12 volt batteries, solar panel and inverter.
Anyone with information on this would be helpful. I just installed a 7 watt solar panel to keep my two 12 volt batteries topped up. I also would like to hook up a 110 volt inverter to the system to c...
Forum Discussion
With just a couple of 12VDC batteries you can only expect to use a small INVERTER around 300-400WATTS. INVERTERS take alot of DC CURRENT to operate.
I have a 600WATT PSW INVERTER setup in my off-road trailer and I can draw around 300WATTS from the Home Entertainment items, a couple of fans/lights/ and recharge my cellphone and computers. I also have a WX ALERT RADIO and a few other low wattage items running.
We draw around 20AMPS continuous from the battery between 6PM and 11PM and of course there is a constant parasitic draw of 1-2AMPS all the time. This drops my 255AH battery bank to its 50% charge state by 8AM the next morning which I have to re-charge back up otherwise it will do damage to the batteries.
If you are wanting to run a 1500WATT microwave it will take way over 120AMPS of DC current from the battery bank to operate it.
As stated above you cannot do a LOOP where you have a BATTERY running an INVERTER which in turn runs a Converter that charges the battery. Our science doesn't support this loop except in Star TREX movies. If you could do this then you would have an endless source of power.
To do what you are thinking about will require a very big battery bank and then a way to recharge the batteries when you are off the power grid.
Also all you can expect from a 7W Solar Panel is to trickle charge a battery. This is only good for topping off a charged up battery. I doubt if this 7W Solar Panel will even keep up with your always on 1-2AMPS parasitic drain with your trailer.
To re-charge a single 12VDC Deep Cycle battery in a quick three hour time period you will need 14.4VDC with the capacity of 17-20AMPS of DC current to get the battery re-charged to its 90% charge state. A typical 120WATT Solar panel (alot bigger than your 7W Solar Panel) will only produce around 5-6AMPS of DC current when in the high sun and will only do this for 5-6 hours in a typical high sun day. It would take several 120WATT SOLAR PANELS (around 6 of them actually) if you wanted to re-charge a single 12VDC deep cycle battery in a three hour time period that has been drained down to its 50% charge state.
Will take some serious planning and resources on what will support what you want to do camping off the power grid... take a look at some of the full time guys that live in the RV's 24/7 and note how many batteries they have on-board.
Just saying...
Roy Ken
I have a 600WATT PSW INVERTER setup in my off-road trailer and I can draw around 300WATTS from the Home Entertainment items, a couple of fans/lights/ and recharge my cellphone and computers. I also have a WX ALERT RADIO and a few other low wattage items running.
We draw around 20AMPS continuous from the battery between 6PM and 11PM and of course there is a constant parasitic draw of 1-2AMPS all the time. This drops my 255AH battery bank to its 50% charge state by 8AM the next morning which I have to re-charge back up otherwise it will do damage to the batteries.
If you are wanting to run a 1500WATT microwave it will take way over 120AMPS of DC current from the battery bank to operate it.
As stated above you cannot do a LOOP where you have a BATTERY running an INVERTER which in turn runs a Converter that charges the battery. Our science doesn't support this loop except in Star TREX movies. If you could do this then you would have an endless source of power.
To do what you are thinking about will require a very big battery bank and then a way to recharge the batteries when you are off the power grid.
Also all you can expect from a 7W Solar Panel is to trickle charge a battery. This is only good for topping off a charged up battery. I doubt if this 7W Solar Panel will even keep up with your always on 1-2AMPS parasitic drain with your trailer.
To re-charge a single 12VDC Deep Cycle battery in a quick three hour time period you will need 14.4VDC with the capacity of 17-20AMPS of DC current to get the battery re-charged to its 90% charge state. A typical 120WATT Solar panel (alot bigger than your 7W Solar Panel) will only produce around 5-6AMPS of DC current when in the high sun and will only do this for 5-6 hours in a typical high sun day. It would take several 120WATT SOLAR PANELS (around 6 of them actually) if you wanted to re-charge a single 12VDC deep cycle battery in a three hour time period that has been drained down to its 50% charge state.
Will take some serious planning and resources on what will support what you want to do camping off the power grid... take a look at some of the full time guys that live in the RV's 24/7 and note how many batteries they have on-board.
Just saying...
Roy Ken
