Jonnygsx wrote:
Alright Im beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed here. If only money grew on trees.
Since I have a generator I'm feeling like my best bet is to start with a good battery setup and worry about the solar later. I have to start somewhere and I can't do it all straight away. I'm thinking I will go for 2 6v GC2 batteries from Cost co. This is a dumb question im sure but when you see batteries rated at 200Ah. You are only actually able to use half that correct? Because you don't want to discharge a battery below 50%?
That brings me to my next question. What is the best way for me to monitor my batteries? I've seen remote digital monitor setups but they are all $150+ Is there a cheaper option or is walking outside with the volt meter the only cheap option? While I mentioned waiting on the solar initially I did see that many of the solar charge controllers have digital displays indicating charging current and batt voltage. Can that be used to monitor voltage instead of using a separate monitor built just for checking voltage? What if I were to buy a charge controller and only attach it to the battery as a monitor initially?
Since I'm going to be using the generator I want to have a good converter to make sure these batteries last. The current one in my trailer is a TODD PC30 single stage charger. Can anyone recommend a good 3 stage? How does the amperage listed affect the different converters?
Finally the whole reason I got on this solar trip was initially over concern of maintaining the battery while in storage. If I dont have a trickle charger and no solar/solar maintainer is my battery at risk during storage? Is just disconnecting the terminals enough to ensure its ok the next time I head out?
Thank you for reading my novel ;) JJ
Good choice on the 6 volt Costco's. The last thing you want to think about is if your new batteries are being run too low when you're camped at night, it's cold outside, and the furnace is running. If you run the pair of 6V batteries down quite a bit, they will recover. Try that with an inexpensive 12V marine hybrid battery and it will die shortly.
The Todd converter you have is miserable for charging and there are a lot of posts about them failing. A Progressive Dynamics converter would be a good choice. Call Randy at Bestconverters.com, he's a decent fellow and their service is excellent.
There is no reason you have to spend thousands on solar to help your situation. You can start with a maintenance sized system and move up from there. A 50w solar module wired directly to your batteries will keep them full if your rig is used once a week, parked the remainder, and the sun shines. You want to make sure the new batteries are disconnected from the trailer when not in use, there are parasitic draws from circuit boards and alarms that will drain your batteries in a week. You can find a cheap DC meter on E Bay or online merchants that displays your battery voltage. Look up a voltage chart of what percent of charge is at different voltages and go from there.
A lot of folks balk at the capitalization costs of solar (at least a system big enough to meet all their electrical needs). They feel that operating a generator and fueling it is a more economically efficient way to meet their needs. Some of these folks are right. Most are dead wrong. If you consider the cost of the generator, initially, the cost of fuel, the cost of maintenance, and it's usable life, solar can be the winner. The downsides of solar are that it's almost impossible to run Air Conditioning and, unless you get a large inverter, microwave cooking, electric coffee makers, and hair dryers can't be used.
The upside to a decent sized solar system is that generator costs and the hassle involved of moving it, listening to it, and carrying fuel are eliminated or greatly reduced. Battery health is also increased because the solar is always charging your batteries.
Good luck with however you choose to get electricity. If you get some solar, you'll see how good it can be.
