Solar, internet and cabinets

[trogladyte]

Assuming a rig is prepped for solar, is it cheaper/better to buy a rig with a solar package installed already, or to buy one without it (which seems to be cheaper normally) and buy an aftermarket/manufacturer package and install afterwards? If the latter, what are some good solar systems/brands? We will be getting a 30-40' rig if that matters. Also, Lithium batteries seems to be kind of a must have upgrade for boondockers. Yes/no? Number of batteries?

We run a web design business which we'll be taking on the road with us. This requires a reliable internet connection. What equipment and service provider are people using? I can do a mobile hotspot, but I'd really like to do something more permanent than that.

As we will be fulltimers, we are concerned about storage space. Many rigs we've seen have considerable space above windows /doors. Is it possible to add cupboards/shelves in these spaces? If so, how would I attach them? I know that exterior RV walls are not like a house so I have no idea if one can just screw into them directly or if I need to locate some sort of anchoring point or use some special anchor?

Finally (for now - there will undoubtedly be further questions!!), what's everyone's thoughts on washer & dryer installs, particularly for fulltimers. I understand that, at least for water use, a separate W/D install is most efficient, and the combo unit is the least efficient. The combo also has limited load capacity. There will just be the 2 of us, so our volume will not be huge.

 

[A-Texan]

I am not a fulltimer, but I can answer a few basic parts of your questions.

FIrst, if you are trying to hang stuff on the walls you must locate a stud and don't use too long of a screw because the walls are very thin and cannot support weight themslves (I made a few small cabinets for mine and added them in to give us a little more space to place things). For example when I mounted my TV bracket the dealer actually had a sticker in place stating where to mount it to be sure it hit a stud otherwise the wall itself which is really thin could not have held it up.

Second, when it comes to solar I only have a 150 watts on my trailer (when boondocking I don't typically stay anywhere more than 24 -48 hours), so I just need enough solar to run my lights, charge the phones and all. If I need a/c I run my generator. With that being said, I installed my own solar panels and upgraded the battery to a 105 amp hour, but keep in mind if you go lithium you need to be sure the installed converter charger onboard your trailer has an option to charge lithium batteries because if it don't you risk damaging your batteries and/or causing a fire. On my trailer the small assortment of solar alone cost around $250 give or take (once both solar panels, both mppt controllers, wire extensions, heat shrink, mounting hardware and connectors were purchased). That's just for basic solar so I can run my 12 v fridge while traveling, use the lights, water pump, and propane heater when needed for a night or two without any major power draws (for example I don't use an inverter to run any major 120v appliances or electronics). I would imagine for boondocking for days on end and utilizing equipment you would likely need to charge your hotspot, laptop, etc. and you would need a lot more power (maybe Kevin will chime in, I know he has a large battery bank and inverter on his rig). If I were to do things all over again now considering the time it took to get everything perfect on the solar I would just buy a trailer with it already installed for the convenience of not having to fool around with running wires through the frame and drilling holes in the trailer.

Being such a small project I bought two different brands of solar panels, Newpowa 100 watt and Allto 50 watt (they were on sale) and they both operate at around the same rate of efficiency. For example when my battery runs down overnight a bit when the sun first hits my 50 watt solar panel it will typically allow the MPPT controller to output 2.6-3.0 amps of charging power, while the second 100 watt panel and MPPT charger will output around 7- 8 amps of charging power, so combined I have seen it output as much as 11.0 amps when the battery is low. Of course as it charges the amperage drops lower and lower until it goes into a trickle charge mode just to keep it topped off. So you can figure for every 150 watts of solar you will likely get around 11.0 amps to charge your 12 volt battery bank.

To determine how much solar you need you will need to get a rough estimate of how much energy you are using and calculate it. For example, with all your appliances on that you typically use during the day, how many amps are you pulling (you can purchase a kill-a-watt usage meter to determine how much your appliances use to keep it simple). Then use the formula below to determine how many amp hours your system will need to run everything you got and to determine how many solar panels you will need to keep your battery bank charged - Amps = Watts / Volts. Keep in mind in the winter you have less sunlight so your solar will put out less power, in the summer you have more so it will put out quite a bit more. So you will need to slightly oversize your system to keep things up in the winter.

Another example to consider is on my Home I have 11.2 KW of solar (11,200 watts) (will power my whole home with 100% free electricity during the summer practically, but some winter months won't allow me to produce enough electricity due to limited sunlight) and the panels I have on it are QCEL Q.PEAK-DUO-XL-G10.C-400 400W Modules (I don't see why some of these mid grade panels couldn't be mounted on a trailer, but they seemed a bit extreme for what I needed on my own). Also, in the winter time on the most sunny day here in Texas my home's solar system will put out about 50 kw per day, but on cloudy and rainy days may put out as little as 3kw. On the other hand, in the summer it can put out over 70kw in a single day with full sun, but on cloudy days I have seen it put out as little as 22kw. This is just something to keep in mind as you are trying to determine what size system you may need, there are many factors which may effect your power production and the time of year can cause your power production to vary quite a bit. In order to get the most solar for the best price I calculated how much I need on average and found the best size for the price, that way I am not overproducing to often, but neither am I under producing frequently.

Don't know if this helps much but that's my two cents on it.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Assuming a rig is prepped for solar, is it cheaper/better to buy a rig with a solar package installed already, or to buy one without it (which seems to be cheaper normally) and buy an aftermarket/manufacturer package and install afterwards? If the latter, what are some good solar systems/brands? We will be getting a 30-40' rig if that matters. Also, Lithium batteries seems to be kind of a must have upgrade for boondockers. Yes/no? Number of batteries?

We run a web design business which we'll be taking on the road with us. This requires a reliable internet connection. What equipment and service provider are people using? I can do a mobile hotspot, but I'd really like to do something more permanent than that.

As we will be fulltimers, we are concerned about storage space. Many rigs we've seen have considerable space above windows /doors. Is it possible to add cupboards/shelves in these spaces? If so, how would I attach them? I know that exterior RV walls are not like a house so I have no idea if one can just screw into them directly or if I need to locate some sort of anchoring point or use some special anchor?

Finally (for now - there will undoubtedly be further questions!!), what's everyone's thoughts on washer & dryer installs, particularly for fulltimers. I understand that, at least for water use, a separate W/D install is most efficient, and the combo unit is the least efficient. The combo also has limited load capacity. There will just be the 2 of us, so our volume will not be huge.

So!

I will start with storage! Most of the time it's not about no storage as much as how it's used.

Here are a few of my ways of dealing with shelving. Can you tell I am still working on it??

What you don't see is the 6 deg back slope so nothing falls out feature. Cabinets factory installed have a tendency to stay attached.

When you start adding Cabinets you change how open the space you fell in love with is lost.

Solar:

I would be inclined to forgo the pre-installed option. I feel the option is to limited and the fulltimers will be disappointed with the results. From what my history shows me is less than 500 watts of solar is simply put, a toy, without benefit. Oh did I say sales ploy to help sell rigs to unsuspecting, unknowing prospects. I fulltime and I am trying to add to my already 3000w bank of panels. Running a generator is repulsive to me!!!

You need enough battery storage to make it through a night or two, with some to spare. I discourage lithium!!! Search on this site my posts and you will gain respect for that opinion. I use hybrid lead/carbon AGMs from outback called Northstar blues.

Oh! Excuse my construction zone. I'm making Cabinet doors today.