That's very good to know, thank you very much. I plan to order everything within the next hour or so but while looking at the solar blueprints I saw the "All-In-One Solar Power System" and it looks like a good reliable option. https://watts247.com/product/pip-lv2424-msd/?wpam_id=3 I was thinking of getting it instead of what I was getting and then just ordering 6 100w panels along with 2, 200ah gel batteries. Would this be all I need? If so I see that it has a high idle consumption and the solar blueprints recommends at least 400 watts of panels to offset the loss. Does that mean this thing uses 400 watts of power just to do its thing? Or is 400 watts just the minimum you can have to see any significant power? Oh, and the wording is a little confusing but does it have a built-in inverter? And one final question I see it has an ac input, how come? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to find the best option before ordering. Thank you for helping me throughout this journey.
Setting up solar for a camping trailer
- Thread starter Scixxor
- Start date
With the understanding that I don't know much about that all-in-one...
An all-in-on can be a handy way to go. Less to wire up, easier to install. I see an idle consumption of "< 25 watts". My inverter/charger is rated for between 8 and 20 watts. As long as you have enough battery and PV, the idle consumption isn't a big deal.
Can you fit larger panels on your RV? Fewer panels means a quicker install and fewer holes in the roof.
The AC input is for your shore power connection. With the shore power connected to the all-in-one, it will charge your batteries. You'll want to remove or disable the existing AC-DC converter.
An all-in-on can be a handy way to go. Less to wire up, easier to install. I see an idle consumption of "< 25 watts". My inverter/charger is rated for between 8 and 20 watts. As long as you have enough battery and PV, the idle consumption isn't a big deal.
Can you fit larger panels on your RV? Fewer panels means a quicker install and fewer holes in the roof.
The AC input is for your shore power connection. With the shore power connected to the all-in-one, it will charge your batteries. You'll want to remove or disable the existing AC-DC converter.
Hello again, I plan on putting the panels some 50~ feet away from the trailer because it's currently parked in a shaded wooded lot and they wouldn't get much sun. With that said fewer panels would actually save me some work because the posts/board I had already set up to put the panels on turned out to be too small for 6. If you can find me some 200-watt panels for a decent price would be great. Currently, I plan on buying 6 of these panels: https://hqsolarpower.com/100-watt-12volt-monocrystalline-solar-panel-new/. If the idle consumption is less than 25 watts then this seems like what I should get. I thought the AC input was for shore power but it's good to be certain.
I'm not going to find panels for you. That's your job. Go to the CEDGreenTech.com website and look over their selection of panels. You can pick them up locally if there is a store near you. Otherwise, find a local brick-and-mortar store. Shipping of panels sucks. It's expensive and they often arrive damaged. Home Depot is a source that some people are using.
I bought my panels from CEDGreenTech. It was the least expensive option consider the hassle and cost of shipping.
I bought my panels from CEDGreenTech. It was the least expensive option consider the hassle and cost of shipping.
Hello again, I ordered everything and it's all beginning to come in. My dad had some questions about adding panels in the future, I know you said that the 2 80 watt panels I had wouldn't pair well with the new 100 watt ones, why is this? He was mostly wanting to know if he could add 200 watt moncrysiline panels from a different company in the future (space will eventually be a problem but for now I went with 100 watt panels)
Your feedback is always greatly appreciated and because of your help I'll have power pretty soon so thank you very much for everything.
Your feedback is always greatly appreciated and because of your help I'll have power pretty soon so thank you very much for everything.
See this blog page from the Alt-e store for good information about using mismatched panels. Life is a lot easier if all the panels match. If the panels are significantly different then you may want to use two separate solar charge controllers to get the most out of the PV array.
www.altestore.com
How to wire mismatched solar panels. Wire in parallel or in series?
Video series testing wiring mismatched solar panels in parallel vs. wiring in series to maximize solar PV output with an MPPT charge controller.
www.altestore.com
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
Looks like you got a good link to review but basically depending on specs and arrangements the output of the bigger panel(s) gets attenuated to the output level of the lesser panel(s)
That link is very helpful thank you. He was also curious about adding more batteries, I currently have 2 gel batteries wired in series for 24 volts (it's what the charge controller needs) if we wanted to add another battery down the line would I just add 1 in parallel with 1 of the gel batteries? Or would I need to add them in sets of 2?
For batteries wired in series, you should be adding pairs. Odd numbers of batteries in a series configuration doesn't work well.
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
In the FWIW department most of not all ‘small’ charge controllers will charge both 12V and 24V batteries/battery banks and they auto-detect 12 or 24V. Additionally, they usually can take 12V- 100V or sometimes 150V from the panels and convert that to the correct battery bank voltage.
So you may not be stuck w/ 24V.
Are you sure that’s 24V battery voltage only?
What charge controller again?
I am using an all-in-one from MPP: http://watts247.com/product/pip-lv2424-msd/?wpam_id=3 I found it on the DIY Solar Blueprints but for some strange reason they removed it a few days ago. They said it needed 24v of battery so I was going off that. The link above has a bunch of pictures and one of them is the specs of the box.
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
Sorry. Lost track of different thread details.
Most of those are voltage specific, independent charge controllers are not.
Yes. Sets of two
Hello again, most of the parts have arrived and I plan on wiring the panels together today, I wanted to wire 6 of them in series to save me having to buy branch connectors but wanted to make sure that it won't hurt the all-in-one I was buying. These are the panels: https://hqsolarpower.com/100-watt-12-volt-monoscrystalline-solar-panel-compact-design/ I believe wiring each of these 12-volt panels in series will leave me at 72 volts and 4.93 amps (based on reading the specs I think they're 4.93 amp panels) And here's the all-in-one https://watts247.com/product/pip-lv2424-msd/?wpam_id=3 It says it has an MPPT range of 30-80v and a max PV input Voc of 145volts. So will I be fine? Oh, and for the panels, it says their Voc is 24.3 volts but I don't really know how wiring these in series will affect the panels.
Here is a guy that may interest you, well ... not particularly the guy .. but what he do .. :D : https://www.explorist.life/how-to-wire-a-solar-disconnect-for-a-diy-camper-electrical-system/
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
No. I don’t think so.
To get your series voltage you multiply the VOC on the label by the number of panels.
24.3 x 6 = 145.8V
So you will burn out your charge controller if temperature is ever below 77*F
(Somebody help me out here. Usually “max voltage” is not qualified (by VOC). So does this mean he can use 145VOC panel array? Because there’s no way of calculating the nominal maximum voltage without the temperature component. I think they are merely saying, “temperature adjusted maximum voltage?” The appending of VOC confuses me. I’m going with “temperature adjusted maximum voltage” as it’s the only thing that makes any sense)
VOC listed on the panel data is typically given at 77*F, and your series string voltage will be way higher than 145V at 0*F
I don’t know if that means it doesn’t process >80V? The wording is unfamiliar to me. Sorry.
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Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
NNNOOO!!! Go by the VoC number for calculating your string voltage. There's no such thing as a "12v panel", it's just a marketing term that means "Will create enough voltage to charge a 12v battery", you need to go off the VoC to get the real voltage. Call those panels 25v and divide the working PV Input by that. That'll tell you how many you can put in series.
OK, now that I've got that out of my system, let me put on my working-stiff/broke-guy hat and see about saving you a LOT of money.
Ditch/return those Gel batteries if you can. The only thing they grant you is a) not having to keep up on water levels, and b) you can hang them upside down from the ceiling if you wanted to. Go to WallyWorld and get a stack of their 29DC 122Ah Deep Cycle Marine Batteries and a jug of Distilled water. Those batteries will give you the same capacity as the Gel's (about 60Ah each at 50% DoD) but only cost about $100 each with core charge and tax. Since you'll need to buy 2 at a time to feed your 24v setup, you're still going to save about $200+ for each battery bank over the Gel's.
For those 80w panels, grab a cheapie 24v PWM controller and wire those in series to the PWM, then just connect the PWM to the battery bank and call it a day. Mixing and matching panels will take a performance hit every time, so try to keep the oddballs out of the loop. There's nothing wrong with having multiple charging systems talking to the same batteries. Since you're getting close to topping out what the MPPT controller can handle, if you put up more panels you'll do the same thing. Grab another stack of panels, another MPPT controller, and hook it up to the same batteries.
If you can swing used panels from someone like SanTan Solar or Watts247 and afford the shipping, it's a cheap way to get all the watts fast.
Yes, Victron and LiFePo4 batteries sound great, like a good juicy steak, but it sounds like your budget is Beef Top Ramen. That's OK, you can improve later when you've already got something working now. If you need to shave more money, yellow butt connectors, heat shrink, and electrical tape are all available at Harbor Freight for much cheaper than a couple dozen MC4's and the tool.
OK, it sounds like Top Ramen time for me.
12VoltInstalls
life passes by too quickly to not live in freedom
As prices went up recently this may not apply anymore. But per Ah the 27s were a lot less $$$ per when I bought mine. (Plus they only had two 29s on the shelf)
Not so important for maybe just two batteries but at 6 or 8 it might make sense.
Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
I had to buy a new one for my shed a few weeks ago and with tax and core charge it was $106 out the door. I really hope they haven't gone up that much that fast.
Wow, that's a lot to take in. I wanted to go with used panels from the get-go but my dad was against the idea since he wants to "never have to deal with it again" for now just about everything is here including mc4 connectors so what do I do here? I guess my best bet (in terms of getting me power the fastest and the cheapest) would be to buy a couple of branch connectors and wire 3 and 3 in series then connect those 2 sets of three in parallel. Would that work? Returning those batteries is beginning to look like a sweet deal since it will be close to half the price of what I paid for those 2 gel batteries (not including shipping and tax). The only problem is I've been without electric for almost 2 months now and that's really beginning to suck so I want to get electric asap.
Oh and I'm using an all-in-one, the way it works is you hook the panels in to it, the patteries into it, and boom you got power coming out of it. It has a max of I believe either 60 or 80 amps (I can't remember which) I believe that wiring them in sets of three will put me at something like 73~ volts and just under 10 amps which shoullddd work.
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