New Member from Philly

Introduce Yourself…

Hi - I’m Jill and new to the forum. I bought a van last summer and did a quick conversion for my frist trip in the fall. I am at my parents for now, to do a more official conversion before getting back on the road this summer.

Current state of my build is being confused/terrified about figuring out solar. Excited to get some knowledge from this forum!

Greetings & Welcome!

Why solar? It’s one of the most expensive & least reliable options available.

My isolator to charge while driving provides all the power I need 99%+ of the time. Don’t waste your money expensive batteries either, they’re not lasting any longer than cheap ones.

Cheers!


"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller


Hi Jill!
I found solar to be very intimidating as well. I personally went with the yeti system because it is an all-in-one unit with your charge controller and inverters and battery. Figuring out what went with what ran circles in my head! Also their solar panels plug directly into the unit so you don’t have to figure out wiring either. And no I do not work for them LOL. They are pricey so that is the downside. I have found them to be extremely user-friendly and this being my fourth year living the VanLife, I can tell you that they are durable and have held up well.
Hope that helps!

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Greetings!

And your solar is keeping up in the winter without additional charging methods? If it is, that’s pretty rare, even in the desert.

Cheers!


"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller


Thanks for the suggestions!

I have been going back and forth between wanting to install rooftop solar panels and the whole 9 to be as “off grid” as possible or forgoing it for now bc the system I used in the fall worked for the most part, which was just charging my jackery while I drove. After doing some work this weekend I am def leaning towards the latter because it means less work for me :sweat_smile:

Oh no sorry, it’s enough from April through October but I have to supplement my power needs with a generator in winter, particularly to keep the propane furnace running. But for that it would be enough because in winter “refrigeration” is free ;D
The solar keeps my lights on and my devices charged. :+1:

Haha yes I’m a “less work” kinda gal also! :laughing:
Just to be clear though, the Yeti can accept multiple sources of charging… Solar/plugging in(110) including generator with inverter/12v car charger.

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Greetings!

That’s the dilemma, with or without solar, most of us still need additional charging sources. I’m really loving my newest toy, a black box. It is basically self contained micro-hydro. A bilge pump powers a water wheel, that is connected to a 150a alternator. It sounds like a babbling brook, and puts out 70 amps @ 12vdc. It does need a battery attached, but requires no other fuel, and is self charging. It doesn’t put out a lot of wattage, but is great for recharging house battery banks.

At only ~840 watts output, I’m not sure how well it would work with an inverter, but for our daily 12v needs, it quickly charges our 400 amp battery bank.

I converted my 3-way fridge/freezer to run on a liquid candle (veggie oil) instead of propane. I mounted it using a gimbal, like on a boat, so it remains level whether the vehicle is or not. Then I’m a big fan of multi fuel, non electric, wick type heaters. Dry heat with no installation needed. Then I add a non electric, heat powered, wood stove fan on top to have fan circulated heat without the need for electricity or battery power. I’m using these same heaters as cooking burners.

I don’t want any of my essentials to even require power. Power is a marvelous luxury, and I wouldn’t be happy without it, but I don’t want my survival, or my comfort, to require it.

Cheers!


"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller