Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 18:14:07 -0400
Reply-To: jdd <johndillon@SYMPATICO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: jdd <johndillon@SYMPATICO.CA>
Subject: Re: Solar panels for your Vanagon..
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="Windows-1252";
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So .. what about solar panels to power a coolatron .. I run it off of my aux
battery but I'm thinking that solar might give me more time till the aux
battery is dead ..well .. it would obviously give me more time .. but would
that extra time be significant.
jdd
----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Hanson" <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, June 16, 2007 4:29 PM
Subject: Solar panels for your Vanagon..
Solar is the way to go. I agree with Rocket J. Squirrel about having them
"remote" from the van..Mine has about 15' of lamp cord hard wired into the
panel and the controller. On the van, I have the female half of a regular
plug..So that it won't short, from the auxiliary battery that the solar
panel supplies. I have mine built into an "A-frame" plywood case..
Deployed to gather sunlight, it resembles one of those sidewalk sign boards
you see sitting out front of store, etc. The base of this triangle become a
cover for the front of the panel when folded up...All the cord goes inside,
wrapped around a couple of cleats. I have a handle on the outside..So, when
folded up, it is just a big double sided plywood book and very well
protected for packing other stuff without worry of it harming the panel or
the controller at all.
Dunno any of the numbers, but mine easily supplies my lights, my stereo
and lap top, charges my cell phone and sometimes runs an inverter powered
tool or two. I've spent months at a time in Baja without need of a
generator, many times..I have one for the van, one for the Alaskan camper,
and my wife just bought a travel trailer, also with a panel that
works...until you forget to turn off a light or something...
I don't know why every RV doesn't use em..You can charge your system chock
full when traveling, then when you stop to camp, stick out the panel and it
will maintain the charge...But it seems some RVers just love the sound of
their own generators...I see em drive into a camp area and immediately start
the generator...Often.. We love (joke) this one guy we often see/hear in the
desert at a spot we frequent...He fires up his generator outside his travel
trailer, then leaves for the day! I asked him.."Hey Walt, how come you
start your generator and leave?" He says, "I don't like all the
noise"...Clueless!
Don Hanson
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