have 6 AGMs. The brand is Renolgy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted January 20, 2018 When evaluating the cost-effectiveness, first question is how many days a year do you dry camp? For those who dry camp quite a bit, a good solar array and high end controller can pay for themselves. If you mostly stay in CG's with power, pretty much a waste of $$. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
five Report post Posted January 21, 2018 23 hours ago, Keigm said: I have a 2014 Mountain Aire all electric coach. It has 8 AGM House Batteries and a 2800 watt inverter. I’m a neophyte regarding solar and wondering about what it would take to augment my system with solar panels. Any ideas as to where to go to learn more about this? I have the same set up with batteries and inv/charger. My solar system was put in by AC, you might call Newmar, they should be able to tell you how to set it up or send you a diagram. However, as Brett noted, we are all electric and very seldom dry camp, so I don't know how much good it does. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keigm Report post Posted January 24, 2018 I do dry camp. Just curious as to what kind of expense I’m looking at. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmlaffin Report post Posted March 7, 2018 AM Solar in Eugene OR prett much sets the standard for RV solar systems, particularly for large rigs. Suggest you browse their website, lots of information. Call them and discuss how much power you need and how you want to use the system and they will offer you good advice. They sell kits that you can install yourself, or you can pay them to do the installation. They customize a kit for me and I installed it. Took 3 days but I’m very satisfied. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted March 7, 2018 I designed my own system with 8 100 watt panels wired 4 in series and the 2 sets in parallel to keep it under 100volt max on the MPPT controller. Total cost about $1200. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 7, 2018 rmlaffin. Welcome to the Forum! Nice. But, your in a CC with electric h/u, so how often and for how long at a time do you Dry Camp? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdonthego Report post Posted March 11, 2018 On 1/20/2018 at 9:29 AM, Keigm said: I have a 2014 Mountain Aire all electric coach. It has 8 AGM House Batteries and a 2800 watt inverter. I’m a neophyte regarding solar and wondering about what it would take to augment my system with solar panels. Hi Carl, My coach is all electric and I spend nearly all of my time boondocking - completely powered by solar (fulltimer). The expense to accomplish that is not insignificant but it isn't all that bad either - at least in terms of the cost of a good diesel generator and running it 4-5 hours per day, every day of the year (or close to it). However; not everyone uses their coach like I do so determining its 'value' is a very personal thing - certainly no right or wrong. I am super sensitive to noise so NOT having to listen to a generator is something I consider to be of great value. Here are a few posts I have written about solar power. http://jdfinley.com/is-solar-power-for-you/ http://jdfinley.com/payback-solar-charging-system/ If not familiar with an energy audit/budget, this might be a good place to start. http://jdfinley.com/energy-audit-watt/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
