Purchasing an RV is a big call and something everybody needs to think about hard.

An RV is also an investment, an investment in time and cost but you won’t see any profit in an RV, well not in money terms but it can have a big payback re satisfaction and pleasure but if you go out and buy an RV without giving it a large amount of thought then it might be, at best, a pricey waste of money, and an RV can be, at worst, a wedding breaker.

When we were trading up to a larger and newer RV, my sister in law from Atlanta decided she was going to buy our old RV. The difficulty was it was her idea and not a joint family call. He was the type who would select a sports auto to drive without thinking about where his girl was going to sit. It lasted some years with him being unhappy with all his holidays in the RV, he bumped into some wagons and did some damage to the RV and was just typically sad with the entire concept of having a holiday in an RV. It came to the stage of seriously damaging their wedding.

What she should have done is to hire an RV first to try things out. This way she could have seen if owning an RV was going to work. So what do you look for when hiring an RV? Well I would think the most vital point is to decide where you want to go with it. Pick the area you want to holiday in and then look for somewhere to hire one from. Think about how you’re going to get there. Driving lets you take more things in,than flying does, so if you are flying then you might need to make certain that you hire an RV which comes professionally equipped as some don’t have things like kitchen utensils in them or towels and so on, though many firms will supply these but often they come at a cost.

What about the dimensions of your RV from little to huge. I suspect this relies on what you need to attain. If you’re a family then you want a bigger RV and so on. Are you wanting to drag a vehicle behind your RV? Some companies will let you, some will not and if you are in a hire auto, will the hire company permit it to be towed behind an RV. Is the RV you wish to hire capable of towing an enormous vehicle or only a little car? These questions could go on but the best folk to answer them are the RV rental company you are working with. It is often good to get an RV solar panel with your RV so you can power your appliances without the requirement of a generator. You should be in a position to spot the RV solar panel on the roof.

Think about where you are going to holiday in your RV, think about the way to get there, think about your RV in particulars of size, think about the kit you want for your RV, think about pets in the RV if you’ve a pet and think about who to lease your RV from.

Get many quotes from RV rental firms and then match them and read the fine detail to see what you get for the price and what extra you want to spend. When you have done all this pick an acceptable RV to hire and an acceptable company to hire your RV from and then just do it. When you have hired an RV you will then have a better concept of what it is like being an RV owner,then make the decision to buy an RV or not.

Technology looks to be invading virtually each part of our life for better or for worse. In the case of portable rv solar panels, it is for the better.

They are similar to the panels you see in peoples’ backyards or on their roofs. Even better, one of the weaknesses of home solar cells does not exist with an RV. Solar energy panels produce DC electricity that needs to be converted to AC for a home. Since an RV runs on DC, the difficulty is eliminated and you get more kick out of your panels. A portable solar panel system can be really powerful. Really, it can put as much power into your batteries as a gas or propane generator. Another advantage is your rv solar panels will not make the noise of a generator. On the other hand, it also does not produce energy at night, so you want to do some planning for your energy needs. Using solar energy panels for an RV is a reasonably straightforward process. You can attempt to work out your energy usage to pinpoint the correct number, but it is simpler to just ask the dealer.

Anyhow, you mount your panels on the roof. They fold down flat to the roof when you’re driving. When you park, you must park in the sun and in a direction where the panels will get the maximum exposure.

If you like to park in the shade, you can purchase a moveable system that you can position on the ground. Make sure you have a long wire in case the shade covers a large area. The power from your solar energy panels should be ready to keep your batteries charged as long as there is sun. The biggest issue you will run into is powering your air-conditioning. RV air conditioners use the power in large quantities, so use it sparingly or turn on a generator.

And if you’ve got an RV of your own, you are doubtlessly wondering how it’s possible for you to get one of those RV solar panels and how to set it up for yourself.

Here’s what you want to understand so you can do it. The very first thing to realize is that you are potentially not going to be able to generate enough power to fill all your electricity needs for an entire day with your new RV solar cell.

Now, two hundred watts is actually not very much power and that is what a basic solar panel will generate. Not wanting to discourage you from undertaking this excellent idea, we just want to help you to tackle it with practical expectations. The point of an RV solar energy panel should be to add to your available power, not provide the entire thing. With that noted it’s a brilliant idea to first sit down and work out how much supplemental power you would realistically like your RV solar panel system to generate for you. How much power are you planning to use? What’s the wattage of your Television, fan, blender, etc? And how long do you mean to run each of them in a single day.

If you think you will be using eight hundred watts, for example, then you will need to install four 200 watt panels. If you live in less sunnier climes, you might need more.

The best and most inventive idea is to get a deep cycle battery so you can charge it up when the sun’s not out and an inverter so you can plug your appliances in and utilise the solar electricity you have stored up and can use it when you need it, even if it is dark or raining outside.

Check that either your batteries or your RV solar panel has a charging controller that can meter the charging process and shut it down before you overcharge your batteries. Barring that, an additional battery charge meter is useful. Without one, you risk prematurely reducing the lifespan of your batteries. When you install the RV solar panel, point it upwards so you can catch the most sun during the main sunlight hours, 11am-3pm, when it’s highest in the sky.

Do also take care to note the new height of your RV now that it’s got an RV solar energy panel on top of it. The very last thing you wish to do is smack that into a low underpass, right?

The steam can have a degrading effect on the interior paint work and fittings; it will age your vehicle prematurely and will leave unpleasant odors. Let alone the stale air you keep breathing in which is being re-circulated around your motor or the need for extracting the heat and cooling the air temperature.

When looking to install a ventilation fan into your RV, you need to consider these two points:

• What size fan do you need?

• How are you going to fit it?

Solar extractor products are measured in the amount of air it can extract per hour, so you are looking at cubic feet of air per hour. To calculate cubic feet, you multiply the height x width x length of the inside of your motor home together.

Then you need to work out how long it will take to replace the air. For example, if you had a product that can extract 500cb ft per hour. You would need to divide the cubic feet of your RV by 500 and then multiply by 60 to give you a figure in minutes.

You can get different size ventilators which have corresponding different size solar panels. For example a 12,000cb ft per hour vent would use a 100 watt panel.

Bear in mind that you can get extractor parts made from different materials, so if you live in a harsh climate or near the sea you might want to consider a stainless steel one.

The second point we now need to consider is how your are going to fit it. The most obvious place to site the electric fan is in the ceiling. However this is not as simple as it may seem. The disadvantages of solar fans is that to fit it in the roof you have to cut a hole in your roof which is about 120mm in diameter. Unless you are pretty handy at doing DIY then I would suggest you get a professional to do the work for you.

If you are going to do it yourself, I suggest you do it by marking out the diameter of the whole you need; then use a 10mm drill and drill a series of holes inside the diameter of the circle you have scribed. Drill these wholes close together and then use a hacksaw to finish off the job.

Alternatively what you can do is fit the fan to a piece of hardboard and position it in the window of your door. As you wind the window up, you trap the hardboard in the window frame.

Finally, you are left with attaching the RV solar panels, read the instructions carefully and make sure the system is in the best position for absorbing as much energy from the sunlight as possible. There is not much in the way of electrical systems to worry about, all you have to do is connect the solar powered panel to the unit, and that is all there is to using solar RV fans.

RV Solar Panels are really inexpensive. Unlike in the past when solar power systems were not only bulky,they  took up a very large area. Since then, solar technology has moved on at a great pace, and solar panels have become much smaller, and less expensive. They help to reduce the amount of energy that is required from the utility companies grid. When driving an RV of course you do not have to pay an electric bill. However, if the owner of the campsite knew that your RV was fitted with solar panels, he might be inclined to give you a discount on your lot rent.

RV Solar Panels have become very popular in recent years. The system is fairly easy to install and maintain and some are fitted with a controller which tracks the sun automatically. Furthermore, many people are beginning to use small backpack solar products. They are great for running small appliances for many hours, such as routers, cell phone chargers, laptops, and other small appliances. These RV Solar Panels are not very expensive. However, you would want to choose one that is large enough to do whatever you want it to. Of course the larger the unit, the more amperage and wattage you will be able to use. A kit might include a solar panel, inverter, remote control, battery – however many kits do not include batteries because the type of battery you need is a deep cycle battery which is different to the one in your car. However, they are often found in forklift trucks! They can be discharged at a high rate and not damage the battery.

Different Sizes of RV Solar Panels

There are many different sizes of RV Solar Panels, which range from 30 Watts, that have a 12 Volt Power Pack or a RV solar charger that uses 5 Watts, 10 Watts, and even 20 Watts. They are lightweight and weigh 20 to 60 pounds, depending on the size that you choose. Of course, the larger the unit and the amount of amperage you want also affects the price.

There are some things you should know about older appliances in an RV. Older models of freezers and refrigerators that are over 10 years old use more power than the newer models. The old type hot water heaters and electric heaters also use much more electricity. Therefore, you may want to invest in newer energy efficient appliances. Furthermore, many appliances run on AC power where as the solar panel produces DC power – this is where inverters come in, they convert DC to AC. You can use an inverter for each individual appliance, or you can have one which caters for everything. Therefore, take this into account when you design your system.

If you plan on installing RV Solar Panels on your own RV, it is a great idea to do plenty of research over the Internet first. This way you can see for yourself how inexpensive they are, and what type you can purchase.

You can find some websites that have kits available of the shelf, and you can also obtain an installation guide to help you with things. It will tell you exactly what parts are required, what tools you will need, and how to calculate the size and number of RV Solar Panels you require.