I would like to hear about the difficulty and cost of installing a 240 volt inverter and portable solar panels on my 19 ft Grant tourer (built by Creative prior to liquidation of the company)
The van has 2 x 100amp batteries which are now 4 years old and appear to be in reasonable condition. I would like to fit a 240v inverter and maybe a 180 watt suitcase type portable solar unit. My aim is as follows.
Charging of battery to extend stay in free camps.
Use battery/solar to power small coffee machine, microwave, and washing machine. only one of these units would be used at a time and the highest wattage is 2200. The coffee machine would be used twice per day @ 450 watts. Washing machine twice per week (a lemair top loader couldnt see any wattage on that). And microwave 2000 watt maybe max
10 minutes per day.
What size inverter would I need.
Would a 180 watt solar panel be enough.
And what is the likely cost of items needed.
I hope I have covered all issues and I thank any member that can help with some details inc cost.
Well.
I think I'd go the Fixed on van roof panels.
You'll get around 240\250w fir the price of those folding.
Bloody heavy awkward things.
Decent 30A Regulator. Make you choice.
To increase you panel load when you realise what's what.
Sorry mate.
And a generator for your Air Cond. Wash Mach etc.
The Coffee mach. Wash Mach. Microwave.
Will use more than your quoted solar will even touch the edges of.
Microwave, Around 1.3kw to start with.
Go from there.
It's not the time of use of those items.
More the LOAD they require,
starting them up then running them.
Lotsa Electrical use.
Genny's ARE a mans best friend.
I reckon your battery will be on its limit to supply what you are hoping to, at 4 years old.
Try doing what you want with an inverter off ebay (Allow $300) and a short extension lead into the van, not using the van wiring.
Run the appliances how you wish to whilst observing the battery, the inverter and checking for any hot spots.
If its all working out OK at the end of that then consider how to properly fit the inverter (sparky),what size and where to fit a regulator and consider filling up your roof with panels.
Genny's ARE a free campers worst enemy.................
Have you read the other parts of this forum the Techies' section and there is a sub section there Solar Power up the top. Your questions may have been asked and answered already and a bit of reading will give you a general idea of what is required. Perhaps your questions would get more answers there too.
Having said that about geny. A QUIET geny is fine . During day hours . Just the old days with cheap 2 stroke and rattley cheap sets gave them a bad name . Don't run them st night !! Ten minutes to run coffee machine with solar should charge batteries for your other appliances . Not AC though ! Fixed panels are set and almost forget as long as you don't park in shade . Portable get stolen and pita after a while ! Just my opinion . Need a little more inverter wattage wise than appliance you are using !!
A Microwave alone. Will take twice it's current to start up.
Most need around 2 kva. Kettle are 1.5 x 2. Coffee makers.
(He said 450?) Wash MAchine, Loaded? x 2.
You'll need a much larger Inverter and a heap more current.
With quick draining of battery Storage.
Generators were around/ LONG before these "Free" campers were.
And will be long after they've gone too.
Some of them, are just another branch of the bloody Greenies.
I was using one 50 plus yrs ago.
Genny's are the only Practical 100% power supply in all clime's.
EVERYWHERE.
Apart from a 240v wall plug that is.
I always carry a 4 1\2 in Grinder, and 1\2 in drill in my tool box for the whingers.
It shuts them up real quick.
Yrs ago. Nicely parked. quiet. Just me and genny. Others far way at other end.
This Frog came along, Parked outside my door with a whizz bang.
5 min's. Knocked on door and said "turn your generator off. It's too noisy.
Yea. Move then.
Closed door.
'Nother 5 or 6 min's Knock. Knock again.
Same thing.
"Piss off". Closed door.
Nother 10 min's he started towards my door.
Out with grinder. Coupla touches on switch.
HE moved.
I was there first.
If others already there. WITH genny's. Not a prob.
Sans Genny's. I go Other end of park.
We ALL entitled to park there. With. or without. Genny.
Eventually you will die out like the dinosuars and the new flock will recall generators with laughter as they sit about their smokeless fires watching their grey and black water tanks fill up.
Some need to accept that too but as an old man myself, admitting I was wrong is an increasingly difficult mindset.
Some rough calculations based on coffee machine 450W for 10 minutes (twice) microwave 1000W for 20 minutes (once) and washing machine 1200W for half an hour, gives a total consumption of about 100 Amp-hours. This makes no allowance for start-up currents and assumes 100% efficiency in the inverter.
The total is half your nominal battery capacity (200Ah).
A 180W solar panel would produce a nominal 15 amps at 12V, so on a good day with say 8 hours of good sunlight you would get 120Ah input.
So, theoretically you could do it, but you would have to have good sunlight and very efficient inverter. Any day when there was less than bright sun for most of the day and your battery charge would start to decline. Two days with minimal sun and your batteries would be completely flat- a very undesireable outcome as it would dramatically shorten your battery life.
These are all rough figures, and somewhat optimistic. REally, what it shows is that your plan is unrealistic. Battery powered inverters are not really a good way of powering major 240V appliances unless you want to add extra batteries and solar panels (and add lots of weight to your van). (Domestic systems powering homes are much bigger and more robust.)
Hope that's useful,
Cheers
Your questions may have been asked and answered already and a bit of reading will give you a general idea of what is required. Perhaps your questions would get more answers there too. 
