Do I Need an Inverter?

[halliehastings]

Moderator note: posts below were extracted from the Solar 101 v4 Reference Material thread and moved here to it's own thread. -Howard

This is super helpful info! I’ve been all over the website and this is as close as I’ve gotten to getting my answer. Thank you!

We bought our Transcend 265BH almost 2 weeks ago. We were told we had all the wiring for solar, we just needed to by a panel and plug it in. I looked out my office window which looks out over my driveway, the day after we bought it and realized there’s a solar panel on our roof! We were told during our walk through, that once we connected the panel, we could power the camper. Dry camping this weekend we figured out that’s not true, our outlets don’t work.

Your presentation was super helpful and I think the last component we need is an inverter. Please confirm. I’ve read in several places that we need a switch too. Do we? Last question is can a lay person install an inverter?

we have a 165w panel and 25A controller (FurrionNet-Zero MPPT solar charger).

why in the world would GD install all but one component and why does no one seem to have answers on what exactly we need to do to dry camp with power to our outlets??

thank you!

[halliehastings]

So, my husband just found a ton of info on GD site about the solar instal and I found a great website...GPelectric.com.

we have the answers to our questions. Thank you!

[bertschb]

...why in the world would GD install all but one component and why does no one seem to have answers on what exactly we need to do to dry camp with power to our outlets??

First, welcome to the forum! Here is some information about the solar system Grand Design installs in some of their RV's. It shows Transcend specific features as well.
https://www.granddesignrv.com/solar-faqs

To answer your question-
Dry camping with power can mean many things. For some people, using only the 12v systems (lights, furnace, water pump, etc) is all they want. The solar system you have in your Transcend will do this.

The solar system Grand Design installs in their more expensive models includes an inverter and is wired to power many of the 120V outlets. This allows folks to run a residential fridge, TV and a few other low draw items like a laptop while dry camping.

Finally, some people who dry camp want to run everything in their RV - including the microwave, hair dryers, fireplace and even their air conditioner. This would require a very large, sophisticated and expensive system ($15,000+ just for parts).

Sooooo, dry camping means different things to different people!

[howson]

halliehastings
First, I hope you don't mind that I extracted these posts and created a thread just for your post (and Brian's response).

Regarding your situation, I recommend two books:

No Shock Zone by Mike Sokol. This is all the basics on the electricity in your camper. Lots of info: http://noshockzone.org/

Mobile Solar Power Made Easy by William Errol Prowse IV, aka "Will Prowse". Will's book and website are the "go to" for many individuals. https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/

Howard