EsoxLucius wrote:
OregonTRX4 wrote:
I have 50 feet of 10 gauge wire on the way. So my understanding is that I can wire the panels about 40ft from panels to controller and then my controller will be 1.5 maybe 2 feet to the batteries. Should this be okay with minimal voltage loss?
Yes, but the panels would have to be wired in series and the controller would have to be MPPT. The wire between the controller and batteries should be 2 gauge.
That seems way over the top to me.
My 130w panel placed up on the roof has approx. 40ft one way (so 80 ft for both ways of #8 wire (pre-wired for solar) to the front battery compartment where the PWM controller is. Then there is another 2 feet approx. of #8 from controller to battery.
That is no different from having it sitting out from the trailer the same distance away from the front of the trailer.
I get full 8.2 amps (Isc of the panel) showing on the Trimetric from solar until battery voltage reaches mid -13s. Forum member Salvo commented that if I had less voltage drop, my amps would not taper from IV curve until battery voltage went a little higher than that.
I am still getting say 7.9 amps at 14v and from then it only takes a brief time to reach 14.6 (voltage shoots up fast after passing 14)
I am fine with the results I am getting as is. YMMV.
