Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
I want to add solar power to my RV and have been contemplating this. If I want to use the existing outlets in my RV do I need an inverter? There is a controller on board, a generator and 3 deep cycle batteries that get charged with shore power and my generator.
So I just want my solar panels to charge my batteries in the same manner that my generator does.
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Mike and Barb
2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37C with a 2008 Saturn Vue Taod
You only need an inverter if you want 110 volt ac power.........if you just want to charge your batteries solar is fine with a controller for just 12 volts dc......no inverter needed .......power from panels to controller...from controller to batteries , pretty simple...
but if it was me I would buy a small inverter just incase I needed to charge my laptop or phone......under a 100 bucks and worth every dime in my book just to have it there
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1998 ...Harney Renegade DP class A
rers1@mail.com
My Service dog and life partner " Nikki"......Klee Kia Miniature Husky....(she Runs the ship!!)
We are not lost in the Woods.....Just Extreme boondocking!!!!!!
If you just want to charge your batteries then what Lucky Mike told you is good sound advice. IMHO.
Diffidently would buy a small inverter to charge cell phones or laptops. (under 20 bucks for a cheap one on sale at Frye's or Wal Mart which we also carry in each car's glove box, 40-100 for a really good one) You can get one at Dollar Tree for a buck that also will work for your cell or part time laptop use.
A potential major problem with buying a smart battery charger and using it when on shore power is what happens when you are dry camping?? No power grid. We dry camp 30-35 day stretches many times a year so that will not work for us. Also generators are not allowed in many places to be run during the "quiet time" (usu 10 PM till 8 AM). Main places we dry camp gens are NOT ALLOWED at all due to their noise levels. And our Onan 12.5 is in an enclosed shroud. Solar or wind works fine and you can hear Mother Nature and the Wind.
Make sure you only buy a pure sine inverter not a cheaper square or modified sine wave as not good for electronics.
