No Solar Skoolie

[Skooliemom]

I am wanting to just hookup to shore power. I will venture into solar later. I think I would just hook up everything from the inverter forward? If someone has tips I would appreciate it or a video.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am not sure I follow, with shore power 120vAC you don't need an inverter. an inverter takes 12vDC and inverts it to 120vAC. highdesertranger

 

[Gr8ful]

I think I know what you mean & am in the same delimma. I have an ambulance with a 250 altenator & a 19# 1000/800 generator. I bought cosmetic blem 320 watt solar panels for $50 ea from the factory. I have house batteries I can charge off the alt or the generator. I don't want to park in the sun so I planned to put the solar panels on a trailer but in the end is it worth it? If I go anywhere I'll be charging the house batteries & if I don't I can run the generator for 1/2 hour a day with a charger. Rainy, cloudy day the panels don't work anyway. Get a device the charges all the batteries, bus & house but won't discharge the bus starting batteries, the make a couple kinds. I think it depends on how often you'll drive.

 

[Seminole Wind]

perhaps they mean to only charge their batteries while parked with shore power available and run off batteries while underway?

more info on what is expected from the electric system. whether or not you need power while away from shore power or if your only power needs will be while parked with shore power

as HDR inferred, it may be as simple as wiring some outlets and a shore power plug. or a battery bank with battery charger that runs from shore power and then either 12 volt appliances and devices or an inverter to run household type 120 volt ac appliances and devices or a mixture of both.

if you can give me more details i am happy to help you figure it out

 

[Skooliemom]

I will only be staying at RV parks for a wile. I would like to set up a system to power my dorm fridge wile traveling max of 8 hours a day. But the first thing I want to do is set it up for just shore power then add on for when I am on the road and needing to powering the refrigerator.

 

[maki2]

Purchase a fridge that has a two way power option, 12 volts and 110 volts. Shop for a unit that will run on 12 volts when that is available but automatically switch over to 110 volts when you are plugged into shore power. That will keep your food safe on the road and at the RV park.

Later when you have solar it can run off 12 volts from a house battery that is solar charged. Or if you are on 110 then it will still switch over to that automatically.

If you wish to do so you can use the converter boxes for the basic wiring. That is how it is done in most RVs. They are essentially a ready made unit that has circuit breakers, some of them have battery chargers, they have a 12 volt side with fuses. When you are plugged into shore power then the 12 volt side is powered up by converting the 110 volt to 12 volt.

What an inverter does is change 12 volts into 110 volts. So if you put in a convert such as used in commercial RVs and you want to boondock off of battery power but still run some 110 volt items then you will need to have an inverter as well.

 

[Seminole Wind]

i highly recommend you stay away from "converters" they are the worst compromise of a battery charger and power supply.

while buying a new dual voltage fridge is a solution, it wont help her run her dorm fridge.

to run a typical dorm fridge while driving and while parked in an rv park with shore power i would recommend a decent quality inverter around 1000 watts. if you are investing in good components to grow into then get a nice pure sine wave unit. i am fond of the victron phoenix inverters. wire or have someone wire the inverter to the engine starting battery. make sure the inverter has either an adjustable low voltage cut off and set it around 13 volts so it will only run while the engine is running and charging the battery. then get a 30 amp or larger 3 stage (bulk absorb float) battery charger and get it wired into the main starting battery. this will have a cord that plugs into the shore power and will keep the battery charged while in the rv park. this charger will hold the battery voltage above the 13ish volt low volt cut off i suggested for the inverter so the inverter will continue powering the fridge. these 2 items installed properly will keep your fridge running road the clock. so long as you are driving or plugged into shore power. the fridge will be fine for an hour or so if you have to park to do some shopping or something.

the basic set up can then be expanded as needed

 

[Seminole Wind]

he simple 2 part (inverter and battery charger) set i mention to start with would also allow you to run some other electrical loads as well, like lights or music or charge cell phones and laptops

 

[Seminole Wind]

this basic set up can then be expanded down the road by adding a separate "house" battery bank and adjusting the low voltage cut off to allow the fridge to run for a few to several hours when not driving or plugged into shore power. bigger batteries equals longer run time with no charging from engine or shore power. next step you could add other source to charge house batteries, like solar or a gas generator

 

[LoupGarou]

Are you sure you want a school bus conversion?

Without an RVIA certification, parking up long term in RV Parks will be problematic.

 

[Skooliemom]

Yeah I have called around and the parks I have talked with are pretty cool they just have a rule or two.

 

[Stormravyn]

I have a Skoolie and it has a plug on the outside to plug into 30 amp service. Inside is a regular 110 breaker box. I also have a Champion 3500 generator with eco mode and quiet technology that had an rv plugin. Inside, rig your alternator to charge a house bat while driving, with an isolator to keep from draining your bus starting batteries. I desperately want solar lol...but for now at least I have electricity.

 

[Skooliemom]

I’m the same way. I can’t travel full time but when school is out we will travel. I don’t want to spend a ton of money on solar till I have means to cover my basic needs.