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Old 12-02-2012, 01:43 PM   #21
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Hi: JohnB... WoW that's a lotta space use packed into a 15A!!! Do you have a Port a poty in the cupboard? Alf
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:13 PM   #22
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Hello Alf
For now we are going without the Port a potty, but as you observed we do have the cabinet opening for one under front dinette seat.
We wanted to avoid having to deal with trailering around any sewage hence our choice of 15A.
It has worked for many years when we tented and hope to be able survive a few more.
We do wonder about the cooler shoulder seasons when a trek outside to the toilets may not be so inviting! One reason to going with a trailer was to take advantage of spring and fall camping without being on the ground in a tent. Older age deserves some luxuries!
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Old 12-02-2012, 02:43 PM   #23
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Hello Karen

If only money were as easy to come up with as the ideas are!
We had a lot of fun planning our trailer.

The solar was an after though and installed after about a month of use. Not sure if it was really needed already having the dual 6 Volt option but I must say it is nice not to have to worry about the energy use.

To solve the water usage issue I think we will take some advice from Baglo and pack a couple dozen extra Okanagan Springs!

One other thing done later was close in the rear overhead center self with a door (not shown in the photos I posted). That has made a nice difference to what can be stored up there, stuff will not fall out. And it also looks much neater. The 17 and 19 have this as a standard feature.
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Old 01-10-2013, 03:00 AM   #24
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Originally Posted by KarenH View Post
Does anyone have a picture of their roof-mounted solar panel? I've searched the forum for one w/o success...or maybe I'm a lousy searcher. Also, since everyone who has solar seems to know the status of their battery or batteries, I assume that there is an interior digital panel with readout. Does anyone have a picture of that?
Thus these solar panels cost a lot? I have seen some pics and read about them. Are they effective and cost efficient?
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Old 01-10-2013, 04:34 AM   #25
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Hi Thomas,
Yes the solar panels have a high initial cost but over the long run are very cost effective. They work silently in the background keeping your batteries fully charged for daily use. Packages start around $200 for small ones and go up from there.
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Old 01-10-2013, 10:16 AM   #26
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Thus these solar panels leds cost a lot? I have seen some pics and read about them. Are they effective and cost efficient?
Ok thanks for reply. I will try to have them soon
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Old 01-10-2013, 05:32 PM   #27
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Solar Panels on the Roof

Here is a picture of the placement on my 19. Very low profile in front of the Air Conditioner Unit. Also the interior control unit.
Attached Thumbnails
IMG_0862.jpg   DSC_0069.jpg   DSC_0034.jpg  
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Old 01-10-2013, 09:48 PM   #28
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What make is that unit, Don?
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Old 01-11-2013, 12:42 AM   #29
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Gopower GMW-30. It was the Escape factory installation option. The manual is uploaded in the Files section.
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Old 06-16-2013, 04:14 PM   #30
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DonM...You can run the microwave on the solar panel? Does that require a special microwave or outlet?
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Old 06-16-2013, 04:39 PM   #31
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Karen, I'm running two panels on my 19' Escape and raised them up 3 inches to keep them from being shadowed by the Maxi-Fan or rear AC unit. On an overcast day I am charging very well. Although they are raised I think they blend with the trailer very well.





I also added 2 more batteries so I'm up to 4 total....and upgraded the on-board converter to fully charge the batteries when on shore power....and upgraded the solar controller to a MorningStar unit. I also installed a manual bypass switch to switch over to inverter power ( 2500watt inverter wired in). The whole system is also now temperature-compensating. Often I see 15 volts charge voltage by 9:00AM and I really run a lot of stuff of my inverter;
- 1800 watt coffee maker
- 1800 watt electric griddle
- Awning lights
- Chargers for computers, cell phones, etc,
- 2 slice toaster
- 700 watt microwave
- Portable spa (just wishful thinking!)
- Electric turkey fryer (more wishful thinking!...
Most people don't need or want all this stuff but I'm a purist...and an engineer...

Steve
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Old 06-16-2013, 05:27 PM   #32
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: I'll bet you could run an on-board solar tanning bed!!

I didn't see where you installed your television.
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Old 06-16-2013, 05:29 PM   #33
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Actually, you don't "run" anything on the solar panels - you run loads on the battery(ies), which are charged by the panel. That said, to run 120V appliance you need an inverter capable of powering the load. In most cases, a microwave is too large a load for a single 12V or even a pair of 6V batteries. It takes an inverter with an output rating of at least 50% more than the microwave wattage; for some, even 100% more. Since the 12V side draws 10X the amps of the 120V side, you need both heavy wiring, and lots of battery.

In my case I have the factory installed 95 watt GoPower solar panel & a pair of 6V batteries. It has no problem powering the trailer's LED lighting, water pump, furnace, and normal operations, even in fairly heavy shade. I added a 1000 watt inverter so I could make coffee in the morning with my drip coffee maker. That is a 600 watt load that, by the time a pot is done has used 10 amp/hrs from the batteries. Combining that with recharging a power hungry laptop, cell phone amplifier & WiFi Ranger router, and a bunch of battery chargers, I need full sun for at least 4-6 hours to get the batteries back to 100%.
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Old 06-16-2013, 05:59 PM   #34
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The solar panel by itself won't do it. The solar panel is good for keeping the batteries charged up. To run a microwave (or typical home coffee maker, or any other higher power appliance) off the batteries, you need an inverter.
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Old 06-16-2013, 06:01 PM   #35
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Old 06-16-2013, 06:51 PM   #36
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Jon, tell us how the 1000 w inverter works and where you mounted it to conveniently make drip coffee.
I've got the Escape solar system with two "group 27" 12 volt batteries.
Pictures??
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Old 06-16-2013, 07:14 PM   #37
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Quote:
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: I'll bet you could run an on-board solar tanning bed!!

I didn't see where you installed your television.
Jon, good description of the inverter/solar/batteries system! ....no television....!!!!!....it's dangerous while in the spa!...
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Old 06-16-2013, 07:18 PM   #38
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: I'll bet you could run an on-board solar tanning bed!!

I didn't see where you installed your television.
I'm wrinkling up fast enough. I don't want to accelerate it!!!
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Old 06-16-2013, 08:33 PM   #39
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Yes, I mis-spoke. My question to DonM remains - are you able to run a microwave using just the dual 6V batteries charged by the solar panel? We have a 700W microwave that we will be carrying in our 5.0 with Escape installed solar.
Thanks!
Fran & Dave
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Old 06-17-2013, 09:20 AM   #40
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Karen we recently brought home Molly our 15 A and of course love her. She replaced a T@B trailer that we spent many months meandering around the southwest and Baja in using a portable solar panel for our power plant. Molly has two panels mounted on her roof and to our eye they are beautiful. We went with double coverage because our grandchildren are in Bellingham and we plan on spending more time than we would otherwise enjoy under a solar impoverished sky. People who still question the beauty and magic of solar , I think, have not yet found the true freedom of the road. Many people have accepted the undeniable ugliness of an airconditioner on the roof why not a sleek solar panel or two.

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