Are you attempting to determine between Solar vs Generator on your RV? We have been residing in, and touring the nation in, our Fifth Wheel RV for over a 12 months now. Like most of us, a part of our journey plan was to get distant from everybody and out into the uncharted wilderness. This brings its personal challenges on your everyday RV Living, like water administration, waste water, showering and even simply conserving your batteries charged.
The age outdated query of can we go together with RV Solar or a Generator is one which we couldn’t reply both, so we acquired each and have been testing residing everyday on one or the opposite. We are going to go over the nitty gritty of each choices with among the issues we now have realized alongside the way in which so that you may be higher knowledgeable when attempting to make the identical determination.
What’s In Our RV
This is a key part to this check, because the issues you might be powering will make a distinction during which system will give you the results you want, so I’m going to provide you a fast run down on what we now have, so you may regulate our findings to fit your setup.
We are touring in a Montana 381TH (take a stroll by tour of our RV right here) that has Two AC Units on the roof, that we now have added the MicroAir straightforward begin’s to (Link to Installation Video), which can permit you to run Two AC Units on 30 amp service by avoiding the large energy spike once they first kick on.
We even have a Samsung Residential RV Fridge, which runs off a 1500 Watt energy inverter when we’re not plugged in at a campground, and in response to the Info Sticker on it, it makes use of 360 Watts of energy when it’s working.
We selected to go together with an off the shelf cheap possibility for each our RV Generator and our RV Solar setup with a purpose to make it an ‘Everyone Test‘ that might truly be one thing all of us might be contemplating, reasonably than a generator that would energy a small metropolis and a very customized RV Solar setup.
The RV Generator – $800 at time of buy
Based solely off of value compared to different fashions out there to buy at generally out there large field shops, we went with the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 Super Quiet Inverter Generator. The fundamentals on this unit are that it maxes out at 25 Amps of energy, has every part you must hearth it proper up and plug it in to your RV’s 30 amp plug (or adapter) besides the quart of oil you must fill the crankcase beforehand.
The RV Solar – $500 at time of buy
Based solely off of being an all inclusive equipment, available by a single click on on Amazon, we went with the Renogy 400 Watt RV Solar Kit. The primary on this equipment are that it comes with Four 100 Watt photo voltaic panels, the wiring, a 40 amp cost controller, and all wanted {hardware} to put in it.
As far as being price range pleasant the Renogy RV Solar Kit was already within the lead with a 30% head begin out of the gate. Doing a bit deeper of a dive into the set up, we did must additionally buy roof sealant, a caulk gun, and a wire cross by to get the cables down by the roof in a water tight style. Still, a win for the Renogy RV Solar equipment on the Budget class.
Initial Setup
The Generator – Less than 10 minutes to prime off the oil within the crank case, and hearth it up for the primary time.
The RV Solar – Full day of set up earlier than it was producing any energy in any respect. (Link to Installation Video)
In the Time Until Useable class the win solidly goes to the Predator 3500.
Daily Cost Of Use
The Generator – 2.5 Gallons of fuel per 11 hours of run time at a 25% load. Average value of $3.86 per gallon X 2.5 Gallons = $9.65 per 11 half day (day gentle hours)
The RV Solar – $0.00 per half day (day gentle hours)
Cost Of Use win goes to the RV Solar Kit.
Annoying Neighbor Factor – Sound Level
The Generator – While it’s truly Super Quiet so far as turbines go, it does nonetheless produce a sound degree when working, so if you’re in shut proximity to different campers there will probably be an annoyance issue.
The RV Solar – No sound produced. No annoyance issue.
Sound Level win goes to the RV Solar
What Can I Actually Run – Power Factor
The Generator – The Predator 3500 will energy your whole RV, in addition to run your battery charger to maintain your batteries full. Without any extra equipment you may cost your batteries, in addition to run a microwave, TV, followers, and an AC unit.
The RV Solar – The Renogy RV Solar Kit will solely energy the cost controller and preserve your batteries charged. Without any extra equipment you may cost your batteries, in addition to run something that solely makes use of 12 Volt energy, like your RV Lights, a typical RV 12V/Propane fridge and so forth.
Power Factor win goes to the Generator
Now this check was to match the 2 techniques solely on conserving your batteries charged, with an off the shelf system. The Generator does price extra, does have a day by day utilization price, and provides extra weight to your rig than the RV Solar system. The reality you could run 120 Volt home equipment with it’s a bonus win for the generator.
Things To Consider Before Buying
1 – If there are quiet hours the place you might be tenting, often 10pm to 7am that we now have seen, neither system will probably be offering energy at night time. The RV Solar system will begin to produce much less and fewer energy about 2 hours earlier than sunset till the solar units, and won’t produce energy in an considerable quantity till about 2 hours after dawn.
2 – With both system, there will probably be an over night time draw in your batteries. If the facility draw in your batteries is larger than the quantity of saved energy in your batteries, or greater than half the Amp Hours on commonplace deep cycle batteries that are available most RV’s, you’ll not make it by the night time till you’ll be able to cost them once more with the system you select.
3 – What sort of RV’er are you?
This goes to play an necessary consider your determination making course of when buying one system or the opposite. If you might be like me and wish that espresso pot fired up at 7:01 as a result of the percolator over the camp hearth simply isn’t going to chop it, I’d lean in the direction of the Generator
If you don’t thoughts the percolator, and are simply seeking to preserve the low battery alarm from going off earlier than the solar rises within the morning, I’d lean in the direction of the RV Solar Kit.
4 – Side Notes
After residing on the highway for over a 12 months now I can say that your alternative of batteries goes to play a pivotal position in your everyday complications, with both system you select, however extra so with the RV Solar Kit.
The commonplace deep cycle batteries that include your RV are rated in Amp Hours. If you may have a 200 Amp Hour Battery, and are utilizing 10 Amps an hour, your battery will final for 20 hours. The Caveat to that is you could solely discharge a Standard Deep Cycle to a most of fifty%. So that 200 amp hour battery that in response to the maths will final 20 hours, is barely going to make it a Max of 10, and can have much less and fewer pressure behind it because the night time goes on. Think of it like one in every of your children toys who’s batteries are dying, sure it nonetheless works, nevertheless it goes slower and slower the nearer to lifeless they get.
If you substitute the usual deep cycle’s you may have with the identical measurement and amp hour ranking Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePo4) you’ll get a constant energy till it’s lifeless, and you’ll discharge it to 90% with out damaging the battery. They do price significantly extra on the entrance finish, however final between 3 and 10 occasions longer than their lead acid counterparts.
With the LifePo4 batteries you gained’t NEED to fireplace the generator up at 7:00 on the dot to keep away from the battery alarms going off, like we did our first attempt at boondocking, and be that annoying neighbor who woke everybody up on a Saturday morning. Likewise with the RV Solar Kit you gained’t be staring on the horizon hoping the solar will rise sooner immediately than yesterday as a result of the toilet gentle is so dim you may’t even discover the bathroom.