Usually you’ll see a blog post with the basics that are pretty common sense. Having this detailed of information is great. One RV, Two Electrical Systems. Our battery bank is currently 400 Ah of capacity. Luckily, I’ve found the answer and can share it with you. The three components that require sizing attention are solar array, battery bank, and your inverter. Ross, So, your solar panel system would need to have at least 3kw to power the air conditioning. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Thanks! With this said, the question “how do I power an RV air conditioner with solar?” is not a wiring or installation issue. The batteries are directly wired to the 12 volt DC side of an RV’s electrical panel and therefore supply power to 12 volt DC electronics directly. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; The fact that we are all able to access almost unlimited amounts of electricity 24/7 is a beautiful part of our modern electricity grid. Air conditioning is fairly unimportant to us. Note: This estimate does not include any other appliances requiring power. The question of how to power an RV air conditioner with solar doesn’t depend on if it’s possible or not. We simply choose not to and choose to live without air conditioning – except when we have full hookups! I’ve been trying to find someone to do our installation. That panel is rated at 100 watts at peak efficiency – meaning on a 78 degree … We intend to full-time for the next two years. Below is a diagram showing the flow of electricity throughout an RV solar system. There are many steps that the power has to go through before it is efficient. For a 13500 BTU air conditioner, drawing 150AH energy, you’ll need at least 1500 watts of solar panels to support your air conditioner. So we would need to increase our battery bank capacity by at least 300 Ah for a total of at least 700 Ah. After I plugged my heated mattress in none of my outlets work only the lights work. And our storage bays have no room for more batteries. Instead, we have a 2500 W portable inverter generator that we can fire up to run the air conditioner on unbearably hot days. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "fateunbound-20"; There is plenty of other information out there on the basics of wiring and RV solar, so I left this post at a bit of a more advanced level. One thing is evident if you want to use solar energy for your RV air conditioner … For instance, rather than having at least 300 Ah, it would need at least 700 Ah. With a few LED lights shining and the inverter on my battery monitor read 6 amps being pulled from the batteries. The Popular Phaeton Model from Tiffin Motorhomes SOLAR OFF GRID AIR CONDITIONER If your power source is native 48VDC as part of a telecom or off-grid solar application, Superen's 48v all-DC air conditioners are your most efficient cooling choice. Since the air conditioner draws 150 amps we’d require 150 Ah extra capacity for every hour we plan to run the air conditioning when the sun isn’t shining – such as at night and during cloudy days (150 A x 1 h = 150 Ah). With such a setup, you can set the Inverter/Charger to prioritize power draw from solar/battery while augmenting with shore power. If you don’t quite understand how these components were sized to handle an RV air conditioner, check out our video & post on how to size an RV solar system. On top of that we prefer windows open to let the sounds and smells of nature inside. Wash your clothes at any time. Get your minds out of the gutter though, we’re talking solar. For a 10,000 BTU RV air conditioner, 2,000 watts is required to start up and 700 once running. I also take my work very seriously and am very proud of it. I am looking to set up a permanent solar array for my cRV at our Lot, we don’t move the camper and enjoy the permanent setup. All AC and DC electronics should be able to be powered by the batteries. How did you determine the 14.4V in your calculation of the minimum wattage requirement from your solar panels? It has 100% everything needed to run pretty much any RV with ease. So lets dive right in and figure out how to power an RV air conditioner with solar! As anyone who has ever paid a residential electric bill … Everyone does it differently and if you have a favorite, then go for it. YMGI Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner 1 Ton 12000 BTU Solar Assist Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump with Solar Panel and 15 Ft Installation Lineset. Common Off-Grid Devices. If you have wondered if it is possible for you to power your air conditioner with the use of solar energy, I have wondered the same thing. Hopefully when the compressor cycles I will be able to top off the batteries for night/evening AC running. Therefore, to regularly power a 13,500 BTU air conditioner, we’d need an absolute minimum of 1500 watts of solar panels (107 A x 14.4 V = 1500 W). If you are researching solar panels for you RV, you are probably fairly familiar with solar energy. In order to find your solar power needs, you must first find your system size number (calculated in kW). Question: If I was to run a seperate battery bank with solar power, sufficient enough to run the microwave coffee pot etc from an inverter.. can that be fed directly back into the camper by an inverter, making sure that the only way that the power is coming into the RV is by the shore power plug, or would the power need t go through a grid tie inverter or am I opening a big can of worms with this chain of thought. Kingtec Solar-Powered Air Conditioner For RV. The Easy Start is a device that gets attached to the A/C and reduces the surge of power (as you saw in the video). These numbers only take into account the energy needed for air conditioning. Sizing is the most important factor in how your solar power will function with your RV. However, it will require a lot of energy. Once you know this, follow these steps: THOR Buys Tiffin Motorhomes: What Happens Now? All three of these things are required to be extremely large. Solar panel kits like this one amazon are awesome and really reliable to use. Air Conditioner. Also, I am not a writer by trade and have no formal training in it so you say that my writing is well balanced and reads very naturally and easily is a huge compliment. When writing this post I made the assumption that the reader would have a basic understanding of wiring and RV solar, otherwise why would they be reading about how to do something fairly complex? Learn how your comment data is processed. The two main advantages that a solar generator has for an RV over a DIY solar kit is that everything is already done in a package deal and has a full warranty on it. Also, down in your storage, could you not build a shelf & put your transfer switch on it, and then have room for at least 1, or possibly 2 more batteries? Our roof space is already almost completely monopolized by solar panels. The best solar generator for an RV currently is the Titan solar generator. How much overall investment is a setup like this for hardware and installing? Any experience on your system with this cycled demand would be great to know. In this article, we go over the pros and cons to powering your RV with solar panels or generators. The battery bank is required to be signifcantly larger in capacity without sunshine. You can typically call a dealership and they can direct you to a business that does solar installs. For example, say we want to run our air conditioner for two hours after the sun sets to clear out the heat. I just found them the other day, so I am new here. You can even leave your AC on for the entire summer, no questions asked. 79 Amps (actually over 150) pulled after turning AC on, Fate Unbound is a website dedicated to our personal full-time travels and adventures. This means the air conditioning pulls 150+ amps from the batteries during operation on the low setting. However, your circumstance may be different. David, Again, great work on your videos, narration, backstory and epilogue. Multiply that number by 1,000 (there are 1,00 watts in 1 kW). For those looking for a quick answer as to whether solar panels can power an RV air conditioner, the answer is yes. … Your consistent use of proper terms (Watts, Amps, Amp-hours, etc.) all capabilities of any regular RV powering system are possible. The most common sources of power for your RV are: There is no right and wrong to how your power your RV. But the short answer to the question is yes, it is possible. With only a … amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Inverter Generator"; Therefore, to regularly power a 13,500 BTU air conditioner, we’d need an absolute minimum of 1500 watts of solar panels (107 A x 14.4 V = 1500 W). If you have any questions I didn’t answer or didn’t quite understand something, leave a comment below – I’m happy to answer it! Is it worth it to you to invest in a solar system large enough to regularly power air conditioning? You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter. If you have the intent on powering your air conditioning for five hours per day, your air conditioning will require 750 Ah a day from the batteries. Hopefully all this was helpful and showed you how to power an RV air conditioner with solar. To replenish 750 Ah each day, the solar panels must generate 107 amps for 7 hours each day (750 Ah ÷ 7 h = 107 amps). Main Features: Nominal Capacity: 16000 BTU/h; Noise Level: 50 db (decibels) Portable air conditioner for RVs by Kingtec Solar is dependable, easy-to-install … Information on running Air Conditioners on an off-grid RV Solar system. However, energy management is crucial unless you like the grind of a generator. Wow that has got to be one of the nicest most well thought out comments I’ve ever received. ***VIDEO INFORMATION UPDATE*** Our 13,500 BTU RV air conditioner actually pulls about 150 amps instead of 73 amps while running from a 12 volt source. I’m a retiring mechanical engineer who now owns an RV. Here, you can find an ultimate buyer’s guide we wrote all about solar panels for your RV. Boon-docking is a great way to go where much of the scenery is. I second what Jay said. It also depends on the size of your RV. So we could purchase and install a soft start to reduce the size of inverter required to regularly operate our RV’s air conditioner. Update! Hopefully I have explained enough of were my head is on understanding what can be potentialy achieved here, Thank you for the insightful and easy way you are putting your blog together. To give more leeway, it would be better to require 3,500- 4,000 W. It may be a good option to buy a soft start. There is a lot of work behind the possibility of using solar panels as your RV power source. However, some may not realize the cons associated with them. Therefore, we require a 3500 W inverter or a 4000 W inverter for more leeway. amzn_assoc_linkid = "26bc1f4210155c9d5593a16bb8de3ec4"; Great job on this, guys…!!! I am looking at the math on a 1700 Watt AC system. These same pros and cons are weighed into your RV. The solar panels charge the batteries but the batteries supply power to everything. amzn_assoc_title = "You May Also Like"; For these reasons, the large investment in a solar system large enough to operate the air conditioner isn’t worth it to us. Decide the wattage of the solar panels you are considering. I usually see this product being incorporated in a good Renogy flexible solar panel review considering its effectiveness and high satisfaction rating.This is an excellent choice, especially if you aim to choose the right RV solar panels. is refreshing. The RV air conditioner manufacturer told us it was the solution to our “surge” issue. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Ultimately, camping and RVing is about getting outside to see the … Your RV has two separate electrical systems: a 12-volt DC electrical system and a 120-volt AC system. 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