Solar advice

[Vinsil]

Now I've been reading threads on here and other places for a few months now. I need some confirmation on the setup I plan to use and any tips or advice is appreciated. I know there is a LOT of knowledge on this topic here so please allow me to pick your brains!

I have two 6 volts, 232 amp hour batteries. So am I safe to assume I'm working with 464 amp hours or am I misunderstanding? All our lights are LED and we run our fridge on propane. We charge a few iphones daily, use the 12 volt fantastic fan and will be adding a 22"LED tv that will be used 1-2 hours a day at most.

I think this kit will be the start, the 200 watt Renergy kit.

Here


Now we live in Oregon so I do understand the limits of the system...what I'm after is a proper battery monitor! I hated going this weekend and not knowing my true charge of my batteries. The factory is lame to include the monitor for all systems.....


Is this enough for our uses? I do plan to have a 2000 watt gen set but we want quiet and peace so the less I can run one, the better.


Thanks, I know I've started a bunch of threads but gotta get moving on things to have this thing ready for the rest of the year!

[zb39]

So what does this battery moniter tell you. I looked at the add but couldn't tell. Seems like a decent price though.

[Tom_M1]

Batteries connected in series will increase the voltage but the amp hours remain the same so your two 6 volt batteries at 232 amp hours gives you 12 volts at 232 amp hours.

To monitor my batteries, I have a combination panel volt/amp meter. I check my battery voltage in the morning before the sun rises. This gives me an idea of my state of charge. It's best not to let batteries drop below 12.1 volts which is considered half charge.

200 watts of solar should work fine.