additional solar - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-03-2017, 11:06 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 13
additional solar

We have a 2013 19'with solar package. [95 watts I think]Everything is stock E T .
I want to add a 50 watt movable solar panel and controller to the system .
Can I just put alligator clips on the 50 watt system and clip them on my 12v. battery when needed?
Will I then increase my wattage potential to 145 Watts?
Thanks,Herb
timberdoodle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2017, 11:23 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
alanmalk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Arvada, Colorado
Trailer: 2015 E'21 - 'Velocity'. Tow: Toyota Tacoma V6, 4X4, manual.
Posts: 1,684
Quote:
Originally Posted by timberdoodle View Post
We have a 2013 19'with solar package. [95 watts I think]Everything is stock E T .
I want to add a 50 watt movable solar panel and controller to the system .
Can I just put alligator clips on the 50 watt system and clip them on my 12v. battery when needed?
Will I then increase my wattage potential to 145 Watts?
Thanks,Herb
Yes, you can, but you will have to keep an eye on your battery voltage. Without a controller the voltage could go up to the maximum of the moveable panel which might be as high as 16 to 18 volts. It wouldn't be good to charge at this voltage level for more than an hour or two. But that said, if your battery is low from a hard night of use then it is unlikely you will hit that voltage in a single day of charging. The extra moveable panel will be most practical in situations where you have less than ideal sunlight. Say in the fall, or a partly cloudy day, or when you are camped near trees. In these circumstances it becomes rather unlikely you will go over a charge of 14.5 volts if starting with a drained battery. Just remember to check a couple of times a day and remove the moveable panel when - and if - you reach the desired 14 - 14.5 volts.
alanmalk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2017, 03:05 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 13
The extra 50 watt system has its own controller .What I want to know is can I just add this system to the existing one by just clipping it to the battery. That is adding 50 watt panel and controller.
Thanks, Herb
timberdoodle is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2017, 03:39 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Vermilye's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,364
Short answer - Yes!
__________________
Jon Vermilye My Travel Blog
Travel and Photo Web Page ... My Collection of RV Blogs 2018 F150 3.5EB, 2017 21
Vermilye is online now   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:16 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.