Date:         Mon, 5 May 2008 19:02:45 -0700
Reply-To:     obeechi@RUNBOX.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mark C <obeechi@RUNBOX.COM>
Subject:      Re: Solar Panel: Charge Controller & Vents
Comments: To: mdrillock@cox.net
In-Reply-To:  <481FA70D.7040605@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I wear summer weight merino wool (Icebreaker 190) so I really don't need to worry about washing my clothers. Its also important that I maintain compact parking space. For water storage, I'm thinking of using a rear tire thing for the spare tire (though Volkscafe is out of the stainless steel version from Germany), and installing a donut shaped water tank in the area where the spare tire usually goes. Not sure where to find one of these though. There was a guy who was selling his van, and he had this water hose installed so he could shower after surfing. Said he got it from Westmarine, looked really cool. 

From: Mark Drillock <mdrillock@cox.net>
> If all that then solar will fail you sooner or later. Maybe get a 
> trailer with a bunch more panels on it and some more batteries inside. 
> Might as well just trade up to a larger RV , then a washer/dryer is 
> practical as well as more water storage so you won't need to move for a 
> long time. Lots more roof area so even more panels are a go. Can't beat 
> that. Seen it many times.
> 
> Mark
> 
> obeechi@runbox.com wrote:
> > Park in the middle of nowhere, and power a laptop for a week straight, plus an external hard drive, maybe an oversized monitor, run a reverse flow fan all day long (the heater fan in reverse, without the heat), power up a propex if need be, maybe a small AC unit, and a 48 inch lcd tv mounted behind the front seats with AppleTV. Is there anything else I should be doing?
> > 
> > From: Mark Drillock <mdrillock@cox.net>
> > To: obeechi@RUNBOX.COM
> > Subject: Re: Solar Panel: Charge Controller & Vents
> > 
> >> What are you planning to do in that thing that you think you might need 
> >> so much juice? I would start out with a 65 or 85 watt panel and then 
> >> think about a second if that proves to be insufficient. Even then, a 
> >> Honda EU1000i would probably be a better addition if one panel was not 
> >> enough.
> >>
> >> Mark
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Mark C wrote:
> >>> I've decided on the Kyocera 135 Watt, the newer KD series, which is 59.1 inches wide (I think earlier version was 56 inches wide). This is as big as I can fit with available roof space (already have two Thule cargo things). 
> >>>
> >>> CHARGE CONTROLLER
> >>> Now I'm wondering about the charge controller. Eventually I plan on having as many as four Odyssey batteries (one under reach front seat, and two under the rear seat [which will be a larger size than the front]...). Also, want the flexibility of potentially adding a second 135 watt panel, on special occasions (since the permanently mounted one would be above the driver area [would be nice if it could be tilted], the secondary panel could be put over the front windsheild, which would give it a nice angle, and shade the inside from the sun). 
> >>>
> >>> VENTS
> >>> I'm most likely going to mount the solar panel on those newer Thule Racks (I've already checked these out, and they won't be too high nor too low for my hardtop - right now I have Yakima High Risers which were hacked down in size - the newer Thules will be about a 1/4 inch lower, which will be good, even better), does anyone know of any vents that might fit under the solar panel (to the side of the center AC duct)?
> >>>
> >>> Thanks. 
> >>>
> > 
> > ----- End Original Message -----
> > 
> 

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