460 watt solar setup: wire sizes?
I want to change out my old 50 watt panel and 10 amp controller with at least one and hopefully two 230 watt 24 volt panels and whatever controller would be best. Right now the roof on my fifth wheel ...
Forum Discussion
Don, there is an icon "full screen" in the right bottom corner. Try upgrading your web player maybe. Though very old computers (say, older than 10 years) might not have enough video-card memory to work in full screen, and then it goes blank if you click on that icon.
Mex, I think you meant 100 AH daily (i.e. not many users consume that much), rather than 100 WH daily. A lot of people here use more than 100 AH while having a solar 400W or less, and have to run a generator every other day because their solar can't keep up - which I'm trying t avoid. With a small 12V fridge the expected draw will be 70 AH in winter to 100 AH in summer, this is without any 120V devices other than electric shaver.
For me it's not about getting 100% SOC few minutes earlier. It's about getting to over 95% at all. AGM won't last long if constantly cycled 60-85%. The fuller they are in the morning, the sooner they get to 80%, and the better are chances of getting 95% by the evening. There is more roof space but there is no money for extra panel (and larger controller that would become necessary then). Right now I'm trying to justify extra cost of Tristar 45 over Rogue, as calculations show that Rogue with permanently tilted South-aimed 490W (less than optimal tilt due to Baja winds) might clip 5-10%, at times. I don't hear very often of 360W panels outputting 411W, and my conditions will be different - sea level and mostly warm, but losing more than 5 or 6 AH a day is too much.
Mex, I think you meant 100 AH daily (i.e. not many users consume that much), rather than 100 WH daily. A lot of people here use more than 100 AH while having a solar 400W or less, and have to run a generator every other day because their solar can't keep up - which I'm trying t avoid. With a small 12V fridge the expected draw will be 70 AH in winter to 100 AH in summer, this is without any 120V devices other than electric shaver.
For me it's not about getting 100% SOC few minutes earlier. It's about getting to over 95% at all. AGM won't last long if constantly cycled 60-85%. The fuller they are in the morning, the sooner they get to 80%, and the better are chances of getting 95% by the evening. There is more roof space but there is no money for extra panel (and larger controller that would become necessary then). Right now I'm trying to justify extra cost of Tristar 45 over Rogue, as calculations show that Rogue with permanently tilted South-aimed 490W (less than optimal tilt due to Baja winds) might clip 5-10%, at times. I don't hear very often of 360W panels outputting 411W, and my conditions will be different - sea level and mostly warm, but losing more than 5 or 6 AH a day is too much.
