Off grid RV power: solar vs. generator

[wind drift]

So, the question I contemplate is why invest in a generator vs. a solar system for a 24 foot holiday trailer with fridge, microwave and no a/c? Can a sufficient solar system be installed for the cost of a suitable generator? If not, do the other benefits of solar offset increased cost? Looking for insights and experiences...

[Dewey Cox]

I don't think you'll run the microwave with any kind of holiday trailer solar system

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

I don't think you'll run the microwave with any kind of holiday trailer solar system

In an off grid situation, I'm happy to forego the microwave.

[vinny]

Originally Posted by wind drift

So, the question I contemplate is why invest in a generator vs. a solar system for a 24 foot holiday trailer with fridge, microwave and no a/c? Can a sufficient solar system be installed for the cost of a suitable generator? If not, do the other benefits of solar offset increased cost? Looking for insights and experiences...

3 way fridge will run off propane.

[danvan]

We have never run out of power with our solar powered camper we have a 1400w roof top unit and a small colman(costco unit) we run 2 good 6 volt batteries and can watch a movie at night with no problems but as said earler in the post no microwave and no toaster

[wind drift]

Originally Posted by vinny

3 way fridge will run off propane.

True...I wonder about furnace fan and lights for a week long hunting trip...

[D4l3k]

Depends what your power consumption is expected

If you only need a couple of lights a couple of hours a day then solar on your existing batteries is fine, get a indoor kerosene heater for heat, get some flashlights etc

If you plan to have lights on all evening and night, music going, furnace fans blowing all night etc
Then get a small generater

[Wanderingwest]

I have both. I have a 130 watt solar panel, a good solar controller, and a gas generator to run my 23' hybrid.

We started with the solar panel, and a single 12v battery. This combo did not have enough jam to keep my furnace powered through the night. We upgraded our 12 volts to twin 6 volts and let me tell you, that is the single best thing you can do to a dry camping RV!

I was able to power my furnace overnight for 4 nights straight just off solar power and the batteries when the temps dropped to -12, in a hybrid. Now mind you, the furnace was off during the day.

We still bought a generator though, and if I had to choose between the two, I would pick a generator hands down for the type of camping we do. I got the EF2000 from Yamaha, despite the fact I originally wanted a Honda. I probably could run my little AC on it, but that would be it.

I chose the Yamaha over the Honda for a couple reasons, bigger fuel tank, a fuel level gauge, a fuel shut off and it comes with the wiring to connect directly to your batteries if need be (quick charge). The Yamaha is also a little bit quieter then the Honda at low idle only, at high idle it is a little bit louder.

Either generator you cannot go wrong with.

Again, if I had to choose one, it would be the generator hands down. The solar is nice, it will keep my batteries at 100% all summer without being plugged in, but if you get a rainy weekend, cloudy days, or trees covering the panel you are hooped.

That being said, I am still happy to have the solar, and if I did have to put solar in again I would max out the total panels.

With either or, a good smart charger/ converter is required to maximize your battery life. Look for a 4 stage charger so when you do need to recharge, you can do so in a hurry.

The generator has more then enough power to run the microwave too.

[nympher]

Either way if you want to save a pile of battery power, theres a few easy ways to save piles of battery life. Replace the bulbs with leds from ebay, they use about 1/8 of the power. If you get a purcolator for coffe and do your toast on the bbq or campfire you wont even need to wire in an inverter. 2 x6v batteries will give you way more amp hours than a 12v battery as well. Get a cast iron grill that fits on the gas stove for pancakes, bacon, etc. Dry camping is pretty easy if you find alternate ways of doing things that dont burn thru battery power. I currently have a small yamaha inverter generator that i will use for an hour or 2 at dinner time every 2-3 days to top up the batteries. Just got a 100w solar panel that im hoping i wont even need the generator anymore, but it depends what kind of power you need and what changes you are willing to make.

[birdee]

100w solar 2 6v battery on the camper and no generator ,out 10 days mid sept never ran out of power.Camping with son nov long weekend fox creek had to leave heat on with fan cause wife left for weekend had to take her yappy dog.It was cold but dogs and we were warm and lots of power. x3 on converting to led done that.Hate the sound of generators.grrrrr