Solar Or generator

[Benny78]

I have a PLAN.
To do a trip around OZ next year in the newly aquired camper trailer.
There are only 2 of us and the camper has LED lights so the only real load will be the fridge.

Still learning lots but i have a few questions for those that have done long term trips.

1- I have a battery in the camper to run lights fridge etc- that charges from the truck when driving (most days we will drive at least some distance) when we camp for say a week at one spot i am trying to decide on Solar panels or do i just buy a generator? Or just run the car for 20 mins?

2. Are showers like the aquacube /coleman variety good invstments or are they rarely used as they take time to set up etc?? We hope to freecamp more than 50% of the time if possible so obvioulsy when in caravan parks we will use the parks showers.

Any info /advise will be greatly appreciated and i know there will be differing views and i am happy to hear them all.

[TOPNDR]

G'day Benny,

We only have solar, or 240 mains input to your Quantum.  No generator.  The longest we've travelled is 10 weeks but in 2 years we've not had a problem with the solar.  Mind you, we don't often travel to cloudy, wet climes, and when convenience dictates, we stay in caravan parks, and then generally take a powered site.

AORC (manufacturer of the Quantum) recommend mains charging after travelling regardless of the distance travelled as the car system cannot fully charge the batteries properly.

As I type, I'm in a caravan park in Townsville, on an unpowered site, with 7 amps being fed to my 2x120ah batteries from the 2x130w solar panels on the roof of the camper (permanent installaton).  The battery metre is showing 13.6v. 

[Benny78]

Hi Topndr,
Thats interesting that they would say that driving does not fully charge the batteries? I cannot underdtand why?

I do like the idea of Solar rather than using fuel but they are big and heavy and difficult to store etc when travelling.

Enjoy Townsville mate!

[Garry H]

cannot answer about the solar/generator but a coleman is a good investment, especially if free camping, do a quick search and you will find that coleman is one of the better choices, it's not that hard to set up
cheers
Garry

[Mandrake]

As I type, I'm in a caravan park in Townsville, on an unpowered site, with 7 amps being fed to my 2x120ah batteries from the 2x130w solar panels on the roof of the camper (permanent installaton).  The battery metre is showing 13.6v. 

Just curious about the other 6 or 7  Amps ? Why are you only getting 7 Amps from a 260 watt system ? Is it overcast up there ?

Cheers

Steve

[toad]

Just curious about the other 6 or 7  Amps ? Why are you only getting 7 Amps from a 260 watt system ? Is it overcast up there ?
Cheers
Steve

Not wishing to hijack this thread, but Mandrake, what is the formula to estimate amps per hour into the battery system?
The Odyssey has a factory 120W solar panel, plus one of your 50W panels (total 170W), so how many amps per hour should I expect in full sun?

[WilSurf]

I would go for solar.
Regarding storage, I would think that storing a gen set is harder then a slimline solar panal.

[Maîneÿ . . .]

Definitely go for solar, you will not have to worry about going into any nation Parks with their inability of using gennies and also carrying extra fuel etc.

Just curious about the other 6 or 7  Amps ?
Why are you only getting 7 Amps from a 260 watt system ?
Is it overcast up there ?

Steve,
you have to read the entire post in context, he states " with 7 amps being fed to my 2 x 120ah batteries from the 2 x 130w solar panels on the roof of the camper "
" The battery metre is showing 13.6v "


The panels would be capable of producing more Amps, but the regulator would be only sending to the battery what's required anyway.
The 13.6v is only the 'normal' battery surface charge and is not too relevant without knowing the draw from the battery etc.

[Benny78]

Sounds like solar will be the go then- are there any issues with breaking solar panels on rough tracks. they must be pretty tough?

Thanks for the advice so far!

[darren]

I have smashed two solar panels over the years. One was in the back of a landy i rolled in the simpson, and the other was on the top of my gulwing box on the kimberley and it was smashed by a rock on the way to William creek. I suggest a cover or bag of some type. Mine were solarex and BP , not the cheapy chinese ones that every one has these days so it hurt a bit when i smashed them

[Maîneÿ . . .]

Sounds like solar will be the go then- are there any issues with breaking solar panels on rough tracks.
they must be pretty tough?

I had 2 x solar panels on the roof, I've been up an down the Gibb River Road 4 x times with them there, sometimes at 90kph over the rutts, found that was a wast of time, the rutts still shake you to pieces, but for less time lol

I've never had a problem with breakage or hail etc and the vehicle did 400,000 klm with the panels up there.

mind you I never rollled it 

[Teabag]

To be honest, there is no real simple answer. Much will depend on your requirements and what your battery capacity is. Solar is very good but with a few days of bad sun you can be behind the 8 ball but generator can do this no problem though means carrying fuel, leads and NP restrictions. There are many pros and cons for both. If it was me and I was traveling Aust for extended period then I would have both to cover all issues. Much will depend on your battery bank reserve capacity and how long you can last without any external input......Good luck....

[singo-26]

I generally carry a solar panel with me and for conditions with no sun a 6 cylinder diesel generator.   

[HEM19X]

We now have both after being caught out with bad weather a couple of times.

1 - If I had to choose one, I would get a generator that would run a Ctek or similar - a 25amp one should keep your batteries topped up by running it less than 1 hr per day - so long as you let any neighbouring campers know what you are doing & only run it during the day, you should be OK. Most generators are quieter than before and even NPWS staff have admitted that the "No Gens" rule was put in place for the noisey ones. While running the car for a while might buy you some extra time, it won't fully charge the battery.

2. Go with a Coleman HWOD as we have fould the Aquacube dosn't heat the water as well as the Coleman. Also, once charged up, they do not need 12v power source. Finally, if you are free camping, a tarp strung between 2 trees can give you some privacy while showering in your swimmers.

Hem

 

[Black Diamond]

I  also run solar but i agree with the others both would be ideal in our unpredictable climate if you will be free camping for log periods, although in my case the solar tops ups the batt quiet well as the Jayco runs a 3way so the only thing running of the batt is my 45lt and pumps 

[Blue Bravo]

I have gone solar. When off power put the camper fridge onto gas and the battery and solar are for the Waeco and lights. Have been able to stay off power for over a week so far without any drama since installing it earlier this year and confident it would last much longer. A lot will depend on how much your trying to power.

[Bobcar]

I've got some bad news, GET BOTH

Solar is great and if the size of your panel is fine you will have no trouble,

But you get the days when solar conditions are not good and you will need to charge the batteries, don't rely on the car to do this because even they fail.

I have got a 250watt panel and a 1kva Honda generator and a Ctek 25 amp charger, the Honda will run the Ctek and give full 25 amp charge into batteries when needed, and for those days when even the car battery is flat put in on and it will have charged it enough in about 3 mins to start your car.

The 240volts also comes in handy for all sorts of things , drills lights etc......

As for the shower cubes don't do it I have tried both of them and find then quite troublesome

Go onto eBay and get an instantaneous hot water unit ( paid around $199.00 for mine) and it come with shower attachments .

I've mounted mine inside my caravan, my brother in law has his mounted in a box on the outside of his van, and we even use one loose to take away on simple camping trips.

Hope this helps BOB

[Heiny]

I have both + the tug but the panel (on loan from my Dad) is only 60w, so use of the genny is imminent I will upgrade to a much larger output panel when the right deal comes along but I will still carry the genny as another back up option.

[Moto Mech]

We have both and both have their days. Solar is great for sunny clear days when the weather isnt to hot but tell me this- where do you try to camp on very hot days? Yes in the shade and not much good for your solar panel. We are finding( right now) that shade is good and with an extension cord on the solar panel you would be chasing it all day round the shadows. But in their favour, oh the peace of not hearing a genny running.
Good points on the gennies are , flat batteries anywhere, no worries just fire up the genny for 5 mins and away you go, 240 v power to run your drill or angle grinder for repairs etc
IMHO up north in the heat Id prefer my genny but down south in the colder climate but sunny clear days Id prefer my solar panels.

[Benny78]

Thanks for telling me what i didn't want to hear!!! spend more and get both....hahahaahahah

I agree that camping in nice shady spots will definitely be on the cards so solar may be an issue there.
I am going to just run a 100AH battery in the camper as i have a duel battery in the truck so between those 2 batteries i "should Be able to sit out the few 3-4 day sites we stay at with a bit of a top up of solar?
I presume there are heaps of threads regarding panel size so i will have to have a look around and see what i can find. If i can find a cheap gennie i had better consider that also.

Regarding showers- i will do some research on the coleman however with the ebay instantaneous unit what actually pumps the water to the nozzle?

Anyone running the underbonnet showers? these seem like a good idea except that every time you shower you have to look at an noisy engine bay..

Great advice guys keep it coming....

[Bobcar]

Regards eBay. Instantaneous unit

I use the pump that comes with the camper or you can use a simple 12 pump submersible  from a camping shop, or Kmart etc

Bob

[TBF]

I carry both, a 100watt solar panel and a 1kva Engel.
We tow a Kimberley behind a 2010 Ranger dual cab..we have the space.
Regardless of the weather or NP restrictions we have most situations covered.

As for the Coleman HWS...we love it..
I don't think it takes long to set up....the hot shower afterwards is always worth the effort.

Aart

[BJ76]

Thanks for telling me what i didn't want to hear!!! spend more and get both....hahahaahahah

I agree that camping in nice shady spots will definitely be on the cards so solar may be an issue there.
I am going to just run a 100AH battery in the camper as i have a duel battery in the truck so between those 2 batteries i "should Be able to sit out the few 3-4 day sites we stay at with a bit of a top up of solar?
I presume there are heaps of threads regarding panel size so i will have to have a look around and see what i can find. If i can find a cheap gennie i had better consider that also.

Regarding showers- i will do some research on the coleman however with the ebay instantaneous unit what actually pumps the water to the nozzle?

Anyone running the underbonnet showers? these seem like a good idea except that every time you shower you have to look at an noisy engine bay..

Great advice guys keep it coming....

Just be careful with the eBay gas units.  I have read in other threads that these do not meet Australian requirements and may cause issues with your insurance should anything happen.  We have the Coleman unit and it is excellent.  Great for a family of four.  One of the little gas canisters lasted over a week with a shower a day for all (and they weren't short showers) .

BJ