Author: Rae

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Doing the Math on Solar

I’ve had solar on the brains for months. I’ve been RVing long enough now to know what I need in terms of a solar setup. Soon as I can free up the cash, I’ll be ready to spend!

My battery bank is comprised of two 6 volt golf cart batteries with a capacity of about 200 amp hours. I only really get 60% of that capacity, so I have 120 amp hours available to me. By being frugal and only using power for the fridge, propane detector, and furnace, I can spend two to three nights off shore power. I can do three to four nights if I don’t have to heat. The 15 watt panel on the roof gives me about 4 amps a day, enough to recharge my laptop once a day when it’s sunny, so I don’t factor that into the equation.

So, with strict energy consumption in mind, I average 40 amps per day at 12 volts. Having 60 amps available to me would mean not having to be so careful and give me a good buffer.

Also, I have very little use for 120 volt power, except for computer charging. I don’t miss the microwave or toaster when I’m not plugged in, so I was hit with the realisation that I don’t need a whole house inverter! My little 400 watt inverter is more than enough for my needs. If I absolutely needed to print while boondocking, it’d be cheaper to just go have it done at a copy store. So, all I need is a solar panel and a regulator.

I’d like to be able to boondock in the Yukon this summer for two weeks at a stretch, the length of time you can stay in a territorial park in a 28 day period. So, that meant I’d need a solar panel capable of providing me with 840 amps of power.

This is the point in my calculations where someone came up to see what I was scribbling about. Turns out he knows solar (too funny, what a coincidence). He looked at my numbers and said “That’s an easy one. 125 watt panel and a regulator. Add two to six more 6 volts if you have the space and weight for them and you’ll never have to worry about power again.” I got a second opinion on that, and got the same answer. So, now I know what I need and I’m starting to accumulate quotes.

I think I’ve given up on the generator. It’s surely a lost cause by now. I’d probably be better off having it removed and then using the extra carrying capacity for doubling, or even tripling, my battery bank. Three people also suggested that I might be able to get enough for the scrap generator to finance a good part of my solar investment. So, that’s another thing I’m going to be looking into.

Investing in solar has been a long time coming, but I’m glad I waited because now I really know what I need and I can spend my money well.

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Nice Rest Area in Abbotsford

I needed to be out of Tradex ASAP this morning and have unresolved business with the RV show. Until that is settled, I don’t want to make any firm plans. One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to spend the next couple of months in the Vancouver area; the cost of living is way too high. So I’ve decided to bump around a variety of dry camping spots for a couple of days until my batteries force me to plug in somewhere for a night.

After some Googling last night and this morning, I found out that there is a nice rest area on Cole road, exit 99, in Abbotsford. It has an easy access dump and water station. I was very overdue for both dumping and taking on fresh water, so this place is a haven! Stays are limited to 8 hours (which is very different from ‘no overnight parking allowed’), so I’ve decided to come spend my days here since it’s peaceful and a bit off of the highway, and then move to the Walmart for the night since it’s only a couple of exits away. I called to make sure that they allow parking; yes, but they warned me that it’s noisy since RV parking is allowed only on the Home Depot side (“delivery trucks come in all night”) and the road. I’ll stay on the latter side. I’ve been at an airport for a week, so I doubt a little traffic is going to keep me up! 😀

I know where I want to spend the next few months, until winter breaks and I get some more options, but I’m really stuck in the GVR until the RV show file is firmly closed. I’m really disappointed to be in this situation, since I just want to crash somewhere and sleep for a week, but I’m hanging on and will reassess in a few days.

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What's Next

I’ve just ended an incredibly public week, something that was very difficult for me, much as I enjoyed it. I’d like to thank everyone who stopped by to speak with me.

There are a number of things that could happen in the next days and weeks, but I need a timeout, so I’m not going to discuss the options on the blog at this time. I’ll check back in once I’ve had time to process the last few days.

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Last Big Day of the Show

Whew, seven hours and one presentation left!

Today was absolutely fantastic. I had amazing audiences. It was incredible to stand on stage and speak my message and make contact with people to see that they were really engaged and hanging on to my every word. In fact, the presentation has been so successful that I’ve decided that I will be recording my slide show and offering it as a free download. Check back later this week for that!

What I’ve found hardest about the last few days was being alone and, thus, tied to my booth. So, I haven’t had time at all to enjoy the show. I went in a tad early today and wandered around to see what was being offered this year. I mostly saw towables, with a few high end class As, lots of truck campers, and a pitiful handful of Bs and Cs.  I had hoped to tour a Jayco Embark, but I didn’t see one.

My booth is in a prime location, but has the disadvantage of being right in the food court, so within full smell of the incredibly delicious coffee being served. I bring tons of snacks each day, but crave a coffee mid-afternoon to get me through to 9PM. The lines are just too long for me to pack up everything and grab one. So, you can imagine that I was incredibly grateful this afternoon when a reader (hi, Ron!) offered me a coffee and came back with one made up exactly the way I like it, and with a treat to boot. The thoughtfulness of the gesture completely changed my mood for the rest of the day.

I’ve been talking to a lot of people and am amazed by how many full-timers come to talk to me just to say that they’ve been doing it for years and thus don’t need my book. I ask leading questions that prove that they do and they just scoff, essentially sticking their fingers in their ears and going la la la, stop rocking the boat. Well, I’m done with living like an outlaw ashamed of her lifestyle! I’m not going to stop talking about these issues until full-timers get some sort of official status and recognition!

So, I have one talk left, at noon tomorrow, and then Miranda will be turning back into a pumpkin! I’m going to put the rig back together tonight since I decided to move back to overflow tomorrow morning, so I can be out of the way well before I need to be. I thought I might be abusing Tradex’s hospitality by requesting a final night in overflow, but the manager made it very clear that I’m not (thank you!). So, I’ll be able to go home and crash tomorrow night and move on at my leisure on Monday.

As for my post-show plans, I prefer not to divulge them at this time. I’ll let you know when I get there, because I’m determined to do so.