Do you have at least one solar panel permanently mounted on your RV? Solar panels are becoming more and more popular with RVers, as more switch to boondocking to avoid crowded, expensive campgrounds.
If you’re always connected to shore power, you probably don’t have and don’t need a solar panel. If you only boondock occasionally, perhaps you have a portable solar panel kit, not one that is permanently installed. These are great for those few times a year you go boondocking!
Please tell us in the poll below if you have a permanent solar panel. If you have any questions about solar, leave a comment! There’s a good chance you’ll get it answered.
My friend has one on his Class +. It is inoperative and disconnected. No one, from the original builder to owner, understands it and its support. Not even knowledge on what it’s intended function. Perhaps as a trickle charger for house batteries? Not enough capacity to make any difference in recharging, just enough to keep the batteries level.
Total lack of documentation is a major failing when purchasing a used RV.
Have 400 watts since 2013 powering 4 Grp31 AGM batteries. Solar significantly extended battery life and keeps batteries topped up year round on my 40ft Journey.
We have 900watts of solar with (9) 100w panels. Enough to operate the residential fridge, TVs, satélite dish, interior lights and microwave for a very short time. So worth it.
My Aliner popup does, my Airstream Trailer does not, yet.
Six 100 watt, tiltable panels on our 34ft 5th wheel with a Tristar 45 amp solar charger
We have five panels totaling 700 watts on the roof of our travel trailer. They feed through a Morningstar MPPT charge controller and down to our two 6-volt batteries. Quartzsite, here we come . . .
I had a very small (10-15 watt) panel with a trickle charger sitting on the battery case on my TT to keep the one battery topped off while it was in storage, so I didn’t have to worry about coming back to a completely dead battery after it was stored for months.
Many Winnebago coaches come with a 10w panel, as my 2003 model did. It is pretty useless .. won’t even keep the batteries charged when stored.
I have 320 watts of solar installed on the roof but it represents the only thing I would change in my setup. To do it again I would purchase the same or more but as suit case units that I could setup and tilt for best alignment. Winter is fine with the setup but in the summer we of course try to stay in the shade and that is the incorrect setup for solar panels.
Had one small one on the front A/C housing, Didn’t work so I removed it when servicing the A/C and have not replaced it. Probably not large enough to do too much any way.
8 x 200 watts ( 1600 w total ) panels and 555 AH of Lithium battery.
We are not getting the polls again. We have Chrome set to allow popups from RVTravel.com, and Javascript. Is there another setting we should have on? By the way, we have a small solar panel mounted on the roof (OEM) to keep the chassis battery charged.
I always right-click the link for the poll, and select [Open Link in new Tab.] A new Chrome tab opens, on the poll page. (This is on a PC running Windows 10. Hope this is helpful…_
Just installed a lithium 100 ah battery. Hope to get 2 100 watt panels in near future.
I think getting one solar panel for an rv is a great way to promote interest in solar energy. I had 2 X 100watt panels and 2 X 6volt batteries (in series for 12 volt) and it powered all my 12volt things (lights, propane fridgerator, water pump, detectors etc.) Now that I don’t have my rv anymore my interest in solar is still going, especially by how successful my setup was with only 200 watts of panels!
Our 2005 Bounder has one solar panel, but it’s almost small enough to answer “no” on this poll. It produces enough current to be a “trickle charger” for the batteries, and that’s all.
Two 100 watt roof mount and one 160w portable solar panels. Two 100 amp hour lithium ion batteries. Supplies all our power needs except AC unless cloudy or shady for several days. We have a gas refrigerator. We really enjoy the independence of solar power.
Solar panels on top of our truck camper put weight right where we don’t want it, put holes and stress on the roof, and require parking to avoid shade. Best option (for us) is to carry two 100W panels inside the camper, and deploy them outside in best sun. A 30-foot wiring cable and quick connectors make it a fast, easy job. During short & cloudy winter days, the panels stay home and a suitcase generator makes the trip.
Yes, but it is tiny to power the CO2 detector. Certainly it is insufficient for boondocking.
I can guarantee that you do not have a CO2 detector, but I bet you do have a CO detector.
a small factory installed panel designed to keep the house batteries topped off.
I too have a small factory installed one. I discovered when I went on the roof. I need to check with the manufacture to see what it powers.
I carry my portable solar panels with a 50′ cable (and a 50′ cable lock) so I can collect the sun even when my trailer is parked in the shade and move it around during the day to maximize solar charging.
No, but I do have three 15W Battery Tender all-in-one panels that I place in the front windows of my Class A, so the batteries keep a charge, even in the dead of a Seattle winter.
I don’t know why so many people DON’T do that. There are about a dozen motor homes where I store my trailer and not one has a trickle charger. I know 1 or 2 that had to replace the batteries at the start of the camping season.
On my class B I have no propane or generator. Only solar, which powers a
12v Cruise n Comfort air conditioner, two Dometic fridges, heated floors, induction cooktop, microwave, water heater, water pump, two ceiling fans and espresso maker.
Everything is run on 400 watts of fixed rooftop residential grade panels and 420 amps of lithium batteries. (And 30 amp shore power, rarely used.)
If I had more room I’d double it, but only because my home area is the Pacific northwest. It’s more than adequate when I follow the sun.
No, however I have a 160 watt “ZAMP” carryout/foldout unit which I can move around during the day for peak efficiency.
One, supposedly, 200 watt permanently mounted panel that charges (4) deep cycle 12v batteries. It is excellent at keeping our full size refrigerator going between locations in our full-time travels in a 5th wheel. In one instance, the batteries and solar panel kept the refrigerator working for 48 hours without any shore power, although it did use up more than 50% of the batteries, in 110 degree temps in Las Vegas.
We have 2 on our roof but we haven’t the foggiest idea what to do with them or how to use them!
I have 3 permanent solar panels for 450 watts for our Shadow Cruiser. If we have propane and sunlight we don’t normally need power hook up. I stored it at a friend’s farm for two weeks and it needed nothing. We have four 95 amp hour batteries lead acid sealed and they are five years old. I hope to get many more. Next batteries are lithium for sure. We also have a 2000/3000 inverter.
We boondock at Quartzsite, and are ready to respond as disaster recovery workers for the Red Cross.