Hot summers with beach visits, cold beers, outdoor hikes and night dancing can host some of our most treasured memories. But summer can be a source of annoyance when it’s effecting the indoor humidity, stagnant and hot air and city smells that makes it difficult to breathe. Australia has high temperatures during summer in contrast to European countries.
To control the fresh air and temperature in tents, vans, buses, trailers or any small spaces, you need to have exhaust fans or small fans with low power consumption. There are so many options to consider and many types of fans available in the market.
Going for a built in solar system is the best option to run a fan. For a customised system you will need solar panels to generate the energy needed, batteries to store the power for the time that sun is not available and finally a solar charge controller to manage the power coming from sun.
Fans are best chosen when taking the following criteria into consideration:
- Build quality
- Ease of installation
- Cost
- Sound level
- Size of fan
- Rain Cover and Sensors
- Speed levels
- Built in thermostat for auto On/Off
- Reversible air flow
If you are considering a root top fans there are number of brands available but the best one to go for are Maxxair and Fan-tastic.
Fan-tastic comes in multiple series. They have add on features going to higher side. Most famous ones are 1250, 2250, 7350 series. Fan-tastic is best suitable considering the power consumption, size and installation procedure. They are quiet and offer most number of models to go for.
Maxxair 5100K, 6200K, 7000K and 7500K are 4 options to go for. 7000K series comes with remote control and electric controls. This is also favourite for those people who are less technical and don’t want to hire any professional for its installation work. There are also low budget devices that come with DC voltage system.
Let us breakdown the minimum system specs needed for smooth and 24hrs operational times.
Solar system of size 100-150W is enough to run ventilation/exhaust fans at any place outside your home. This panel size should be bought along with mounting equipment like hooks, bolts and rust free rods. Panels should be water insulated after installation and to avoid any rain get inside the vehicle. Small size panels are preferred as they require less space and small protection for electric systems beside them.
Charge controllers are easily available. Only thing to consider buying them is to match them with battery ratings and panel ratings. MPPT controllers are bit expensive but they offer you to cater maximum power from sun thus making it possible to enjoy major time after night.
Batteries needed for RV and camping locations should be average sized storing the power to sustain 2-3 days of load as there could be possible it’s no sun or you are staying under shady areas. 12V, 100Ah battery with load of 2-3A can give you 20hours of backup. If this backup is managed properly one can extend the running time to 2-3 days.
This article is not intended to share the exact design of solar system for fan but to encourage you for cost effective strategy. Solar panels and batteries are major components to consider when planning about efficient energy generation. Fan cross section area and its energy consumption are major factors as it is relative to roof size of the motor home.