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I like to "think things through" too. I wonder though if there is a "too much thinking" tax as I often wonder, imagine, judge, and otherwise let so much time pass that the {whatever} is no longer available increased in price has a long wait time has been superseded

Maybe do both? Roof mount "just one" plus something "portable" to deploy.

You might consider bougerv panels. We bought the 180-watt 9BB panels and are extremely pleased. You can find them on Amazon with free shipping. Four of these might be cheaper than one EcoFlow panel and produce more power. Good luck!

I agree, as I read, "Eventualy the charger becomes the primary charge source and the battery is maintained at float voltage. Its like a soft landing for the battery." We also read that "LFP batteries don't like to be full" or empty, but they do like cycling.

Welcome, @dhawktx -- I like @Sky Noris suggestion to use a solar generator. Now you have everything you need, except solar panels, that is. Plug in a 3/4 way adapter and now plug-and-play.

Hello @trj We are using the Bluetti AC200MAX out in the shop. It is working flawlessly. The screen has not malfunctioned or locked up. We have their cable set and have used them all while experimenting and learning and we've set the unit up all sorts of ways, like two strings of PV on the two...

Nice catch @BradCagle -- OP noted max output of 365 watts. You could run a few more experiments, @CLARK 13 -- Run just one panel over your long run, to see the voltage drop. Run two panels, first in series, then parallel, note the voltage and current. Bottom line, the unit has an input...

I thought this was spot on. I'm excited to learn and explore and understand, which means terminology, which is mostly confusing and for new people, me for sure, the more learned the more confused. Not everyone is wired to dive down the rabbit hole, many just kinda peak. Not everyone is...

Welcome aboard from northern Kentucky. One way to go is small steps, say a solar panel or two and a smaller "solar generator." Say you have a window AC you run it on solar during the day when power is more expensive. You reduce your daily power bill, provide some battery backup, get your feet...

Hello back at you from another new guy who has jumped a few times and thanks for the article link @smoothJoey.

Welcome aboard!

These seem like fun projects. Welcome to the forums!

You mean BBQ, right? Just south of the airport is "Shack in the Back" -- you could hit them up for ribs at lunch. Easy to find them on the web.

So, DC to DC charger using the 30-amp 12v DC outlet, charge the external battery. External battery would charge the 200 MAX via what they label as the AC input -- the barrel connector, using the D050S. Now we don't have to unplug the PV array, but we can't use that second input for a second...

Hey @dankleinman -- Did you find a "local" used supplier of used panels in the southern Ohio area? I'm in northern Kentucky.

Hello from northern Kentucky.

We are in the "Beginners Corner." This forum and thread are working perfectly, yes? Thank you WIll and team. New members in the beginner's corner, lower of infecting others, with members risking infection to set heads straight again, as if my head was ever straight. Thanks.

How much "bow" do you see in a 20-foot section of Unistrut? We used 3/4 galvanized pipe for our ground mount and the 12-foot run deflects almost 3/4-inch.

Welcome aboard @Davehal9000 -- we use the Bluetti AC200 Max in the shop. We could unplug it and take camping. We can run an extension cord into the house too; we installed a plug exterior to the shop just for this purpose. Our panels are ground mounted and not portable.

Welcome from Kentucky.

Welcome aboard from Kentucky, @Joe Graaff !!

Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard @Tenxi -- You could do some "analysis" first. Check the specifications on your AC unit, or the one you are considering. It might say something like " Maximum Cooling Wattage 656 W or maybe Maximum Cooling Amperage 6.1 Amps So, the unit might draw as much as 6 amps...

Welcome aboard from Kentucky.

Hello @sardonicus and welcome aboard. The experienced solar folk here often start with an audit -- how one uses energy, when, how much, that kind of thing. I like your outside of the box thinking. We haven't put in our shop's ceiling in yet, so I've got a DIY "grow light" on the 2x4's...

I think the answer is "It depends," but not in your case. The AC300 has three charging inputs, with the "solar" input rated at "2,400W Max., VOC 12-150VDC, 12A." If you connect your four 200-watt panels in series, and each panel showed a voltage drop of say, 18-volts, you'd have 18 x 4 volts at...

Welcome aboard.

Welcome aboard.

Often appliances draw less than what the doc says. You can find watt meters on Amazon for $15 and just plug the AC into it. Let it run for 24 hours and record some data. You'll want the AC running for 24-hours and see what happens. We set our window AC in the ECO mode and it shuts down...

Welcome aboard @Alcancetres