Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Fridge dilemma finally resolved!

Location:  BLM near Winterhaven, California

I slept soundly again last night and woke up with the Sun this morning.  Already in the 50s and clear again today.  Will only get to the low 70s today with light winds, thank goodness.

Cleaned house as best I could first thing.  The fine sand was everywhere.  I think I'm going to be buying a vacuum cleaner.  That's the only easy way to pick the sand up.  Wiping and sweeping just moves it around.

We had a leisurely breakfast
Having cereal on a beautiful Southwest morning in the desert.
and then late in the morning, I received a text from RV Connection letting me know my solar controller had arrived and is ready for pick-up.  So, just after noon, I left poor Yuma at home and went to pick it up.

Remember me saying I was considering having them putting solar panels on the White Lion?  Well, me and Jordan sat down and beat out a solar panel package.
This is where I'm getting my solar panels.  Finally!
  I think, as usual, I went with more than I needed but at least it will be done and I won't run short of solar power down the road.

Here's what I ordered to the best of my recollection.  
  • six 190 watt solar panels
  • two 40 amp MPPT solar controllers
  • 2000 watt pure sine inverter
  • all wiring and installation
Cost is $5200

It's more than I planned to spend, but I went bigger than planned and bought a better quality inverter.  Oh well, at least I pulled the trigger and did what I've always wanted to do.  That's go solar!  With this package, I can run everything in the coach except the air conditioners.  I will be able to run the residential refrigerator with no problem, so that is no longer a boondocking issue.

Due to the installer being gone for a week early next month, the installation isn't scheduled till March 17th.  I'll have to come back when he is ready to install, but in the meantime I can do my normal traveling around the area. 

After leaving RV Connection, I went to Lowes hoping to find my portable Weber Q propane grill, but no luck.  They had none in stock and when I asked, the lady said that I can order it online and have it delivered to the store for pick-up.  Shot down again!

I did remember to buy a taller plastic pole to use for my antenna for local TV.  My old one was too weak to hold the antenna straight up.  It kept bending over under the weight of the antenna, so I was losing height.

Made one final stop at Walmart to get some whipping cream for my pudding desert.  Had to have that.  One of the few sweets I get to enjoy each night.  Since my cellphone was dead I didn't buy any of the other items that may have been on my grocery list.

After a long day, and a dead cellphone battery I was very tired.  Made it home around 4:30 and was starving to death.  I contacted Patsy just before my phone died (I hope) to let her know I would miss Happy Hour tonight.  

Made two hotdogs and ate those with chips and ranch dip.  Yuma got one hotdog.  After regaining my strength, I ordered my Weber Q 1000 portable propane grill this evening and hopefully will pick it up on March 3rd.  Yuma will have to put up with my cooking for another week, I guess.

Since I ate lunch so late I'm doing my post first and will eat late this evening.  Put my new antenna pole up and voila, I was able to get CBS which is the station that Survivor is on tonight.  Last week while in the RV park down the road I couldn't bring in CBS.  So, the $15 was a good investment.

Now that Survivor is over,  I'm going to have dinner and hit the hay.  Sorry to see Ethan voted out.  Long day and I'm tired.  Got lots done today :)) and spent lots of money too! :((
End of a long and productive day.

See you later.

19 comments:

  1. Your day may have been long, but you sure made the best of it. I know you'll be happy to get you solar panels. Poor Yuma, left home again. I hope your new antenna pole helps pick up stations for you. I was sorry to see Ethan voted off, too. 😢

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    1. Thanks Dolly. I'm glad to have solar issue over with. I'm sure it will be great to have the power we want anywhere the sun shines. I was glad to be able to watch Survivor. Hated missing it.

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  2. What most people don't realize when setting up their Solar Panels is you need to have something to store the energy you are collecting in. It is not the Solar Panels that will run your fridge but the Inverter that changes the power to 120 Volts from your storage unit. In other words you need a good Battery Bank.
    The experts in portable Solar Systems (not RV Dealerships) will tell you that for every 100 Watts of Solar Panels you need a 100 Amp Hour Battery. Years ago the best Batteries for this was 6 Volt Deep Cycle Batteries but technology has changed making the 12 volt Batteries just as reliable.
    Most electric appliances use 1500 watts of power but when they start their cycle they can draw as much as 2500 watts. With only a Two Thousand Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter you will be constantly popping the overload on the Inverter itself. A 3,000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter last year went for a Thousand Dollars in Arizona and prices have come down since then.
    We went with 12 Volt AGM Batteries with 6-100 Watt Panels and a 3,000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter that runs our Microwave when needed. Our Charge Controller can handle 65 Amperes and has a Remote Display which will handle 800 watts of Solar safely. We used Polarity Separator Block on the roof to connect the Panels to Number 1 Welding Cable fused to the Charge Controller.
    I wish I was nearby to help you out because the RV Connection will definitely be making money off your deal.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Thanks for the information Rick. Too bad I didn't run this by you before purchasing. I knew I needed more batteries and will be doing that at some point. I'll talk with them about the inverter.

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  3. Enjoyed your "eating cereal in the sunshine" photo.! 😎

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    1. Thank you Moonfly. The morning weather is nice now.

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  4. I agree with MoonFly, your outdoor photo is the picture of relaxation and peacefulness. Not a lot of what has been going on in your world lately. We'll let you know when we return from town re HH arrival time.

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    1. sorry, I meant to say CONGRATULATIONS on the purchases!! I'm so happy you had some help to get things ordered. Yay! Fridge problem resolved. :)

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    2. Thanks Patsy. I'm glad to have made a decision so I can move on with my RVing life. Looking forward to HH tonight.

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  5. Congrats Doug..I know you will feel better having this done and making it easier to keep that fridge running! I love the pic of you and Yuma in the sun relaxing...you need more relaxation time. How fun, you're going to have HH today! Wish we were there!!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. I love the grasslands and read Deb's post about your HH. Glad you all got together before you move on.

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  6. So nice to have solar and be able to boondock for longer periods. It will be SO much cheaper!!!

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    1. Thanks Nancy. I'm happy that I finally made a decision even if I paid a little too much at least it's done. I can now move on. :))

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  7. I'm happy to hear that you have finally decided to go with panels on the roof. I think life will be much easier for you. I'm sure having your own solar farm will be fun!!

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    1. Thanks Deb. Looking forward to the installation date.

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  8. Along with all the conveniences solar power makes possible it's the freedom from RV Parks that was a biggy for us in more ways than one. We once figured out about how much money we saved over the years by not paying for Parks every night and it far outdistanced the cost of our initial solar installation in late December of 08. When we first started out in 06 we were only on the road a month before knowing RV Parks were not going to work for us and if we were going to continue with our RV dream we had to find an option. And solar power was that option. Freedom. Never once regretted having solar installed which directly led to all the wonderful boondocking adventures and memories we had over the years.

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    1. I'm looking forward to having solar. This coach has so many conveniences that run only on electricity, I knew I had to get solar panels installed to boondock in comfort.

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  9. Wow! Sounds like you're getting pretty well set up nicely with the solar panels. Noticed you didn't say anything about picking up a vacuum? Heading down to Nashville with my running buddies tomorrow. Should be a fun weekend!

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    1. Thanks Steve. Still working on the vacuum cleaner. Have a great time in Nashville. We'll have to go in the MH on one of the running trips this summer.

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