R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: solar panel
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic Closedsolar panel

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message Reverse Sort Order
Dreded View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 12 May 2015
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 22
Direct Link To This Post Topic: solar panel
    Posted: 16 May 2017 at 5:47pm
I use a Go Power 120watt Folding kit Amazon Link: http://a.co/2LhCKC2 wich fits nicely under the bed(through the under mattress storage hatch).

120Watts is more than enough for a small trailer like this with LED lighting.. with my usage I use 2500Watts per week

Here is a breakdown of my daily usage(on a 2015 rpod 171):
Appliance            Time Drawing Power(Hours)   Power Draw(Watts)  Total Power Draw(daily)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Furnace              2                           30                 60
LED Light            6                           4                  24
Propane Fridge       24                          0.15               3.6
Carbon Monoxide Det. 24                          0.10               2.4
Bathroom Fan         1                           10                 10
Water Pump           0.5                         60                 30
Cell-Phone Chargers  3                           5                  15
Television           1                           45                 45
Stereo               8                           18                 144
which works out to 334watts per day of use, no matter where you live the BEST you will ever do for peak sunlight hours is 5.5hours per day so with a 120watt panel you can make 660 Watts per day assuming ideal conditions(search google for a Peak Solar Hours map)

Where I live(vancouver BC) I get 4 peak sunlight hours a day in the summer(only 1.5 in winter) so that means my 120watt will make 480Watts a day so I have some overhead to work with(wife will probably leave some lights on etc lol). so I can go all summer without charging from the Tow Vehicle.

Keep in mind when calculating your power usage even though you turn the furnace on for 10hours a day it does not draw power for 10hours a day.. in my area it would draw power for less than 2(I assumed 2)

Also worth noting is my 2x6v 210Ah Batteries would allow me to go 4.5 days without charging them at all(draining down to 40%)

as far as my zamp connector goes I use it with an adapter I made to plug in the Go Power Solar panel... be careful with this as it plugs directly to the battery(mine didn't have a fuse from factory) and the zamp connectors while an industry standard connector it is wired backwards from most other connectors of its type( i just flipped the wires at the battery)

I also use the zamp connector as an outside 12v hookup for running an LED lantern at night.

So to be clear.. on my 2015 rpod 171 the Zamp connector expects a REGULATED input
2015.5 RPOD 171
Back to Top
GlueGuy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2634
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2017 at 12:57pm
Isn't the main issue is whether the Zamp connector expects a regulated or unregulated connection?

From what I've read, the connector expects a regulated connection. IOW, there needs to be a solar controller between the panel(s) and the R-pod. If that's the case, you could use almost any MPPT solar controller that produces 12V for the battery (ies).

I'm pretty sure there is no solar controller in the R-pod itself. You could probably just put a DVM on the Zamp connector to verify that it is directly connected to the R-pod battery.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
Back to Top
burnerjohnmichael View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 14 Feb 2016
Location: 89048
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 7
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2017 at 5:35pm
No matter what type of panels you use, zamp, renergy or whatever, it's always safe to initially check the wiring between the solar panel input and the batteries. They could be wrong and have been wrong on occasion. A good way to identify if that has happened with out ringing out the wires is getting a plug-in digital LED meter that checks for the amount of voltage and won't read if the polarity is crossed. Naturally, a small multi meter is always helpful as a companion for any trip.
Back to Top
sailor323 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 11 Jun 2015
Location: S Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 281
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2017 at 3:50pm
Originally posted by rawest50

New here also. I am not sure I will ever buy a panel unless I decide to go off the grid. LOL!. I have the 179.5 2017 Rpod. What size solar panel should I buy? I see everything from 40 watt on up to 100's of watts.

Also are they very heavy?

It really depends on how much off rid camping you do.  40 watts is not very useful regardless.  100 watts will do for short off grid trips, especially if your TV can charge your battery.  100 watts will probably not allow indefinite off grid camping.  We have 280 watts worth of panel and can camp indefinitely off grid.  Water, of course, is the big limiting factor both from a supply point of view and a waste point of view
Back to Top
Pod People View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1069
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2017 at 7:37am
We use a 100w Renogy suitcase panel set and have 2 6v golf cart batteries.  the panels keep the batteries fully charged with about 4-5 hours of sun daily. even if it rains or is cloudy, the batteries will easily last 4-5 days without recharging.  If it rains /cloudy longer than 4 days, I will hook the TV to the pod and recharge if necessary.
the suitcase system is great for us.  i have it connected to a 30" cord which allows the panels to be in the sun and the pod in the shade. It is a simple system.

Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
Back to Top
SDTrialer View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 01 Apr 2017
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 29
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2017 at 5:04am
Cloudy and rain days make it impossible.  
Back to Top
Danielw1 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 01 Apr 2017
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 115
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2017 at 10:49pm
If the 80w can charge the batteries shouldn't it keep you going indefinitely?
Back to Top
SDTrialer View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 01 Apr 2017
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 29
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2017 at 8:16pm
I've got the 80 w go power portable kit.  Keeps me going for more than a week. 
Back to Top
computerfixitguy View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie


Joined: 04 Jun 2016
Location: Littleton, CO
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 91
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2017 at 6:23pm
I have a 200w.  It was one of those bewildering moments like you are having.  So I opted for the biggest one.  Its really heavy.  the 200w is 2 full size panels hinged together.   Good news.  I almost don't need batteries.   They are that big.

At the end of the day, I have 2 6v golf batteries, which last 3 days (heater at night) by themselves.  With the giant solar farm outside, they never dip in juice.   I would probably be happier with a 100w.

Derek
Back to Top
rawest50 View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Mar 2017
Location: Arkansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 440
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2017 at 2:51pm
New here also. I am not sure I will ever buy a panel unless I decide to go off the grid. LOL!. I have the 179.5 2017 Rpod. What size solar panel should I buy? I see everything from 40 watt on up to 100's of watts.

Also are they very heavy?
2017.5 RPod 179
2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler
2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab
2 Weiner dogs
Great wife puts up with my BS
❤️ Thoroughbred Racing.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz