Solar Setup - Is it worth the $$$?
We are nature-lovers a little more than we are people-lovers. Not to say that we don’t enjoy the full blown campground experience from time to time, but our tastes have shifted more toward off-grid camping - hence the need for solar. My purpose of this is not to detail how to install a solar system. You can find tons of videos online of folks doing this on rigs of all shapes and sizes. I will, however, briefly explain our setup and provide links to the setup we’re using.
I purchased two types of panels. I purchased a suitcase panel from Harbor Freight for $150. For less than $350, I purchased a 100-watt Renogy solar kit from Home Depot, which includes the 30-amp Adventurer charge controller and the bluetooth monitor - more amps in case we want to add another panel to the system. Why two kinds of panels? In the event that we are ever parked under cover, whether it be trees or a sheltered campsite, I can still charge the batteries by moving my suitcase panel to a sunny location.
The Renogy kit has pretty much everything you’ll need to get started, except of course, for the battery. In terms of batteries, I couldn’t break the bank with a Lithium. After all, this is a budget operation, here. So I opted for a Renogy deep cycle AGM for $199 instead. It’s a 12v/100ah battery that provides all the juice needed to power the fan, stereo, lights, water pump and blower for the propane furnace to keep us functional for a couple days with insufficient sunlight.
As a matter of fact, we typically run our battery down to about 65%, or 12.4V, over the course of a day’s use. If we use the furnace overnight, we typically end at about 55%. With just a few morning hours of sunlight using only our roof-mounted panel, the battery will recharge to 99% and hold between 85%-95% throughout the daylight hours, until nighttime. Rinse and repeat each day. One key to this is finding a south-facing campsite that has a decent amount of sun exposure. Check the campground map for your direction and check the photos and descriptions to look at tree cover and anything else that could block direct sunlight.
For the setup, the solar panel I mounted on the roof panel closest to the battery, and neatly ran the cords, zip-tied, down the edge. I drilled a hole in the plastic storage bin, inserted a grommet and fed the wires through. The charge controller I then mounted on the back wall of the storage bin in the upper left corner, convenient to the solar panel wires. Then, another hole and grommet out of the floor of the bin where the wires from the battery could be ran. Charge controller to battery first, then solar panel to charge controller. I mounted the bluetooth monitor right beside the charge controller and connected it as well.
None of this was difficult. Just make sure you really lay the Dicor to the mounts and screw heads where your panels are drilled into the hardside. Make sure you plug everything in the proper order and you should be good.
How is the off-grid life? Is it worth the nearly 700 smacks?
Its pretty freakin’ sweet! Or EPIC, as my 6-year-old step-daughter says. The real cost savings happen in the long run with site reservations and, if applicable, electricity usage charges. We can spend two nights in a national forest for $48.00 total in the off-season. That is 50% or more savings compared to most KOA sites with 30-Amp service and water hookup in the off-season. We run our refrigerator, water heater, range and furnace on propane, so cooler or milder season boondocking is covered. Now, as for summer… I’m not sure I can live without some kind of air circulation. Because our business is busier in the hotter months, we haven’t had the opportunity to feel out the comfort levels we can achieve while boondocking in the summer heat, but don’t worry. I will be testing it out this year and you will be the first to hear about it, no matter how blissful or hellish it may be! I will also be adding a little 500w inverter I stole out of Jerry, our old Cherokee XJ, to power a small TV and charge electronics. As it turns out, keeping a kindergartner entertained with just board games and charades is more work than I bargained for…
