Solar DIY

[JuniorBirdMan]

200 watts of solar power + water purification system = living off grid indefinitely!

 

[trumpetguy]

That sense of independence must feel great. What do you use for water purification? I have seen small distillers on Gone With the Wynns, and the Seychelle filters are good. We have a Big Burkee at home but it is too big for the Ollie. A small system that draws little power would be great.

[JuniorBirdMan]

I use a triple canister system with Sterilight UV from the RV Water Filter Store:

 

Additionally, I add Purogene (chlorine dioxide, available from the same people) to the fresh water tank. It prevents the growth of biofilm and is certified by the EPA to keep drinking water safe for up to 5 years.

 

Last winter I was on a lengthy caravan to Mexico and Belize where water is a real issue. While most of the participants had to continuously struggle with 5-gallon purified water jugs, a couple of us used this system. A 45-gallon water bladder (Camping World) and a transfer pump to force the water from the bladder through the canisters (it will NOT gravity feed thru the canisters) and we had safe, pure water the entire trip. We even sucked water out of a nearby lake and had no problems at all. I keep the system in my truck (too large to fit in my Ollie) and use it if I need to get water from mountain lakes/streams. If city water is available I use only the Purogene.

 

 

[routlaw]

We have a whole house water purification system as well and have often wanted something similar for our Oliver, however the taste of water from the holding tanks with or without purification is… shall we say less than desirable. Not sure what it is about these holding tanks that impart such an ugly taste when by comparison you can buy purified water all over the country in gallon to 2.5 gal plastic containers that do not impart this nasty taste. This is not something unique to Oliver all RV's have this problem. So on our last trip we just broke down and bought gal jugs of water, and will probably continue to do so.

 

This system looks promising though I'm not sure I would want to use the chlorine supplement. So can you run the pump from your 12 volt system?

 

Thanks

[JuniorBirdMan]

I use the Wayne PC-2 pump (AC) since my truck has a handy built-in inverter. The Wayne PC-1 (DC) is also available.

[SeaDawg]

Aubrey,

Your installation looks awesome. Love the solar.

I like the idea of your water purification system, too. Thanks for the photos and info.

Sherry

[JuniorBirdMan]

I've been asked how I secured the solar panels to the roof.

 

I didn't want bolts protruding into the cabin from above, but I also didn't trust the 3M VHB tape alone to hold the mounting brackets in place.The answer: rubber wellnuts, also called rubber expansion nuts, with brass inserts. They fit nicely between the inner and outer hulls.

 

 

They're available at home improvement and hardware stores including Lowe's and Home Depot. They'd also be useful for bolting things to the fiberglass walls where the backside isn't accessible.

[ScubaRx]

Said wellnuts would have come in handy a few months ago when I drilled a hole in the top of my fresh water tank. Well, of course, it was an accident. What, do you think I meant to do that????? Where were you and this information when I needed it? Gee, thanks Aubrey.

 

 

Nice looking solar setup BTW.

[JuniorBirdMan]

You could always claim the hole was intentional so the water supply could "breathe", much like a fine wine. Come to think of it, filling the tank with wine might not be a bad idea!