Portable Solar Panels for RV - What Do I Need

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Question:

Portable Solar Panels for RV. Trailer has a solar plug in receptacle. How do I determine minimum output for trickle charging RV battery when shore-line connection is not available?

asked by: Brad

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Expert Reply:

What I think you are asking is how to determine the minimum amount of energy, by way of solar panels, that you need to have available to put back in to your battery. If your goal is to simply maintain the battery while the RV is in storage unable to connect to a functioning battery charger, then I suggest the OptiMate Solar Duo Portable Solar Panel with Controller for either 10 Watts, # MA69JR or # MA56JR for 40 watts depending on the size of your battery bank. If you have a single battery approximately 100 amp hour the 10 Watt, # MA69JR is sufficient while in storage. If your battery is larger, multiple batteries or struggle to maintain full sun, then I suggest the # MA56JR for 40 watts.

For a portable unit to deploy while using the RV in effort maintain a small battery bank for lights, entertainment center and recharging personal devices such as phones and tablets, I suggest the Go Power DuraLite Portable Solar Panel with Digital Solar Controller - 100 Watt, # GP66FR. Please check out the product review video that I have attached along with some help articles.

The attached articles will help to walk you through the steps of determining how much energy you use and therefore how much you will need to restore. Figuring out how much energy you use in a day means looking at your battery and determining how charged (or not) it is. You never want to drain your lead acid battery lower than 50%, as this can damage the battery and shorten its lifespan. Once that is discovered then sizing the panels can be determined if your goal is to support harvesting energy from solar while your RV is in use.

expert reply by: Michael R

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Answer 1

Hello Doug, it sounds like you are on the right track, because the OptiMate Solar Duo Portable Solar Panel with Controller #MA56JR will work great for keeping your AGM battery charged while the trailer is in storage. Like you said it is not the…

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Answer 2

A lead acid battery will typically discharge anywhere from 3% to 20% in a month's time and will typically have a higher discharge rate during cold weather. The wattage size needed to keep your batteries charged will depend on how large of an amp…

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Answer 3

Since this is just a maintenance charge in storage you can use the OptiMate Solar Duo Portable Solar Panel with Controller #MA56JR. The solar cable is 80" long, the controller cable is 40" and then the battery clamp/ring terminal leads are…

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Answer 4

Hi Douglas, Yes, you can charge a pair 12 volt batteries wired in parallel with a 10 amp solar panel like the OptiMate Solar Duo Solar Charging System - Roof Mount #MA49JR or Portable #MA69JR. You will keep them wired in parallel and this will allow…

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Answer 5

Hey Robert, The OptiMate Solar Duo Roof Mount Solar Charging System with Controller #MA29JR doesn't have specific mounting hardware because they don't know exactly what you're going to be mounting the panel to. If mounting to the roof of…

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Answer 6

The Bright Way Solar Battery Charger part #BRW54FR is for a single battery or a single bank of batteries (12 Volt Only). If you have multiple batteries or multiple battery banks then you'd need to hook up a solar panel to each depending on your…

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Answer 7

At the end of the day, you can use any of those options (stainless steel, zinc or chrome), you just need to get a lug nut that fits the 9/16 stud. But, we do not have a chrome option that fits the 9/16 stud. Personally, I would go with the stainless…

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Answer 8

There should be no issues converting from your current setup to a wheel and tire like the #TA69VR Provider 215/75R17.5 Radial Tire w/ 17-1/2" Solid Center Wheel. The wheel will match your current bolt pattern and, assuming you have ST235/85R16…

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Answer 9

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

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Answer 10

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Answer 11

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 12

Hey Andrew! Yes, Furrion does have a Chill Cube model with a heat pump. This was actually just released for aftermarket sale. You will need a complete system to make the switch, new R32 units aren't backwards compatible with old R410A systems.…

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