Portable solar kit

RENOGY® 100W Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase Kit by Renogy
RENOGY® 100W Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase Kit
by Renogy
Link: http://amzn.com/B00HR8YNK6
thinking about this one with controller. Would I need an upgraded controller with this one?

Also have question about using trickle charger at home. Can we attach to battery as is or do we need to remove battery first?

Padgett, I think you and I both like the same portable Renogy? Thank you all for your help. Any thing is welcome. We know very little. Thought we knew more before we purchased this!

thank you tentcamper. that helps a lot!

[Bailey'sMom]

I already have the 80 watt rooftop solar panel, but would like to add more. Is it possible to use a portable panel such as the Renogy at the same time as the hard wired existing solar?

If so, do you just connect it to the battery directly?

[Padgett]

Pretty sure they have diodes to prevent reverse if used two in parallel.

Amazon is about $15 more expensive today than direct from Renogy who also gives free shipping.

I generally remove batteries and put on trickle but with AC there is really no down season here.

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by Bailey'sMom

I already have the 80 watt rooftop solar panel, but would like to add more. Is it possible to use a portable panel such as the Renogy at the same time as the hard wired existing solar?

If so, do you just connect it to the battery directly?

Yes, as long as you buy the version WITH the built-in Solar Controller.

[TM Pilot]

Originally Posted by madizzy8

RENOGY® 100W Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase Kit by Renogy
RENOGY® 100W Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase Kit
by Renogy
Link: http://amzn.com/B00HR8YNK6
thinking about this one with controller. Would I need an upgraded controller with this one?

Also have question about using trickle charger at home. Can we attach to battery as is or do we need to remove battery first?

As Padgnett observed, this unit is on sale ($15 off) till Father's Day (June 21, 2015) or while supplies last for $265 + Free Shipping on Renogy's website (not Amazon): http://www.renogy-store.com/Renogy-1...t-stcs100d.htm
Renogy doesn't have sales very often. Had my eye on this unit for a while. This unit is the best quality portable/foldable solar panel in this price range. Just purchased one. Other brands of comparable quality will be $350-500.

[RottieMom]

Madizzy, Bill provided me with guidance on how to connect Bargman to a battery tender and that seems to work great. When my TM is garaged, I just keep the Bargman connected to battery tender and battery is charged up.

[flipflop]

Thanks to all for the info. I ordered the Renogy 100W folding panel because of the foldout base. Pricey with a 40A MPPT charge controller and tray cables, but pay once instead of paying for an upgrade later. 20x27x3 inches folded it can go in the trailer when traveling.

I looked at Nature Power folding panels, but while they fold up smaller they only have the O-ring mounting points.

[tentcamper]

Congratulations on your new panels. If you install LED lights I think they shoud work well for you.

I have been testing our 80W panels this fall. Some of the nights the temps dropped to the high 30's and the DW at night likes the camper in the high 60's. So we ran our furnace. My best estimate is we use about 15-20 amps a day. We only use power for lights, furnace, water pump, water heater.

I think the folding panels work great for our needs. I was thinking about the difference between portable and permanent this last time out and doing some simple tests. My conclusion; I need to get the right angle and out of the shade. Permanent mounted panels; I would need 250-300 watts of panels for our area to do what my 80 W panel does in the sun and at the right angle.

We only need panels in the spring and fall during the heating season. Other non-heating seasons we can go 6+ days off one fully charged battery. We are in Ohio and being east of the Mississippi have shade in most CS we camp at.

On sunny days, in the fall we need about a 50 degree angle. This produces about 4.8 amps. When I dropped it to 30 degrees it read about 3.2 amps and flat it read about 1.5 amps. When the panels was in the shade and at 50 degrees I was seeing less then 1 amp. I have found I need to move the panels 3-4 times a day to stay in the sun or keep them facing the sun.

My cables have a reach of about 35 feet. My cable design was made from 2 - 30 amp, 10 gage extension cords. A 25' I carry in the camper for shore power extension and a 10' The 10' cord I cut in half and connect via quick disconnect connectors to the panel and the other piece to the battery. The pre-molded 30 amp plugs, plug into my 25' cord. My PWM controller is at the panels.