Pat, was that factory installed? If so, I thought they were around 53 watts each. The 40 or the 53 will keep a good charge on the battery(s). I wanted to run my two Fantastic Vent Fans on medium or high throughout the day when dry camping so that I could take a quick nap while turkey and deer hunting. One alternative has been to take a nap in a hammock under the awning. I also wanted to be able to run my small color TV and VCR/DVD through an inverter without having to always crank up the Yamaha 3000SEB.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
i hope they are covered by your trailers insurance if you ever get hail!
john
John,
I get a bonus check each year from my employer and I use it to buy play toys. Last year was the Yamaha generator. Next year it will be tires, aluminum rims, front segment protectors and maybe a kayak. I've been looking at the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, 140 or the Heritage Redfish 12 or 14 foot sit on top models. This would complete my picture of being able to hook up and go to one of our nearby 3 lakes for a peaceful weekend of leisure with friends as well as some exercise for this 56 yr. old body.
Insurance says if the panels are permanently attached then they are covered. I guess this means replacing the screw-on knobs with nuts and bolts.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
John,
I get a bonus check each year from my employer and I use it to buy play toys. Last year was the Yamaha generator. Next year it will be tires, aluminum rims, front segment protectors and maybe a kayak. I've been looking at the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, 140 or the Heritage Redfish 12 or 14 foot sit on top models. This would complete my picture of being able to hook up and go to one of our nearby 3 lakes for a peaceful weekend of leisure with friends as well as some exercise for this 56 yr. old body.
Insurance says if the panels are permanently attached then they are covered. I guess this means replacing the screw-on knobs with nuts and bolts.
FWIW, When they totalled my Safari, Allstate offered me an extra $250.00 to cover the cost of both my Catalytic heater, and a solar system that was comparable to what you have.
You may want to have this discussion with your agent before any claims.
Dave
We have State Farm for our house, 5 vehicles and my trailer. They have been good to us and even had their attorney's squeeze money out of one business as well as another insurance company who didn't want to cough up an acceptable settlement. They even got our deductible out of a couple uninsured drunk hispanics who hit my daughter while she was in Myrtle Beach, S.C. during Spring Break a year ago. I can't complain. I've also had State Farm for over 30 years. I discussed whether the system would be covered before I put it on the trailer and let my agent know what the cost of the system was. If the trailer was hit by another vehicle, the trailer wrecked beyond it's 75% worth and the system not destroyed, I'd take it off and see that the other guy paid me acceptable labor plus mounting parts to install on another trailer. What they would cover regarding the system should I pull a bonehead stunt was not discussed but might be worth a discussion.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Just got back from the NY Metro Rally, an Airstreamer "Gosolar.com" did a demo and installed a system on a members 31'.
It was putting out about 10 amps on this very overcast day.
He did a demo with the panels similar to ones here and showed that any shadow stops the whole panel, one hand covering just one cell cut the juice by 80-90%.
Then he showed us these other panels that are peel and stick, shadows don't effect these at all.
They are better looking also.
Call Gary for more info, he knows his stuff. info at gosolar.com | 631.727.2224
__________________
Bob
'77 Sovereign Intl 31' CB '07 GMC 4x4 2500HD EC 8.1 Allision six | Bedrug | Softopper | Airbags
WBCCI Time's a-changing Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
This morning I added a used AM65 panel to the roof of my Sovereign. I have experimented with running my two Fantastic Vent fans on high with just the other two AM100 panels from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and the single 115 amp hr battery is still fully charged when I turn the fans off. Hopefully the addition of the AM65 will help on any very overcast days.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Very nice installation, very nicely documented. Your workmanship looks first rate! I like the idea of solar, but out of my league right now, so it’s more a case of solar envy.
At 10:20 a.m. this sunny morning, I ran a few tests to see how the system was working with the third panel. This is what I found the panels producing on a fully charged battery:
14.41 volts
.2 amps no load
1.4 amps with one Fantastic Vent fan on low
2.7 amps with two Fantastic Vent fans on low
3.1 amps with one FV fan on medium and the other on low
3.6 amps with two FV fans on medium
4.1 amps with one FV on high and one on medium
4.6 amps with two FV fans on high
I have accomplished what I set out to do and that is be able to run the two fans on medium or high during the day while out hunting and be able to charge the battery the next morning while running the fans at night on low. My next step, which will probably be next April (or if my 115 amp hr battery gives up the ghost, knock, knock) will be to add either two 6 volt batteries or two 12 volt batteries to a newly built box between the frame rails for extra battery capacity.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Craig, very nice istall. I'm looking to do something similar on my 07 25' Classic. I 've been looking into getting a wind generator too.With this one you can get a telescoping pole with a base that your RV wheels set on for support.
Craftsman,
There is some good material in Chapter 4 of RV Boondocking Basics covering wind turbines and the noise they make in high winds. They like their AIR 403 with tower top weight of 14 pounds. They had a 1 1/4" top 10' mast that slid inside a length of 1 1/2" lower mast. A heavy pin held the upper mast in place.
I'd check out someone who has a system to see if the noise will be objectionable right next to your trailer. You also need to be sure that the tower you use is sturdy enough in high winds. If not, you can imagine what might happen to the top of your trailer if it fell.
__________________ Craig
AIR #0078
'01 2500hd ext. cab, 8.1 litre gas, 5 sp. Allison auto
3.73 rear end
Mag-Hytec rear diff cover
Amsoil Dual by-pass oil filtration system
Amsoil synthetics all around
265 watt AM Solar, Inc. system
Quick Links
Say no to Lawrence Welk attitudes
Good Job!
Linear Mode
