Solar Panel Project

Charlie - did you get the solar option from CI?

 

Evan,
We just had some upgrades added in June while on our trip to Yellowstone. The solar hookup/option was one of them. I love having the solar option/panel! It should be much easier to do extended trips.
Charlie

 

Charlie,
I'm interrested in how your panel works also. What make of crock pot do you have and how many watts does it use?

 

Hi Bruce,
The panel is working great so far. The crockpot we have is one we just got. It is a Roadpro 12 volt 1.5 qt crockpot. We haven't tried it yet because we are probably going to return it due to the size( not big enough). The specs say 78 watts, 6.5 amps. It does plug into a 12 volt socket. I guess we will have to try to find a larger crockpot. I am in the process of making braces to stand the panel up.

 

Charlie,
Does the crock look well made? If so we might be interrested in it so you would not have to send it back. How much do you want for it?
Bruce

 

Hi Bruce,
The crock looks fine, the switch on the cord looks a little sketchy, but I am finding that this crockpot is the only 12volt crockpot available out there. So we may end up keeping it. Does anyone else know of any others or have any experience with one?
Charlie

 

Re: Crock Pot

You know, I researched crock pots and had the idea to have one that I could plug in and be cooking while driving (Cary suggested one might fit in the sink and thus not move around much).

However, I went with a thermal cooker instead. I went for the 5.5L Oyama Thermal Cooker, with the idea being: in the morning, prep and start a dish (chili, dal, curry, soup, etc). Drive a few hours. Stop for lunch somewhere and add some more heat (bring to a simmer again). Drive some more. Hot dinner ready when you stop.

 

Re: Crock Pot

Hi Lyle,
I will have my wife look into this when she returns home in a few days from a church event. She is the cook in our family and a mighty good one at that! It looks like it would be a good alternative to the crockpot however.
Thanks,
Charlie

 

Did you buy the 30' cable with MC4 connectors on the UL-solar website? If so, did you have to connect the cables to the DC-style connector provided by Camp-Inn for their solar hookup, or did you buy a pre-made cable elsewhere?

 

Hi Eric,
I did buy the 30 ft cable with MC4 connectors attached from UL Solar. I connected the DC style connector provided by Camp-Inn to the cable by pigtailing with a smaller size wire because the connections on the DC connector are too small for the UL Solar cable. I am glad that I got the 30 ft cable and not the 15 ft cable.
Charlie

 

I have a Thermal Cooker and you DO NOT have to stop and add heat! Heat it to a boil in the first place and when closed up it will cook a roast and potatoes and all in 8 hrs. Potatoes aren't mushy and roast is tender! I got a cheaper one ( by Sunpentown on Amazon) and it works great!

 

Thanks Linda, We'll check that out!
Charlie

 

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE ON THE SOLAR PANEL:
(alternate title: "Sometimes I'm so dumb, I amaze myself")

I know some of you have waiting to hear how well my solar panel performs. Well, it turns out that all my previous reporting was way off. I must have blown the fuse when I first installed it, and so the panel was never charging the battery.

On the last three trips we were in the shade, so I didn't expect to see any huge results. So, when the battery level stayed pretty constant, I figured the panel was keeping it topped off - actually, we were just hardly using the battery.

So at IRG, the sun had been beating down on the panel for the whole day, and the bettery level had stayed at 11.9 volts. Finally, I asked Craig if that was normal (he and Betsey were at IRG) and it took him all of a minute to find the blown fuse to the 12v outlet in the front storage box. (That's where I ran the cables from the solar panel.)

It's amazing how much better a solar panel will charge your battery when there isn't a blown fuse inline. The battery level climbed from 11.9 volts to 13.4 volts in about 5 minutes. I'm pretty sure, that even in the shade, the panel is going to do very well.
So now, with all this infinite power, we should be able to run the 12v fridge for any length of time. (another option to buy... haha)


Moral: Check your fuses if things aren't working. If you think things are working, check them anyways. Maybe things will start working WAY better.

 

Evan,
We're glad your back! Thanks for this info, it will have to be stored in my memory somewhere. I'll probably need to put a note with the solar panel so i'll remember this!
Charlie

 

My panel and cable came today. Gotta get it wired up by Saturday for our week boondocking up north!

Did you use any kind of an enclosure for your pigtails? I agree that the gauge of the panel wires are too large to wire directly into the DC plug. So did you just pigtail and cover with electrical tape or concoct something more weatherproof? The RainMaker is now 5 for 5 on rain, so I might as well plan on some moisture in the vicinity!

Also, if you remember, did you wire positive to the front pin?

 

To test the polarity, touch the two wires to your controller. If the charge light doesn't light, switch the wires.

 

Hi Eric,
I just used wire nuts to do the pigtailing and will tape them as best I can before we go anywhere. I think I just got lucky on which wire I connected to which post in the 12v connector, because it is working great. I will check on the connections tonight and let you know. Which panel did you get? I will pray for some sun for your trip!
Charlie

 

Same as you, I believe - 55w square panel from UL Solar.

 

Hi Eric,
The positive wire is connected to the white terminal in the 12v connector in mine. Negative to the red terminal. I am sure that I got it right by accident. I think that I am going to look for a straight crimping connector to connect the pigtails to the larger cable, that way it will be easier to tape up for moisture proofing. Still praying for sun on your camping trip,
Charlie

 

Just checked UL Solar and they have a 90W kit on sale for $319! Includes panel, charge controller, mounts, and wire harness