Re: [a/s] Elegaint Airstream Electrical

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob,
 I don't have any pictures online of my new solar system, and I can't
say that it's "the best", but it works for me.

You must bear in mind that there is no "best" when it comes to a solar
system, you need what YOU need. My own system consists of 2, 75-watt
panels (36-cell crystaline), feeding a PWM controller, to charge 2 Group
24 "RV/Deep Cycle" batteries. The batteries should give me 60-70 AH
without discharging them too deeply, which isn't a lot (a pair of golf
cart batteries would be much better), but should suffice nicely for my
needs. I have a Cruising Equipment 'e-Meter' installed to keep track of
my usage, and so far, I've not used more than about 20 AH in a day. My
panels should supply twice that on a bright day.

Any number of sites have worksheets to calculate usage and panel
requirements, if you need the URLs, just holler.

Anyone contemplating a solar system should do a bit of homework before
spending any money or you're likely to be disappointed. You also MUST
get your usage in line first, you cannot afford to buy enough panels to
support profligate usage and there's not enough room on top of your
trailer even if you could afford them.

As far as Modern Conveniences go, I have a TV and want for little more.
When we do extensive travelling come this Winter, we'll get a small
plugin inverter for my wife's laptop computer. No microwave, and we make
coffee with a drip coffeemaker on the gas stove.

                                  <<Jim>>