Help with ideas about designing a system

jrrichar wrote:
Weighing all the pros and cons I'm considering the following:

1. 2x GC-2 6V Trojan or Interstate FLA batteries
2. A battery charger of some kind (IDEAS PLEASE)
3. Bogart Trimetric Battery Monitor (so I know exactly what's going on)
4. Anything else not mentioned/known that could provide advantage for electric system

All of this being said I DO want to upgrade in the next year or so to solar because I don't want to have to rely on the generator when the weather is good. Turning on a generator and listening to it just to charge batteries is not ideal. However, I'm not made of money and do to my concerns about heat/cold my priority has to go towards spending good $$ on the generator and forgoing solar in the present.

If someone has thoughts to the contrary or items they have found of use please list them

You should, at a minimum, either monitor your battery system use or calculate closely. A solar charging system is tailored to your use. With an upgrade "path" you will know how many panels are needed to recharge your batteries since you will have a monitor to give you those measurements. Depending on where you are located, a good rule of thumb is to install 1 watt of module for every 1 AH of capacity.

If you haven't visited these sites, it is good education about 12 V systems: 12 V side of life,
Battery University