Do I need an inverter for my solar set up?

Sternimoto

I have a 200w Renogy and 12v battery solar set up for our TAG. Will I also need an inverter?

(Edited for search purposes. Moderator)

ras

You will need a converter cable (which Renogy sells) SOLAR CONNECTOR TO SAE ADAPTER 12 AWG CABLE for $24.99 to connect your Solar panel to the stock connector on your T@G
https://www.renogy.com/wiring-accessories/

Sternimoto

Our 2018 TAG does not have a stock connector. I have the cables. They are the cables that allow us to plug the solar panels at a distance to the battery. I think we will need an inverter. Is that right?

Sharon_is_SAM

If your solar panels did not come equipped with a built in solar controller you will need to purchase one separately.

ras

If you want to use small 120V appliances like a coffee maker when you don't have shore power, you will need an inverter. But you won't be able to run the Air Conditioner from your battery and solar panels even if you have an inverter.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Sternimoto - it’s all about the lingo😁

The TaG comes with a converter/charger that dually allows you to plug into shore power and still use all the 120v and 12v wired appliances.
If you have a large enough battery, you can use an inverter to “invert” 12v battery power to run your 120v appliances (hair dryer, blender for cocktails, etc).
You need a solar charge controller to regulate the power generated by your solar panels and feed it to the batteries.
Hope this helps - all part of the learning curve.

Sternimoto

@Sharon_is_SAM If we got an inverter, how do we set things up to plug in properly. Is there a video link to help guide us?

Fourman110

One of the issues with running 120v appliances is they take A LOT of power. That means they need a lot of battery space to store a lot of power and then you need a way to charge a lot of power. I did calculations on how much was needed to invert a Keurig k-cup machine and was shocked how much it consumed. When I boondock the 120v appliances and AC aren't even a thought. I use a MyCup k-cup press and my upgraded fan (MaxxFan deluxe). If you really need 120v I'd be thinking of a generator.

I've got a 2018 Boondock and made my own solar suitcase, installing a Renogy Voyager controller in the tongue box. Depending on your electrical use, you may need to upgrade your battery to provide additional storage capacity. https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/1082/my-homemade-solar-suitcase

Sharon_is_SAM

@Sternimoto - Ditto what @Fourman110 said. What kind of things do you want to run off an inverter?

Sternimoto

I am looking to power a Laptop. Bucket water heater. Possibly the microwave. We have a generator. We have (2) 12v batteries and a 200W Renogy solar suitcase with built in controller. The only thing we are missing is an inverter. I like the "idea" of being completely solar powered with the generator as a back up. Should I bother getting any inverter though, or will I find it to be unnecessary?

Sharon_is_SAM

What is the amp hours of each 12v battery? To charge/power a laptop, you need AC power (geni or inverter). Anything that generates heat (microwave or bucket water heater) requires a lot of watts/amps probably beyond your current batteries, so plan on a geni. It sounds like you have a good solar supply for DC (lights, cooler, water pump), but you want to run AC appliances which require a large battery capacity and a large inverter.

ras

No need to buy an inverter. When you need AC and shore power isn't available, run your inverter/generator. You'll run the generator for an hour or two when you need to cool down the T@G and then you'll shut it off. You can charge your laptop through a USB port. You can do it while your solar panels are charging the batteries anyway. My lake cabin has been solar powered with 180W of solar feeding 5 batteries and a battery monitor for the last ten years. They drive lights for the cabin and an outhouse, a stereo system, 12V fans and 12V sockets and USB ports which I use to recharge electronic devices. The reason it works well is I only use it for a few days at a time and then it has a week or more for the batteries to recover. I tried to use an inverter to drive a vacuum cleaner and watched the battery voltage steadily drop. So I bought a 2000W inverter/generator from Northern Tool and use it when I need AC for the vacuum cleaner or power tools. And don't worry about 120V for coffee makers, microwaves and electric frying pans when you're boon docking. You're going CAMPING! People figured out how to make coffee and cook food without electricity long before they had electricity much less the internet. You won't find better coffee than you can make with a pour thru once you get the coffee/water ratio figured out.

Sternimoto

I totally get the camping thing. I was a back packer and tent camper for years before deciding to upgrade to glamping (lol) in the Nucamp. I'm just trying to see if it's even possible to go completely off grid solar and still power all things the shore line powers. I see that it can be done, but it's not particularly practical.

zgfiredude

Jumping into this conversation to hopefully get some specifics...@Fourman110 what size inverter do you run?

Full disclosure, I'd like to be able to run the Keurig coffee maker and/or my CPAP off inverted power. We have a generator, but for these two things specifically, if we could pull it off without, clearly that's better. I'm researching the needs of the CPAP, and the coffee maker is +/- 1200 watts.

Thanks.

Fourman110

@zgfiredude said:
Jumping into this conversation to hopefully get some specifics...@Fourman110 what size inverter do you run?

Full disclosure, I'd like to be able to run the Keurig coffee maker and/or my CPAP off inverted power. We have a generator, but for these two things specifically, if we could pull it off without, clearly that's better. I'm researching the needs of the CPAP, and the coffee maker is +/- 1200 watts.

Thanks.

When boondocking, I only use a very small Harbor Freight inverter to run the amp on my TV antenna. Coffee is via a
MyJo kcup press. Boil water in a teapot, fill the MyJo with water and a kcup and press (its a manual k-cup machine). Picking an 8nverter isn't tough. Just determine how much power you need, add 20% and buy that one. Need to make sure you have enough battery capacity and recharge source (like solar) though.

zgfiredude

Thanks, how do you figure out the battery capacity needs for the inverter use? Is it similar to amp hour figures, or possibly the same....by brain is not correlating the reverse application with the inverter!

beaky

we boondocked for weeks just using solar, obviously the A/C is the one thing you can't use out in the boonies. we didn't own a generator, we put the money into solar and batteries

Fourman110

@zgfiredude said:
Thanks, how do you figure out the battery capacity needs for the inverter use? Is it similar to amp hour figures, or possibly the same....by brain is not correlating the reverse application with the inverter!

I've used this site in the past. Look around the Vanillla T@G forum and there is a spreadsheet or two of measured typical and peak use.
https://rimstar.org/renewnrg/calculate_your_power_needs.htm

JamesDow

Here is some information that may help. It is an Excel spreadsheet of each power consuming item on my trailer.

Let me know if you can not open.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6030201/uploads/editor/mi/vhqwa6kxw22u.xlsx

DancingBear

Hi, if I could jump in here too. I just bought a new 2021 TAG Boondock. Haven't even had it out of the driveway yet. Going out this weekend for a trial run. First, are there any owner's manuals? What actually will run off the built in solar system? It only has a 6V battery, so I assume only the built in appliances will work but it won't power any plug-in AC appliances. Is that correct?

LuckyJ

@DancingBear said:
Hi, if I could jump in here too. I just bought a new 2021 TAG Boondock. Haven't even had it out of the driveway yet. Going out this weekend for a trial run. First, are there any owner's manuals? What actually will run off the built in solar system? It only has a 6V battery, so I assume only the built in appliances will work but it won't power any plug-in AC appliances. Is that correct?

Is your trailer new? If so, yes about 1 battery, but it should be 12v, not 6volt. And you should have a manual and in product manual for micro wave, etc. Look under the matress, in what many of us call tge basement.

If not, tgey should be available here on tge forum, look for a tread call manual.

Sharon_is_SAM

@DancingBear - https://nucamprv.com/app/uploads/2020/10/2021-TAG-Manual.pdf

Manuals are available on the nuCamp website as well.

DancingBear

Thanks for replying. I found the online owner's manual. Leaves a lot to be desired. Was hoping for something with pictures and graphics. It just seems to generally mention what is requried for basic use and though I did have a 10 minute walk-through with the RV salesperson when I picked it up, those issues are hard to remember weeks later. What do I need to turn on, off, where is everything, which inlet is the potable water storage, etc. etc.?? I guess that is what this forum is for. :-)

LuckyJ

@DancingBear said:
Thanks for replying. I found the online owner's manual. Leaves a lot to be desired. Was hoping for something with pictures and graphics. It just seems to generally mention what is requried for basic use and though I did have a 10 minute walk-through with the RV salesperson when I picked it up, those issues are hard to remember weeks later.

What do I need to turn on, off, : the main power in the feo t box, if you want to use battery power (everything 12 volts) or recharge and maintain the battery. If you want to store your T@G for a little while w/o shore power, you should shut that switch off. When traveling, if you want the battery to recharge from your car alternator that switch needs to be turned on. If you want the emergency brake to work if you lose the trailer, that switch need to be on as well.

where is everything, look around you and under the bed in the basement. What you see is what you find.

which inlet is the potable water storage, etc. etc.?? The potable water storage is the inket w/o treads. The treaded inlet is for shore water.

I guess that is what this forum is for. :-)

)

bass15227

Here's a good video of the walk thru.

I've watched it several times when I was needing some info.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D-5tQL4AaRGc&ved=2ahUKEwiUj9OCqJDxAhX2KVkFHXmyDW8QwqsBegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw0C2Dhn8EQmUaUORe5PHE9T

packetjunkie

Does anyone know what the charge rate is when hooked in through shore power? I can't find any specs on the charging setup.

If I connect a 2k generator via 15 amp connection (with 30amp plug), will that charge slower than if I connected a 30amp output generator?