Install Part 3
Set the alarm for 6, out by 7 to get the panel on the roof. Put the mount brackets on the night before, padded with cardboard so we don’t scratch the trailer getting it up. Dry and clean roof at mount spots, lay a bed of Dicor under the brackets, coat screws with Dicor and tie down. Just as well we started early, wind is up by the time I get two brackets attached. Check open circuit voltage, cover panel with cardboard and hook connectors together. Cardboard off, check monitor, 14.8 amps flowing to my “fully charged” battery! Not bad for 9:00 am!

Pictures at:
http://rvhappyhour.com/members/rogerfell/media/1290/

Our power consumption was quite a bit higher than we would normally use boondocking, as I was wiring the cabin for it’s solar, and the trailer was supporting tools, lights, and battery charger for the cabin until I can get another solar charging system. We had better weather today, the batteries reached full charge before 10:30 AM.

I don’t why I didn’t think of it, but I’m going to add an exterior outlet powered by the inverter. Climbing in and out of the luggage compartment is getting old very quickly!

Hello friend what about the kit? Is it working fine? Even I am looking to get one solar kit soon..

I’ve had no equipment problems. The output has dropped with the days getting shorter, as I’m at 53 degrees North latitude, the sun, even at midday, is getting quite low in the sky. By the end of Sept., we’ll be the equivalent of the Yuma area, in solar terms, on the shortest day of the year.

We spent the last week and half at the trailer, and the solar managed to keep up with our power consumption. The lowest we got was 72% charge after two overcast days, fortunately, we had two lovely days afterwards that brought the batteries back to full charge!

The first step is to figure out how much power you use in a 24 hour period, unfortunately, there’s no cheap way to do that with any accuracy. If I had to do it over, I’d install the inverter, batteries, and battery monitor first. Change out the lights for LED’s, and then see what I consumed.

We are very power frugal, and only run what equipment for as long as we need it. Water pump and hot water are turned off as even the monitor panel draws a constant load. Incandescent bulbs in the switches! Coffee is made on the stove, and then put into a thermal carafe to keep it warm. Even the inverter is only on while we are using the computers, the transformers create a phantom load if you forget to turn it off.

It’s quite the learning process, after a lifetime of cheap and unlimited electricity, some very bad habits occur. We were using between 50-60 amp hours a day, we’ve cut that back to 30 amp hours a day, and this is when using the furnace each night at temperatures close to 40 F to freezing. The same actions also conserve your propane, we were in our trailer  for 11 nights this last week and a half, and didn’t use a full 30 lb bottle of propane. We haven’t had to use the generator to top off the batteries yet, but it was getting close after a few overcast days. Probably later this month for sure.

Weather? Our tomatoes are toast, didn’t get to them in time. It’s supposed to be highs of 63 F Saturday, 72 F Sunday!