Solar Panels
Good evening all, I have a HR Class A that we purchased used. It has three solar panels on the roof that are stationary. The solar system is charging the batteries, (4 6V GC 140Ah units new this ...
Forum Discussion
Odds are there are 3 100w panels gicen the battery bank capacity (remember really should use no more than 50% of that 280AHr)
if you do need to update the solar charge controller I'd suggest to get an MPPT type controller. They are far more efficient that the PWM controllers.
Added consideration:
How many watts do you plan to use daily? Lead acid batteries are in efficient taking a good long time to charge up their last 25% give ir take. So knowing your estimated daily needs will help manage expectations.
LiFePO4 batteries can be charged from nearly completely depleted to full in 3-10hrs depending on the amount of sun. Meaning a ton more rapidly. If you have a couple drop-in replacement LiFePO4 types (meaning you just buy 'em, tske old out & put new ones in) they allow you to use them all night then have them fully charged again by noon, 3pm pessimistic case. But the batteries aren't inexpensive at $650-$950 depending per 100AH battery. And 200Ah batteries don't give us a break so just double the cost.
I only mention new batteries to help understand how long your lead acid batteries can take to charge. Remember too if it's a cloudy day and yoi need to use the generator to charge your batteries it will take days ti get lead acid charged even with a 5KWh generator. The LiFePO4 w8ll charge in 3-5hrs. That is the part where if you Boondock a lot ir for a couple weeks at a time you save on fuel to charge, fuel to run back & forth to get more fuel...plus the time factor. Yhe LiFePO4 batteries will last 2000-7000+ charge cycles compared to 500-700 for lead acid. again it all depends on your needs. Ho slowly until you really gey a sense how well your current system works for you. Then if you need new batteries consider a switch. Oh, you might even manage with a single 100AH LiFePO4 that's recharged a 1-3x daily.
if you do need to update the solar charge controller I'd suggest to get an MPPT type controller. They are far more efficient that the PWM controllers.
Added consideration:
How many watts do you plan to use daily? Lead acid batteries are in efficient taking a good long time to charge up their last 25% give ir take. So knowing your estimated daily needs will help manage expectations.
LiFePO4 batteries can be charged from nearly completely depleted to full in 3-10hrs depending on the amount of sun. Meaning a ton more rapidly. If you have a couple drop-in replacement LiFePO4 types (meaning you just buy 'em, tske old out & put new ones in) they allow you to use them all night then have them fully charged again by noon, 3pm pessimistic case. But the batteries aren't inexpensive at $650-$950 depending per 100AH battery. And 200Ah batteries don't give us a break so just double the cost.
I only mention new batteries to help understand how long your lead acid batteries can take to charge. Remember too if it's a cloudy day and yoi need to use the generator to charge your batteries it will take days ti get lead acid charged even with a 5KWh generator. The LiFePO4 w8ll charge in 3-5hrs. That is the part where if you Boondock a lot ir for a couple weeks at a time you save on fuel to charge, fuel to run back & forth to get more fuel...plus the time factor. Yhe LiFePO4 batteries will last 2000-7000+ charge cycles compared to 500-700 for lead acid. again it all depends on your needs. Ho slowly until you really gey a sense how well your current system works for you. Then if you need new batteries consider a switch. Oh, you might even manage with a single 100AH LiFePO4 that's recharged a 1-3x daily.
