Advice on Lithium Solar setup
Hello, I'm about to move into a conversion van full-time, 80% boondocking, and would like your advice about what I'm planning. My electrical requirements won't be much. I don't expect to use more t...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for all of your input! Please see my responses below.
Thank you. I had not heard of LifeBlue and that's a handy feature.
Supposedly the solar charge controller I referenced will stop charging when the battery reaches a certain voltage. Same situation with the AC wall charger (https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-G15000-UltraSafe-Battery-Charger/dp/B00PKIBVU0). At this point I'm not entirely clear on how either charger knows when to stop charging but from what I can tell from the manuals and to a lesser degree from user reviews, they seem like they'll work fine. I'm not comfortable with "they seem like," especially with the amount of money that would be involved. I'd rather be sure. So, I appreciate everyone's input here.
You're correct, and I appreciate you validating my estimates. The solar wattage needs to be increased. I'm waiting until I have the van before I buy additional solar panels since I want to plan the roof space (fan, solar panels, etc.). Unless the van is unusual, I should be able to put 4 x 100w panels on the roof but I'd rather wait until I have the van before buying anything else. If for whatever reason I can't get two additional 100w panels immediately, I can charge the battery from wall AC as needed until the two additional panels arrive.
I'll need to run two computers for work, a fan, some LEDs, and a hotspot. The computers each use 75w as measured at the wall with a KillAWatt. That's for a fully charged state. If they're charging, it goes up to 85w. So, let's say 80w x 2 = 160w, and the rest brings it up to 200w or a little over. Only one computer would be used during non-work hours. The "400w" number is room to grow. I won't be running heat or A/C (other than a fan) from the lithium battery, nor a microwave or coffemaker.
I agree, more study is needed. Would you expand on how moving the battery could be harmful? The solar charge controller and the AC wall charger are made for lithium batteries. I am new to this so I may be missing something. If I took the battery out of the van and charged it with wall AC, would setting the monitor to "full" or its equivalent when I put the battery back in the van take care of the situation?
Does that mean that if I use that monitor, or the app instead of the monitor, I'll know the amount of battery used? If so, I believe that would be what I'm looking for. If I charged the battery with wall AC, I'd reset the monitor to "full" when I put the battery back in the van.
Almot wrote:
You need AH meter, a.k.a. battery monitor, not cheap ~$170 and it won't help when you take the battery away for charging. Even with flooded/led battery you can't effectively estimate the remaining charge by looking at the voltage, other than early morning with loads off and before solar starts.
Ebay had some $40 re-settable AH meters, maybe somebody will provide a link.
If not a monitor, then get LifeBlue Battery, it comes with Bluetooth monitoring, i.e. the "monitor" chip is mounted in the battery case. 2 pounds lighter than Battleborn 100AH. Can't say anything good or bad about either brand.
Thank you. I had not heard of LifeBlue and that's a handy feature.
Supposedly the solar charge controller I referenced will stop charging when the battery reaches a certain voltage. Same situation with the AC wall charger (https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-G15000-UltraSafe-Battery-Charger/dp/B00PKIBVU0). At this point I'm not entirely clear on how either charger knows when to stop charging but from what I can tell from the manuals and to a lesser degree from user reviews, they seem like they'll work fine. I'm not comfortable with "they seem like," especially with the amount of money that would be involved. I'd rather be sure. So, I appreciate everyone's input here.
pianotuna wrote:
Back the envelope calculations suggest this...
You're correct, and I appreciate you validating my estimates. The solar wattage needs to be increased. I'm waiting until I have the van before I buy additional solar panels since I want to plan the roof space (fan, solar panels, etc.). Unless the van is unusual, I should be able to put 4 x 100w panels on the roof but I'd rather wait until I have the van before buying anything else. If for whatever reason I can't get two additional 100w panels immediately, I can charge the battery from wall AC as needed until the two additional panels arrive.
MrWizard wrote:
where did you get that 200w to 400w per hour number
forget any idea of solar powered electric heat or A/C...
I'll need to run two computers for work, a fan, some LEDs, and a hotspot. The computers each use 75w as measured at the wall with a KillAWatt. That's for a fully charged state. If they're charging, it goes up to 85w. So, let's say 80w x 2 = 160w, and the rest brings it up to 200w or a little over. Only one computer would be used during non-work hours. The "400w" number is room to grow. I won't be running heat or A/C (other than a fan) from the lithium battery, nor a microwave or coffemaker.
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Where this runs-off-the-rails is where it goes "portable".
I agree, more study is needed. Would you expand on how moving the battery could be harmful? The solar charge controller and the AC wall charger are made for lithium batteries. I am new to this so I may be missing something. If I took the battery out of the van and charged it with wall AC, would setting the monitor to "full" or its equivalent when I put the battery back in the van take care of the situation?
2oldman wrote:
Either the Victron bmv700, or when the voltmeter shows float charge.
Does that mean that if I use that monitor, or the app instead of the monitor, I'll know the amount of battery used? If so, I believe that would be what I'm looking for. If I charged the battery with wall AC, I'd reset the monitor to "full" when I put the battery back in the van.
