Hello, I have an small travel trailer and am interested in maybe downsizing to a van in the future. I have a question about electrical systems. I have a 30 amp system, and I am going to be parked in front of my parents house to do some work so I will only have access to 15 amp. My question is: Can I use a solar panel I recently purchased hooked up to the battery to supplement some of the energy I’m missing so I can use the electricity a little more comfortably while I’m there? Is there danger to the rig or myself in doing this? I’m so hesitant whenever it comes to electricity so I could really use any education you all are willing to share. Thanks! #VanLifeSummit
Greetings & Welcome!
They have adapters so you can just plug in with no worries, might not work for A/C, microwaves, induction cooktops, or heaters, but nearly everything else should work.
Cheers!
"A cheap factory camper van or motorhome beats
an expensive project every time." ~ Truth_Matters!
an expensive project every time." ~ Truth_Matters!
Yes I have the 15 amp adapter already and plan to use it. I’m wondering if I can pair it with some solar panels I bought. I want to use both simultaneously.
Greetings!
The solar is just a battery charger, totally unreliable for anything else. All of your loads need to be hooked up to the house battery(s) (possibly via an inverter) or a generator or shore power. Solar IS NOT a steady reliable power source like a battery, a generator, or shore power.
Example wiring orders:
cb=circuit breaker
hb=house battery(s)
sp=shore power
cc=solar charge controller
c/c=converter charger
Starter Battery → fuse/cb → isolator → fuse/cb → hb
Solar → fuse/cb → cc → fuse/cb → hb
sp → fuse/cb ->battery charger → fuse/cb ->hb
sp → fuse/cb → c/c (charger output) → fuse/cb ->hb
sp → fuse/cb → c/c (converter output) → 12v fuse box/cbs → 12v loads
sp → fuse box/cbs → indoor outlets
hb → fuse box/cbs → 12v loads/outlets/appliances
hb → fuse/cb → inverter → fuse box/cbs → indoor outlets
My personal system, simple & reliable:
Starter Battery → cb → isolator → cb → house battery → 8x fused acc. outlets
Generator/sp → extension cord through window → outlet strip
Cheers!
"Count your blesssings, for they are many." ~ Unknown