(http://rvwithtito.com) Installation of a 128W flexible solar panel on the roof of my RV. I got these Unisolar panels on Amazon (http://amzn.to/1noAsuJ) and …
25 thoughts on “DIY RV Solar Panel Installation – Off The Grid (Part 1)”
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Tito, have you ever seen any of these types of panels in lengths under
18ft? I’m interested in lengths closer to 4 feet long and wiring them in
series.?
just wanted to know if your happy with the solar panels you installed on
your rv?
I am so solar power illiterate but what kind of things would this panel
power? Lights, coffee pot, TV? I have pretty much found out that my window
AC in my camper, is not an option for solar, which sucks on a 115 degree
Texas Summer day. What about a microwave? I have no idea which things could
be used with solar with a few batteries and maybe 2 of the shorter panels.
I’m not sure my little vintage camper is long enough for this panel.?
Yep! gota be safe. Great Vid’s I hope you keep posting these are great
REALLY GREAT the best I have seen yet. Thanks for the info.?
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You have to Learn to Build your Own Solar Panels
Go to *Google* and *Search* for:
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Choose the First Result (Skip the advertisement on top)
It is a Blog that Explains it in Details…..?
Thanks for watching. My solar setup is still a work in progress. I’m still
learning and making changes so look for future videos on the subject.
And…yes that is Vantage heading down towards Richland.
I cant wait for your update system I saw your video 2 weeks ago and you
hooked me. I have contemplated RV solar for years and now I am
reintergized. I too have decided on a Morningstar TS-45 or Blue Sky xxxx,
heavy wire, not sure if it will be MPPT or not. I mite use 24 volt panels
but still trying to find the perfect panel or panels. Thanks for a great
video.
I’ve rewired my solar since the video and it now goes straight to the
batteries and not under the bed. As far as the converter under the
bed…what can I say, it came that way. Thanks for the tip.
I just went and watched it. I am leaning towards that controller also it
seems to be very respected. I am from the dry side of WA so lots of sun.
Like your vids allot. You seem to be working on all the stuff I want to
work on thanks.
I’m not an expert, but I don’t think 80 watts is enough to fully charge
your battery bank if it’s fully depleted. You’ll still need shore power for
that. It should work well for maintaining a good charge if your batteries
are not fully drained. Of course, it depends on what you’re powering.
Follow Randacams page, lots of great learning on solar there. If you get an
MPPT and you do not plan on adding more panels… buy it within the range
you’ll experience for current. For example, I have an MPPT 30, and unless I
attach 280 watts, it is constantly remaining in “night mode” (sleep), on
very cloudy dark days – due to its minimum required one amp input. A waste
of 10 watts. with 2 panels, they are always over an amp.
Awesome job. Thanks for sharing
So it has been more than a year since you put the solar panel on the rubber
roof. Is it still secure? Are you happy with the unisolar product?
Great vid…did not know there was these on the market. Look fwd to other
vids by you. Thx
Thanks for the feedback. Lesson learned. It did appear a bit iffy, but it
seems to be charging okay. I’m considering replacing it with a BZ or Blue
Sky brand controller as soon as I can figure out which one to buy.
Thanks for the video, Solar is a great addition to RV’s and quite easy to
do. BTW looks like the Vantage area in the travel portion of your video.
Good Travels
I was look at an 80 watt solar panel for my Rv and firgured out on a full
sunny day it would only charge it 20 percent. Do you thin its worth it?
I usually go on Google maps to plan out a trip. Sometimes I use Microsoft
Streets and Trips. While driving in other states, I usually have a GPS to
keep me on track. But I don’t heavily rely on the GPS. I really just like
to know how many miles before my next turn. Nobody likes to miss a turn
when you’re 60ft long pulling a car.
Randacam is correct, He actually informed me of that, too. I didn’t believe
him at first but then i pulled it apart and sure enough it is a little 555
timer circuit pulsing the current through the worst excuse for a bucking
inductor I have ever seen. On a good note, tho, considering it is fake, you
probably wont fall into “night mode” like you constantly would have, had
you bought a real 30A MPPT – your panel is -too small- for a real 30A. But
it will do the trick, nonetheless.
Thanks buddy. I just have to finish wiring up my Trimetric battery monitor
then I’m done. We’ve been having sunny weather here in WA and it’s charging
nicely. I’ll get to that video soon. Thanks for watching.
I’m not quite sure yet. From what I can see, it seems to perform well. But
I don’t have any detailed specs to report. I have only had it in full-sun a
couple of times, but was not able to do any measuring. It did keep my
batteries at full charge though at a charge level around 13.8v. At home it
never gets full-sun exposure so it’s hard to tell.
Are you reconsidering your chose of the MTTP controller? Your reply
comments seems to suggest you are not completely happy with the MPPT
choice. Thanks for any help
How do you plan your trip and do you use a gps
I like the video and found it very helpful. I don’t comment videow often,
but this time i kinda felt the need to. I wouldn’t have put all my
electrical under my bed in the first place, but whats done is done. At this
point if I were you, i would strongly consider getting a smoke detector
inside that compartment. hell I’d get 5
By the way I posted a video about my ts-45 recently. Have you seen it? It’s
the most recent on my channel.