I am thinking of solar chargers, but I know absolutely nothing about them. I looked at 3 models today; a 13 watt, a 15 watt and a 45 watt.
1. What size do I need to recharge a trailer's 12 volt battery, cell phones, laptop, etc (not all at one time)?
2. What else do I need besides the solar charger itself?
Make sure you replace all the incandescent bulbs with LED prior to solar. Once this step is complete you won't be pulling the battery down at night from the trailer lighting. The next big draw is the heater fan. If you run the heater heavily overnight vs someone who doesn't use the heater much overnight will dictate how much panel you need. I use 2-15W briefcase panels thru a charge controller, led lights throughout, heater use very light, fantastic fan, and for 8 years it has worked flawlessly. If I was full-timing or my usage was more demanding I'd calculate the draw and go larger.
Our Trailers:
2015 19 Escape
Buying or Selling Molded FG Trailers:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale
Thanks Greg A.
Don
2015 Scamp 16'
Tow Vehicle...2013 Lincoln MKX 3.7L V-6
SW Ohio
The size of your Scamp might have a bearing on your charge needs. We switched from a 17' Casita to a 19' Scamp Fifth Wheel last year and found that we could not last as long boondocking as we had in the Casita with a 65W solar panel. (We went for a month and half off-grid on a Western Casita trip in May-June 2010 with temps down to below freezing). I believe the extra Scamp demand from the double-door refrigerator is a main factor in our case as well as the the additional water pump in the Scamp's bathroom.
I added an inexpensive 12V digital LED monitor to our Scamp to watch our battery and put that monitor (as well as the propane detector) on on/off switches to try to reduce power consumption to a minimum when we are off-grid. Also we don't use the furnace much and are conservative in our other power usage. We've been able to recharge the Scamp this year using a portable 100W solar panel with a built-in solar controller tied into the trailer via the battery. Our solar setup will get a longer trial this summer when we spend a month+ going around Lake Superior on solar. We also can use the solar panel to recharge a battery for a Minn-Kota trolling motor.
A solar controller is necessary with larger solar panels to prevent overcharging your battery, and the controller can be a separate item from the panel or built-in as in our case. Some pics of Scamp solar setup here.
I second the replacement of incandescent lights with LEDs. We installed 'super bright' warm white LED's available from an inexpensive & reliable source here on eBay.
Thanks jrpalm...just the sort of info I was looking for.
Robertsd8
Don
2015 Scamp 16'
Tow Vehicle...2013 Lincoln MKX 3.7L V-6
SW Ohio
What is a good solar charger for a group 27 battery for our 16?
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
Your Propane Detector also detects Carbon Monoxide in addition to Propane. It is a safety device which should be left on at all times. The detector draws very little current and I think it is ill advised to ever turn it off while camping. No matter how conscientious you are, it is all too easy to forget to turn the propane detector back on before you retire for the evening ( I know from experience that sometimes setting the house alarm is missed ).
How many times have you heard news reports of fires happening where batteries had been removed from the smoke detectors and people died as a result?
Turning off the Propane detector to save a minute amount of battery capacity is NOT WORTH RISKING YOUR LIFE for !!!
Safety should ALWAYS be our FIRST concern.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
ManWithAVan - Thanks for you comments as they set me to rethinking and I'll just keep the propane monitor on as you advise.
Interestingly the documentation for the detector that came with the used 2011 5'er we bought identifies the detector as a carbon monoxide detector and doesn't mention propane, but the unit itself has 'propane detector' on it; so I assume it's only a propane detector. The amp draw is only 6mA.
The documentation also says "IMPORTANT: This unit must be replaced within three years of retail purchase". I've tested the alarm following the procedures in the manual and it seems to work, but probably it should be replaced. When I do, I will probably go for a combination CO+Propane detector.
JR:
I just replaced mine this year with this model:
MTI Industries 70742WT CO/LP Gas Alarm
I wrote the Install Date right on the front of the detector with a Sharpie.
By-the-way, You are welcome.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
I have a 55 watt panel for my 13 Scamp. With the 55watt I don't worry about whether it's in full sun, facing the sun or what ever. I just set it on top of the Scamp level and let it charge the battery.
Joy A. & Olive
2001 13 Scamp "Puff"
Full-timer
2019 1500 Ram Longhorn
SOI #168
Just put nuce warn light LEDs in mine and have four left over. So if anyone wants to buy four rather than a pack of 10 like I did, let me know.
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