inverter or solar? or both?

[gypsy elmo]

Trying to decide which to buy? I'd like some info on each if possible. My Scamp 2006 19 ft 5th wheel is resting for the winter and would do this soon!
Carolbeckner@ymail.com. thanks

[steve dunham]

We have a Renogy 100 watt solar suitcase . Works well for our style of camping . We do have a portable inverter , bought it 5 years ago , never found a need / reason to use it.

[David B.]

Carol, is the converter in your Scamp defective or missing, or did (as Gorden explained) you really mean inverter? If the converter/charger is defective or missing, then you could just purchase a battery charger (smart charger preferred) for times that you have shore power. The solar panel with a controller is just a way to charger the battery if there is enough sun. Personally I have a smart charger, 150 watt solar panel with smart charge controller, and a Yamaha 2000i generator just in case, but then again we mostly boondock for month on end.
Dave & Paula

[Scott H]

Sounds to me like you need: The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

[BARNEYCONE]

Carol,
a inverter makes 12v dc into 120v ac.
A converter makes 120v ac into 12v dc.
Solar panels make 12v dc only.
Goggle up rv trailer wiring diagrams,should help!
If it were easy,everyone would be doing it!
Barney cone ii

[Jim Thor]

Originally Posted by Scott H

Sounds to me like you need: The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

Question- I need to ad install an Investor. My primary purpose is for use with at CPAP devise. My CPAP is portable, I have a battery for it, but it has been suggested that I instead use an Invertor. Any suggestions?

[ARMEL]

When we had our Trillium all I had was a Cheap Mastercraft charger. Some Harbor Freight solar panels. And a deep cycle battery. And an extension cord. We camped for months at a time. Worked great! We now have a Casita.

Armel & Carol

[David B.]

Jim, using an inventor to change 12 volt DC to 120 volts AC so you can plug in your CPAP matching, which has a converter in the line to change 120 volts AC back into DC really isn't as efficient as just getting a 12 volt CPAP machine and connecting it to the battery. If you can get by without the humidification feature, your battery drainage will be considerably less.
Dave & Paula

[DougOlson]

Did you check if your CPAP can run directly off 12v DC? Mine does (without humidifier) and direct 12v is more efficient than using an inverter to make 120V which just gets converted back to DC for the appliance.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[Chuck G.]

We also have a Renogy 100 watt solar suitcase which charges our battery in about 4-6 hours depending on the amount of sun.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...=27DM0C0N7D3AE

This gives us light for the night, water pump for showers and dishes as well as a fan if needed. No sun? Then we use our generator to charge both batteries.

To supplement that,we also have another deep cycle battery

https://www.amazon.com/Vmaxtanks-Vma...ds=agm+battery

to run our Juicer, blender, coffee maker, frother and TV/DVD (all appliances are below 750Watts) for movies at night this battery is combined with a 1000 watt power inverter so we can plug these appliances right and not drain our cabin battery.

https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-806-1...power+inverter

This works well for us and because of this we have been able to park in many national parks that do not have electric and stay for weeks with all the comforts of home. We can run the solar all day because it's quiet. Generators have specified hours of use.

[Mike_L]

I have an inverter but never use it. I have a generator and use it as little as possible because it uses a lot of gasoline over time and we also don't like the noise it makes. I have a 100 watt solar panel unit that keeps my batteries charged all season. After the initial investment the power is free and keeping the batteries topped up makes them last longer.

[Kai in Seattle]

"Sounds to me like you need: The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)"


Scott H -- Thanks for the link. Really super good. Paul was really happy to get it.


BEST
Kai

[lrb945]

thanks for the link, Scott!!

[rickrodgers]

We have a 17' Casita SD on order. I've ordered it with the upgraded battery: Interstate Battery group 31M-AGM, Reserve Capacity 190, Amp Hour Ratting 190x.42=79.8 AH.
The A-Z Guide says that with a dry cell AGM battery, "you must upgrade to a smart converter or risk premature failure of your pricey AGM." [P. G-2, 7/17/16 ed.]
I assume that would mean replacing the converter/battery charger that comes in the Casita.
Has anyone had experience with this?
Thanks!
Rick Rodgers

[frankcfx]

If the trailer manufacturer is offering the AGM battery as an upgrade they should also be supplying the required charger. I would check with them regarding the supplied charger.

[rickrodgers]

Originally Posted by frankcfx

If the trailer manufacturer is offering the AGM battery as an upgrade they should also be supplying the required charger. I would check with them regarding the supplied charger.

Thanks, Frank - I will. Rick R