Go Power Solar Kit for Country Coach Affinity Motorhome with Four 8D Battery Bank

Updated 04/01/2019 | Published 03/29/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Go Power Solar Extreme Charging System - 600 Watt Solar Panels - 3,000 Watt Inverter Charger

(9)

$3000.00

Go Power Solar Flex Charging System with MPPT Solar Controller - 550 Watt Solar Panels

(9)

$2395.99

Question:

I have a Class A Country Coach Affinity motorhome, it already has two 3000 watt inverters and a transfer switch, it also has a Silverleaf Total Coach System. There is also 4-8D Lifeline batteries for the coach to run on, these are independent to the 2 group 31 chassis batteries. My first question is do I need an additional inverter and transfer switch like what is in this system to add the solar charging system or are mine sufficient? Next question is which type of solar panels are these Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, or Amorphous? Next question how many panels of this size or total output amperage would it take to keep up with the battery bank on my coach in an off grid situation? Typically when traveling across country we can stop overnight and then continue the next day without power, approximately 10-12 hours without a problem. This does not include the AC.

asked by: David B

Expert Reply:

I reached out to my tech contact at Go Power and he said you won't need an additional inverter or transfer switch based on your current system. Having 6000 Watts already available won't require you to have an additional transfer switch or inverter.

The Go Power Solar Extreme Charging System - 510 Watts # 34282185 has the inverter included which you don't need. My recommendation is the Go Power Solar Flex Kit w/ Digital Controller - 550 Watts - 28.4 Amp # 34275012. This kit will give you what you need without the extras you don't. All the Go Power Solar panels are monocrystalline cells and the flex panels use laminate TPT backsheet with stainless steel grommets so you can mount them with adhesive or screws. I've attached some review videos to assist.

With your current bank running 10-12 hours, you will greatly extend your amp hours of use. If you run your AC, that would obviously diminish that quickly but you would need to monitor your use with the digital controller to help you maximize your time. What you run and how long you run it will determine the longevity, so there simply isn't enough info given for an estimate.

The best option is to monitor your use and then determine how to best manage your battery life.

expert reply by: Jason S