StirCrazy wrote:
...People seem to get on this "we are waisting solar power when our batterys are full" kick every now and then. you are not waisting it, it is always being radiated and you can only waist somthing you have control over like a kitchen faucet left running for no reason. other wise we could say anyone who doesn't have a solar panel is waisting energy.
now personaly I think the idea of a deversion load is kinda neat and a 12V water heater eliment would be awsome to save a bit on propane, I have two issues though.
you are using a PWM controler so you are waisting solar energy by not having an efficient controler :B
second I am not sure of it will put out enough energy to make the element hot enough to keep it above the temp where it starts the burner up again, it might though...
First paragraph seems oddly nitpicky, in many situations the panels are able to harvest more energy than the immediate demand and to not utilize that capacity is wasting it. Let's call it wasting the capacity rather than wasting the current then.
PWM vs MPPT, yeah I get it. MPPT technology can squeeze out more amps in certain situations. But the PWM controller and 12V panels are a sunk cost from over 10 years ago.
This diversion current will never fully substitute the gas burner for primary water heating. But any electric heat input to the water can in theory offset the propane btus required to heat it up to the setpoint. I usually turn on the water heater first thing in the morning, off once breakfast duties are done, then on again for dinner duties followed by shutting off until the next day. This works for our boondocking style of camper use.
