Portable solar

RoyB wrote:

I am presently running my generator every morning at 8AM when allowed to run the generator here on the East Side of the US.

My battery bank was planned out some time back to provide what we need when camping off the power grid and we are very successful now making it through the one day/night run and not be below 50% charge state by 8AM the next morning.
My three batteries want to draw around 52-53AMPS when i hit them with 14.4VDC charge voltage when they are depleted down to the 50% charge state. After some 20 minutes or the DC current will start dropping back as the batteries start taking on charge and after around one hour they are drawing around 8AMPS of DC current. After around two of charging with 14.4VDC my smart mode converter/charger drops back to 13.6VDC and will continue to charge the batteries for another one hour time period. At this time the converter/charge will identify the charge state is around 90% charge state and will drop down to 13.2VDC until I start demanding some current then it will jump back to 13.6VDC.


What this is telling me I will be able to just run my generator for an hour until the battery demand drops to the 8AMP charge rate and then switch over to the solar panels to get my three batteries to their float mode before I lose high sun. I think this is going to be the way I have to do my situation.

I think you will be surprised how quick your two GP27 batteries will drop down to 12.0VDC or around 50% charge state. Then what will you do. What you take out you have to put back in... If the sun goes down on you then you are stuck until the high sun comes back up the next day around noonish.

If you don't re-charge you batteries right away after dropping them to their 50% charge state then you will start doing Irreversible Performance damage to them...

You may be just fine with your portable plan but I know for sure I wouldn't be haha... No enough DC CURRENT being developed from the panels to do much for my camping lifestyle. Like Capt Kirk says "SCOTTY - Give me all the power you got"

Roy Ken

Roy...I have to tell you..if this is the current state of your power management...I would not call it "succesful".

You didn't say what you are doing to draw down your batteries that much overnight...but it sounds like your batteries are dead!

We can go 5 days...easily...on 2 Gr 27 AGM's without conserving (running lights as needed, water pump, charging phones/laptops)

Even in winter with furnace running we can go 2-3 days.

You either have some significant power requirements or you need new batteries...or possibly a bad charger/converter. Even the BEST c/c won't recharge a 50% depleted battery to 90% in that amount of time.
Somethin' aint' right...