Friday solar panel shopping

.

I sent an e-mail off to Bogart, and was surprised to have Ralph call me up to discuss my system with me. I just sent both my Trimetric and controller back to him to have them re-programed prior to my installing the second SC2030. Talk about good customer service.

What size wiring did you guys run from your junction box to the controller? I started with 4 100 watt panels, and only went with 6 awg wire, expecting a run of around 15 feet. In the end, it's closer to 20. I since added two panels maxing out the controller, and have 4 more panels to install when the weather permits. When I go up to two parallel systems of 500 watts each, I'm debating two separate 4 gauge runs rather than just adding an additional 6 gauge run. Not sure it's worth the trouble though as I doubt I'll hit max draw often due to batteries already tapering off on what they'll accept prior to reaching peak sun. I'm adding the additional panels more for late in the year, cloudy days, days with shading large parts of the day etc. My experience so far is that these days are much more common than I initially anticipated.

.

.

I'm hoping I don't have to send my Trimetric and SC2030 in for programing. I purchased them last spring, so they're less than a year old, and had instructions for hooking up two charge controllers. Right now the 5er is buried with snow, more expected in a couple days so I haven't even ordered the new charge controller and bigger inverter which I'm also planning to install. I have wire, connectors and crimpers so I'll just make up a harness to the length I need when I get to doing the work.

51 amps this time of year sounds really good to me. Are your panels flat mount?

.

I'm going a very similar route to your setup, albeit using 100 watt panels. Started out with the trimetric, SC2030 and 4 flat mount panels, quickly added a fifth, then come fall added number 6 prior to a trip to the Washington state coast in October. I have 4 additional panels out in the garage, and will install them this spring splitting them into two separate banks of 500 watts, each controlled by a separate controller. Would have installed them prior to the snow starting to fly, but just ran out of good weather days when other things didn't take priority.

Let us know how things work out when you get the new panels and controller installed.

Thank you!

.

If you read the output of either controller, how do you know exactly what the batteries are seeing. Wouldn't it be better to combine the output of both controllers and then into the Tri-Metric shunt and the batteries?

I have a 2030 and the Tri-Metric and 420w in three 140w panels and I'd like to add more. I spoke to Bogart and they told me to add another 2030 but they were not clear on how to hook it up.