Solar: issues to consider?

I figured you would be. And I was just joking around.

-Al

 

Well we finally bit the bullet and got the ZampSolar 80W portable power panel. It has been well covered in the thread along with links and prices (I paid $575 at a local RV dealer). It folds up very nicely with the cable and tilt legs all folded up with it. it packs away in a padded protective case and is easy to store and carry. I had to bypass the installed controller and wire the cable into the male plug provided by CI with the solar option. Haven't really used it yet except in front of the house but we are leaving for a two month trip to Canada and Alaska in a few weeks and expect it will one less thing to worry about. I can have it set up and plugged in a minute or two.
Jim

 

Jim,

I am looking a similar setup and have been wondering if there was a need to bypass the solar panel’s on-board controller. Is there a problem having two controllers in series on the same charging circuit?

Stephen

 

I'm not understanding this. If you buy a panel with a controller, why do you need anything built in to the trailer? Can't you just plug it into a 12V outlet on the trailer or to the battery itself?

 

The problem is that a lot of the panels, especially the foldable ones, come with a controller already on the panel. If you purchased a trailer that came with the controller option you have two controllers controlling the same battery. Your options are to disconnect one or the other or run them both in series. I just wondered if having two controllers was going to pose any problems.

 

I have been told (by a solar unit provider) that you can not have the two controllers connected to the same panel, and I was told to disconnect the Camp-Inn-provided controller and go with the one that comes with the panel setup.

So, although the "kits" have advantages, they also have a disadvantage.

but maybe this isn't all that hard to do - though nothing is as easy as just plugging in to the Camp-Inn solar input

 

To answer Greg's question. You can indeed just plug it into the 12v socket if you have a panel with a built in controller. Something like the ZampSolar that Jim was talking about would work that way very simply.

Not all solar panels have built in controller, this is why the solar controller option. If you using panels with built in controller there is no need to purchase our controller option.

Cary

 

Cary -- does that mean if you have the solar controller and get a panel setup with a built in controller is there a problem just plugging it into the 12v outlet?

 

No problem at all. The DC outlet would completely bypass the solar option.

Cary

 

Check out SimpleRay Solar.
I got a 95 watt ET panel with some MC4 cable for $309. including shipping.

 

Cary: The ZampSolar panels/systems seem to have a different plug than the one on the TD (12v socket). Zamp thought it would be preferable to install their connector, rather than rewire the Zamp plug into a standard 12v connector. Do you have any thoughts on this?

He also said that we sh ould bypass the controller that is already installed in our TD, but I will doublecheck with him on that, given your recent post.

 

Al,

Their plug is a nice setup. I agree, simply follow their directions and install their socket near ours and wire it straight to the battery. Should be a snap.

Cary

 

There is a further product by Zamp that folks may be interested in. Zamp has made a unit for Costco, and it seems to be priced to sell quickly. It is 60 watts for about $270. Item # is 640863. At his price, it is a clear winner.

I believe it is just like the other Zamp portable setups, with a carrying case, fold-out legs, direct connect to battery. You'd need to pay extra for a "port" if you don't want to connect to your battery, each time.

Some Costcos may have them in stock, but this is a brand new item, and my local Costco does not have it, yet.

this page includes a video of the Zamp set up (the standard one, not the Costco one, but I believe the Costco unit is similar):
http://www.zampsolar.com/index.php?m=87&s=581&c=&id=1205&&mode=13

another video of the Zamp:http://www.hitchsource.com/zamp-rvmarine-portable-solar-kit-80-watts-444-amps-p-32870.html

 

Our local Costco has a 60 Zamp kit for $268. Not sure if this is large eneough.

 

Re: Solar Option

Personally, I would like to see Camp-Inn add solar panels to their list of purchase options (maybe offering a couple choices: a soft panel and a built-in). I haven't purchased a solar panel yet and would find it highly worthwhile to be able to purchase a soft panel directly from Camp-Inn. Specifically, a soft solar panel that is out-of-the box "ready to go" supplied by Camp-Inn would be wonderful (hint, hint).

In the meantime, I use a MotoMaster portable power pack to run my fridge while I am at a campsite for more than a couple of days. This was an item that I already had prior to obtaining the trailer, so I put it to use for camping too. I wouldn't recommend buying a power pack if camping is your only intended use/need for this item. But, for those of you who already have a power pack and are planning on being at a campsite for 3 to 4 days without electrical services, then you might want to bring it along with you.

Kelly

 

Re: Solar Option

I think the trouble with an 'Official Camp-Inn Solar Option' is that CI generally only offers something if they know it is the best option out there - and that everybody (or most everyone) else would agree. At this point, there are so many solar options out there, and just as many opinions on size, placement, angle, etc, that until something comes along that just blows everything else away, we are going to have to choose our own panels.

In the meantime, we can cross our fingers and hope for photo-voltaic aluminum sheeting...

 

Re: Solar Option


I had to e-mail Cary a couple of times while hooking up my ZampSolar 80W panel to my CI. There are a number of questions embedded in the various replies above so I will try and answer what I know. After finally settling on Zamp as the best quality for the money available I then tried to start a quick dialog with Zamp directly. Since I had already purchased the Solar option from CI I already had the installed plug socket on the side of the trailer and the SunSaver 10 controller installed (in the right hand side galley cabinet). I wanted to buy the panel from Zamp without their controller but it became too complicated for little, if any, savings in terms of money. So I called one of their local distributers and picked up the 80W panel with the controller already installed. I bypassed the Zamp Controller and rewired the plug to the provided CI plug. I first wired the plug backwards (wrong polarity) and had to rewire it. I then had to find a blown fuse (Cary set me on the right path). There are two fuses behind the removable "wall" between the storage bin and the battery compartment. Neither are labled but I found the 10A fuse blown. Replaced it and know everything works fine. Be sure and take some extra 10A and 15A fuses with you IN the trailer. There are a half dozen or more behind the blue fuse panel cover (labled on the cover) and the two more I found behind the battery wall. If there are others sprinkled about I haven't run across them in my various explorations. We are leaving in a little over a week for a two month trip to Northern Canada (Inuvik for the Northern Arts Festival). I will write more about the trip and the solar panel performance in the "Adventures" section as I gain information.
Jim

 

Re: Solar Option

Jim, I wired my solar panel in backwards the first time too and blew the fuse. Only, I was too dumb to figure out my fuse was blown, and spent two trips puzzled by the results I was getting from my panel.

 

Re: Solar Option

Evan, I know just what you mean. Armed with my trusty multi-meter I had clear evidence that everything was normal except for one small detail, no current was getting to the battery. I checked every fuse I knew about twice. I knew the battery was ok as was the charger. Everytime I plugged the trailer back in to house current the voltage went right up normally so I didn't bother to unscrew the divider. Then Cary told me about the fuses behind the battery wall. Voila' we had liftoff. The obvious thing I like about this fold-up panel is that within the limits of the 25 foot cable I can move it around when I'm using it and it is completely protected when I am not. Do you find you get enough sun with the fixed array or do you position yourself differently now in order to get more sun?
Jim