Jayco Eagle 12vdc Off Grid Setup?
Hey everyone. Just purchased my first TT, a Jayco Eagle 30'. I am trying to get it set up for off grid use to live in this summer while we finish our off grid house we are building. I have a few quest...
Forum Discussion
Welcome to Solar Dave!
You seem to have a pretty good handle on your new rig's problems and even the solutions.
Yes, 20 feet is a long run. I have a similar problem in our 32' DP believe it or not. The batteries on one side, the converter a good distance away though at least it was connected with #6 cable.
That converter is now gone, replaced with a Xantrex Prosine 2.0, a pure sinewave inverter with a 100 Amp charger. The inverter is now in a compartment next to the battery drawers, about 3 feet of 3/0 cable.
Our solar arrangement however is another story. I wanted the controller display in the galley where I could watch it. There is no other location that would be suitable. In any case it was going to be a difficult and long run from wherever I placed the controller to the batteries so I still have that long run. I used the existing #6 for most of it, adding about 8 feet of # 10.
At 20 Amps I have a full one volt drop between the controller output and the battery terminals, which means that the controller starts to taper the current way too soon, as it thinks the batteries are at 14.8 when they are in fact only at 13.8V. I am probably going to have to get a new controller; either one with a remote battery voltage sense or one that I can place in the battery compartment (verrrry tight for space) and use a remote control panel in the galley.
For your setup I would recommend that you either mover the charger/converter closer to the batteries or get MUCH larger feed lines.
Both your inverter and solar charger need to be much closer to the batteries, keeping the DC lines as large and short as possible.
Keep in mind that the voltage drop in the wires between the solar panels and the controller in much less critical than that between the controller and the batteries. In the former case, voltage drop may cost you a bit of over all power but the latter (high loss to the batteries) will really increase the time to get to a full charge. Voltage drop (loss) will decrease with current but in my case, the charging can be so slow that battery voltage often doesn't reach 14.8 long enough to give a full charge before the sun goes down.
You might also consider doing what I did, buy a good pure sinewave inverter with a decent charger built in and locate it close to the batteries. You could then just ignore or disconnect the converter.
You won't have the same problem that I do with the solar controller since you will be buying one anyway and can locate at the batteries. If you want to see what the controller is doing, get one with a remote display (most have them) that you can place where convenient.
You seem to have a pretty good handle on your new rig's problems and even the solutions.
Yes, 20 feet is a long run. I have a similar problem in our 32' DP believe it or not. The batteries on one side, the converter a good distance away though at least it was connected with #6 cable.
That converter is now gone, replaced with a Xantrex Prosine 2.0, a pure sinewave inverter with a 100 Amp charger. The inverter is now in a compartment next to the battery drawers, about 3 feet of 3/0 cable.
Our solar arrangement however is another story. I wanted the controller display in the galley where I could watch it. There is no other location that would be suitable. In any case it was going to be a difficult and long run from wherever I placed the controller to the batteries so I still have that long run. I used the existing #6 for most of it, adding about 8 feet of # 10.
At 20 Amps I have a full one volt drop between the controller output and the battery terminals, which means that the controller starts to taper the current way too soon, as it thinks the batteries are at 14.8 when they are in fact only at 13.8V. I am probably going to have to get a new controller; either one with a remote battery voltage sense or one that I can place in the battery compartment (verrrry tight for space) and use a remote control panel in the galley.
For your setup I would recommend that you either mover the charger/converter closer to the batteries or get MUCH larger feed lines.
Both your inverter and solar charger need to be much closer to the batteries, keeping the DC lines as large and short as possible.
Keep in mind that the voltage drop in the wires between the solar panels and the controller in much less critical than that between the controller and the batteries. In the former case, voltage drop may cost you a bit of over all power but the latter (high loss to the batteries) will really increase the time to get to a full charge. Voltage drop (loss) will decrease with current but in my case, the charging can be so slow that battery voltage often doesn't reach 14.8 long enough to give a full charge before the sun goes down.
You might also consider doing what I did, buy a good pure sinewave inverter with a decent charger built in and locate it close to the batteries. You could then just ignore or disconnect the converter.
You won't have the same problem that I do with the solar controller since you will be buying one anyway and can locate at the batteries. If you want to see what the controller is doing, get one with a remote display (most have them) that you can place where convenient.
