Solar panals
Can some one tell me how solar panels work? I have one in a class A that I bought used. Put a new battery in it and dont know how it works. Does a switch need turned on to make it work?
Forum Discussion
Solar panels work really well.
In your case, I would like to know about how large they are. I have a 15 watt solar panel on my A/C roof, basically they do nothing to keep the rv battery charged, it is about 12" square.
For a real charge, something in the 100 to 175 watt range is required. This will be about 3' X 4' long, or perhaps 3.5' X 5' long. This will put out about 40 amp hours per day, and be enough to ofset the amount of power consumed by the propane and carbon monoxide leak detectors. Those two detectors and the refrigerator will use up about 35 AH daily. It will require a charge controller, and #10 wires (or larger) to keep the battery charged. This is a real solar system. I have a pair of 120 watt panels and a 75 watt panel. This will make up about 100 - 120 amp hours per day. If I use more than that much power overnight, I can run my generator and 70 amp charger a hour or so in the morning, then let the solar finish the charge all day long.
Fred.
In your case, I would like to know about how large they are. I have a 15 watt solar panel on my A/C roof, basically they do nothing to keep the rv battery charged, it is about 12" square.
For a real charge, something in the 100 to 175 watt range is required. This will be about 3' X 4' long, or perhaps 3.5' X 5' long. This will put out about 40 amp hours per day, and be enough to ofset the amount of power consumed by the propane and carbon monoxide leak detectors. Those two detectors and the refrigerator will use up about 35 AH daily. It will require a charge controller, and #10 wires (or larger) to keep the battery charged. This is a real solar system. I have a pair of 120 watt panels and a 75 watt panel. This will make up about 100 - 120 amp hours per day. If I use more than that much power overnight, I can run my generator and 70 amp charger a hour or so in the morning, then let the solar finish the charge all day long.
Fred.
