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Well, #1, you came to a solar forum, so the obvious is to just put solar on the trailer and be done with it. 200 watts might be enough. WIth this you may never need the vehicle to charge. #2, electricity is not free when driving. You will be using the alternator to charge which means taxing...

you can stop now, sometimes it can be helpful to disagree, but sometimes you are just wrong when you try to second guess things and info you do not have. EPever solar controller used to be that cheap on ebay, prices have increased. Sometimes you can find really good deals on the internet...

By "long-term" are you preparing for grid-down possibilities? shft? govt deeds? Otherwise, I am confused why you need to wash clothes during power outtages. What is the longerst power has been out? A week, two? I would simply buy a few days worth of clothes and wait for power to come back on...

Dreaming.... They are right, this is a fools errand. Stick with the inverter, they are efficient enough for what you are doing, and I would not get the mindset that every single last watts counts hat much. Use a smaller inverter, the smallest that your items run on, or get two, a small one...

Agree ^, I would use multiple smaller panels so you fit the shape better, or build the super structure frame. If it were me I would use aluminum angle iron, the thin 1.5 inch (or so) from HD, and tape it on with double sided VHB tale, tape the angle iron on the roof front to back oriented, and...

More battery gives you a higher starting point, but after that initial use, then the limiter is your panels/ how much they can recharge the batteries per day. Not a lot of use having more storage than your ability to fill that storage, unless you plan more panels one day.

Nice work. That answers a lot of questions we wonder about but never think to investigate. Your alt is not meant to be able to run at its max capacity for too long. There are 100% alternators, but will not come stock on a vehicle. Alternators will burn out if run at 100% for too long. Check...

Are people still moving about on wooden wagon wheels? I keep seeing people mention rough roads and harsh rides. Just how stiff is your suspension? No, a sprung vehicle is not a rough ride! Springs on the suspension, air filled tires.... they do amazing things to smooth out the ride. Though...

Did you scan the forum before posting, literally the post right next to this is the same question... https://diysolarforum.com/threads/help-w-rv-curved-roof-mount-weight-limits-flexible-panels.76610/ Go there, I will answer there, not here. Follow the rules.

ok. I thought you said money was not a problem. Trust me though, if it were me knowing what I know now, 23 years on doing this sort of thing, I would sell trailer and make that life's issue and financial goals. You have a lemmon, sorry, this is not the trailer you want to invest time and money...

use the icon to the right of the smilie face icon to insert a pic. IDT people want to open attachments on their google computers. I am not a big fan of mounting panels high up. Can you not mount them close to the roof (1 inch air gap) and go around all the roof clutter? Do you already have...

You might be fine, one thought... the AC unit will shade the panels next to it. I assume the two next to it are in series. Shading just one credit card sized area of one panel will decrease the panel output more than you can imagine. Consider how to remedy, maybe put the two as stand alone...

I have had the flex panels, one only made it a few months before dying, and it was secure 100% of the time to a roof. At the time I did not know that it needs air under it and being directly on the roof it burned the fiberglass and discolored it, could have burned the panel to death too. Junk...

Sorry, you are wrong on all accounts, and I have never charged from shore power, I have solar, I have alternator. Everything I bought is new. Pure sine wave inverter, 300watts is big enough as I do not try to imitate a house. I have a 2000 REnogy sitting around but have never needed it. Don't...

So, you are on solar forum so I also assume you have solar that does most of the charging? The alternator is for those times when you need more. I had a similar truck. Here is what I did. I just used a manual switch to turn on/off the connection from truck to camper battery or DC to DC...

The deployable panels were added and the existing ones left alone - as this way I did not have to un-do any existing panel wiring in a tight space. The top panel is the deployable and it is selected to power the front battery because the front batteries panels are under the deployable ones. So...

Nothing adds up here. I suggest leaving the solar forum and talking to a toyota forum as your vehicle has issues - electrical issues, like your wires are so corroded that they cannot conduct enough amps when at idle to power anything. This is not an issue I have ever ever heard of, and should...

That's only if you drive, and if you drive a long drive. The drive is a reset of the "starting point". Yes, I understand the bigger battery part lasting longer, but after that initial discharge then it is your solar panels that are the limiting factor. When solar cannot keep up then you...

is fine. My first rig I added a DC outlet just for this reason - to charge from a charger that I put DC plug on. Ths outlet doubled as an actual outlet when not used for charing. Though, mine went straight to the battery and not through a fuse panel, still fused of course. Was super easy way...

I advise people when getting into the rv lifestyle, to consider becoming an RVer and learn the ways of the force, I mean the ways of camping and RVing. Propane is a wonderful thing, lots of energy stored in the bottle, and though it cost every fillup, there is no up-front cost like on...

4 bolts per panel will be enough. You will be drilling into the rack, it will take decades for it to corrode, so i would not worry about that. However you have to mount them. Once they are bolted in they will be very secure, sideways, frontways, it wont matter, just whatever seems to fit the...

We need more info on what you plan to run, and for how many days. Future proof means almost always starting with more than 100 or being set up to have more than 100. Maybe you will not use much battery, and maybe all your trips are a day or two, so 100 will be plenty. I started with 200, then...

Put your newly aquired panels on a separate solar charge controller. You can feed multiple charging sources into one battery just fine. I have two separate solar systems that used to feed into one battery via separate controllers. The controllers will not get confused and nothing bad happens...

On-demand water heaters are great for saving space in small trailers, not much else though. They do not save water. When you stop the water (to save water) then the water in the no-a-tank gets too hot, then you get scalded when water flow is back on. They just do not make them for RVs where...

I would never never never buy or use a "modified" sine wave inverter anymore. You pay a little bit more for a pure sine wave, but is worth it because it will not ruin anything ever. Ask me how I know... Back 20 yrs ago there was a huge price difference from modified to pure, but not so much...

Can you fill a pool with multiple water hoses? Also, please read a few forum post using the SEARCH function as all this is discussed already- before you make a new thread. You can fill a pool with multiple hoses. This answers all of your questions above. Chargers with an equal voltage when...

As said, rare to get 100% of the rated wattage. Need to be aimed directly at sun to get most available light possible. No, they do not last as long, but until they go bad they are the same as any other 100 watt panel. How are they attached? Danger is they lay on the van roof and trap water...

Are there no upright 12v DC fridges that will be similar price? The upright do take up less room than the chest sty bc the door opens into the walking space, not into the cabinet space. I have a DC chest fridge and will never go back to propane. I put 1.75 inch thick styrofoam insulation...

So, the power is going to be used in the camper but the batteries and everything will be in the van, and the solar panels on the ground? You don't go through the body, you go through the floor, between the fender and the inside wall perhaps. Use an Anderson plug that hangs out at the bumper...

Yep, exactly. Most use a switch like this: With this one you can charge either or both or neither. The solenoid or relay option with toggle above will do the same thing too, but just more complicated, and only if you must have a remote toggle switch. They key is that both batts should have the...