Basic Solar Decisions

GrandmasKid

I've read through the Electrical and Solar section but I still would love to have some guidance on a solar issue before we make some purchases for our soon to be delivered Outback MaxS. Looking at the Zamp systems available there doesn't seem to be a huge enough difference in size, weight, and even price, to have those factors determine which system to get between the 120,160, and 200 watt systems. We plan on camping in high country where gasoline generators don't run well. I think we'll want to use a lot of power to run the microwave, media, and Fantastic fan. Should I just go ahead and buy the 200 watt system or is there a disadvantage to that, that I haven't thought of? I'm putting in a call to the dealer to see if I can get a better battery setup than usually comes with the T@B. Should I see if I can have the dealer install a group 27 AGM battery or something different? On our planned trip we'll be camping without electrical hookups at 6000 to 8000 feet without electrical hookups for 12 days. We really don't want to run out of power. Thanks for your thoughts.

ericnliz

GrandmasKid,
I hope this will help you out. I recently purchased and use the 100W suitcase with controller from Renogy. com. It working better than I expected, and I am very pleased with my purchase. A few modifications are required to adapt to the "Zamp" plug in, but are all easy fixes. The Renogy is much less expensive than it's "Zamp" counterpart,and quite efficient to boot. I used for six days straight with no issues what so ever, simply plugged in when I woke up, and un-plugged at night. If you have any more questions, I would be more than happy to try and answer them for you. By the way, I was solar ignorant when I started, and got GREAT help here on the forum, so please don't be afraid to ask ALL of your questions here, you WILL get help! I hope this helps, and please let me know, thanks! Happy solaring!

Nomad

I have the 120 Zamp and even though the weight specs between the various sizes doesn't seem like much I helped Verna with her 200w and it's a monster :-)
Not sure you'll be able to run your microwave thru an inverter from solar - Have you investigated that?
I would definetly get the larger battery - I live off solar 85-90%of the time with a Group 24 but wish I had a little more margin. Will be switching that out to a 27 sometime this summer.

By the way, my Zamp has worked flawlessly for 20 months - Not a single glitch since first plugged in and it's out every day, rain or shine.

ericnliz

PXL,
Has the availability of the Zamp gotten any better? They were backed up on their orders, which is one of the reasons that I opted for the Renogy.

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@ericnliz, I called Zamp to find out availability and they gave me some recommended dealers who they thought might have in stock. In the end, I got a 200W from my RV dealer who went through a distributor who they knew had some.

ericnliz

Thanks, 
helpful info!

Tabaz

I have a 2016 Outback with 200W Zamp, 2000W inverter, 100 AH dual-purpose Group 27 battery, 700W microwave and stock LG vent fan.  The microwave uses a lot of juice, but with the 200W Zamp and larger battery, recovery time is reduced.  For example, with the battery at 100% charged, it will go to 84% charged after using the microwave for about 4 minutes.  It takes about 40 minutes to get back to 100% (sometimes less, depending on conditions).  I never use the vent fan, so can't comment on that.  I strongly recommend the Victron BMV-700 battery monitor (with optional dongle) for anyone concerned about battery usage and condition while boondocking.  LOVE the convenience of my microwave and lack of pots to clean!

ericnliz

Where did you get the inverter?

Tabaz

It's a MicroSolar 200W (4000W peak) from Amazon $269. It will fit in the factory propane tub above the battery.  I put mine in a separate cabinet.  Installed a dedicated outlet on the driver's side seat pedestal.  The remote switch is in the first photo.  The microwave sits on that pedestal against the wall.  Had a custom seat cushion made to fit.

Nomad

Cool - Thanks for the info/pics Frank.

ericnliz

Frank, 
thanks for the info!

Verna

200 watt Zamp, with two 6-Volt Interstate golf cart batteries. I never ran out of battery power last winter in AZ, and I only missed one IU basketball game and that was due to trees being in my way. Yes, I take a satellite dish with me in the winter.  I also run my ARB 50 qt fridge freezer on the battery power, also.  I camped 61 out of 93 days/ nights using solar power (the other nights with electric) and loved every minute of it. Expect more solar camping days next winter. 

GrandmasKid

I think I'm missing something basic. Amazon says they have 12, 200watt systems in stock right  now. These systems have controllers to keep me from overcharging my battery. Will I need to purchase an inverter? I was thinking the Zamp was just for charging the battery and we would be running the microwave and other goodies on the battery. I obviously have no experience in this and could be missing some basic concepts. Would an inverter allow me to run on power directly from panels during the day after the battery is fully charged, or just what is the purpose or advantage of having an inverter? After fishing through this forum I'm thinking someone could sell a book on operating and maintaining T@Bs. Thanks so much for your help. I'm so glad this forum is here!

Verna

The inverter will run from the battery or batteries. The inverter converts 12 Volts DC power to 110 Volts AC. I have to run my satellite receiver from an inverter. 

Photomom

Microwaves and other normal home appliances need 120 volts A/C. You need a generator or an inverter, or else plug the trailer into an A/C outlet.

Verna

Photomom said:

Microwaves and other normal home appliances need 120 volts A/C. You need a generator or an inverter, or else plug the trailer into an A/C outlet.

OutbackAZ has figured out how to run a microwave off of an inverter while using solar, as I recall.  I 'll be leaving my microwave at home as I got used to not being able to use it last winter. 

Nomad

As mentioned, you need to convert battery volts to typical home 110 volts to run appliances like a microwave or hair dryer, etc. To do that you need an "inverter". Frank has a monster 2000 watt inverter to use his microwave. Most of us that have inverters have ones in the 3-500 watt range. These can be plugged into a cigarette lighter. The bigger ones need to be wired directly to the battery. You usually don't find big inverters anywhere but big rigs and 18 wheelers - other than Frank's (OutbackAZ) of course.
I thought I would really miss a microwave but like Verna, haven't.

ericnliz

PXL,
Where did you get your inverter? Sounds like what I've been looking for. Thanks.

Nomad

I have two...one plugs into the cig lighter in my TV, it's a 300 watt. I bought that in an auto parts store. The second is a 500 watt that I picked up in a truck stop and have that one wired directly to the T@B battery. I generally use that in the middle of the day while I've got good solar to recharge my computer, iDevices, etc.

ericnliz

Do you know if the cigarette lighter one could be plugged into the charging port in the T@B?

Tabaz

Eric - the ONLY reason I have a 2000W inverter AND 200W Zamp solar set-up is to run the microwave from the inside of the TAB without having to use a generator.  An alternative is to simply plug your microwave into a portable generator on the outside of your TAB.  Or leave the microwave at home.  The other consideration is the weight and size of the 200W Zamp - it's big and heavy (45 lbs.).  The smaller the solar panel size, the easier to move around.  If you plan on running (or charging) any sensitive electronics like smart phones, computers, etc., I was told to get a "pure" sine wave inverter. 

I really hate the noise a generator makes, so try to never use it.  But I do bring my Honda 1000W with me in case of cloudy/rainy days where the solar won't charge.  If you're going to be boondocking, you may just buy a generator for now and go solar later when you figure out your needs.  If you ever plan on running the air conditioner in your TAB without shore power, you may want to get a 2000W generator to be safe.

ericnliz

OuitbackAZ, 
Sorry if you misled. The only reason I am interested in the inverter is to run my wife's c-pap machine on 12v, rather than 110 when we are in a place where there is no "shore power" I do appreciate your advise, and maybe someone else can gain from it. I have a 110W Renogy solar panel, and it fits our needs beyond my expectations. On another note, how do you like your Honda generator, and how loud is it. I've been thinking about one, but am still on the fence in regards to purchasing one for the " noise factor". Many of the places I camp have several sites,and are "off the grid", quiet, and other people's generators that are loud drive me crazy! Case in point, one place we go, is really quiet, and remote. A guy came in with a "Taj Mahal" and ran his the whole time he was there presumably to run his A/C. I never saw them outside their rig the whole time. Annoying was an understatement! 

Nomad

Both the Honda and Yamaha generators are pretty quiet.
You might search for "c-pat" (or variations) as there are some threads with some discussion about them as several members have them. As I recall (could be wrong) there' a model that runs on either 110 house or 12v dc that's fairly efficient.

TerryV6

ericnliz said:

GrandmasKid,
I hope this will help you out. I recently purchased and use the 100W suitcase with controller from Renogy. com. It working better than I expected, and I am very pleased with my purchase. A few modifications are required to adapt to the "Zamp" plug in, but are all easy fixes. The Renogy is much less expensive than it's "Zamp" counterpart,and quite efficient to boot. I used for six days straight with no issues what so ever, simply plugged in when I woke up, and un-plugged at night. If you have any more questions, I would be more than happy to try and answer them for you. By the way, I was solar ignorant when I started, and got GREAT help here on the forum, so please don't be afraid to ask ALL of your questions here, you WILL get help! I hope this helps, and please let me know, thanks! Happy solaring!

I saw the one you own on Amazon and the price is more in my ballpark.  We bought a Zamp 40 from the dealer cause he said here you go...  I read the article that Jenn linked to and we are on the fence as to whether we need one.  Also, some say ( I think Verna) that 120 is the absolute minimum for a tab... Being a plug and play kind of guy, the wiring changes you mentioned sent up flares too.  What exactly are you running with this?  We aren't going out into the unknown for weeks, so minimal use and recharge works..  Last year I ought a tandem kayak, but that didn't work out.  My wife was a bit fearful.  So, I sold it last weekend and bought a Thule car rooftop bike carrier.  I still have a few bucks I could put toward this..  Hmmmm....

Tabaz

Eric - phulsichat on this forum has the Westinghouse 2000w generator.  It is VERY quiet and about half the cost of the big names. I've camped with him several times and was amazed at the low noise level. If they make a 12v c-pap, maybe you could get by with solar alone. Provide the specs, and someone on this forum could help you figure out how much solar you would need.

Verna

@Michigan_Mike uses a 12V CPAP. Send him a private message to ask him. I know he used an 80 watt Zamp on his Silver Shadow and he never ran out of power. 

ericnliz

I usually run the fan, lights, pump for the water in the trailer and charging station with mine. The wiring changes are not that difficult at all. I am not an electrician by any means! Amazon carried the parts I needed. I opted for longer cables to make the panels more efficient [20'], and needed a reverse polarity plug for the difference between the Zamp  plug and the Renogy plug. The cables that come with the Renogy suitcase model have MP4 connectors, and I found the extender cables with the same connectors at Amazon. I just had to unplug the "alligator " clips for the battery, plug in the cables, get connectors for the two prong plug, install the reverse polarity plug, and away I went. Works great! Where we usually camp, there is no 110v plug in,and no water fill station, so I fill the water tank full, and carry a 5 gallon collapsible container that I can fill at the camp site spigot. if you need more info, I can direct you to the thread that I got a of help on. I hope I answered your question. If not, feel free to ask more, that's what I've been doing on this forum, and folks are really informative and helpful. Call the Renogy site directly and ask for an additional discount, I spoke with a young man named Josh,and he gave me a good deal! 

ericnliz

Verna,
Thanks for the info!

ericnliz

Thanks OutbackAZ, I'll try to get hold of Michigan_Mike for the info on his, sounds like it would work really good!

GrandmasKid

So, I need to contact my dealer, but it looks like even though my new Outback will come with a microwave, and a battery, and Zamp connections, the only way I'll be able to run the microwave will be to have shore power or install an inverter, i.e., the Outback won't have an inverter unless it's added on. Is that right? Will all the electrical things that run on shore power, except the refrigerator which is three way, need an inverter to work when we are without shore power? Even though I don't like the noise or having to haul and mess with gasoline, I think we would just buy a small generator if we weren't wanting to camp so high up. I'm sure we'll buy a generator for when we camp in the humid south. Maybe I should try to get my dealer to install an inverter before we take delivery on our Outback. Thank all of you for your thoughts and advice on this.

ericnliz

GrandmasKid,
Good luck, and keep the questions coming, the learning experience here is awesome. More importantly, HAVE FUN!