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optimistic
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2012 06:37pm
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This is my plan. Please feel free to offer ideas and suggestions even if I am not asking a question.... ;)
I am hoping to buy a camper/travel trailer by mid/end of July and plunk it on my land, fix it up a bit, and stay in it while I take my time with building my cabin. I believe I will stay at least a year in the camper before moving to the cabin. By staying in it for a year I mean a year over the weekends - this will be a recreational use.
I wish to get one that it closer to 30ft (I have no experience with campers at all). Then I want to connect it to a solar system that I can later move to my cabin. I will build a rain collection system for the camper, a diy septic for the toilets, and a leeching setup for the grey water. I want to construct the septic and grey water system in a way that I can later just connect the cabin to it without too much fuss.
Questions:
Solar - I want to make my purchases for this system with the thought that I will later move it to the cabin. What info should I provide so you can recommend what I should buy? I know that it is based on my electrical needs so I can specify what I will want to have in my cabin (even though it will be first connected to the camper for about a year):
lights: about 11 cfl's (13w) and two 23w ones but they will never be one at the same time... the two 23w will be for the porch and will only be on when we are out there for a couple of hours during the summer nights. Out of the 11 13w ones most likely 4 will be one for the majority of the evening (livingroom)... The rest are sporadic use.
Water pump: I intend on having an RV water pump for the cabin in order to have running water in the shower and sinks.
Water heater: i will want a propane one but I am not sure if they need a little bit of power as well so I thought I will mention it.
Laptop and cell phones: I will bring it up charged but if we stay there for more than the weekend I will like to be able to charge it at least once.
Internet: If I won't be able to use my cellular data service (I will know better next week after I go there again and check the reception) then I will want a possible satellite hook up for internet. If there are other options I will be happy to hear about them.
TV: We really want to have a small lcd in the livingroom which will be connected to a streamer and hard drive.. Not sure how much power these will take.
Fridge: I will try to find the most energy efficient one but we will like to have this as well.
Solar questions (keep in mind that I will only use the cabin on the weekends and sometimes I won't be there for a month...):
What components do I need to this kind of needs?
Will I be able to recharge the system with a portable generator if I have to?
Can someone give links of what they will buy (panels, batteris, and so on)?
Camper -
Will I be able to "hook up" any camper the way I want to? (to solar, grey water, and septic)
With the overview of what i want to do - can someone tell me how he would approach this?
THANKS!
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VTweekender
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2012 07:05pm
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First off a couple things, forget the electric water heater on solar, way to much draw....secondly will your camper site be in a clearing with good sunlight? if your in under trees the panels won't get much sunlight, you can however put them up high in the trees but will lose some juice with long cables.
Then there is the question of what size fridge, they draw quite a bit so thats a factor.....
So, assuming a midsize fridge , the lights, charging laptop and cell, small 13" lcd tv without power antenna , water pump, throw in 10 minutes a day each for coffee maker and microwave. You will need approx. 600 watt panel array to equalize (1 day intake=1day usage). Thats if you have the panels positioned for a clear 3 hours a day of sunlight, to get 1800 watts a day to use. 3 hours x 600 in panels. The fridge alone will use about 1200 a day on conservative use..
12 volt 600 watt system=
4 panels at approx 150 watts each or a close combo, try to use the same panels.
1 - 45 amp charge controller
1 - 3000 watt modified sine wave inverter (12v to 110v)
2 - 200 AH (amp hour) deep cycle batteries
plus cables and conectors
Keep in mind you could get away with a somewhat smaller system on occasional weekend use as you say...because the system will charge all week before you arrive, in other words you could possibly use the same battery bank but only have a 200-300 watt panel array charging the batteries all week for when you get there, but if you decided to stay for a week or so you would be out of luck in a couple days ....
For your septic and greywater....the tanks each have a outlet for emptying them, you just go from those outlets to your onsite systems..
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steveqvs
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2012 08:48pm
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Lots of campers come with a fridge that runs off of electricity or propane. they run many, many days on a propane tank. That would be your best bet, I think.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2012 09:42pm
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Thanks VT.
I will not get an electric heater but a propane heater.
How to I wire the cabin for this? regular wires? (for outlets, light fixtures and switches, and so on)
Is there a gauge to see how much power I have in the system?
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Just
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# Posted: 30 Jun 2012 11:19pm
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optimistic
i have a old trailer setup somthing like you want.1975 trailer i payed 250.00 $ it came with both 12volt and 110 wiring . it also came with a 12 volt water system that we huked to a 45 galon rain water tank with a sand filter . we get our power from a 30 watt solar panel with 2 ,140 amp deep cell bateries [will last a three day weekend if u are carfull] . no fridge but lots of cfl's and led lights fans tv and radio small microwave oven .1000 wat inverter to make the 110 volt power. the trailer has a propane stove oven combo + hot water heater but we never use the hot water heater [it dose not need any electricity] it has a double sink and a out door shower . we removed the indoor bath and built a outhouse as a septic was'ent in the budgit. would like to have a underground cold celer someday. we installed a wood stove in the space the bath was in. we have lots of fun at this little spot good luck with yours
24 FT SLEEPS 6
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RAIN WATER
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OUT HOUSE
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HEET
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 04:56am
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Sound's very doable to me.I,too bought a camper trailer to start with.They are so well designed these day's for comfort and style,you might be quite happy with that as your recreational home.
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groingo
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 09:43am - Edited by: groingo
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If you buy a camp trailer get a good one, beats dumping a bundle into a rotted out hulk that you will never be able to recover your investment from.
Don't know how building codes are where you plan to set up but you might want to check it out as well as any neighbors and the problem's they may or may not had....sometimes it's better to have the house on wheels, gets around a lot of building hassles.
Hows your water supply, do you have a good well or creek near by that has usable water?
How many people will be using the place?
You really need to get a Kill A Watt power test meter to find out exactly how much power you will be using, then double it.
Propane is a good heat source but can get expensive quickly depending on how efficient the appliance is.
All in all, take your time, keep lots of notes for improvement as this is the kind of thing that can get your mind working and be a heck of a lot of fun.
For some good reading go here, this guy has good credibility in my book and loads of useful information.
http://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-battery-charging-puzzle-2/
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sparky1
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 10:00am
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I started out in a 17 ft Travel, trailer in 84 no power any where close, in the field,old "Gas" water heater on blocks for hot water,,gravity flow to the camper.13oo watt Generator to charge batteries,and put water in the water heater,from 5 gallon containers did this a year .till I moved to a lower part of the property.
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then i got some old storm windown and the camper shell made a shower roon & water storage
starting out 1984
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1985..86 before septic in 86
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Sustainusfarm
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 10:05am
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JUst...im in a pine forest. You can imagine how much pollen from the trees I get into my rainbarrel....will the sand filter take out the pollen? Do you add your chlorine to the top or bottom of your rain barrel? Looks like your tube goes down to the bottom of the barrel??
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 01:35pm
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I would go to a rv dealership and look at the trailers with a sales person. It won't hurt to get a look at the different models and the sales person will help you out with all your questions. They may even have a good deal on a used good quailty trailer that will not be all rusted out with systems that are highly outdated, don't work and are dangerous.
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 02:03pm
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+1 to Silverwaterlady's idea. And, for a few extra dollars (or maybe none- if you drive a hard bargain), they'll even deliver it on-site for you.
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optimistic
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 05:09pm
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Just- your setup is almost exactly what I want to do. You did a great job! doesn't your water freeze in winter? I thought I need to keep the barrels indoors. Is it hard to hook the solar?
Things for the tips ppl!
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PA_Bound
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 05:25pm
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You have to winterize the trailer before any hard freeze. You do that by emptying the water storage tanks and either pumping RV anti-freeze (not the same as in a car) into all the waterlines, faucets and draines or using compressed air to blow all the waterlines empty of any water. Failure to winterize could crack the waterlines, drains and other fixtures in the event of a hard freeze.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 11:21pm
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Sustainusfarm
yes the filter will take out anything bigger than a germ for that we use
chlorine once a week plus we boil all drinking water. i have a drawing of the water filters iner parts i will repost it here, if i can find it..optimistic[/b]
yes the water would freeze but we drain it after hunting season till about march we fill the lines with anti freeze and have a drain with no trap under the sink so we can use the sink with bottaled water all winter..you could keep water all winter in a underground tank with a submersable pump..there are lots of good threads on this site about solar set ups, i learned all i know here.just ask if you need help when you get started!!thanks for the compliments but this is just a basic system no frills so i could have a place with very little cost.less than a 1000$
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Just
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# Posted: 1 Jul 2012 11:36pm
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Sustainusfarm
here you go
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