We're wanting to have a solar system and lithium battery upgrade installed on our Allegro Bus. I've been comparing AM Solar in Eugene Oregon with Starlight Solar in Yuma, mostly off their websites. AM Solar is closer to me in Oregon, but Starlight's prices at least on the lithium batteries seem to be quite a bit less, but I've not gotten complete prices from either provider. I've read numerous positive comments about both providers, and need help deciding. I'd appreciate any recommendations or insight from folks who've used either of them or done their own comparisons to help me decide what direction to go? BTW I do want to stay on the west coast.
Thanks everybody!
Jim
jrzygrl64 said
06:03 PM Apr 17, 2016
Our solar (and several others on this forum) was installed by Greg Young, of RV Solar Solutions. He and Cori are RV Dreamers and on this forum as "The Restless Youngs".
Recommend them 100%!
John U said
07:59 AM Apr 18, 2016
Jim,
All 3 listed above are IMHO good choices. Would read their blogs/websites and also few others (Mayer, Technomedia) even though you are going to contract it out just so you know how ALL the pieces are supposed to work BEFORE you sign a contract. When got the short list down to 2 would go and visit/meet them.
Before all that would make a few choices such as what you expect solar to do for you and where you are going to be using solar such as in the desert or in the mountains. Resort or dry camping ? A/C or no A/C usage ? Are you afraid to climb a ladder to tilt your panels ? How are you going to vent/heat the Litho battery compartment ? (Very imp. re battery life) Oversize your wires. Install Fantastic fans with temp sensors on them so that they come on when your RV is getting warm (set ours at 78') esp. if not using solar for your A/C for your dogs safety.
Had Newmar install a factory setup with 6 panels glued on the roof (that some people dance on) when purchased my King Aire. But 3 months later when had studied solar (this dummy did not do the research first) tore them off the roof, had to replace large part of the roof, and installed higher voltage, more efficient and expensive panels off the roof so the heat under them could dissipate. Do not make the same mistake I did. (7k factory cost, apx 50% loss moving them to my kid's rv) NOT LOL!
After making a list of what I wanted the solar to do and getting 3 bids which came in outrageously high IMHO. I did it myself but have worked in the trades and with electricity all my working life. So if not comfortable working with electricity have one of the above do it for you IMHO.
John
Offtosmelltheroses said
08:23 AM Apr 18, 2016
Great advice and feedback! Thanks to both of you! I have some time to do additional research before we have to make a decision, I'll take a close look at all three.
Jim
Jo And Craig said
08:54 AM Apr 18, 2016
Greg (rvsolarsolutions.com) installed our complete solar system and we couldn't be happier. As Kelly mentioned above, he and Cori are also RV Dreamers and have even given seminars for Howard & Linda. Greg is very professional and good at what he does. Would HIGHLY recommend any day of the week! Good luck with your selection.
jrzygrl64 said
07:54 PM Apr 18, 2016
p.s. Forgot to mention - Greg was trained in OR by AM Solar
NWescapee said
09:26 PM Apr 18, 2016
Had our solar installed by AM Solar in OR, no regrets, they were great to work with, love the no sales tax in OR, saved us a bit. Have since met and socialized with Greg and Cori, have heard very good feedback on their installs. Not sure their travel plans include OR soon, but at least you have options and recommendations.
Neil and Connie said
02:31 PM Apr 19, 2016
I've seen Greg Young's work and he does good work. Ours was installed by John Palmer of palmerenergysystems.com in Mayo FL up near the Suwanee River. John does excellent work…but you have to go to him…and he's definitely a character. He marches to a completely different drummer…I'm not even sure he uses a drummer at all in fact.
Jack Mayer recommends him as well for a FL based installer…Jack is another New Horizons owner and is a long time member here on the forum.
carolinakids said
06:06 AM May 6, 2016
We are from North Carolina. We researched and priced solar installers from all the same solar installers mentioned here. Then one day we found a post on Ray Burrs Love Your RV with a video of Eddie Glonecks installation on his KeyStone. His work looked very professional. We contacted Eddie and had several conversations and felt we had found a better way. At the time Eddie was setup on a ranch in Wy. We where going that way and stopped by and he looked the RV over and gave us a quote. To make a long story short, Eddie installed a system with 4-140 watt Kyocera panels, 2000 watt Magnum invertor, with all the goodies that go along and we invested around $5,500 total. Eddie now has a You Tube video Mobile Homesteading. Since our install he has done several Motor Homes and F/W's. If you want to see some of his work go to www.loveyourrv.com and in the search window type in Solar install. When the page loads you will see the back side of two panels where Eddie is putting wires into junction box. Click on it and then scroll down to fine the videos of us installing our solar. I videoed it and Ray placed it on his site. If you need any help if interested call us at 252-341-6779. At the moment we are at 2016 Spring Rally. Good luck in your search. Heres another link, check it out first.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Friday 6th of May 2016 06:09:38 AM
Mobile Homesteading said
09:32 PM May 7, 2016
carolinakids wrote:
We are from North Carolina. We researched and priced solar installers from all the same solar installers mentioned here. Then one day we found a post on Ray Burrs Love Your RV with a video of Eddie Glonecks installation on his KeyStone. His work looked very professional. We contacted Eddie and had several conversations and felt we had found a better way. At the time Eddie was setup on a ranch in Wy. We where going that way and stopped by and he looked the RV over and gave us a quote. To make a long story short, Eddie installed a system with 4-140 watt Kyocera panels, 2000 watt Magnum invertor, with all the goodies that go along and we invested around $5,500 total. Eddie now has a You Tube video Mobile Homesteading. Since our install he has done several Motor Homes and F/W's. If you want to see some of his work go to www.loveyourrv.com and in the search window type in Solar install. When the page loads you will see the back side of two panels where Eddie is putting wires into junction box. Click on it and then scroll down to fine the videos of us installing our solar. I videoed it and Ray placed it on his site. If you need any help if interested call us at 252-341-6779. At the moment we are at 2016 Spring Rally. Good luck in your search. Heres another link, check it out first.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Friday 6th of May 2016 06:09:38 AM
Thanks for the kind words Rush & Lola. I'm glad you two are out using your system to "Live" the RV boondocking life!
Happy Trails....Friends!!!
carolinakids said
06:08 AM Aug 12, 2016
If anyones interested, the man we got to install our system changed his website so I thought I'd put it here for those who like to look and see someone's work. the link is http://mobilehomesteading.com/
chiseye said
04:39 PM Aug 13, 2016
Go to this site and read and do it yourself a lot of information, Handy bobs Blog.
carolinakids said
04:47 PM Sep 17, 2016
Our solar installer is coming to the east coast to visit some family. If you were ever thinking of having it installed then give him a shout. We are going to have him install our system on our new unit. Just give him a call and ask a few questions, you'll see he knows his stuff.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Saturday 17th of September 2016 04:50:39 PM
Someday said
01:22 AM Sep 18, 2016
HandyBobSolar (Roundup Montana) and Jack Mayer were an untold godsend to us along with Chad Heiser and many others on the Escapees forum, helping us design our whole solar system when our RV Nevercold fridge died on us and we decided to replace with a residential and apply the savings above the cost of a replacement RV fridge, towards the solar set up. We haven't got an electrical or mechanical bone in our bodies or hair on our heads, so we don't say this lightly!
Saved us over half of what we were quoted from some installers recommended to us by taking our time and the kindness of so many forum members helping us with the components as well immense install guidance. Truly believe this gave us a much better understanding of how our system operates.
The Hensons said
07:44 AM Sep 26, 2016
Another vote for Greg Young. He installed my system. Aside from being good people, he does great work.
carolinakids said
06:38 AM Oct 28, 2016
Our solar installer and his family arrived from Wyoming here in North Carolina and has almost completed our install of the 870 watt, 900 AH solar system. For those of you that seen the other system on our other RV at the 2016 Spring Rally, you would really like this setup. He has added some new monitors which are important in the operation and functions of the system. We found some wasted space when we dropped storage panels and he is rebuilding the storage area to increase it. He suggested adding a Hardwired surge protector and the present inverter installed from factory had no remote so we have added it so we can control it from the living area too. Its a joy watching someone who loves what there doing, not just installing components. He install last year a system on our Cougar. It operated with absolutely no wrinkles. Luckily he came east to see his family and we didn't have to roll out west yet. We would have if needed but the Good Lord was on our side. I wish I could add some pics of it. We are going to make a short video of it and add it to his website, for those that might be interested in solar, it will help you understand more of the operation and how the components play part in the operation of the system.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Sunday 30th of October 2016 08:02:03 AM
LarryW21 said
09:02 PM Dec 27, 2016
I have heard good reports on both AM and Starlight.
Offtosmelltheroses said
09:45 PM Dec 27, 2016
I should have posted an update on this thread earlier. Last month we got our solar installation completed at AM Solar in Eugene. We are very very happy with the install. Cody and the rest of the folks at AM Solar were the best. They were patient with my last minute changes, very communicative, and the install quality is great. Adding lithium to our system was quite a bit out of our budget for the time being, however they did include some advance wiring and components that will make upgrading from AGM's to lithium pretty easy down the road. We'll be in Quartzsite in mid January, and if anyone's interested in looking over our install, sent me a note, we'd be happy to show and tell.
LarryW21 said
07:34 PM Jan 28, 2017
Off, still in Quartsite? Still giving a solar tour?
Offtosmelltheroses said
07:51 PM Jan 28, 2017
Still here, but leaving first thing in the morning. We'll be in Phoenix area (couple different parks) if you're in the area give me a holler, we'll arrange a look see!
We're wanting to have a solar system and lithium battery upgrade installed on our Allegro Bus. I've been comparing AM Solar in Eugene Oregon with Starlight Solar in Yuma, mostly off their websites. AM Solar is closer to me in Oregon, but Starlight's prices at least on the lithium batteries seem to be quite a bit less, but I've not gotten complete prices from either provider. I've read numerous positive comments about both providers, and need help deciding. I'd appreciate any recommendations or insight from folks who've used either of them or done their own comparisons to help me decide what direction to go? BTW I do want to stay on the west coast.
Thanks everybody!
Jim
Recommend them 100%!
All 3 listed above are IMHO good choices. Would read their blogs/websites and also few others (Mayer, Technomedia) even though you are going to contract it out just so you know how ALL the pieces are supposed to work BEFORE you sign a contract. When got the short list down to 2 would go and visit/meet them.
Before all that would make a few choices such as what you expect solar to do for you and where you are going to be using solar such as in the desert or in the mountains. Resort or dry camping ? A/C or no A/C usage ? Are you afraid to climb a ladder to tilt your panels ? How are you going to vent/heat the Litho battery compartment ? (Very imp. re battery life) Oversize your wires. Install Fantastic fans with temp sensors on them so that they come on when your RV is getting warm (set ours at 78') esp. if not using solar for your A/C for your dogs safety.
Had Newmar install a factory setup with 6 panels glued on the roof (that some people dance on) when purchased my King Aire. But 3 months later when had studied solar (this dummy did not do the research first) tore them off the roof, had to replace large part of the roof, and installed higher voltage, more efficient and expensive panels off the roof so the heat under them could dissipate. Do not make the same mistake I did. (7k factory cost, apx 50% loss moving them to my kid's rv) NOT LOL!
After making a list of what I wanted the solar to do and getting 3 bids which came in outrageously high IMHO. I did it myself but have worked in the trades and with electricity all my working life. So if not comfortable working with electricity have one of the above do it for you IMHO.
John
Great advice and feedback! Thanks to both of you! I have some time to do additional research before we have to make a decision, I'll take a close look at all three.
Jim
Greg (rvsolarsolutions.com) installed our complete solar system and we couldn't be happier. As Kelly mentioned above, he and Cori are also RV Dreamers and have even given seminars for Howard & Linda. Greg is very professional and good at what he does. Would HIGHLY recommend any day of the week! Good luck with your selection.
I've seen Greg Young's work and he does good work. Ours was installed by John Palmer of palmerenergysystems.com in Mayo FL up near the Suwanee River. John does excellent work…but you have to go to him…and he's definitely a character. He marches to a completely different drummer…I'm not even sure he uses a drummer at all in fact.
Jack Mayer recommends him as well for a FL based installer…Jack is another New Horizons owner and is a long time member here on the forum.
We are from North Carolina. We researched and priced solar installers from all the same solar installers mentioned here. Then one day we found a post on Ray Burrs Love Your RV with a video of Eddie Glonecks installation on his KeyStone. His work looked very professional. We contacted Eddie and had several conversations and felt we had found a better way. At the time Eddie was setup on a ranch in Wy. We where going that way and stopped by and he looked the RV over and gave us a quote. To make a long story short, Eddie installed a system with 4-140 watt Kyocera panels, 2000 watt Magnum invertor, with all the goodies that go along and we invested around $5,500 total. Eddie now has a You Tube video Mobile Homesteading. Since our install he has done several Motor Homes and F/W's. If you want to see some of his work go to www.loveyourrv.com and in the search window type in Solar install. When the page loads you will see the back side of two panels where Eddie is putting wires into junction box. Click on it and then scroll down to fine the videos of us installing our solar. I videoed it and Ray placed it on his site. If you need any help if interested call us at 252-341-6779. At the moment we are at 2016 Spring Rally. Good luck in your search. Heres another link, check it out first.
https://wyominggypsysmobilehomesteading.wordpress.com/2015/09/30/mobile-homestead-solar-services/
-- Edited by carolinakids on Friday 6th of May 2016 06:09:38 AM
Thanks for the kind words Rush & Lola. I'm glad you two are out using your system to "Live" the RV boondocking life!
Happy Trails....Friends!!!
If anyones interested, the man we got to install our system changed his website so I thought I'd put it here for those who like to look and see someone's work. the link is http://mobilehomesteading.com/
Go to this site and read and do it yourself a lot of information, Handy bobs Blog.
Our solar installer is coming to the east coast to visit some family. If you were ever thinking of having it installed then give him a shout. We are going to have him install our system on our new unit. Just give him a call and ask a few questions, you'll see he knows his stuff.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Saturday 17th of September 2016 04:50:39 PM
Saved us over half of what we were quoted from some installers recommended to us by taking our time and the kindness of so many forum members helping us with the components as well immense install guidance. Truly believe this gave us a much better understanding of how our system operates.
Our solar installer and his family arrived from Wyoming here in North Carolina and has almost completed our install of the 870 watt, 900 AH solar system. For those of you that seen the other system on our other RV at the 2016 Spring Rally, you would really like this setup. He has added some new monitors which are important in the operation and functions of the system. We found some wasted space when we dropped storage panels and he is rebuilding the storage area to increase it. He suggested adding a Hardwired surge protector and the present inverter installed from factory had no remote so we have added it so we can control it from the living area too. Its a joy watching someone who loves what there doing, not just installing components. He install last year a system on our Cougar. It operated with absolutely no wrinkles. Luckily he came east to see his family and we didn't have to roll out west yet. We would have if needed but the Good Lord was on our side. I wish I could add some pics of it. We are going to make a short video of it and add it to his website, for those that might be interested in solar, it will help you understand more of the operation and how the components play part in the operation of the system.
-- Edited by carolinakids on Sunday 30th of October 2016 08:02:03 AM
I have heard good reports on both AM and Starlight.
I should have posted an update on this thread earlier. Last month we got our solar installation completed at AM Solar in Eugene. We are very very happy with the install. Cody and the rest of the folks at AM Solar were the best. They were patient with my last minute changes, very communicative, and the install quality is great. Adding lithium to our system was quite a bit out of our budget for the time being, however they did include some advance wiring and components that will make upgrading from AGM's to lithium pretty easy down the road. We'll be in Quartzsite in mid January, and if anyone's interested in looking over our install, sent me a note, we'd be happy to show and tell.
Still here, but leaving first thing in the morning. We'll be in Phoenix area (couple different parks) if you're in the area give me a holler, we'll arrange a look see!