Are you making an attempt to resolve between Photo voltaic vs Generator to your RV? We have now been dwelling in, and touring the nation in, our Fifth Wheel RV for over a yr now.
Like most of us, a part of our journey plan was to get distant from everybody and out into the uncharted wilderness. This brings its personal challenges to your day after day RV Dwelling, like water administration, waste water, showering and even simply protecting your batteries charged.
The age outdated query of can we go along with RV Photo voltaic or a Generator is one which we couldn’t reply both, so we received each and have been testing dwelling day after day on one or the opposite.
We’re going to go over the nitty gritty of each choices with a number of the issues we’ve realized alongside the way in which so that you might be higher knowledgeable when making an attempt to make the identical resolution.
What’s In Our RV
It is a key element to this check, because the issues you’re powering will make a distinction through which system will give you the results you want, so I’m going to offer you a fast run down on what we’ve, so you may alter our findings to fit your setup.
We’re touring in a Montana 381TH (take a stroll by means of tour of our RV right here) that has Two AC Items on the roof, that we’ve added the MicroAir simple begin’s to (Hyperlink to Set up Video), which is able to let you run Two AC Items on 30 amp service by avoiding the large energy spike once they first kick on.
We even have a Samsung Residential RV Fridge, which runs off a 1500 Watt energy inverter when we aren’t plugged in at a campground, and based on the Data Sticker on it, it makes use of 360 Watts of energy when it’s working.
We selected to go along with an off the shelf cheap choice for each our RV Generator and our RV Photo voltaic setup in an effort to make it an ‘Everybody Take a look at‘ that might truly be one thing all of us might be contemplating, relatively than a generator that might energy a small metropolis and a totally customized RV Photo voltaic setup.
The RV Generator – $800 at time of buy
Primarily based solely off of value compared to different fashions obtainable to buy at generally obtainable huge field shops, we went with the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 Tremendous Quiet Inverter Generator. The fundamentals on this unit are that it maxes out at 25 Amps of energy, has all the things you want to hearth it proper up and plug it in to your RV’s 30 amp plug (or adapter) besides the quart of oil you want to fill the crankcase beforehand.
The RV Photo voltaic – $500 at time of buy
Primarily based solely off of being an all inclusive package, obtainable by means of a single click on on Amazon, we went with the Renogy 400 Watt RV Photo voltaic Equipment. The essential on this package are that it comes with 4 100 Watt photo voltaic panels, the wiring, a 40 amp cost controller, and all wanted {hardware} to put in it.
So far as being funds pleasant the Renogy RV Photo voltaic Equipment was already within the lead with a 30% head begin out of the gate. Doing a bit deeper of a dive into the set up, we did must additionally buy roof sealant, a caulk gun, and a wire go by means of to get the cables down by means of the roof in a water tight trend. Nonetheless, a win for the Renogy RV Photo voltaic package on the Price range class.
Preliminary Setup
The Generator – Lower than 10 minutes to high off the oil within the crank case, and hearth it up for the primary time.
The RV Photo voltaic – Full day of set up earlier than it was producing any energy in any respect. (Hyperlink to Set up Video)
Within the Time Till Useable class the win solidly goes to the Predator 3500.
Each day Price Of Use
The Generator – 2.5 Gallons of fuel per 11 hours of run time at a 25% load. Common value of $3.86 per gallon X 2.5 Gallons = $9.65 per 11 half day (day gentle hours)
The RV Photo voltaic – $0.00 per half day (day gentle hours)
Price Of Use win goes to the RV Photo voltaic Equipment.
Annoying Neighbor Issue – Sound Stage
The Generator – Whereas it’s truly Tremendous Quiet so far as mills go, it does nonetheless produce a sound degree when working, so in case you are in shut proximity to different campers there will likely be an annoyance issue.
The RV Photo voltaic – No sound produced. No annoyance issue.
Sound Stage win goes to the RV Photo voltaic
What Can I Truly Run – Energy Issue
The Generator – The Predator 3500 will energy your whole RV, in addition to run your battery charger to maintain your batteries full. With none further equipment you may cost your batteries, in addition to run a microwave, TV, followers, and an AC unit.
The RV Photo voltaic – The Renogy RV Photo voltaic Equipment will solely energy the cost controller and maintain your batteries charged. With none further equipment you may cost your batteries, in addition to run something that solely makes use of 12 Volt energy, like your RV Lights, a normal RV 12V/Propane fridge and so forth.
Energy Issue win goes to the Generator
Now this check was to match the 2 techniques solely on protecting your batteries charged, with an off the shelf system. The Generator does value extra, does have a each day utilization value, and provides extra weight to your rig than the RV Photo voltaic system. The truth that you may run 120 Volt home equipment with it’s a bonus win for the generator.
Issues To Take into account Earlier than Shopping for
1 – If there are quiet hours the place you’re tenting, normally 10pm to 7am that we’ve observed, neither system will likely be offering energy at night time. The RV Photo voltaic system will begin to produce much less and fewer energy about 2 hours earlier than sunset till the solar units, and won’t produce energy in an considerable quantity till about 2 hours after dawn.
2 – With both system, there will likely be an over night time draw in your batteries. If the ability draw in your batteries is larger than the quantity of saved energy in your batteries, or greater than half the Amp Hours on commonplace deep cycle batteries that are available most RV’s, you’ll not make it by means of the night time till you’ll be able to cost them once more with the system you select.
3 – What sort of RV’er are you?
That is going to play an vital think about your resolution making course of when buying one system or the opposite. In case you are like me and need that espresso pot fired up at 7:01 as a result of the percolator over the camp hearth simply isn’t going to chop it, I might lean in the direction of the Generator
In case you don’t thoughts the percolator, and are simply trying to maintain the low battery alarm from going off earlier than the solar rises within the morning, I might lean in the direction of the RV Photo voltaic Equipment.
4 – Aspect Notes
After dwelling on the street for over a yr now I can say that your alternative of batteries goes to play a pivotal position in your day after day complications, with both system you select, however extra so with the RV Photo voltaic Equipment.
The usual deep cycle batteries that include your RV are rated in Amp Hours. You probably have a 200 Amp Hour Battery, and are utilizing 10 Amps an hour, your battery will final for 20 hours. The Caveat to that is that you would be able to solely discharge a Normal Deep Cycle to a most of fifty%.
In order that 200 amp hour battery that based on the maths will final 20 hours, is simply going to make it a Max of 10, and could have much less and fewer drive behind it because the night time goes on. Consider it like one in all your youngsters toys who’s batteries are dying, sure it nonetheless works, nevertheless it goes slower and slower the nearer to useless they get.
In case you change the usual deep cycle’s you could have with the identical measurement and amp hour ranking Lithium Iron Phosphate (LifePo4) you’ll get a constant energy till it’s useless, and you’ll discharge it to 90% with out damaging the battery. They do value significantly extra on the entrance finish, however final between 3 and 10 instances longer than their lead acid counterparts.
With the LifePo4 batteries you received’t NEED to fireplace the generator up at 7:00 on the dot to keep away from the battery alarms going off, like we did our first strive at boondocking, and be that annoying neighbor who woke everybody up on a Saturday morning. Likewise with the RV Photo voltaic Equipment you received’t be staring on the horizon hoping the solar will rise quicker at this time than yesterday as a result of the lavatory gentle is so dim you may’t even discover the bathroom.
Renogy RV Photo voltaic Equipment Evaluate, Is It Value The Cash?