How much solar do you need to......

OnNTwo · 05-30-2021, 05:56 PM

I have a winnebago view 24D 2020. It has the standard number of solar panels (2?) and 2 AGM house batteries with a 2000 watt inverter from the factory.

I wish to have only enough solar panels and storage batteries to run all power in the coach including cooking and AC for one full day in the Texas heat in the summer what would I need to add to my current rig?

Thanks.

Mtn Charlie · 05-30-2021, 07:42 PM

You can't add enough solar to the roof of an RV to run the AC in Texas, in the summer.

09busaman · 05-31-2021, 06:58 AM

You are also looking at a substantial battery bank. I am still researching, learning, and reading about solar systems. You will need to determine load, size an inverter, size a battery bank, and size the solar panel installation.

BobC · 05-31-2021, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mtn Charlie

You can't add enough solar to the roof of an RV to run the AC in Texas, in the summer.

It's possible, but is it practical? Here are some links for you to check out. There are a lot of variables but the few I looked at mention 1600W - 1800 W of solar panels. there are also conflicting priorities. You'll want to park in the shade to reduce your cooling requirements but that will reduce your solar capacity, etc:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sola...fOIBzwQ4dUDCA4

Marine359 · 05-31-2021, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnNTwo

I have a winnebago view 24D 2020. It has the standard number of solar panels (2?) and 2 AGM house batteries with a 2000 watt inverter from the factory.

I wish to have only enough solar panels and storage batteries to run all power in the coach including cooking and AC for one full day.

You don’t have enough room on the roof of your view for the pv needed. With a larger motorhome or TT, I’m reading that a mini-split can be run off 1,600w pv. Major project, and expensive. IMHO it could never pay for itself based on generator run-time savings, unless you’re always in the desert.

Will Prowse knows solar. This vid on solar ac:
https://youtu.be/2Qh14pX3IxA

**creativepart** · 05-31-2021, 11:51 AM

As others said... not going to happen. What you have is adequate for over night stops without shore power NOT including running the A/C at all.

Your RV requires running the generator to have any A/C.

Keep in mind that microwave use is likely possible for 30-sec but even that is hit and miss. We always start the generator before starting the microwave..

A very large dollar investment in more battery storage, probably LiPo, a bigger inverter and towing a trailer full of solar panels “might” get you 5 or 6 hours of A/C... might! Cost? Maybe $15,000?

Running the generator may be noisy but it’s already installed and cheap to run.

Pianotuna · 06-06-2021, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnNTwo

I have a winnebago view 24D 2020. It has the standard number of solar panels (2?) and 2 AGM house batteries with a 2000 watt inverter from the factory.

I wish to have only enough solar panels and storage batteries to run all power in the coach including cooking and AC for one full day in the Texas heat in the summer what would I need to add to my current rig?

Thanks.

https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

MotoMac · 06-06-2021, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnNTwo

I have a winnebago view 24D 2020. It has the standard number of solar panels (2?) and 2 AGM house batteries with a 2000 watt inverter from the factory.

I wish to have only enough solar panels and storage batteries to run all power in the coach including cooking and AC for one full day in the Texas heat in the summer what would I need to add to my current rig?

Thanks.

Has anyone tried adapting a 'swamp cooler' for use on a RV? The only power consumption would be a fan and a small water pump. It isn't a complex machine at all...

It might be worth looking into if the majority of camping time is in arid surroundings.

imnprsd · 06-06-2021, 10:14 PM

OnNTwo: If you can put 400W of solar on your roof... And if these panels with a MNPT Solar Controller can generate 20A/hour or 80A/day, which is possible on sunny days...

...And if you install a 8A portable 8,000 BTU AC like I did, and you add a separate power grid complete with.....

* 100AH of LiFeO4 batteries

* A separate 1200W PSW inverter (from a reputable company)

* And install DC-to-DC converter so you alternator can charge your separate LiFeO4 battery bank

* And you add a Victron battery charger for days when you have shore power...

...Then I think maybe able to get by all day in the sun for more than just 1 day.

Note: Texas has two or three kinds of heat. Are you talking about Texas dry heat as in you want to go to Lake Travis; or are you talking about Texas humid heat as in you want to camp on the beach in Port Aransas?

I ask, because 8,000 BTU will not be enough IMO in Texas humid heat, but it will take the edge off in a smaller RV.

Can you hide a 14Dx27.5Tx13W portable AC in one of your cabinets... and cut a hole in your side wall?

This is what I did, but I have a 40' DP. ...But it's working great. Plus I'm not loosing any efficiency due to a hot air exhaust port is only 9" long and very straight. If fact, this upgrade has worked out so well it is now my now my primary AC until the OAT reaches 85F. Then I also turn on my other ACs that came with the coach.

So keep us posted if you decide to build a separate power grid and dedicate it to running a portable AC. This seems more logical if you can find room for all these items.

For more information you can go to this thread:

I ADDED A 8,000 BTU Portable AC To My 2004 Itasca Horizon 40AD
https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...ad-360836.html

BobC · 06-07-2021, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MotoMac

Has anyone tried adapting a 'swamp cooler' for use on a RV? The only power consumption would be a fan and a small water pump. It isn't a complex machine at all...

It might be worth looking into if the majority of camping time is in arid surroundings.

I don't have any experience with them but they do exist at least in a portable configuration:

https://rvshare.com/blog/best-rv-swamp-coolers/

imnprsd · 06-07-2021, 11:39 AM

Swamp coolers only work in very dry climates.

Why?

Swamp coolers add more humidity to the air. So, if it's already humid outside then a swamp cooler is useless.

In Arizona, New Mexico, and the Baja swamp coolers work quite well and use less electricity (amps).

A dehumidifier works so-so to take humidity out of the air, but it uses almost as much electricity as a portable AC machine and makes just as much noise. So why do people buy them? ...The cost is cheaper. Or in sever humid climates a dehumidifier and a AC may be used together so the circuit breaker does not blow.

Marine359 · 06-07-2021, 12:03 PM

Swamp coolers cool by adding humidity into the treated space. If you don’t get rid of that humidity, it will start to condense on the inside of your RV. It won’t take long before things start to smell bad, and molds and mildew start to grow. My dad who lived in Tucson had one. He had to open roof vent and turn on fan to evacuate the moist air. Eventually he had to stop using the cooler due to increased incidence of respiratory problems.

Elkman · 06-08-2021, 01:28 PM

The few times we have felt the need to run the AC we have stayed at a campground where there were electrical hookups. Running the generator all night was not an option as most places have a curfew and we would not want the noise for ourselves or anyone around us during the night.

I have the 2021 Navion and added 290 Watts of solar which maxed out the available space on the roof and the cheap Zamp solar kit that Winnebago installs on these motorhomes. I also changed out the lead acid batteries for two 125AH lithium phosphate batteries which can be discharged to a far greater extent and which will recharge 3 times as fast. The solar and battery upgrade was done to help mitigate the problems with the 1-way fridge in these motorhomes.