Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:35:49 -0700
Reply-To: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Solar panels for your Vanagon..
In-Reply-To: <003701c7b063$a876d740$0b02a8c0@480037D956F7448>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Well, do the math. How much power does a coolatron require?
Plug the data into the Handy Battery Demand Calculator
http://www.altavistaaudio.com/Westy/Vanagon/battcalc.html
and see how many ampere-hours your battery will need to supply, and from
that you can see how much power the panels will need to stuff back into
the battery during the sunlight hours.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR
jdd typed:
> 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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> 11:31 AM
>
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