Ready to buy new Class B...but solar questions

[tmreeves]

I am totally committed to buying a new Class B RV, and am leaning toward one of the Thor models with the newest solar technology. The major choices seem to be a 200 vs. 400 vs. 800 Amp-hour. If I cannot find one on a lot (very limited selection in my area), then I am willing to special order what I want and then ....WAIT.

I would love to hear any experiences other members have had with the proper scaling of a system. This will be used by myself and my wife on weekend trips, or occasional week-long adventures (usually at camp sites with shore plug-ins). Are there any rules-of thumb in selecting these sizes? I'm willing to pay more for the higher amperages, but don't want to buy excess capacity that we won't use.

Thanks! Tom.

 

[Tnedator]

I've recently started looking at Class B's (as a supplement to my Class A), and one thing I would say on battery size, is a lot will depend on whether there is also a generator, or if the only source of power is batteries.

You say you usually will camp at sites with shore power. The question is when you don't, will you need air conditioning? If so, I'm not sure I'm convinced on batteries running AC for extended periods. Another factor here is whether you will be leaving a pet in the RV when you aren't there, and the need to make sure there is air conditioning, whether you are at a site with no electricity or if the camp's electric goes out (happens more than I would have expected).

Finally, on solar, specifically, from what I've read to date, most of the factory installed solar at best adds a bit of a boost to the battery, but rarely is going to fully recharge batteries during the day, if for instance they are used for air conditioning.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I am totally committed to buying a new Class B RV, and am leaning toward one of the Thor models with the newest solar technology. The major choices seem to be a 200 vs. 400 vs. 800 Amp-hour. If I cannot find one on a lot (very limited selection in my area), then I am willing to special order what I want and then ....WAIT.

I would love to hear any experiences other members have had with the proper scaling of a system. This will be used by myself and my wife on weekend trips, or occasional week-long adventures (usually at camp sites with shore plug-ins). Are there any rules-of thumb in selecting these sizes? I'm willing to pay more for the higher amperages, but don't want to buy excess capacity that we won't use.

Thanks! Tom.

How, when, where, and what???

How you will use it.
When you camp.
Climate you camp.
What you will tolerate.

Solar, and battery storage, is not boilerplate. Try to answer the above and the advice can be tailored to you!