I Need Help!

[The Saints]

I know, I could have steped in that one. No, I don't need mental help or anything like that, but somebody or bodies here may think so. No, I need help with two camper items.
First: How long does it take to get the plastic taste out of the water from the holding tank? I have flushed it four times now with a little bit of bleach, but it still tastes bad. I use one of those white hoses to fill it with and all so now what do I do? I know it will eventually go away, but is there a way to speed things up?
Second: I am going to buy a solar panel but I have a couple of questions first. Since I have a Bobcat and the only thing in it that requires DC how big of a panel should I get? The only things in there is a pump for the water faucet, and two flouresent (?) lights. Some times a computer. Some times a bit of the refrigerator too. Star 152 came up with this one and I was going to get that but it must have been a special and is no longer there. http://www.costco.ca...1339&lang=en-CA
So where do I get the solar panel. I want it big enough so I never need to worry about it. And I want it to have the diodes so it doesn't back flow energy, and the minder so I don't have to worry about overcharging. I once had a battery blow up and it is psyco crazy spooky.
So PLEASE HELP ME, and soon,
Thanks a bunch, Scott

 

[craig333]

Baking soda might work. Not sure how much you'd need.

 

[The Saints]

What do you people think about this one? Would that be all I need to do the job, or would I need to add an inverter and a doo hicky and a thing a ma jig and such?

 

[CJinCA]

There's a thread on water tanks a while ago at Water Tank Issues

Flush, flush, flush,.......then flush some more.

 

[griz]

I have a 75 watt panel and has served me just fine. It is all in the amps. 12volt X 75 or however the formula goes.
A good battery helps as well. Maintaining the battery in the off season helps big time.

 

[robojeeper]

I have used solar for many years and my key in having a good experence has been,two batteries or a combination to get at least 200+ amps storage and a good regulator at least 15 amp,I use a 30 amp rated,use minimum 10 gauge wire from solar panel to battery and if your using an inverter use size size 4 or larger fine stranded from battery to the inverter.I happen to have 3 optima blue top marine batteries two inside camper and one under the hood isolated from main battery to the engine.most of my camping is 3 to 5 days at a time in the winter.A 75 watt panel is nice size because,some days your going to get very little amp input,during the winter,or when parked in shade etc.if you run your heater 3 days is about it without solar and with solar 5+.I also have changed all lighting to led.I got my solar stuff at solar depot in Sacramento Ca.they may have other stores?
I had a problem with the water tank once(it was my fault) and I used an entire box of baking soda then drove around a little and let set for two days and it went away? I think it took another two years to get baking soda out but no harm.yours sounds like a tank new so may be different? I also used chlorine bleach.

 

[Sportsman Matt]

I had an issue with my water tank being full of well water that had a real high iron content in it, turning the inside of the tank orange and full of crud. I ended up having to pull the tank, fill it with 1 oz of chlorine bleach to 1 gallon of water, drive with the tank plugged for an hour around back roads, drain and flush the tank with clean water, and repeat 2 more times with the 1oz to 1 gallon to get the scum off the inside of the tank. Then I added water and drained it several times, and when I did go to use it, I flushed the tank with water and drained it, then added Tastepure Drinking Water Freshener for the first 3 trips out and then flushed it again with just water, and the taste hasn't been noticed since.

Hope this helps.

Matt

 

[Phird05]

One thing I always do is fill up with city water that has been chlorinated. I also live with a well, and have an iron issue, as well as a sediment issue. I won't use anything that is not treated. The water in the tank will be less likely to cause you problems with a small amount of disinfectant in it. Like mentioned earlier.....flush it several times with higher concentrate, then flush several times with tap water. It will disappear over time.

Good camping.

Paul

 

[Eldough]

Second: I am going to buy a solar panel but I have a couple of questions first. Since I have a Bobcat and the only thing in it that requires DC how big of a panel should I get? The only things in there is a pump for the water faucet, and two flouresent (?) lights. Some times a computer. Some times a bit of the refrigerator too. Star 152 came up with this one and I was going to get that but it must have been a special and is no longer there. http://www.costco.ca...1339&lang=en-CA
So where do I get the solar panel. I want it big enough so I never need to worry about it. And I want it to have the diodes so it doesn't back flow energy, and the minder so I don't have to worry about overcharging. I once had a battery blow up and it is psyco crazy spooky.

We recently purchased a used 80watt panel off craigslist. I think most RV stores now carry solar equipment. For the size, probably around 75-85watts would work...like robojeeper said, there will be days when you won't get that much sun and you want to charge as fast as possible. Also, there is an amps spreadsheet here on the forum. You will need a controller...they have diodes built in and depending on the kind you get, will maintain your batteries with bulk, absorption, and float charge stages. For your computer, you can either use an inverter (hardwired or 12v plug) or a 12v power supply...the other DC will not require an inverter. Hope this helps.

 

[The Saints]

All these tips are great. I have flushed the water tank with fresh bleach water four times, then refilled with just tap.
As for the solar, I found one on Amazon.com that is rated for 80 watts. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-39810-80-Watt-High-Efficiency-Polycrystalline/dp/B000MSCKM6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1256343485&sr=8-2 And I am thinking of the controller here: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-60032-Digital-Charge-Controller/dp/B000FIWKQE/ref=acc_glance_auto_ai_-2_1_tit
Thanks,
Scott

 

[ScottBailey]

All these tips are great. I have flushed the water tank with fresh bleach water four times, then refilled with just tap.
As for the solar, I found one on Amazon.com that is rated for 80 watts. http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-39810-80-Watt-High-Efficiency-Polycrystalline/dp/B000MSCKM6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1256343485&sr=8-2 And I am thinking of the controller here: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-60032-Digital-Charge-Controller/dp/B000FIWKQE/ref=acc_glance_auto_ai_-2_1_tit
Thanks,
Scott


Alternate panel? kyocera 85 watt.

Charge controllers are important. I'm not satisfied with my (cheap) Morningstar. I will likely upgrade to a much better controller. Maybe one of the Blue Skys? Anyway, I suspect the Morningstar draws current at night.

 

[cabezon23]

I have to agree with the others, and it's the way I went.

80 W solar panel with 2 batteries is the way to go. When I used this solar panel with a single battery I ran out of juice after about two days. But, my solar panel is installed under the overhang as a slide out and I have to fans, two lights, Engel Fridge, a couple of charges for laptop, cell phone DVD player and exterior lights working. The slide out is for me the better setup as the panel stays protected and I don't have to lift it up with the roof. Living way down south helps in charging the batteries in about 6 hours. With the two batteries, one in the camper one in the truck bed I have enough power for everything and both get fully charged in 5 to 6 hours.

 

[Ted]

Cabezon23,

When we park to camp, we orientate the vehicle for the best view out the side and back of the camper. I really like the way your panel is installed, but can see where the panel could be in the shade when the top is lifted. Does this take a priority as to how you park your camper or has it not been a problem?

Ted

 

[George]

I know, I could have steped in that one. No, I don't need mental help or anything like that, but somebody or bodies here may think so. No, I need help with two camper items.
First: How long does it take to get the plastic taste out of the water from the holding tank? I have flushed it four times now with a little bit of bleach, but it still tastes bad. I use one of those white hoses to fill it with and all so now what do I do? I know it will eventually go away, but is there a way to speed things up?
Second: I am going to buy a solar panel but I have a couple of questions first. Since I have a Bobcat and the only thing in it that requires DC how big of a panel should I get? The only things in there is a pump for the water faucet, and two flouresent (?) lights. Some times a computer. Some times a bit of the refrigerator too. Star 152 came up with this one and I was going to get that but it must have been a special and is no longer there. http://www.costco.ca...1339&lang=en-CA
So where do I get the solar panel. I want it big enough so I never need to worry about it. And I want it to have the diodes so it doesn't back flow energy, and the minder so I don't have to worry about overcharging. I once had a battery blow up and it is psyco crazy spooky.
So PLEASE HELP ME, and soon,
Thanks a bunch, Scott



I have a Bobcat and I just put a 30 watt panel on it for battery maintenance. The problem with all these panels is that when they are mounted flat, they will not deliver much current in the winter, when the sun is low. I get 1.8 amps with the panel pointed up, but about 1 amp when the panel is flat, for most of the day.

I have a 65 watt panel, but I decided it was not going to work to mount it. I will simply carry it. The newest kind of charge controller is called an MPPT. It will take all the voltage from the panel, and try to get as much current as possible by converting a voltage that is too high down to a lower one. It optimizes the battery charging current by using a switching power supply. I just ordered a cheap one from Ebay. The 'real' units, known names, are triple what I paid.

There are some good deals on panels on Ebay, but I would not care to vouch for many of them. Look for UL ratings and known brands, or Google the brands.

If you did not mount the panel flat, or used it mostly in the summer, a 40 watt panel would give you 25 amps of charging on a sunny day, in the summer. But that would be 10 amps in the winter. In the winter, a 65 watt panel, hand oriented through the day, would give you 30 amps with clear skies. The fancy controller might add 20%, but I'm waiting to test the one I bought.

George

 

[Jack]

The basic question here is how long can I sit in one spot and still run the basic electrical equipment in my camper?

To answer this question, start with the battery. Solar panels aren't vary useful without a battery.

Calculate your maximum daily current load by multiplying the current draw of each item by the time in hours that it will be used. Somewhere on the WtW site is a list typical current loads for FWC/ATM equipment, but I'll be damned if I can find it with new search engine. I'm sure you know that if the equipment is rated in watts, simply divide by 12 to get the current draw. Figure about 4 Amps for heater and roof fan each and 5 Amps for a laptop computer. The big kicker in your list is the refrigerator. If you have a propane-AC-DC Norcold/Dometic, don't even think about running on DC unless you install a low-voltage cut out. Running down you battery to 0V is a sure way to kill it if you forget to turn off you fridge. I don't want to admit how I know this, but trust me, it's an expensive mistake. If you have an Engle style compressor fridge, it's a motor with a modest current draw. The fridge will run longer in hot weather - but that usually means there's more sun.

For an example, suppose you arrive at 25A/day. Now, ask yourself, how many days I may want to sit in one spot before I will be on the road again and recharging the battery from the truck's alternator? If its 3 days, multiply 25A/day by 3 and you will find that you need 75A of energy. Given various inefficiencies and extra margin, double it to get 150A and the less you draw down the battery, the longer it lasts. If you can use cheaper outside mounted deep cycle batteries, you may want to figure on a 50% margin, or 112A. You are still looking at hundreds of discharge/recharge cycles before the batteries loose their useful life.

Now, look at solar panels. The 85W Kyocera can be expected to deliver about 6.6A at peak sunlight to the charge controller. Depending on the charge controller, you will get anywhere from 6.5A to 5A. Since there is only one high-noon every day, and in the winter, the usable sun is on the order of 8 to 10 hours, and also figuring on how easily you can orient the panel to the sun, figure on rough average estimate of 3A for 8 hours or 24A/day.

With an 85A/h battery and an 85W Kyocera, you will run your battery down 33% to 50% over three days.

For batteries, you want 1 or more AGM deep cycle batteries. If you can mount the batteries outside the camper, you can get much cheaper deep cycle batteries, such as Costco Kirklands. The Blue Optima is 55A/hr, but Interstate and other manufactures have much better price/performance points, and 85A/hr can be had for about the same price. The Kirlands are about half the price (but must be vented!).

We went with a 125A/hr battery (about the largest single that will still fit under the seat), a 120W panel and a MPPT charge controller (to get the maximum efficiency). Not the cheapest set up ($1000 or so at the time), but we run 2 laptops and often for several hours, including in the winter with less light and the need to run the heater. (We are fortunate in being able to combine work and play.) We can comfortably sit for 3 to 5 days worst case, and about as long as we want in Saline Valley. we have been very, very glad that we added the solar system.

There are a lot of good resources on the web. Some of the home solar sites have excellent explanations for all of the ins and outs of solar. Try http://www.altestore.com/howto/Library-Articles/.