Need solar help!

Nobody else asked... where are you measuring the voltage and what are you using to measure it? Just questioning if it is an accurate reading.

pianotuna wrote:
mike-s,

100 watts is fine for storage. Parastic loads are often around 35 amp-hours per day. A 100 watt panel under PERFECT conditions does a little under 8 amps. Rule of them is 5 hours of solar. So in magnificent conditions a 100 watt panel is just not going to keep up.

X2 - add a few more panels and another battery. All in all, it's not very expensive.

Bill

mike-s,

100 watts is fine for storage. Parastic loads are often around 35 amp-hours per day. A 100 watt panel under PERFECT conditions does a little under 8 amps. Rule of thumb is 5 hours of solar. So in magnificent conditions a 100 watt panel is just not going to keep up.

100 W can be fine, but requires that you make a concerted effort to reduce energy usage.

Do you have LED lighting? That can reduce energy used for lighting by 2/3, and is the largest drain for many. Cheap fans can draw more power than you think. Use a TV much? Is it DC, or AC with an inverter? Turn off the antenna amp when not used. List and add up what you do use - when off-grid, you need to know what draws what, and consciously limit your use (family needs to turn stuff off when not needed, all the time).

And, a single group 27 battery isn't much, especially for what a 30 footer could be expected to use. If you're running out with lots of sunshine, what are you going to do when it's cloudy?

The solar wattage is not great enough to keep up with the loads being placed on the system.

This series of articles may help you understand what is happening.

https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

One Group 27 battery and a 100 watt solar panel isn’t enough. Do an energy use survey to determine what you need.

Tom/Mary Lou wrote:
How can we run 12v items if battery reading shows 11.4?
Thx
ML

They are running slower and slower dimmer/dimmer as the voltage goes down.

Your 12v systems generally run fine down to just under 11 volts. Your fridge, depending on the make and model, should even be able to run its control board down to 10 volts or so.

You are taking more out than you are putting in. Even the fridge will run with voltage down to about 10.9 volts iirc.

You are killing the battery