Stupid Solar Question
Let me preface by saying I have a very limited understanding of how solar energy works. My question is why does the voltage in my battery bank (2 new deep cycle sealed 6v), as measured by my volt mind...
Forum Discussion
vtchris wrote:Well, what we want and what we do is often changed with life in a RV. During different seasons, your charging and battery capacity changes. Often times you need to learn to adjust something, that being your battery capacity or use of what battery capacity you do have. Your choice.
But then in the evening when the sun goes down is when I want the most juice.....LED lights, fan for heater, 2 laptops. Plus have enough left over for heat in the morning. I have been told to never let the batteries go below 11.9 so get cautious around 12.5 and just turn everything off and go to bed.
What I often share with others is something I refer to as Charge shifting. That is simply moving the use of power items to periods when you are rich, in this case, solar harvesting. Use battery devices in the evening and charge them during the day. Such as I use my desktop/laptop during the day, when these power HOGS are not impacting my Solar Harvesting as much as they would during the night, when they are depleting a limited amount of Battery Capacity.
“But I want to use my Computer at Night! Because I like to play during the day!”
Easy solution. Use only what your laptop battery will provide, often 1.5 hours of use, and wait until the solar time of day to plug it in and charge (they use a bunch of juice, just feel the heat in the laptop’s brick on the charge cord). During times when my heater is running more, I use a chargeable LED Lantern for my evening light and a LED Table top AC Light (.1AmpH). Then during the day I plug in the LED Lantern to charge to be ready again to use at night so as not to impact my battery capacity limits.
Either upgrade your battery bank to meet your needs, or modify your uses by just shifting the uses to when power is coming in and power going out. What are your priorities? Mine would be the heater/fan in the winter time. Then at night I turn off my desktop/laptop and use my iPad, or just read a book. The iPad and or book, does not drain down my batteries, until the next day, when I plug them in, readying them to use again once the sun goes down.
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