barntt
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Re: Solar info
pianotuna Of course their is no sense in overkill (Theirs that use common sense thing again) Plan for improvements that may come down the road in a year or two. You never thought about improving your system every now an then I would bet you wished you had done things different the first time? Read Jacks blog again I believe he recommends #10 between the panels and depending on the distance to the controller a line loss chart will tell you what you need. Even Jack recommends up to #4 but on a shorter run smaller will work all wire has loss plan around it. Jack recommends #8 on short runs and up to #4 for the longest. Run large enough wire to add one more panel at a later time it may be desired later. Why short yourself this is DC you know lots of line loss. What do you have against wiring it for future expansion so it can be added to later? We are not talking about overkill here. Just don't fall into the trap of UNDER wiring it. Plan for expansion! That seems to be the biggest solar system killer of new systems. I don't care what you or others do! Just don't fall into the trap of UNDER wiring it. A PWN controller maybe switched out for a MPPT at a later time so wire for the improvement to start, Buy the wire and install it once and have it for later improvements. DO NOT UNDER WIRE IT! Figure your wire losses now not after it doesn't work. I think the reason People come here to not make the same mistakes of others. Tell them want you have learned and let them make the decision of what will work best for them. This stuff is going on a RV lets get the best bang for the mans buck. I am taking what you say and am learning from it. That's why I am here is to learn and pass on what I have learned nothing more! I am glad your system works that is the reason we come here is to get a system that works to the best of the ability of the equipment. I am still gathering the parts to put my system together so would love to see all the pictures of the systems that are here. Thank You everybody Have a Great day! O I am done now Thanks for the help.395Views0likes0CommentsRe: Solar info
One of the lessons Bob learned and now tries to tell folks is that your controller MUST be adjusted to TOP off your batteries or saturate them till they are at 100% charge and that also means a temp probe at the batteries. The factory set points of the controllers are set to low to get 100% charge. Measure your voltages at the batteries to figure around line loss and adjust the controller and follow the battery Manufacture recommendations for their battery. Tojan says 14.8v or more. A good meter is a must a Trimeteric 2025 and a 500 amp shunt at the very least their maybe Others?? compare the features but this one works great! Would you drive a car without a fuel guage? It will help trouble shoot most problems. Bob has batteries that are over 8 years old still going strong. EVERYBODY here has great experience to share. I am still learning. Charging batteries can be compared to airing up a tire. You will never air it up to 100 psi with a compressor that is set to 80psi and a 5/8 inch air hose will do it in less time then a 1/4 inch air hose. With as little as 5 Solar hours in winter time is important. Bob uses his system on one battery bank while it is charging and still gets to 100% charge around mid day. Also this is DC not AC and have different rules. Have a great day!!! P.S. Buy made in the USA395Views0likes0CommentsRe: Solar info
Now I know where Bob is coming from when he says some people just don't get the common sense approach! Wire your system as if your going to add to it later,(large enough wires common sense). Keep the controller close to the batteries (common sense). Use a controller that can be adjusted to the batteries and get them charged up(common sense). Use a meter that tells you what your getting or Not getting don't guess about it (common sense)! And manage your batteries this stuff is expense (common sense). Do it right the first time (common Sense)? Use quality equipment. Learn from those that are trying to help but make your on decisions. Some ole farts never agree with anybody!! And LOVE to argue! Remember Grumpy Ole Men? USE COMMON SENSE! PS Bob and Jack say the same things and use the same equiptment!! Humm?395Views0likes0CommentsRe: Solar info
http://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-battery-charging-puzzle-2/ This is a real good one read it more then once till you get the fine points. Done right you shouldn't need a generator but only in the worse cases. Get a Trimetric meter also so you can manage your batteries correctly NONE of the other meters give you ALL the info you need to see if your system is working properly.368Views0likes0CommentsRe: Am I asking to much from 2x T105's?
Trojan Co. says it takes at least 14.8v or a bit more to fully charge T 105's to 100%. Less will do it but it takes a LOT longer and charging at the higher voltage help to desulphate the cells. A temp probe is also recommended. Your batteries will love you for it. What is the cut off voltage of your controller? Can you turn it up? A lot of the controllers are not adjustable. For what its worth! A Morningstar Tristar 45 works great for this! Charging in the winter with the shorter Solar hours at the higher voltage will get them topped off sooner also. USE A HYDOMETER!! only way to tell what your SOC is.290Views0likes0CommentsRe: Small solar charger system...
Wow you mean somebody did a study on this? Sorry just funning ya. Not looking to have a argument here only trying to help the ones who are unsure about a DC system. Put a Trimetric 2025 or 2025 RV on your system it will tell you if the batteries are in shape or just surviving. Just look at the average system a lot of people don't know and just install from the instructions. From what I have observed very few systems are using large enough wire for getting the volts that are available from the panels to the charge controller and then to the batteries. The equipment is installed to far apart and the wires to light to get the batteries full. Figure your wire losses and voltage drop Bigger is better when choosing wires. It will be a real eye opener. Keep it short and as close to the batteries as possible. Really the only monitor you need to install in the coach area is the Trimetic meter and keep that away from a heated area (Fridge)if you can. Put everything else as close to the batteries as possible but out of the gasses from the batteries, don't want that corrosive stuff on the electronics. One more thing cheaper charge controllers are not getting high enough voltage to the batteries to TOP them off, that means you will replace your batteries more often and get less out of your system. Keeping everything as close as possible will help with that. 400 watts of panels and 4 Six volt batteries are plenty for the average boondocker some want more some less. Always fuse protect your systems. My money comes the hard way and I want the most bang for my buck. Just trying to help here. Don't kill the messenger. Have a great Day! One more thing use a Hydrometer for checking the specific gravity of the cells and a chart will tell you the health of your batteries.533Views0likes0CommentsRe: Small solar charger system...
This fellow never uses a generator or charger other then his panels. And has been boondocking for ten years with out running out of power. Just use enough wire in the proper size to do the job. Get the batteries 100% charged by noon everyday and enjoy your camping trip! 97% of the solar systems are under wired and the batteries are not taken care of properly. Have FUN http://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-battery-charging-puzzle-2/229Views0likes0Comments
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