Make Your Caravan Off-Grid Ready With a Solar Kit

The most obvious reason why people go for solar power as their main source of power is for a better environment. The clean energy you get from the sun may be more difficult to harness sometimes, but it's sure worth it. You don't need to worry about any power outages with solar as long as you have enough charge in your battery. You can also go completely off-grid with a PV system on your caravan.

You won't need to look for shore power or any other hook-up point when on your caravanning trips. Although you can still opt-in to do so, it's not your only option. But connecting to shore power is not always possible. This is where a proper off-grid solar kit can make your caravan truly self-sustainable. At least when it comes to power.

What is in an Off-Grid Solar Kit?

Panels

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What's at the core of every PV system, no matter if it's off-grid or not, are its panels. Solar panels are what make solar power usable as they convert the photons coming from the sun into electrical charge. All off grid solar kits come with solar panels as they are a mandatory component.  

Controllers

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To help make the electrical charge coming from the panels and into the battery usable by devices and appliances you need a controller. Charge controllers, as they're called, are a sort of a middle man that distributes the charge to where it needs to go. But in order for the charge to be used by any PV component, it needs to go through an inverter.

Inverters

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What every off grid kit should always come with is a power inverter. In order for you to be able to charge your phone or cook your meal, you need usable electricity. Because the panels generate DC power from the sun's UV rays, you need an inverter to convert that power to AC. Since this is what all the appliances and devices we use on a daily basis rely on.

Batteries

When the charge you have left, generated by the panels and converted by the inverter, is no longer needed you need to store it somewhere. Of course, this is why off grid kits come with batteries to save the day. Without solar batteries, you won't be able to rely on the sun alone since when it sets, there will be no charge to use unless it's stored.

What to Look for in an Off-Grid Solar Kit

Types of Panels

There are many options you can choose from when it comes to the type of panels you want to have on your caravan. The main two panels an off grid kit can come with are mono and polycrystalline. 

Monocrystalline panels have their cells made from a single silicone crystal. This makes them darker and gives them a honeycomb appearance. Although quite expensive, monocrystalline panels are more efficient when it comes to their conversion process.

Source: powersolarphoenix.com

Polycrystalline panels, on the other hand, are made by combining multiple silicone crystals together to create the panel's cells. Because of this, polycrystalline panels have a lighter shade of blue and they are also more affordable.

Charge Controller

Just like there are different types of solar panels, there are also different types of charge controllers. You get to choose between MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controllers and PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) units.

PWM charge controllers are the older counterparts and although they are reliable they are not as powerful or as efficient as their more advanced predecessor. PWM controllers are mainly made for small-scale applications.

MPPT controllers, as you already know, are about 20% to 25% more efficient than PWM controllers. MPPT charge controllers are also able to handle larger loads than PWM units, especially when using a lot of panels.

Source: sustainable.co.za

Amp Rating

The amperage rating of your PV system needs to be adequate to that of your everyday needs. The higher the number of devices and appliances you will be using at once, the greater the amperage rating of your system needs to be. The higher this rating is the more electricity can flow through it and supply your appliances and devices.

Installation & Hardware

Although an off grid kit comes with all the components needed to make your caravan independent from the grid it still needs to include all the mounting and connecting hardware. Off grid solar kits that come with everything you need to install an off-grid PV system on your caravan are a better option.

This way you're able to save time searching for the right mounting brackets and bolts or cables and connectors. These off grid kits are especially useful if it's your first time building an off-grid PV system or any kind of PV system for that matter.

Conclusion

Caravanning is a great way to explore beautiful landscapes and enjoy having home comforts at the same time. A PV system is a big part of that and without it, it wouldn't be possible to take on long journeys without the need to charge up.

A Guide to Choosing the Best Outdoor Heaters

A lot of people have an outdoor area that is used only during the summer months. When the temperatures start dropping, they all move inside and leave their patio or backyard empty. But that doesn’t have to happen anymore, now that we have outdoor heaters. You can use your outdoor space throughout the year with this feature. Read a book, have some coffee, entertain your friends and family, or even work from home. An outdoor heater will be a great addition to your neatly designed exterior, and it’ll give you the liberty to enjoy cool nights under the stars with a fresh breeze and a cup of tea.

How to Choose the Right Gas Water Heater for Your Caravan

The same way your home has running hot water your caravan should have it too. It's becoming more of a need for hot water to be present in something mobile. While there are other home comforts you can bring in your caravan, having a hot water heater is one that makes a big difference.

By pumping water from your water tank, a heater is able to bring it to the temperature you need, by heating the tank that stores it before the water comes out of the shower head or faucet. When the water from the hot water tank runs out you need to wait for it to be filled with water and heated up once again. The heating of this tank happens thanks to two power sources with gas being the more tried and true solution.

Advantages of Gas Water Heaters

Reliability

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When compared to its more advanced competitor, the electric heater, an RV gas water heater is far more reliable. How so? When travelling, you may not have access to electricity or decide to go off-grid. This can shut down an electric heater. A gas hot water heater will run no matter if there is an electrical charge available or not.

Savings

Although you'll need to refill your caravan's gas tanks, in order to keep the heater running, it still isn't nearly as expensive to run as an electric one. Gas is more affordable than electricity and a gas hot water heater is also more efficient than an electric one. This will help you save a lot especially if you are going on longer trips around the country. 

Environmental Impact

While electric powered appliances are known not to impact our environment in a bad way the same can be said for gas-powered heaters too. While this is not the case with all types of gas heaters, there are some that do not pollute despite running on gas.

Types of Gas Water Heaters

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Natural Gas

The type of gas heater that is rising in popularity is one powered by natural gas. Natural gas is actually not bad for the environment and it doesn't need that much energy to create heat. Efficient and environmentally friendly, natural gas has only one downside and that is its availability. Usually, motorhome camping sites do not have natural gas hookups.

Propane

Propane is the more commonly found power source at caravan campsites but it is also one that isn't as efficient as natural gas. Propane hot water heaters are not environmentally friendly but they are easier to set up. You can connect a propane heater up to the existing plumbing in your caravan without much hassle.

What Matters in a Water Heater

Flow Rate

An important aspect of any caravan hot water heater is its water flow rate. This is expressed in LPM or litres per minute. If you're going to be the only one travelling with your caravan then a water heater with 8 LPM is going to be adequate.

But if you're bringing your mates on your caravanning trip then a hot water heater with at least 18 LPM is going to be needed. This way you will have a steady supply of water at a constant temperature.

Size

The size of an RV gas water heater is going to matter quite a bit especially if you don't have much space in your caravan. Before you get any type of gas heater you should first determine the location where your heater will go. Make sure that there is enough space for it to fit otherwise you'll need to either get a different one or do some modifications to the interior of your caravan.

Power Capacity

The capacity that determines how well your RV gas water heater is going to keep water warm is its power capacity. This is represented in either kW or BTU. BTU or British thermal units refer to the overall heating capability of a water heater. This number also tells you a lot about the power requirements of a heater which you can find out by converting BTU to kW.

Advantages of Tankless Heaters

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Savings

You won't be saving money when it comes to buying a tankless heater since it's not as affordable as most other ones. But when it comes to long term use, tankless hot water heaters are going to help you save quite a bit. With one component less than a regular caravan water heater, there's no need for water to be constantly kept warm and thus less gas is used.

Seamless

With a regular water heater, having hot water constantly available is something that just isn't the case. By adding a tankless water heater you can have one person shower without you having to wait for the heater to warm up some water for you afterwards. Just hop in and enjoy the hot water. You also won't ever get the chills with cold water before getting burned by the excruciating hot water that usually follows.

Durability

Although tankless heaters can be quite pricey they are going to last you a lot longer than a regular caravan water heaters. While more expensive tankless hot water heaters will last you even longer,  if you go for a more affordable one it will still have a long lifespan.