Hi Ryan..
We've used the same solar charger on both of our solar setups (both in our current Oliver Travel Trailer and our previous Tab). We definitely like it, and recommend it. We're currently running 2 - 100 w panels off it mounted to our roof.
We have Xantrex Freedom 458 as our inverter, but for no reason related to the solar set up - it was more about fit in the space available and how much charge capacity we wanted. Wouldn't say we'd specifically recommend it, it has a higher load just being on than in their documentation, which has been disappointing to us. We're actually in process of converting a lot of our systems to run directly off 12v so that we can leave the inverter off when we're off-grid. Do look into that when selecting your inverter - if your power isn't all 12v, your inverter along could eat up a good portion of your collected solar just to be on.
So much of your solar design really comes down to:
- Your budget
- Your available space
- Are you mounting panels to your RV, or planning to deploy panels on the ground?
- What are you energy needs
And an equally important decision is your battery array - cuz it doesn't do you much good to have put lots of effort into collecting the sun, if you're not storing in the most efficient and useable manner. Batteries vary so much in how fast they can charge (important in a solar setup, to maximize those daylight hours), how deep they can discharge, etc. We went with 2 AGM 6v batteries in array for our needs. More expensive than lead acid or other more generic batteries you can find anywhere.. but we really depend on our system and need to faster charging, lower maintenance and deeper cycling.
- Cherie
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