tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post3372604246831931525..comments2024-02-24T02:44:59.075-08:00Comments on Merikay's Dream : Some responses to your comments, and thoughts about SolarMerikayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05378095339747943548noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-85939439988167762832014-03-01T06:48:05.485-08:002014-03-01T06:48:05.485-08:00additional comment: there are a ton of Cracker Ba...additional comment: there are a ton of Cracker Barrel's in Florida and the south, so if you are planning to go to Florida, a Cracker Barrel isn't a bad option for a free night or two now and then. No solar required for that, of course. We just stayed in our first one, bought a nice dinner for two for 17.77. Not a bad price. Of course, the shirts I bought added a bit to the cost. :)Sue Malonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00332448503740101970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-64337275937209410842014-03-01T06:46:28.283-08:002014-03-01T06:46:28.283-08:00I am not much help on the solar decision, either, ...I am not much help on the solar decision, either, Merikay. However, if we were full timers, I think we would go for the expense for more than just the savings. There is a freedom to being able to park where you need to without having to figure out the power issue. We used our generator in Key West, but so were a lot of other rigs. It was part of the park culture. We can boondock easily for several days without solar, but if we were going to be out full time I would want the freedom that solar can provide. Be sure to read Nina's information about solar setups, and that guy at the slabs, as you already know seems pretty well known. Follow your gut and good luck with the installation and of course, the house closing!Sue Malonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00332448503740101970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-79055042007949609792014-02-28T19:55:29.805-08:002014-02-28T19:55:29.805-08:00I think the advice to wait for a while before you ...I think the advice to wait for a while before you spend a lot on solar just to make sure you really are the kind of folks who want to spend most of their time boondocking is right on. You have your generator to use in the meantime and you will have time to learn a lot more about solar and your lifestyle as you travel. Using solar for A/C is not realistic based on how much power you would need.TravelingLongdogshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07562207397650862936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-65066916591429114862014-02-28T19:13:25.158-08:002014-02-28T19:13:25.158-08:00Solar Mike is a good choice for a solar installati...Solar Mike is a good choice for a solar installation. Nice fella & knows his stuff. Deciding on how much to spend on a solar system depends on how much power you need to use. Kelly & I are not big power users so we didn't need a big system. We have 1 240 watt roof panel, a 1500 watt inverter & 2 deep cell batteries plus a Blue Sky solar boost monitor. I think we spent somewhere around $2,000. It is basically the same system we had on our Damon Class A for 5 years. Aside from 1 blown fuse it was trouble free all that time. Now if we were traveling in a hot summer climate & needed to run the A/C with our set-up we couldn't do it. A/C takes a lot of power & that is where the expense comes in for extra panels, batteries, & a bigger inverter etc. We paid for our first solar system in no time when we figured out what we would have had to pay in RV Park fees. Yes, & then there's that wonderful freedom solar power gives you.....:))Al Bossencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04307619781955351484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-35127050118053824172014-02-28T18:58:31.315-08:002014-02-28T18:58:31.315-08:00Well, here is the blog post from when we did our s...Well, here is the blog post from when we did our solar:<br /><br />http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/2011/10/motorhome-modification-revisiting.html<br /><br />and this two part tutorial really helped us:<br />part one<br />http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm<br />part two<br />http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volta.htmKarenInTheWoodshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05884478307015605168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-56947974323598261562014-02-28T18:56:20.021-08:002014-02-28T18:56:20.021-08:00I'd recommend waiting a year before you invest...I'd recommend waiting a year before you invest in solar. I thought when we hit the road solar would be a perfect option for us.<br /><br />After a year's experience, we found we had no need for it. With discount clubs (SKP and Passport America) longer stays at one place and military campgrounds, the cost was not justified for us. <br /><br />The limited times we boondock, the generator and batteries more than cover our needs. <br /><br />Solar can be added any time if you still feel you need it. <br /><br />YMMV :c)Paul and Marti Dahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17332654035718777839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-6352781686376464922014-02-28T18:47:57.093-08:002014-02-28T18:47:57.093-08:00I thought about solar too but have learned that I ...I thought about solar too but have learned that I don't really need it with my style of travel. My (frugal) advice is to live in your rig for a while to determine what your needs are. Kimbopolohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05702789278570839179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-48287765877838189902014-02-28T18:10:18.584-08:002014-02-28T18:10:18.584-08:00Even though we boondocked for the whole month of J...Even though we boondocked for the whole month of January and we boondock overnght when we are on the move, we just never thought the investment in solar would be worth it for us. So no answers from us. But lots of your readers are solar folks and will have lots of good info. We also tried Harvest Hosts but we don't drink wine but still felt like we should buy a bottle. So that didn't work for us either. Jim and Sandiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16108729200561576870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5822169260430560826.post-58604443052778350432014-02-28T17:38:14.681-08:002014-02-28T17:38:14.681-08:00Sorry, can't help you on the solar stuff. I t...Sorry, can't help you on the solar stuff. I thought I would do that at one time, but it turned out not to be who I am.Travels with Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00411769980205792011noreply@blogger.com