New with questions

[Phoenixrisingagain]

Hey! I just joined here! Little background.. I'm 41, have a partner and 2 teens, 4 dogs, work and am technically homeless. We live with the in laws and that is about to end very soon. Left with no other options, I am considering buying a bus I found for sale, and living in it. Here is the problem, I live paycheck to paycheck, so doing the conversion will take a bunch off time. We need it now. I am ok living extremely rudimentary, as are my kids. But I was looking for some ideas to get the main things going faster, like solar and water. How do I go about finding the right systems for what I need? I have looked at several sites, but honestly I dont have 24/7 to filter through the information.
What is the easiest solar set up to buy and install?
Is there a complete setup that is ready to go and not gonna kill the bank? I really only need it for lights, my cpap and cooking/refrigerator. If it is good enough I will need it to also run my tv, but it's an after thought.
I know it's a lot, sorry. I will ask more questions later, as I think of them.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

I don't know that there will be a perfect kit (if any kits exist at all) for any one person. What I can tell you, as I've told someone else today, is to make sure you understand what you're getting with solar.

Solar panels are made up of individual cells that are wired together either in series or parallel. Parallel-wired cells are preferable because a series-wired panel will cease to produce power if any part of it is shaded sufficiently. Not that parallel-wired cells aren't functional, but the entire panel has to have sun in order to maintain continuous power. A series-wired panel, by comparison, will still generate some portion of its total max output even when partially shaded.

Just an FYI to bear in mind as you research.

[plfking]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

Solar panels are made up of individual cells that are wired together either in series or parallel. Parallel-wired cells are preferable because a series-wired panel will cease to produce power if any part of it is shaded sufficiently. Not that parallel-wired cells aren't functional, but the entire panel has to have sun in order to maintain continuous power. A series-wired panel, by comparison, will still generate some portion of its total max output even when partially shaded.

I think you contradicted yourself.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by plfking

I think you contradicted yourself.

Guess you could call me... u-nique. My sleep pattern is ridiculously out of whack and I am misfiring horribly today... LOL. Thanks for the heads-up.

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

A series-wired panel, by comparison, will still generate some portion of its total max output even when partially shaded.

Just an FYI to bear in mind as you research.

I meant to say here that a PARALLEL-wired panel, by comparison, will still generate some portion of its total max output even when partially shaded. Series-wired will not.

[EastCoastCB]

Consider an rv.

It will be much more "done" and will be ready to go.