Need Help With Solar Vendor

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   Good evening all. Just picked up my 189. Leaving for Florida from Kentucky Wednesday. Does anyone have a recommendation for where I may get solar and inverter installed. Anywhere between Kentucky and Florida is fine. I'm not on a schedule. Just retired from military and this is my first TT, and I'm not much of a handy man. Thank you for your time and help. Much appreciated.

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2wolves Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2018 Location: Kentucky Online Status: Offline Posts: 27	Topic: Need Help With Solar Vendor Posted: 07 Jan 2019 at 10:57pm
	Good evening all. Just picked up my 189. Leaving for Florida from Kentucky Wednesday. Does anyone have a recommendation for where I may get solar and inverter installed. Anywhere between Kentucky and Florida is fine. I'm not on a schedule. Just retired from military and this is my first TT, and I'm not much of a handy man. Thank you for your time and help. Much appreciated.
	2022 196 2021 Chevy Tahoe

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 7:12am
	2wolves, I don't know of any vendor/installer on that route but one piece of advice I'd have is to know what you want to have done before you go to a vendor, otherwise you're highly likely to get sold something you don't really want or need (just like any other purchase). There are any number of solar and inverter options you can consider depending on what your objectives are. Lots of good threads on those topics on this forum.
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StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 7:31am
	When you search, use the advanced search function. That way, you can change the date range used for your search. The standard search will bring up topics six months old or less. With the advanced function, you can view the older topics which are likely still relevant.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

JR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 345	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 2:38pm
	The suggestions that offgrid gave you was spot on if you are looking for a solar system figure out just what you want to run on solar and if your going to be boondocking a lot (on non-electrical hookup camping). I put in an extensive system and am patiently waiting to use our pod this spring and test out the solar system. I ordered much of the system from Northern Arizona Wind & Sun Inc. in Flagstaff Arizona and found them to be very helpful. Their email is www.solar-electric.com and phone number is 800-383-0195. If you call them they might be able to give you a line on a reputable installer along your route. Hope this helps.
	Jay 179/2019

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 3:08pm
	AZ Wind and Sun is a good company. Been around for decades doing off grid solar for remote homes and RV's. Lots of solar companies are pretty new and focus mostly on residential grid tied systems. Totally different animals. Some grid tied resi solar companies unfortunately view solar as the aluminum siding of the 21st century. High pressure sales tactics, bogus performance claims. Caveat emptor. Most people don't need a big solar system on their rPods. Lots of folks are happy with 100 watts either portable or on the roof. If you stick with a portable kit with a charge controller there really is no significant installation requirement, FR already provides a connector for it. For most people an inverter isn't really needed either, IMHO. I don't have one, I changed my TV out for a dual voltage one and run it on 12Vdc. The only other 120Vac appliances that come in a Pod are the microwave and air conditioner. Both of these are big energy hogs, although you can run a microwave on solar if you limit usage and install a big inverter. Forget about running the air conditioner on solar. So, it all depends what your objectives are.
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2wolves Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Jan 2018 Location: Kentucky Online Status: Offline Posts: 27	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 3:59pm
	Thanks to all. I would only want to run TV and heat. I had the dealer to add a second battery. The dealer told me I can't run heat without 110. I'm not sure that's true. TV not a big deal. I've also considered Mr Buddy or the Olympian option. Again thank you for responding
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JR Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 31 Aug 2018 Location: Manistee, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 345	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 4:12pm
	2wolves, the TV is a minor draw depending on how long you're going to be watching and if you're talking about electric heat that's a different matter maybe you need to consider hearting by LP gas still need electricity for the fan on the furnace and the next question is are you going to be stationary for long time periods because while your pulling your tt the tv should be charging the batteries on the tt which should take care of your tv viewing, lighting, water pump, and running the ref on gas (which needs a small amount of DC current to run). The good thing is you have to batteries hopefully deep cycle, which should give you quite a bit of DC operation. It's all up to what you want to do
	Jay 179/2019

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 4:47pm
	2wolves, if you're referring to the propane heater it draws 2A at 12Vdc when operating. 120Vac not required. I have no idea what your dealer was talking about. Forget running an electric heater on solar, its even worse than trying to run an air conditioner. So the propane heater might require say 24 amphours per day if it runs on a 50% duty cycle, which is quite a lot of runtime unless you're camping in midwinter in a cold location. If you want to run that on solar only you might need around say 100 watts for that. Add another 100 for everything else would be more than plenty. As JR says the TV is a minimal load because you won't be running it that long on a daily basis. Ditto on JR's comment that if you're moving camp fairly often you can get by with less solar because you can rely on your tow vehicle for some of the charging requirements. You might want to start with 100-120 watts and see how that works for you. If that is what you're objective is then I'd suggest forgoing an inverter and getting a dual voltage TV instead. For the life of me I don't get why FR doesn't just install a dual voltage one to start with. Its not expensive and everything else in there is 12Vdc. I got this one but there are lots of choices: https://www.amazon.com/SuperSonic-1080p-Widescreen-Compatible-22-Inch/dp/B0066AE4M8 Direct bolt up replacement for the 120V one that comes with the pod. You'd need to wire up (or have your installer wire up) a 12V cigarette lighter socket to plug it into. The next question is do you want portable or roof mount solar? There are pros and cons to each. Portable is an easier install, no holes in the roof, and you can move it into the sun, but its more at risk of theft and its another thing to have to deal with when setting up camp and to store somewhere while towing. Roof mount is pretty theft proof and you don't have to think about it, but is a more complex install, depending on what you get you end up with holes in the roof, and if you're in a shady campsite you're out of luck. Either way you'll need a battery charge controller as part of the solar package. Good news is you've already got dual batteries which are a must if you are boondocking much, especially with solar. Good luck!
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Ben Herman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 26 Apr 2018 Location: Gr Junction, CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 355	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 4:58pm
	twolves - in my opinion, portable solar is a better approach than permanently mounted on the roof; at least in my experience, I always prefer to find a site that is shaded to avoid getting blasted by the sun. I have a Renogy 100 watt suitcase-style system, it has a built-in controller and packs up into its own case. I added a 20 ft long cord so that I can move it around for best solar advantage during the day. Here's a link to the unit I have: https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-12-volt-monocrystalline-foldable-solar-suitcase-w-voyager/ I would imagine that the company could set you up with a longer cord. It's an easy plug and play system, your Rpod should have a solar-ready plug near the door. I only have a single battery and have no issues keeping up with this system - although we do not use it for TV. Like others, I would suggest getting a dual-voltage tv so that it can run off of 12 v. For heat, we rely on the furnace which is propane and battery for the fan and thermostat. Feel free to ask if you need anymore info.

lostagain Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587	Posted: 08 Jan 2019 at 5:04pm
	The dealer told you what? Maybe she was thinking of an electric space heater. We dry camp for days at a time, often using our 100W solar panel, and have plenty of power for running the furnace fan. The rest is propane. Under normal camping conditions, you should be able to keep your batteries charged with solar indefinitely unless you are using high wattage ac appliances. Your dealer probably gave you some sort of 12V battery which you may want to replace with 2 six volt batteries. As a general rule they give you more amp hours for your 12V system.
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