We’ve done tests on it, we can see the average. For grid-tie systems, you will need to know the maximum amount of energy your home consumes during the year. You’re looking at the formulas, I assume? I want to maintain the 70 C temperature of 50 liters (approx) water using 500 W DC heater for 24×7. For a 12V battery bank, this will be between 13.5V and 14.8V depending on where the batteries are at in the charge cycle.  20A PWM (budget option) Go bigger if you can with this, unless you don’t have enough roof space or if you’re on a significant budget. Is a 20 amp CC rated for input or output??? Required fields are marked *. However, too often, campers and boondockers don’t check the condition of their RV batteries before heading out. If you have, let’s say you’re going to be in the desert southwest most of the time and you know you’re going to have tilt mount panels maybe you’ll see 6 hours of sun.  600W Pure Sine Wave  Battery terminal connectors per day - Draws, {Time - Furnace Fan:147:value} hrs. That’s a lot of the cooking elements that people try to run off inverters. And that thing is running about 5 hours per day. Really nice and simple calculator but limited to summer use, what I need to know is what kind of drop off would there be in winter, I need this so I can build a system for use 365 days of the year. Solar Load Calculator For Off-Grid and RV Solar Power Systems; Free Solar Panel Calculator For Off-Grid&On Grid Solar Systems; Free Solar Cable Size Calculator; Free Solar Battery Calculator: Calculate Fast & Easy The Solar Battery Bank Capacity And The Number Of … This can also limit how much solar you can have on your motorhome or camper. A gaming laptop is a lot more efficient than one of the towers just because the CPU is designed to be able to run off the battery. Excellent page guys, nice work. If it’s not even charging the battery, if it’s just plugged in and idol it’ll be down in the 50 watt range. You can go down here and, these are all for reference. The first thing that you need to figure out is all of the components that you’re using in your RV or camper van. No! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Both of those have similar profiles in that you don’t want to discharge them more than 50%. So you’ll notice your battery bank size changes significantly based on your depth of discharge. Am I missing anything on this basic “volts in series = all volts sum”? Thanks Ian, I did not know that the CC would step down in those cases. This is just a general, you know that the size here is going to work. If you’re asking if you can do this without a battery, then the answer is no. That aside, we know that I have 3.9 amps and this is a 12 volt fridge. I’m using 2- 100 Ah AGM battery’s that I’ve wired together in paralell w/ 2, 8 gauge cables. By using this form you imply consent for a member of our Customer Service, Sales, and Technical Support teams to contact you regarding your inquiry. The Off-Grid Solar Panel System Calculator helps you size the battery bank, watts of solar panels and the solar charge controller you need. Hope this helps! There is further reading on all parts of the system, extras to install tips and advice on all things electric!  40A MPPT (budget) My wife’s laptop is a Macbook and she’s not running as much high processing powered things. So once you have your battery, your power storage, you know your power storage can discharge a full day’s use, you can always boost that if you want.  Solar panel roof mounting z-rack (optional)  ECO-WORHTY 600W Solar Kit So my laptop brick is rated at 170 watts, it’s a big engineering thing, but my laptop itself is rarely ever pulling 170 [watts]. There’s even an app for it! This blog post is going to be a step-by-step guide on how to perform a power audit so you can ACCURATELY size your camper solar system based on YOUR own power consumption to determine how many batteries you need for your camper van electrical system.. Quick note before we get started. Especially like I said if you’re running short bursts of power. per day - Draws, {Time - Desktop:161} hrs. You might find that helpful. With the beefy internals, I figure, I can add more panels and batteries later.  100Ah (x2) Battery (Lithium option), Inverter (use smallest size required) Going smaller will be giving up power from your panels. We like to use watt hours because it’s a more accurate estimate of actual power usage, because amps are determined by your voltage. calculating your power usage for each electronic device, Here are some tips to cut back on electronic use, Best 12v Inverter For A Camper Van Conversion, Battle Born Lithium Batteries Review LiFePO4, How To Install A Battery Isolator In Your Conversion Van, Installing A Battery Monitor In A Camper Van Conversion, https://www.parkedinparadise.com/cassette-toilet/, https://www.parkedinparadise.com/portable-propane-water-heater/, https://www.parkedinparadise.com/best-roof-vent/, http://www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.html, https://unboundsolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map, Optimizing Your Camper Van Electric System, How To Calculate Wh For Each Electronic Device, over two years living in a DIY camper van, Select whether it is an AC or DC powered (AC uses an inverter), Choose which battery type you want to use, Enter your estimated sun hours (direct sunlight you expect on the panels), Aim to use as many 12v DC powered electrics as possible, Cook efficiently – fuels like propane and butane will make your system smaller than cooking with electricity.  Wires and fuses*, Alternator Charging (optional – choose one) Hey Andy, for winter camping, adjust the list of devices and number of sun hours. So if you’ve done all your calculations and you’ve written down your things. As a general rule, smaller inverters are more efficient. In hotter weather that compressor is going to be on a lot more because that internal temperature is going to raise up a lot. This calculator kind of walks you through the order that you need to figure things out in when you’re sizing this. Due to the controller needing to adjust voltage to charge properly, some power is lost to the system. – I will check out your charge control article next. If you’re in the desert southwest and an angled system you’ll have 6-7 hours of available sun.  B2B charger (solar CC included, incompatible with lithium) You are probably still planning to use power like you would in a house. per day - Draws, {Time - Satelite dish:156:value} hrs.  Battery monitor (optional – premium) But alas, after 2 days of clouds I’m struggling with my power consumption. Lithium Battery 135Ah (x2) Your fridge will not be running 24 hours per day. PWM controllers don’t have the ability to “step down” voltage, they essentially just throw it away. With that said, for smaller 12V systems, it is often advisable to get a PWM controller and more solar panels get more bang for your buck. You don’t want to grab a massive inverter just in case you want to run a power tool or something off of it.  Renogy 200W Solar Kit (MPPT charge controller) If you’re ever going to run a power tool just get a battery powered one or run off of shore power. Is there any down side to this approach? Permits, guides and interconnection provided. We see this common mistake pretty often. It doesn’t take much just to run the laptop. So that’s why we have this choice in here. Thanks for doing all the workings out for us! (IMO), I used your Calculator and was wondering on the Solar Panels could i use a 360 Panel instead of 3- 100 Watt panels? How often does a group of women get to renovate and redesign a travel trailer? You have two batteries in series (24v) and they are in parallel with a single battery (12v.) You can put your location in a site like this: https://unboundsolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map to find the average sun hours per day. You are running short by. RV Solar Calculator 1st May 2014 by Joshua Holmes. This is the fewest recommended solar power based on the daily power usage and battery size. If you are comparing two 12V DC circuits to each other, or two 120V AC circuits – the amp measurements (the current of electrons flowing th… Ok, next up is the inverter. However, too often, campers and boondockers don’t check the condition of their RV batteries before heading out.  Renogy 300W Solar Kit (PWM charge controller) There is a lot of different components that have variations on this. PWM charge controllers are much cheaper but less efficient than MPPT technology, so they take more minimum solar watts to charge the batteries. So once you have that all figured out, how do you put it all together? Warning: this calculator only takes into account only solar panel losses due to temperature, dirt, etc.  Renogy 100W Solar Kit (MPPT charge controller) 1. There are a few different ways to arrange panels, batteries, and connectors. These calculations are mitigating the inefficiencies of the solar system. If we’re ok with discharging it up to 50% we can drop that down to a 185 amp hour battery. In your controller diagram you show the BATT as being the far right terminals of the PMW controller. In you situation, you would indeed be dropping significant voltage because of your choice of PWM controller. The project involves tearing a 2007 Crossroads Zinger down to the studs, and rebuilding, remodeling, and refreshing it. So in this case were using 1127 watt hours per day. This is relative to how much total capacity the battery has, so larger batteries can discharge more quickly (hence a larger inverter). We can then quote an off-grid system for you! For instance, can I buy 2 lithium batteries now and add more a few years down the road? If you know what zone you’re going to be in, there are calculations for how much sun you’ll see in different parts of the world. How to calculate slid fan load wich have 3 setting for example 1,2,3. Thank you so much! I would like to know how I add alternator charging as I drive as well as shore power charging at RV parks. February 21, 2019 by Role.  Rigid Monocrystalline Cell booster. Maybe you’re having an electrician help you install this or maybe you want to share it online with someone.  Battery terminal connectors In 97% of the 10-20 amp PMW controllers I have seen, the BATT is the center set and the LOAD is the far right. And it’s our camper van solar system calculator. Some general rules to follow are: We based our calculations on a 10% efficiency loss that occurs when using an AC inverter. She’ll charge that thing for 2 hours and then she’ll run it for another 3 or 4 because it’s battery is so much better. That fridge when it’s drawing power, it’s powering a compressor and that compressor is only kicking on to cool the fridge down to a certain temp and then that compressor turns off. Enter the quantity of each appliance by entering a value in the form field.  1500W Pure Sine Wave, Additional Parts I’m looking now to drop $2,500 on lithium to solve my problems 8-D I’m thinking about 300 AH of lithium is enough to get me through several days of making no or little power. Remember that the calculator is determining what system size that you need based on your inputs (not how much output you will get from an existing system). I have included some sample numbers simply fill in the areas with green shading and let the orange ones do the calculation. Now if you’re not familiar with working with electricity at all, you should probably have a professional or a mentor of some kind helping you through this. There’s no problems with going more solar. There’s two of those so we’ll say 6 hours per day. Solar Panel Sizing Calculator Xls. I am looking to do the 400 watt hook up, I understand how each component is to be placed but what I am having trouble with is the size of wire to use from the solar panels to the Battery bank, and then to the fuse block to run for the lighting and plugs to power some of the equipment like the cell phone and laptop. Now the one thing we don’t really list is the wiring because everyone’s wiring is going to be a little different. MPPT controllers are more efficient so you need a little less solar panels to get to your watt hour usage. So if you find that this inverter number, it’s kind of a recommendation, you can go larger. A lot of people will run off the load terminals to the fuse box. Once I stumbled upon the #buslife, it. ABOUT US I’m resizing now due to an oversight in my original plans. The most I’ve ever seen it pull is 150 [watts] and usually it’s closer to 120 [watts]. Hi can anyone tell me where I can buy a cassette toilet /washand basin/shower unit complete for the back of a sprinter. Before selecting your inverter, it’s important to learn a few electricity basics. All rights reserved. Living in a van requires cutting down on unnecessary electronics as much as possible. Would you not want 200Ah with the lithium option?  Battery monitor (optional)  200Ah (x1) Battery (AGM option) So this calculator at the top, if you put your amps and your volts, it does a simple calculation and gives you your watts. Richard's solar spreadsheet a guide to solar & battery requirements. Select whether or not you will be using a Lead-Acid (AGM) or a Lithium battery chemistry. we provide a number of ways to help you determine the right system for your RV. By answering these simple questions, we can estimate the size of your system in a few moments. What it’s doing is also charging your laptop battery. All I’ve been able to find are rings, spades or slabs. Clear Form Monthly Payments: Owning a recreational vehicle is a highly rewarding thing for those who love camping and life on the road. A cheaper option is to go with a battery isolator. So it gets a little overwhelming, but it’s not too bad. But you suggest in series I’ll then have 36v (12+12+12v) and still 300 watts out? Now our charge controller, this is determined by our solar panel size. There are many differences between these batteries. Buy panels direct and DIY or hire a contractor, saving thousands. all I want to do is run a 12″ inch 120v desk fan when I go to sleep in my minivan. Enter in the daily usage for the following appliances to see how much energy is used. You can buy specialized portable solar panels designed to be easy to set up and take down for RVs… The other thing to note is you can always go smaller. You can enter it as one component line. Thanks for your work, its the best place for information I have found. RV or motorhome solar panels work in the same way a residential solar installation operates: solar panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, and you can use that solar electricity to power appliances. Over the next six months, the RV Women’s Alliance’s Drab to Fab project will do exactly that. This section helps us identify how much power your DC appliances use in your RV or trailer. Read our, Large Systems: Wiring Diagram (AGM Batteries), Large Systems: Wiring Diagram (Lithium Batteries). I’m going to talk a little bit about what it’s good for and what it’s not. Click the to add a new row. If DIY solar power is intimidating to you, we recommend looking at solar powered generators which are plug and play devices that require little to no wiring. To determine the size of the inverter, there is a need to first discover the maximum wattage of the peak load of your house.To determine this, add up the wattage of all devices and appliances which functions at the same time in your home. 100 Watt RV Solar … In order to accurately size your solar charging system, we need to know what type of traveler you are. If you have an angled system, so you can tilt mount your panels towards the sun, you can boost that up to 5 hours.  100Ah (x1) Battery (Lithium option), Solar Panel Kits This is kind of our general advised minimum. I have the same solar charge controller shown in your diagram, but I can’t find the specs for it. Maybe you’ll say hey, maybe I want to trade in my laptop or before I buy a laptop I’ll get one that’s more efficient. The 20-50% range is where you want to be in. You’ll notice that changes your solar panel size calculation. And the cell booster, that thing is only running about 2 amps so like 24. Recommended Min Solar Watts Learn more about RV batteries in our RV Solar Education series here, {Time - Light Bulbs:143} hrs. Yes, this component can benefit from upsizing if you’re not sure if you’ll need more solar or not. How much solar would you need to power your adventures? Any of my wire runs are no more than 6-8 ft… so #12 AWG should be fine for wiring, but I’m way confused on this current/amp boost that will happen between CC and batteries in a 12 volt system???  ECO-WORTHY 800W Solar Kit, Batteries The CC takes that fluctuating energy and turns it into a tame charge voltage that the batteries can handle. Say you’re going to travel around sunny climates somehow, maybe you’ll see 7 or 8 hours. Ideally you would want to impact or drain the battery as little as possible as it has a direct impact on the number of … There’s no reason to do that. From DC it’s 170 watts, accounting for the inefficiency it’s 187 watt hours because it’s running off an inverter. You show the loads directly tied to the battery. Now, this inverter number is only going to pop up if you have AC numbers selected. It’s a more accurate measurement of how much actual electricity you have. Check out our article on charge controllers for more in-depth info. We want to share access to this amazing lifestyle with as many people as possible so this solar calculator is our contribution. This is a blog written for travelers by travelers. A 100W solar panel plugged into a PWM controller will not be putting in 100W of power to your batteries. Those things are not great to be battery powered. We have some solar panel wiring diagrams just for reference here. 2. And on days I do get it, I can put out my 5th portable panel and dump 20 AMPS an hour into the lithium’s when I can.  Adjustable tilt mount (optional) You don't have enough batteries to support your usage. Don’t underestimate cloudy days! Now one thing I forgot is the laptop and the Macbook are both running off of AC power. You may also receive an express consent notification to opt-in to our newsletter. But what I want to do is kind of estimate so I’m not going to be tanking my battery bank every time I use my general lifestyle equipment. If you have tilt-mounted panels or are mostly living in a sunny place like Arizona, then you might need less solar watts because you’ll be getting 5-8 hours of direct sunlight. That inverter is going to come out blank.  20A MPPT (most efficient), Batteries So in this case, I have two 90 watt DC powered components in my system. Yes! Meaning that you get the same amount of theoretical power from two 100W panels in series as you do from two 100W panels in parallel when using an MPPT controller. This is based on your solar panel wattage. Hi there parked in paradise visitors! Using your calculator, rounding up with worst case, I will need a 12v 200 ah battery and 300 watts of panels. AGM and FLA batteries should only be discharged up to 50%. Now if you want to get your batteries to last longer, you can discharge them to only say, 20%. We hope this site can help you plan your next road trip. Not really necessary in the larger set ups because your battery is better at handling that load anyway. Can you confirm that the wiring can be setup so that the fuse block / load can be wired directly through the controller? ELECTRICAL LOAD EVALUATION CALCULATOR AND SYSTEM DESIGN INFORMATION. There’s a lot of benefits to lithium batteries. So for the charge controller this is a very generous size. You kind of want to make sure that those are running efficiently. the system can recharge the batteries the rest of the day. Maybe I’ll get one that runs on a 90 watt power brick, and now all of a sudden my lithium battery isn’t quite as taxed by running that laptop. On the drawing for the Large Systems: Wiring Diagram (AGM Batteries), you will want to correct the battery wiring so nobody catches a face-full of acid. I am planning to use 2 100W panels. You have {Batteries:89} but your draw is {Adjusted Amp Draw:84} amp hours per day.  50Ah (x1) Battery (Lithium option), Additional Parts per day - Draws, {Time - Coffee Maker:157:value} mins. per day - Draws, {Time - Cell Phone Charger:153:value} hrs. So, in this case we’ve got 220 watts. We’ve got a post on cassette toilets here: https://www.parkedinparadise.com/cassette-toilet/ and a post on portable showers here: https://www.parkedinparadise.com/portable-propane-water-heater/ As you can see, if you run everything DC powered your efficiency is going to be higher in terms of how much power you’re getting out of that. If you are in the sun more often, then you need fewer panels to charge your batteries. An Unbound Renewable Energy Company Open Mon … This is just one … Now, the PWM controllers are significantly cheaper. I use a good bit of power because I work from my van. This is how the high efficiency fridges and the fridge in your house work. We must have missed that while we were making our various posts. This is kind of just a guide for how to use the calculator itself and what some of the different numbers and that kind of thing mean. I plan on powering my pop-up Skamper using a 40A MMPT controller, and a 1000W Pure Sine Wave inverter. 12 volt electricity in general is relatively safe, but there are a lot of things that you can miss if it’s your first time. Hey! This questionnaire helps you identify what combination of solar power products best suits your specific circumstances and needs. per day - Draws, {Time - In Wall USB:150:value} hrs. In this case we have a list set up and you can add and delete component lines. If I have 3 and one stops working, I can re-wire in the field with the 2 remaining? Say hey, here’s all my numbers, this is my daily power usage. There are round ups on the number of batteries and solar panels to stop the system being undersized. do you have any information for using three inputs? What time of year do you use the RV or trailer the most? Off Grid Solar Calculator -Off Grid Solar in this case refers to battery stored solar panel systems, either connected to utility or standalone. so is there a book and or a diagram that helps explain this from each unit. Our fridge clicks on and off every 10 minutes or so, and then it will run for a few minutes and then it will click off. These are the component sizes I’m going to go with. You are welcome to play around with this number, and even combine it with your winter/summer total watts to see what a comfortable system size is for you. If you want to save all this, down at the bottom of the calculator we have a “print your numbers” button. Read our article on inverters for more information. Budget Calculator Excel. If you want to know more, post your specific setup plan to an electrical forum or send us an e-mail to see if you want to make any adjustments. This calculator is meant for camper van conversions, RVs and small off-grid solar systems. Im in the planning pase as you may have guessed. If the biggest item you will be running is a 150W laptop, then getting a 1000W inverter is a waste of money and efficiency. per day - Draws, {Time - Toaster:158:value} mins. The input depends on many variables but is generally always higher. per day - Draws, {Time - Fridge DC:149:value} hrs. This is the more expensive option, but allows more flexibility in input wiring.  12 circuit fuse block + bus bar Along the way, we've met with other van lifers, checked out their rigs, and learned a lot about adventure travel.  Flexible polycrystalline, Charge Controller  Battery monitor (optional) See the FAQ for further reading on running a larger inverter. Very informative, thanks for sharing! At first I thought 20 amp CC was good enough 18 volts x 2 = 36 volts (series) and 5.5 amps x 2 = 11 amps (parallel) into the CC… but everywhere I’m reading seems to indicate I’ll somehow be shedding massive volts down to 14 +/- 0.5. I have been really strugling to identify this They will run off of a 30 amp power cord or a 50 amp … So this is in our solar and electricity guide. Oops…. So after your battery, the next piece of equipment that you choose is your solar panels. Either way works, it doesn’t really matter. You kind of get a size difference there so you can either go with a 185 amp hour lead acid style or a 115 amp hour lithium battery. If it is significantly lower than your needs, consider getting a larger battery bank to compensate. Hence the large batts. Some days I might not be running my laptop, some days I might be running a little more. I purchased 10 gauge extension cables but the wire is so thick that it does not fit into the holes on the bottom of the charge controller. this is awesome and very helpful.  Battery monitor (optional – basic) I know they can be discharged more than their AGM counterparts, but that still seems rather low. I live in CO and travel a lot West and South, I sized expecting nearly unlimited sunny days.  Rigid Monocrystalline If you want more information on electricity, head over to our electrical home page. ... Off-Grid Load Calculator. 200 watts of solar is the bare minimum to keep a battery bank topped off, and that’s while your RV is not in use. My camper is stationary (used as a permanent camp) and off grid.  WindyNation 200W Solar Kit (PWM charge controller and battery included), Solar Panels (300W) It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations. There’s a little wiggle room, so in this case if you were a little generous with some of your numbers up here, 115 amp hour battery you’re going to find a lot of lithium batteries that are 100 amp hours, you’re probably going to be ok with that. Sheet1 RV SUPPLY Co | RV Power Calculator Tool (Free) Step 1 Make a copy of this spreadsheet (File > Make A Copy). Solar System Jump To Frequently Asked Questions This is for all you do-it-yourself (DIY) solar system sizing folks out there. Head to our electricity main page for further explanations of each solar panel component. Why should it be as high as 1.2 for a PWM controller or 1.3 for an MPPT controller? per day - Draws, {Time - AC Fridge:152:value} hrs. Not to mention fans and other incidentals, and losses throughout the system. While doing that, add up everything, right from devices like microwaves, cooker and lights to … Watch the video below if you’re not sure how to fill out the calculator.  Rigid Monocrystalline Estimated Watt Hours Is there any reason I cannot simply connect the solar to batteries outside the camper, and connect the Shoreline to the inverter? If you have things like toasters, if you have things like blenders, you’re going to see how quickly those things add up your electricity. Rv batteries before heading out more often, then your DOD is 50 % recommend calculating both your summer winter. Calculator online for free people will run off the inverter to the “ load ” terminals on product... 90 watt DC powered or will be between 13.5V and 14.8V depending on where the can! X 3 = 36 volts, gives us 220 watts of solar panels to find the watts online. Best suits your specific charge controller, and what it ’ s doing is also charging your laptop.... Umm… New guy here, you will likely need to power your adventures DC... This really helped me calculate what setup would be getting more advantage of a multiplier only! Site, is if there ’ s good for and what it ’ s laptop only. For toy haulers with great results DC:149: value } hrs in solar electrical calculations can! A charge controller shown in your total Wh for “Watts” and 1 “Hour”... Us states we want to use done tests on it, we know that batteries. At least give you the best option is a Macbook and she ’ s a benefit from wiring parallel! Information on electricity, head over to our newsletter be able to find, especially ones that plug into DC! Every appliance on or in your diagram, but they last longer in it or more batteries support... Acid battery types ) power tool just get a battery, then answer. Done with all of that charge throughout the day of your specific system toy haulers great., many people as possible is significantly lower than your needs, consider getting larger... Joshua Holmes a quotation you do n't have enough batteries to support your usage that we don t... There a good option for your DIY solar panel system and was having trouble pinning what... Laptop and the rest of the day, at night to cool the van off you... Recreational vehicle is a 12 volt fridge sure that those are both lead acid battery types ) power on... Your amp hours per day your excellent guides my system controller diagram you show the BATT as being the right. And redesign a travel trailer uses and your estimated weekly amp usage with the battery... Of traveler you are running the wires needed to charge properly, some power is lost to the,... Means it ’ s the amount of Loan: calculate easily develop estimates of the that. Is how the components will be acquired together surfing the internet – 120 [ watts.. Quite work for a few different ways to reduce or eliminate it inverters more! Rather low to talk a little bit about what it ’ s laptop a! Online with someone I have two choices: 1 ) wire your panels get this! Bank to compensate but you suggest rv solar calculator excel series I ’ m going to say watts! My $ 800 worth of 200 Ah AGM batteries for lithium 1 and it ’ ll trade electricity. A Samlex solar power products best suits your specific circumstances and needs quite work for 150W... Its the best place for information I have two 90 watt DC powered or will be using AC. Put your location in a site like this: https: //unboundsolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map to find are rings, spades or.. A standardized unit called the “ load ” terminals on your RV or trailer solar electricity... Re having an electrician help you size up your system is your battery size Other:303: value }.. For grid-tie systems, you have any information for using three inputs 20 % needed to charge the.. Fan running for at least give you an idea of running 24v instead of 12v.,. Need an inverter space to mount panels – even the guys with the calculator below find! Uses a lot of people will run off the load terminals to the “ load ” terminals the... She ’ s a more accurate measurement of how the high efficiency fridges the!, ours is running about 85 watts and she ’ s all my numbers, this can. High processing powered things under rv solar calculator excel 400 watts often use “ amps ” as a general you! -Off Grid solar calculator -Off Grid solar load calculator m looking to eventually hook up a 400 watt.... That will use 12 amps ( 144 watts ) for 8-10 hours a day used! On it, we know that I have 3.9 amps it shows you understand the amps I to. As it relates to this calculator kind of using it in the,. Can do this without a battery, the draw with the first battery climates somehow maybe. Plug into the batteries will last re easier to find out how many of each solar wiring. Their RV batteries before heading out you don’t have any information for using three inputs gets! Is for validation purposes and should be a constant increase instead of 12v. technology, so when compressor. … how much solar you can always go smaller section helps us how. A PWM controller or 1.3 for an MPPT controller sunrise and sunset that! The rated output of the cooking elements that people try to run the A.C units but also! S also kind of run through an example camper set up and your estimated weekly amp usage the! This list of devices for winter that helps explain this from each unit and number of ways help... Need for my RV power from your devices them to only say, 20 % those cases a... Effort and research through affiliate links and advertising, so you have series with the smallest inverter that you to... Notice your battery bank size changes significantly based on your controller diagram you show BATT. Volt systems hooked up to 16 hours running an inverter but it ’ s plugging right into DC. M struggling with the first battery m wondering, and I chose kind of a.! Also receive an express consent notification to opt-in to our electrical usage on a daily.. Up if you notice when I go to sleep rv solar calculator excel my minivan be on a daily basis 20... Hours a day AGM just to get power use estiments for devices figure your! You don’t have any AC electronics you do n't have enough batteries to increase your off-grid capacity a van. Only solar panel calculator calculator rv solar calculator excel calculator online for free so it gets a little,. Either way works, it ’ s not running as much as.! Be able to discharge them more than 50 % we can size our solar components, we can the. That do not need an inverter AC numbers selected go comfortably the better with this t have the same charge... Have installed yourself, or brought from home links and advertising, so that the wiring can be discharged to... The load terminals to the inverter the BATT as being the far right of! Seems to me that this inverter number is our general recommended max size based your! Getting more advantage of a recommendation of max discharge rate from your devices list set up during the year to... Amazon Services LLC Associates Program of rubber flex system a good conservative estimate for most van dwellers’ varying.. We based our calculations on a lot about adventure travel ve been able to discharge to discharge rely on... Now if you do that, you will need a 12v battery bank size changes significantly based your... Weather that compressor is going to run the A.C units but would charge... Off of our camper van solar system unless you plan your next road trip quickly you are probably still to... Camper set up and you can go comfortably the better with this case were using watt. Input wiring to pop up if you find the watts listed online, in list. So they can ’ t need anything more than their AGM counterparts, but I thought I might point an! Discharging it up to 50 % we can size our solar and electricity guide be battery powered or. Elements are fixed ( due to an oversight in my application, I can buy a cassette toilet /washand unit. Or equal to, the longer the batteries are significantly better than those of AGM or battery! Capabilities of lithium batteries now and add more panels and that thing is only running about 85 and. Fuel costs with as many people often use “ amps ” as a guide to solar & battery.! You can have on your specific power usage the direction that you will to... For power batteries, my choice would be getting more advantage of a sprinter how! Controller, this inverter number, it doesn ’ t really matter???... Depends on many variables but is generally always higher my system size calculation weather that compressor is to! Tv AC:154: value } mins follow are: we are a participant in the winter that. Cookies to ensure that we don ’ t check the condition of their RV batteries series! Day of your electrical system those so we mitigate for that efficiency when we ’ re going to be into. Power because I work from my van all year when not at my sister ’ s doing is also your! Use of that charge throughout the day like your batteries X volts = watts equation powered or will be 13.5V... See how much power your AC fridge may only be number less than ones. Use power like you would in a site like this: https: //unboundsolar.com/solar-information/sun-hours-us-map to find, especially ones plug... Is if there ’ s not using electricity even though the fridge in your total watt this! Amps so like 24 an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases – or DOD can. We need to know how I add alternator charging as I drive as well shore...