Thinking of going solar...

1 you don't have deep cycle batteries you have poor marine batteries. The 20 amp hour rate is what you should be paying attn to. On a 6 volt deep cycle that should be 220 amps plus
You have one battery? Or 2 or 4 ? That's not clear to me . Read online "the 12 volt side of life " to give you a better understanding of how all this fits together.
If you have 400 amp hours ( 20 hr rating 4 batteries then you can use a maximum of half that safely so you have 200 useable .Now if your using 10 amps of Drain that's 20 hours of use if your using 20 amps then only 10 hours

With the stated use and results, you either have batteries that are diminished in capacity, an incorrect indicator, a very power robbing inverter or are running other loads that are not stated.

You have 380 AH of capacity with the four batteries. There is little possibility that an average LCD screen and a typical inverter can lower the voltage to 12 V with an hour of use. Typical inverter efficiency is 90+ %. Typical LCD screen is less than 100W. That is 1.2 amps (or less) at 120 V. Adjusting for 12V and allowing for inverter loss, amps = 12 amps. One hour of use 12 AH. Where did the other 180 AH's go?

I'd suggest that you break out a hand-held meter and get exact measurements of what your batteries are doing. Also, an inexpensive hydrometer will tell you their state of health (capacity).

You would also do well by changing batteries out for genuine deep-cycle batteries if you plan to do some off-grid camping. That is what others are using when they report multiple days of use from a set of batteries.

If your inverter is only used for entertainment devices and occasional laptop charging, you would definitely benefit by using a smaller inverter. If microwave, coffee maker, or hair dryer use is in your regimen, keep the 2000W inverter.

FWIW, I run a small residential fridge, all my entertainment devices, and charge electronics through a 1000W inverter, one 235 W panel, and 300 AH of batteries. If the sun shines, it's like perpetual motion. I also have typical 12 V loads but no 12v alarms, no furnace fan, and have all LED lights.

cannesdo wrote:

Right after I unplugged the DC amps fluctuated between the 10 and 25A lights.

You NEED to figure out where all that power is GOING....most of it anyway. I suspect that much if it is conversion loss in your WAY overkill inverter.

Then.....I would suggest that you make it a point to park where shore power is available, unless that just absolutely isn't possible.

And you still haven't mentioned anything about a generator.

I have two 6 V deep cycles. My TV is 12 V and draws about 60 watts, IIRC. They will run about 3 hours of TV, my little gas furnace and all the other "necessary" 12 V stuff for a long 8 hour night. Might be down to 11.5 but still starts the gen the next morning.

Oh and all of my lights are LED.

time2roll wrote:
With no solar four batteries will generally last 2 to 8 days depending on usage. If solar tops them off every day you run indefinitely.

You must not be factoring in an inverter. When I turn off shore power and run only my tv it only lasts a few hours then my battery indicator is showing the power has dropped. That is the case whether the batteries are new or older. My 4 batteries will get me through a night at a truck stop at best. ?

I turned off my shore power 45 minutes ago. I have only the tv on (26" LCD), running off the inverter. One LED wall light was on for about 15 min. also. My DC volts has dropped from 13.5 to 12. The battery strength light is still on high but it will drop to the middle setting pretty soon. This is how it goes even when the batteries are brand new. They are 2 3/4 y.o now. They've been installed for 2.5 years.

Right after I unplugged the DC amps fluctuated between the 10 and 25A lights. The battery strength dropped to the middle light after 50 minutes. I turned on the shore power an hour after turning it off. I was down to 12v and the next drop may have meant a loss of power completely (plus it's 35 deg. out and I was tired of freezing) so yeah...not sure how four batteries are supposed to last 2 days never mind 8. Maybe brand new batteries would get you through a late night but barely...and if you have to invest $600 in batteries every year you just end up spending the money you'd spend on your electric bill on batteries, plus you get to micromanage every watt you use and spend a lot of time in the cold and dark. Maybe you can produce 50 amps all day if you go crazy with this but what does that matter if your batteries only get you through one movie in the dark with no heat?

Am I doing something wrong?

What does that DC amps level...Is that how much juice the batteries have available...how many amp hours? If so they should have a lot more than that to offer if they're fully charged. It makes sense that that's what it is because the inverter reduces that by 30%+ right? When I plugged the shore power back in the DC amps went up to 75 for a few minutes then down to 50. Which means the inverter reduced it by about 50%. agh....I understand now why people get 12v tvs. So where should the DC amps be when plugged in and not plugged in to shore power?

Or is "DC Amps" how much you're currently drawing from the batteries?

I fear it's the former and my batteries are nearly dead. I am always on shore power, only move a few times each year...could this be why they're weak? Anything I can do? Should I get a different kind of battery in the future if I plan to stay plugged into shore power? I have the Super Start Marine Deep Cycle batteries. I just read that marine batteries shouldn't be used as house batteries. I just did some research. It sounds like for my purposes (shore power almost all year with the exception of a few trips and maybe one night here and there at a truck stop) is either a flooded cell, AGM or gel. Yes? I check the fluid levels in my batteries a few times a year. I'll check again tomorrow. If the fluid is ok does that just mean the batteries are in bad shape and will soon need to be replaced?

Here's a good article: http://www.doityourselfrv.com/best-rv-battery-choosing-reviews/#

I don't think at this point that I'll be going solar. My rig is more like my house. I work from it nearly all day and I just can't be constantly worrying about not having enough power. Maybe the right batteries would make a difference but barely getting through an hour is pretty discouraging. Even if I do get to the point where I can comfortably get through an evening, if there's no sun the next day...yeah...I don't think that will work for me.

Here are my batteries:


Super Start Marine - Battery

Line: SSB | Part # 27DCMJ
1 year limited warranty
UPC: 721112782829
Group Size (BCI): 27
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 600 CCA
Cranking Amps (CA): 750 CA
Voltage (V): 12 Volt
Length (In): 12-7/8 Inch
Width (In): 6-3/4 Inch
Height (In): 9-1/8 Inch
Group Size (BCI): 27
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 600 CCA
Cranking Amps (CA): 750 CA
Reserve Capacity (min): 160 Minute
Voltage (V): 12 Volt
Length (In): 12-7/8 Inch
Width (In): 6-3/4 Inch
Height (In): 9-1/8 Inch
Terminal Type: Top Post

Additional Details
20 Amp Hour Rate (Ah): 95Ah
Battery Type: Deep Cycle
Marine Cranking Amps (MCA): 750 MCA
Reserve Capacity At 23 Amps (min): 200 Minute
Reserve Capacity At 25 Amps (min): 160 Minute

What does that tell you? Reserve Capacity. Is that what I experienced tonight?

The first place to start with solar is either calculating your use of 12V power or to buy a battery monitor to get the use numbers.

After you know how much power you use on a typical day, you can size the solar charging system and needed battery capacity to meet your needs. With what has been discussed so far, a single 250W module would probably fit your needs. You would also want at least 230 AH of battery capacity so mission critical items like lights, water pump, and fridge can carry through a day of very little sun.

What do you need a 2000W inverter to run?

With no solar four batteries will generally last 2 to 8 days depending on usage. If solar tops them off every day you run indefinitely.

If the batteries are full the amps taper off to nothing or power any accessories you use. Similar to a wall outlet, it just waits for you to plug something in.

Generally you should not drain the batteries below 50% charge level and you watch tv all night as that is not a huge draw.

Solar is a battery charger that doesn't charge at nite.
When I had generator power only, I didn't charge at nite either, so whats the difference?

Thanks for the list! One guy said he's getting 50 amps in on a sunny day. So, let's say you somehow manage that. You'd recharge your (in my case 4) batteries pretty quick. If you have 3 more hours of full sun and 50 amps coming in what happens to that power? it seems like after the sun has gone down you'd probably drain the batteries by bedtime on the inverter and then you'd be waiting for a few more hours of sun the next day to fill them up again. Does it tend to be feast or famine with solar power? You're limited by your batteries, yes? I'm a night owl so it seems like that would work against me. Maybe in the winter it would behoove me shift my work/sleep hours.

Hi,

For my thoughts on solar surf here:

https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

If you have 300 to 500 watts on the roof you are in pretty good shape.
If you need portables for certain conditions I recommend just getting some additional panels. Probably could share the same controller if purchased accordingly.

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