Recent content by good4politics

I have not found this to be a big issue. I am running 48v/550ah. Now... All my BMS are JBD programable ones. They are all set to cut of charging if any one cell exceeds 3.4v for more than 2 seconds. There is very little energy above 3.4v and even less below 3.0v but your batteries will have a...

Not terribly low power, rated for 150w. high VOC, low amps. Problem is, I hate them. Tried 3 just to see what they would do. They do seem to work. Thinking I will gift them to my neighbor for his chicken coup. Obviously, I don't want to put hundreds of dollars into a gift for chickens. I...

Sometimes best = what makes sense financially. You don't buy a $350 Solar Charger for 3 $20 panels. Cheaper chargers are more commonly limited to 100v.

True, but at even with a 1k ohm resistor, the voltage goes negative and the amperage is less than 150ma. Perfectly acceptable. VOC is 105v max with these cheap thin film panels. Seems to work out in an online circuit simulator.

If VOC stands for "Voltage, Open Circuit" Why can't we tame VOC (lower it) by wiring a 10k Ohm 100w resistor from positive to negative just prior to the Solar Charge controller? It would eliminate the open circuit and once the charge controller comes online, electricity should flow through the...

30a is always 120v. 50a is often 240v. Victron makes a 2x120v unit that handles 30a 120v (2 120v outputs), 50a 120v (2 120v outputs bridged), and 50a 240v (2 x 120v split). So no matter your shore power configuration (at least 30a or 50a) it will handle it as 2 120v circuits on the boat or...

The batteries are the best place to get started. You'll need a proper charger as well as solar charger unless your inverter has a sufficient charger. You also need to nail down the roof (pardon the pun). If you want to minimize holes in the roof, look into 2020 aluminum extrusions at...

More wattage panels is always gooder. Get 9,10,or 11 bus bar panels if buying new. SunPower panels don't work the same way. You can't see busbars on them. They are the best, even though used. They are only sold new through installers OR as flexible 50 or 100w panels on Amazon. The SunPower...

The grid is always a "backup" if available in the way of chargers. My PV charging and grid charging are somewhat seamless. I use Victron SmartSolar chargers for everything. From the grid, I have multiple 60v power supplies that feed the SmartSolar chargers 60v. The SmartSolar charger then...

I really like Victron. I will be buying some Schneider solar charters but not wild about them. I need 60v and Victron does not do 60v. I'd take a Schneider inverter any day. Anything Schneider on the AC side of the equation should be pretty good. I worked for them briefly as a consultant...

Rule #1 - You never have enough batteries. Rule #2 - After you get the batteries you think you need, refer back to rule #1 Conservatively, you're harvesting at least 50,000kwh per day. You should have bettery for at least half that. 25kwh. Your grid supplier says 34kwh. IMHO you should...

$60 Resistor vs light bulb... I'm returning the resistor. Will locate a "less fragile" light bulb. LEDs must have resistors in them or they will splode. That might work just as well. Love the way the lightbulb glows for just a moment. When it goes dark, It's done.

So... My 60ohm 1000w braking resistor is overkill? ? Just ordered it, haven't used it yet. What about a good ole 120v 40w lightbulb?

L2 must be 180 degrees off from L1. What you have suggested will not work

Performed a kill-a-watt test on newly installed 9000 BTU Pioneer 21.5 SEER units. Cooling a 13x20 room down to 62 degrees in 110 degree weather pulled over 1400 watts. Twice the specification max claim of 666 watts. However, setting the units to "ECO" at 75 degrees reduced power consumption...