Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Tmmltn wrote:
Nothing works in the coach on 12v, no lights, plugs. There is no propane furnace, and we have not lit any pilots yet. We disconnected and reconnected the battery to do some tests and now the water pump and panel are working properly again. I am starting to think, based on what i recall of the wiring before we re-installed insulation and ceiling panels... that all of the wiring is for 110v.
The power converter seems to test somewhat ok, the lowest reading i got between c and d was 10v while connected to shore and negative lead on battery disconnected. 12v with both leads connected, off shore (from what i understand that just reads the battery).
So, *if* the converter is good, and my electrical does indeed run off 110v... my next question is, what would a small (harbor freight) 45watt solar panel system and 300w inverter do for our system, if anything? (We want better panels, but this is all we have on hand at the moment.)
A 300w inverter won't so squat.
15 amps (the standard household outlet) at 120 volts equals 1800 watts. So, I'd recommend at least a 2400 watt inverter.
Also, even a 300 watt inverter will drain a battery quickly. So, if you're going to try to run 120v appliances off an inverter, you'll need a fairly good battery bank to make it reasonably useful.
Also, a 45 watt solar panel is only putting out 3.3 amps at 13.6 volts, under ideal conditions (aimed correctly under full sunlight). Basically, that solar panel is just a trickle charger.
In a nutshell, think off-grid power systems ... That's what you're looking at if you're thinking along these lines.
This is what we figured, so, i need to save for new panels and inverter now.
