Stupid battery and solar questions
I figure I am going to have a lot of them, so I better put all in one thread :B. My situation: - I mainly want solar for running residential freezer and fridge, maybe also for charging my shave ...
Forum Discussion
Maybe. Small-ish controller, bigg-ish panels per watt, old-ish battery.
Controller:
Good old Xantrex 35. A couple of my friends have it, for one of them I had to set it up. Fully adjustable except for (I think) fixed 1 hour Absorb time. Not "very" beginner-friendly to adjust, though won't require anything but screwdriver either, and the manual is well written.
It needs $25 temp sensor, see bottom of the page in your link.
It will handle max 500W array of 12V panels. With your estimated 100 AH (??) you need min 700W in SoCal winter.
Optional Xantrex display is primitive for that price, and no controls there. You can get $40 "poor man's monitor" on Amazon, it will do (almost) the same, though without network cable, so measuring current will be tricky. Don't remember the link, somebody will tell. Or use LED indicators on controller body. Volts you can measure with $10 digital meter.
Panels:
TAD large for that power. 39x50", 167W. You can have 39*65", 240-280W. Those 167W are "probably" 12V. It means parallel wiring = rooftop junction box = extra $60-80 or a homebrew DIY box, more work, thick cable.
I would start with panels placement. Make a few cardboard templates 39*50 or 39*65, go on the roof and see how it fits.
Battery:
3 year old... 95 lbs... I'll pass. Have no forklift :)
Controller:
Good old Xantrex 35. A couple of my friends have it, for one of them I had to set it up. Fully adjustable except for (I think) fixed 1 hour Absorb time. Not "very" beginner-friendly to adjust, though won't require anything but screwdriver either, and the manual is well written.
It needs $25 temp sensor, see bottom of the page in your link.
It will handle max 500W array of 12V panels. With your estimated 100 AH (??) you need min 700W in SoCal winter.
Optional Xantrex display is primitive for that price, and no controls there. You can get $40 "poor man's monitor" on Amazon, it will do (almost) the same, though without network cable, so measuring current will be tricky. Don't remember the link, somebody will tell. Or use LED indicators on controller body. Volts you can measure with $10 digital meter.
Panels:
TAD large for that power. 39x50", 167W. You can have 39*65", 240-280W. Those 167W are "probably" 12V. It means parallel wiring = rooftop junction box = extra $60-80 or a homebrew DIY box, more work, thick cable.
I would start with panels placement. Make a few cardboard templates 39*50 or 39*65, go on the roof and see how it fits.
Battery:
3 year old... 95 lbs... I'll pass. Have no forklift :)
