Harbor Freight 45Watt Solar kit - Review (Page 2 of 6)
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Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen:
Yea, ours has 20 kits they said. I want the 3 solar panels to put with my other one and the battery minder for 60 watts total charging power. I think that would do my weekend camper just fine.  I am thinking about another set also. I would like to find a way to store the panels when on the road- some type of hard case. They seam very sturdy but are glass. Also looking to mount the controller and inverter in a waterproof box near the battries. |
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Originally Posted By mj1angier:
Originally Posted By wshbrngr:
Originally Posted By mj1angier:
Putting out the power even on a cloudy, drizzly day: Just remember, that is showing the output from the battery, not the panels. 
Well heck, if I read that white paper that came with it, I might have known that. Well its going to cloudy all week, so I will get out there with the meter and get a real reading. Don't feel bad, I made the exact same mistake. (see my post). 13 - 13.5v shows you have a charged battery. Even on a cloudy day I was getting like ~22-23vdc output directly from the panels. (It fluxuates) The part of the system I like the least is the charger controller. I just bought a batteryminder solar controller that I am going to install this weekend (If it is there when I get home) ETA: the controller the guy sold me was for 15 watts, not 180 watts (as advertised) - had to send it back. 
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Whether you think you can or you think you can't . . . . You're right!
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Ok so the price was right and I picked up one of these kits. Ultimately I'd like to create a solar/battery system with an inverter strong enough to run a fridge or freezer (at least for a few hours) in the event of a power outage. What I don't understand is how this particular charge controller works(or any, for that matter). Does it automatically draw power from the panels when the battery charge drops? Does it have a circuit to prevent overcharging?
Seems to me if you connect several of those big marine batteries in parallel you should have enough stored electricity to power an inverter sufficient to run a fridge for a period of time. Anyone know how much is enough? |
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Originally Posted By Aurispector:
Ok so the price was right and I picked up one of these kits. Ultimately I'd like to create a solar/battery system with an inverter strong enough to run a fridge or freezer (at least for a few hours) in the event of a power outage. What I don't understand is how this particular charge controller works(or any, for that matter). Does it automatically draw power from the panels when the battery charge drops? Does it have a circuit to prevent overcharging? Seems to me if you connect several of those big marine batteries in parallel you should have enough stored electricity to power an inverter sufficient to run a fridge for a period of time. Anyone know how much is enough? If you are using the plugs on the front of the controler, will draw power from the battries till they get down to a low votage( dont rember how low) and it will keep from over charging the battries. If you hook an inverter direct to the battery, It will suck as much power as it can unless it has low power circits build into it. As far as charging a bank of battries- the more battries, the longer it will take to charge them- unless you add more panels. I have mine hooked to 2 group 27 deep cell batteries and I plan to try to run them down to 50% this weekend and see how long it takes to charge them back up. |
I ended up getting one of these kits this weekend. I had to screw the stand togather and add some boards to make it stable. I think it will be alright, I have not had a chance to really test it just yet, basically just got it assembled, then it started raining so I left my camper and came home.  Suppose to be nice next week, though. I'll mess with it some more.
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It is what it is....
| Well mine is doing a great job so far. I go to the camper on Thursday and have 14+ volts usually and I run my TV on an inverter and my lights, furnace blower and charge a few 18 volt batteries for power tools and radio. I've never had it die on me. I got a Wally Worl Marine Maxx Deep Cycle Marine battery for 75 bux, 125 AH. I'd like to get another, but man, I just don't need it. Overall I have 4 panels/ 60 watts, and I have to say I'm satisfied with what it does so far. I'm going down tomorrow again. I always check it first thing. I'll report back. |
It is what it is....
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Originally Posted By wshbrngr:
Originally Posted By Paul:
You need a current meter to read the current running from the panels into the load. Volts x Amps = Watts Yeah, I figured that out after it got dark and the charger/controller still read 13.5v. The instructions are not very comprehensive.
Tomorrow in the sun I will check the voltage coming off the panels and the voltage it sends to the battery. You can seach for a topic I did about a year ago to make a simple shunt and where to buy millivolt meters cheap to make as many current meters you could want at a very low cost. |
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Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen:
Well mine is doing a great job so far. I go to the camper on Thursday and have 14+ volts usually and I run my TV on an inverter and my lights, furnace blower and charge a few 18 volt batteries for power tools and radio. I've never had it die on me. I got a Wally Worl Marine Maxx Deep Cycle Marine battery for 75 bux, 125 AH. I'd like to get another, but man, I just don't need it. Overall I have 4 panels/ 60 watts, and I have to say I'm satisfied with what it does so far. I'm going down tomorrow again. I always check it first thing. I'll report back. if you still have an itch for two batteries, don't wait to long to buy it. The batteries work best in parallel when they are close in age, if you wait a year to pull the trigger on a second battery, it will not be wise to run it with the old one, forcing you to buy an additional two. Personally I opted for two interstate golf cart batteries in series (225amp hr total) it's easy to run through the batteries on a extended camping trip, even with the solar assist. |
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Harbor frieght has a current coupon for in store purchases for $159. Here's the link. There's also coupons for their small generator reviewed earlier as well as some other gear. Coupon is good until 05/15.
link |
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Originally Posted By cbrmike: Harbor frieght has a current coupon for in store purchases for $159. Here's the link. There's also coupons for their small generator reviewed earlier as well as some other gear. Coupon is good until 05/15. link damn you. i went by and looked at them friday. they had them on sale for 199.99 and no coupons due to sale price. i balked. for 160.00 i am going at lunch to get one. Figure i will pick up some batteries next month. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
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bought one yesterday. actually the charge controller does not look as bad as i was expecting. the LED dispay can be turned off, the instructions even suggest that during battery operation. while i only had a very short time to test it the optput voltage on the battery side was consistant as was the output voltages on the dc out circuits with varying input from the panels. It's a bit clunky but seems to work fairly well. for the cost i am very pleased with this setup. more testing to come but it appears to be a pretty solid little rig for the money. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
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finally got to play with mine today. i picked up a max-29 deep cycle battery at walmart. my needs are pretty low. i successfully ran and currently still are.... a 32" lcd tv, dvd player and home stereo system, home pc, laptop and 2 lamps, and my 2m ham radio. so far i am at 6hrs runtime and the battery still looks good. i figure this should easily run all night with the ham radio scanning and my cpap along with the tv and stuff running for only a couple of hours. using a 800watt inverter according to my meter i am pulling well under .5amps not transmittng on the ham gear. as for the solar... set it up outside in the bed of my truck. today was VERY cloudy, i'd say about 75-80% with storms on the horrizon. the panels were still putting out a good solid 12.7-12.9v even with the cloud cover. i had another cheap 750wt inverter hooked up without a battery and the low power light only flickered occasionaly. i would have still been able to get a low charge to the battery for a few hours even with the cloud cover i have today. With full sun i can see this working very well. i really view this as a comfort prep. nothing makes you a hero to the family more than turning on the tv or pc for the family when the lights are out. It will be nice to be able to turn off the genny at night and secure it and still have power for the small things. my total investment is under 300.00 for a power system i can run without a genny for easily 2-3 days. i figure this is money well spent. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
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Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
<snip> set it up outside in the bed of my truck. today was VERY cloudy, i'd say about 75-80% with storms on the horrizon. the panels were still putting out a good solid 12.7-12.9v even with the cloud cover. Were you reading the 12.7-12.9v from the charge controller? If so, I made the same mistake. The LED readout on the controller shows the battery output. You need a volt meter or multi-meter to read the output from the panels. I have 2 sets of panels hooked to one controller. Works well and I am happy with the results so far. I need to get a set of 6v golf cart batteries (my deep cycle battery is old and sucks) and I still want to replace the controller with a solar batteryminder. I don't dislike the supplied controller that much, I like the usb charging port and 12v accessory plug. I believe when you shut off the unit (switch off the LED) it stops the flow of current from the panels to the battery. I thought it was kind of funny when I read in the instructions to only charge the batteries when you are present. Like I got nothing to do all day but watch the charger. 
I really like the 12v florescent lights with the kit, I mounted them in pull chain fixtures from home depot and use 2 of them in my shop area. |
Whether you think you can or you think you can't . . . . You're right!
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no i was reading it directly from the panel connectors. with no battery connected. the battery voltage was around 12.4v. i also had an old inverter that just for grins i connected directly to the charger without a battery. it powered up and ran better than expected. only getting a low power fault a couple of times. i am pretty sure on a bright day it would handle a small load. IIRC the panels put out something like .3amps each under max output. all of those measurements were taken on my fluke meter, the built in meter was not that far off on the battery voltage. powering off the controller does indeed kill charge to the battery. however there is a button next to the led panel that kills the display and NOT the power. the controller is not great but IMHO it's better than what i expected based on the reviews here. while i haven't tested for efficiency, it does work, and it works fairly well. the warning is there as a legal disclaimer. you won't find ANY charger that reccomends unattended charging. anytime batteries are used there is a possibility of problems. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
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Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
the warning is there as a legal disclaimer. you won't find ANY charger that reccomends unattended charging. anytime batteries are used there is a possibility of problems. I understand, I just thought it was funny. Kind of like the warning not to iron your clothes while wearing them. 
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Whether you think you can or you think you can't . . . . You're right!
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Originally Posted By wshbrngr:
Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
the warning is there as a legal disclaimer. you won't find ANY charger that reccomends unattended charging. anytime batteries are used there is a possibility of problems. I understand, I just thought it was funny. Kind of like the warning not to iron your clothes while wearing them.
Well don't do that either! 
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It is what it is....
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Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen: Originally Posted By wshbrngr: Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer: the warning is there as a legal disclaimer. you won't find ANY charger that reccomends unattended charging. anytime batteries are used there is a possibility of problems. I understand, I just thought it was funny. Kind of like the warning not to iron your clothes while wearing them. Well don't do that either! i run with scissors on the weekends |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen:
Originally Posted By wshbrngr:
Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
the warning is there as a legal disclaimer. you won't find ANY charger that reccomends unattended charging. anytime batteries are used there is a possibility of problems. I understand, I just thought it was funny. Kind of like the warning not to iron your clothes while wearing them.
Well don't do that either!
i run with scissors on the weekends and I am always giving the plastic bags to the grandkids to play with. |
Whether you think you can or you think you can't . . . . You're right!
Well I thought I had my genny's 12 volt charger hooked up to my battery so it would throw a charge while I make coffee in the mornin's then the solar take over to top it off. I didn't.  For some reason I had it unhooked and just laying inside my battery compartment. All this time I thought I was charging the battery as it ran but wasn't. That only makes me happier about the solar panels.
I was actually only using those and the battery to run everything, including a 13" TV for 5-6 hours at a time at night. I have a 125 AH deep cycle and I have NEVER been without power since I bought the kit about 2 months ago .When I go down there on Thursday's for the weekend I always have well over 13 volts, sometimes 14.4.
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It is what it is....
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Originally Posted By Bones45: Walmart sells what seems to be a decent sized marine deep cycle battery for about $59. I got one for the hell of it, just to see how it works. i looked at that one. it's a cranking battery. the max29(?) is a trolling actual hybrid deep cycle battery. runs about 25.00 more but it's 125ah vs about 50ah on the 60.00 battery. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
Anybody know what HF gets for just the panels? I only want the panels without the rest of the kit...
I already have 12 Dynasty 1100AH glass mat batteries and a Xantrex C-90 controller... but could only afford one BP panel a couple years back.. 
This is the batt back-up for my 6m repeater... sure would be nice to add a few more panels... Oh.. and the HF part number is 96418-AAA.. just can't get the price to come up online... 
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"When basic morality and legal principle give you a green light to shoot the fucker, it's probably a good idea to shoot the fucker." By John_Wayne777:
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Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
Originally Posted By Bones45:
Walmart sells what seems to be a decent sized marine deep cycle battery for about $59. I got one for the hell of it, just to see how it works. i looked at that one. it's a cranking battery. the max29(?) is a trolling actual hybrid deep cycle battery. runs about 25.00 more but it's 125ah vs about 50ah on the 60.00 battery. ^^^That's the one I bought. So far, so good. 
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It is what it is....
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Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan: Anybody know what HF gets for just the panels? I only want the panels without the rest of the kit... I already have 12 Dynasty 1100AH glass mat batteries and a Xantrex C-90 controller... but could only afford one BP panel a couple years back.. This is the batt back-up for my 6m repeater... sure would be nice to add a few more panels... Oh.. and the HF part number is 96418-AAA.. just can't get the price to come up online... dunno but a similar controller through them is about 70.00. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer:
Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan:
Anybody know what HF gets for just the panels? I only want the panels without the rest of the kit... I already have 12 Dynasty 1100AH glass mat batteries and a Xantrex C-90 controller... but could only afford one BP panel a couple years back..
This is the batt back-up for my 6m repeater... sure would be nice to add a few more panels... Oh.. and the HF part number is 96418-AAA.. just can't get the price to come up online... dunno but a similar controller through them is about 70.00. I guess I have a mission then.. lol Off to let my fingers do the walking...
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"When basic morality and legal principle give you a green light to shoot the fucker, it's probably a good idea to shoot the fucker." By John_Wayne777:
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Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan: let me know. 3 panles might be handy.Originally Posted By The_Beer_Slayer: Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan: Anybody know what HF gets for just the panels? I only want the panels without the rest of the kit... I already have 12 Dynasty 1100AH glass mat batteries and a Xantrex C-90 controller... but could only afford one BP panel a couple years back.. This is the batt back-up for my 6m repeater... sure would be nice to add a few more panels... Oh.. and the HF part number is 96418-AAA.. just can't get the price to come up online... dunno but a similar controller through them is about 70.00. I guess I have a mission then.. lol Off to let my fingers do the walking... |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
item # 96418-AAA 15 watt 12 v panel is normally $79.00 each, but currently on sale for $60.00 at the local Woodbridge, VA store...
It would seem the kit is a much better deal 
ETA.. just called the Fredericksburg store and that lady will let me use the 20% coupon on the $60 sale price.. so is $47.99 per panel... that works for me. I'm gonna pick up a couple tonight
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"When basic morality and legal principle give you a green light to shoot the fucker, it's probably a good idea to shoot the fucker." By John_Wayne777:
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Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan:
item # 96418-AAA 15 watt 12 v panel is normally $79.00 each, but currently on sale for $60.00 at the local Woodbridge, VA store... It would seem the kit is a much better deal
ETA.. just called the Fredericksburg store and that lady will let me use the 20% coupon on the $60 sale price.. so is $47.99 per panel... that works for me. I'm gonna pick up a couple tonight Not bad, but I'd go the 10.00 more for the controller and lights myself. |
It is what it is....
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Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen:
Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan:
item # 96418-AAA 15 watt 12 v panel is normally $79.00 each, but currently on sale for $60.00 at the local Woodbridge, VA store... It would seem the kit is a much better deal
ETA.. just called the Fredericksburg store and that lady will let me use the 20% coupon on the $60 sale price.. so is $47.99 per panel... that works for me. I'm gonna pick up a couple tonight Not bad, but I'd go the 10.00 more for the controller and lights myself. I wouldn't mind the lights... but for now, only gonna nab 2 panels to supplement my BP Solar panel... |
"When basic morality and legal principle give you a green light to shoot the fucker, it's probably a good idea to shoot the fucker." By John_Wayne777:
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Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan:
Originally Posted By Festus_Hagen:
Originally Posted By Wayward_Texan:
item # 96418-AAA 15 watt 12 v panel is normally $79.00 each, but currently on sale for $60.00 at the local Woodbridge, VA store... It would seem the kit is a much better deal
ETA.. just called the Fredericksburg store and that lady will let me use the 20% coupon on the $60 sale price.. so is $47.99 per panel... that works for me. I'm gonna pick up a couple tonight Not bad, but I'd go the 10.00 more for the controller and lights myself. I wouldn't mind the lights... but for now, only gonna nab 2 panels to supplement my BP Solar panel... Might want to check on your BP panel. Some are setup to daisy chain together. The harbor freight ones are not- they each have a 6 ft wire that goes to the controler. It may not make a diffrence for what you need. |
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Originally Posted By DaveSpud:
Looks like I'm a week or so late to this. Harbor Freight's website is showing $199 for the kit, now. Anyone know if there's still an online coupon avilable? yes, try the link in my first post.
Page 1, first post. |
Whether you think you can or you think you can't . . . . You're right!
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OK, let me see if I learned something about electricity from this thread.
-These panels are enough to charge 200+Ah worth of batteries. The 2 X 6V golf cart batteries in series were 220Ah. I assume I could use 2 X 12v batteries in parallel to get 200+Ah of charge, too. -My (small) chest freezer says it draws 5Amps. I assume that's only when its cycling, so if I assume it cycles 30% of the time, in 24 hours it'll draw 5X24X30% or 36 Amp Hours. So I could run it for several days with 200Ah of batteries (no charging). With the solar charger, even on cloudy days, I could always keep the freezer going and never draw the batteries down. Right? -In fact, I could run a bunch of other stuff, too, as long as my inverter had enough output for the total draw of the various gizmos. The equation for figuring out how much I could power is: Add up the draw in amps of all the things I want to run (times the number of hours each will run.) Make sure that's under 200ah, and probably well under to leave a safety margin. Make sure the solar will replace the draw each day. Have I got that right? |
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Originally Posted By DaveSpud:
OK, let me see if I learned something about electricity from this thread. -These panels are enough to charge 200+Ah worth of batteries. The 2 X 6V golf cart batteries in series were 220Ah. I assume I could use 2 X 12v batteries in parallel to get 200+Ah of charge, too. -My (small) chest freezer says it draws 5Amps. I assume that's only when its cycling, so if I assume it cycles 30% of the time, in 24 hours it'll draw 5X24X30% or 36 Amp Hours. So I could run it for several days with 200Ah of batteries (no charging). With the solar charger, even on cloudy days, I could always keep the freezer going and never draw the batteries down. Right? -In fact, I could run a bunch of other stuff, too, as long as my inverter had enough output for the total draw of the various gizmos. The equation for figuring out how much I could power is: Add up the draw in amps of all the things I want to run (times the number of hours each will run.) Make sure that's under 200ah, and probably well under to leave a safety margin. Make sure the solar will replace the draw each day. Have I got that right? for the most part yes. i would add one small caveat... a battery should never be run dead. i generally plan for about 60-70% capacity before potentially damaging the battery. You never want to run them completely dead. ie... plan for a 100ah battery to provide you 60-70ah of usable service without needing a charge. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
Originally Posted By DaveSpud:
OK, let me see if I learned something about electricity from this thread. -These panels are enough to charge 200+Ah worth of batteries. The 2 X 6V golf cart batteries in series were 220Ah. I assume I could use 2 X 12v batteries in parallel to get 200+Ah of charge, too. -My (small) chest freezer says it draws 5Amps. I assume that's only when its cycling, so if I assume it cycles 30% of the time, in 24 hours it'll draw 5X24X30% or 36 Amp Hours. So I could run it for several days with 200Ah of batteries (no charging). With the solar charger, even on cloudy days, I could always keep the freezer going and never draw the batteries down. Right? -In fact, I could run a bunch of other stuff, too, as long as my inverter had enough output for the total draw of the various gizmos. The equation for figuring out how much I could power is: Add up the draw in amps of all the things I want to run (times the number of hours each will run.) Make sure that's under 200ah, and probably well under to leave a safety margin. Make sure the solar will replace the draw each day. Have I got that right? don't run those batteries completely dead. You also have to take into account the draw from the inverter sitting idle (unless you are going to start it up manually every few hours.) |
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Right. If a sealed lead acid battery goes completely dead, it gets sulphated and ruined, right?
So 200Ah of batteries gives you a "budget" of 120-140 usable amp hours before you have to charge. Some Inverters have low-power shutoff, right? So what voltage (at the controller display) does that relate to? 13 volts times 30%, or about 4volts would be shutoff time? Another question: how to you size your inverter to such a system? I suppose the simple answer is peak watts of the gizmos you're going to drive with it, plus a 30% safety margin? But how does that relate to amps? |
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well mine paid for itself today...
power went out about 11am and was off until 430. it was damn nice to be able to grab the battery box and run the tv,sat,pc's and several fans without having to drag out the genny and extension cords. still had a few hours of runtime left by my estimation. charging up on the regular charger now. hopefully next weekend i can get the pannels mounted where i can just leave it on a float charger. |
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
defense. The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is
supplemental.
|
Originally Posted By slanky:
Bastards! You're making me want one of these and they weren't even on my radar anymore  I had 14.4 volts when I went out this weekend. I'll prolly use alot of TV next weekend watching racing, so may test it really good.
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It is what it is....