Want to know more about RV Solar? Join us for a special webinar this Thursday, 5/28/20 at 8PM Eastern / 5PM Pacific as we host a live Q&A with Don Wilson, the “Tech Doctor” from Xantrex. We’ll be taking your questions live on the air about RV solar systems and installation.
As announced in RV Business, and currently headlined on the Xantrex home page, we’ll be hosting this webinar to share our RV solar experience with our fellow RVers. To hear us tell you what to expect in our own words, watch the short teaser video, above.
We’ll provide details about how we planned & installed our 1,300-watt Xantrex solar array, but if questions get a little too technical for us, Don will be there to go as deep into the weeds as you’d like. He’s worked in technical capacities in the automotive, RV, truck, and marine fields (and for the military) since 1989, and has extensive experience in designing and troubleshooting onboard electrical systems. He’s also an instructor at the RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) technical clinic.
We’ll be simulcasting on both our YouTube Channel and Xantrex’s Facebook page, so you can watch on whichever one you prefer using the links below. You can also post questions live, as long as you’re logged into your YouTube or Facebook account, respectively.
JOIN THE FREE WEBINAR HERE:
- RVgeeks YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/hj2Go__6o-c (visit this link in advance to set a reminder!)
- Xantrex Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Xantrex/
If you’d like to submit a question in advance, please leave it in the comments section below, and we’ll do our best to get to as many questions as possible during the broadcast. If you’re unable to join us live, you can still watch afterward at any time using the same links, above.
If you’d like to know more about our panels, you can read more about Xantrex Solar.
SHOW NOTES: Season 2, Episode 5 of The RVers will feature the two of us hosting a related segment on RV Solar (such a popular topic!). That episode will premiere on Saturday, June 13, 2020 on The Discovery Channel in the U.S. at 8AM Eastern & Pacific, 7AM Central, and 9AM Mountain time. This coming Saturday’s episode (5/30) will feature the two of us in Italy, as we talk about International RVing, followed by a great segment on RV Etiquette featuring our friends and co-hosts Tom & Cait Morton, with us as special (annoying) guests! ????
Episode 4 on June 6 will feature us with Tom & Cait discussing RVing With Friends, John & Tom talking about RV Electrical Systems, and me (Peter) with Roadmaster VP David Robinson in an RV Towing segment discussing the ways to tow a car behind a motorhome. So be sure to set your alarm, or your DVR (or both) for Saturday mornings on Discovery!
Hope to see you all on Thursday evening!
Peter & John
Recent & Related Videos:
- ☀️????⚡️ The Ultimate RV Solar System! 8 Panels, 1,300 Watts, Off-Grid Ready!
- Solar Panel Tilting — How Much Difference Does it Make?
- Solar Maximus! Optimizing the Sun When RV Boondocking
- Taping The RVers Season 2 Premiere With a Live Studio Audience!
- Bürstner Class B+ Motorhome Tour ???? — Our New Zealand Wilderness RV Rental
- We’re Back On The Discovery Channel!
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rvnonsense
Friday 29th of May 2020
Hello again,
I'd like to know if there's a solar product coming that will allow people to use their a/c's? This seems to be the biggest disadvantage to solar as I see it. To date I've only seen a video from "Wheelingit" that was done a few years ago-where they were only able to use their a/c units for about 30 or 40 minutes before the system shut down.
Thanks!
TheRVgeeks
Friday 29th of May 2020
With a large enough solar & battery array (would need too be lithium), the A/C can be run, as shown in Nikki & Jason Wynn's demonstration (which we had a a cameo role in): https://youtu.be/B0rZY5uotKI We don't use our system for A/C though. If it gets hot enough to need A/C, we go one of three routes... Go to a campground with at least 30-amp hook-ups (or preferably 50-amp if it's really hot), run the generator for a few hours during the hottest part of the day, or drive to a different part of the world where the weather is cooler. That's often not as long a drive as it might seem. There have been times when we just drove a reasonable distance up into the mountains and cooled off considerably!
CJ
Thursday 28th of May 2020
Are amorphous panels any good?
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 28th of May 2020
Hi CJ! Amorphous panels are relatively new, compared to crystalline solar cells (either mono- or poly-). They supposedly have some advantages in extreme lighting conditions (both low and high), but otherwise are significantly less efficient (per square inch). So to achieve the same output, you’d need need more of them. If you aren’t in a situation where you need their extreme lighting capabilities, you’re probably better off with more “traditional” solar options.
Ravel
Thursday 28th of May 2020
We are interested in purchasing a newer fifth wheel with a residential style refrigerator but we do periodically boondock for 3-5 days at a time. I'm pretty sure that the batteries will not last that long (along with the other demands on the batteries) so solar appears to be a good option. Most newer fifth wheel RV's seem to have a solar connector on the side, which I assume is for the purpose of charging the batteries. I would like to know what options I have without mounting solar panels on the roof. I think that I only need the solar charging capacity for the few times a year (5-6) that we boondock.
TheRVgeeks
Thursday 28th of May 2020
Thanks for the great question! We've added it into the list for this evening's webinar. We hope you can join us. https://youtu.be/hj2Go__6o-c
Vit Wallis
Tuesday 26th of May 2020
We have a 2005 Winnebago Vectra diesel with three house batteries (no real space for more either), the stock modified sine wave inverter, and no solar at this time. We installed a residential frig. a couple years ago and would like to upgrade to a true sine wave inverter, add some solar for mainly running of the frig. when dry camping and improve house battery capacity. We're retired and I'd like to hire someone to engineer and do these improvements whatever is possible on our unit. Any suggestions for us with someone near Houston, TX., or on Texas Gulf Coast? We did have Winnebago install a BIM (Battery Isolation Manager) a couple years ago to keep all our batteries charged, but that does not help with dry camping nor running of frig. We're also retired and on fixed income hence the older motor coach.
TheRVgeeks
Tuesday 26th of May 2020
Thanks for the question, Vit! We're not sure if any of us have information on local installers, but we're going to submit this to Xantrex in advance, so maybe they do. We've added it to the list for this Thursday evening's webinar, and will work to get to every question if we possibly can. Hope you can join us live, or archived, here: https://youtu.be/hj2Go__6o-c
Bud Simpson
Tuesday 26th of May 2020
Hi, guys! We're thinking about a large solar array - 2,000, 3,000w or more - on our 39 foot fifth wheel, but we're on a fixed income. Can such an installation be done in stages? Controllers, wiring, batteries and only a couple of panels to start, then max out panels when the cash becomes available? It seems like it would be okay provided there was enough capacity built into the system to begin with - sufficient cable gauge, battery capacity, etc.
JoeC
Friday 29th of May 2020
2-3kW of solar? Where are you going to put all of those panels and what are you planning on powering? Not the A/C I hope. That much solar would service 2,000 ah of battery. Where is that going to go? Please hire a qualified engineer to help you with this.
TheRVgeeks
Tuesday 26th of May 2020
Thanks for the great question, Bud! We've added it to the list for this Thursday evening's webinar, and will work to get to every question if we possibly can. Hope you can join us live, or archived, here: https://youtu.be/hj2Go__6o-c