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diy solar

diy solar

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  • well, DIY solar in a city is looking pretty ugly,

    the solar companies, the engineers, the permits. the whole industry looks pretty scammy on a professional level. they have passed so many rules it is impossible to do anything yourself anymore, thus putting solar into a unaffordable expense.
  • This charger will not charge my SOk battery past 13.6 V

    I’ve got this charger set on lithium mode but it will not charge my SOk battery past 13.6 V. Anyone had similar problems
  • new lipo's out in the trailer in 115 degrees + temps

    i just put 2 300AH Epoch batteries (victron enabled, heated, etc) in my fifth wheel. sadly it sits in the sun on the side of my house in las vegas a lot of the time. the bats are in my front compartment out of the sun. they are hooked up to a victron quattro 12/3000/120x2 which...
  • Is it considered bad manners to ask for advice and help? Consider me the “Jon Snow” Of the DIY solar world

    i’m 57. Retired fire captain, not hurting for funds But my dad raised me to almost always do everything myself. I built houses and rebuilt engines. I’ve wired quite a few new construction homes. I am positive I have the tools and competence to do my own solar set up but i’m a bit too impatient...
  • average solar panels for very cheap price or the super efficient ones for triple the price per watt?

    obviously the low light production of the bifacials or high end panels is much better,, but they are way bigger and heavier for a diy project. meanwhile, a few extra cheaper panels are a 1/3 the cost. hmmmmm
  • bifacial panels any drawbacks?

    local solar guy was warning me about bifacial panels, said he didn't approve, he's been in the biz long time. thoughts? maybe they can't handle hot climates?
  • 12v 100ah SOK vs chin confusing deep cycle stuff

    i watched the video where i thought will said these batteries were almost identical (maybe it was ampere time), yet sok says 8000 cycles,, but chin says "only" 2000 cycles. what am i missing here, for my primitive purposes, the chin is way less expensive by like 170$ less
  • just bought SOK 100ah smart battery, best way to charge in vehicle? batterytender?

    i had posted something similiar earlier but now that i have the exact battery,,, my usage is i put the 12v battery behind the drivers seat and hook my 12v cooler directly up to it. usually lasts me a few days. can i hook up a charging cord straight from the alternator ( toyota prius 2012)...
  • stupid inverter question, 2220 watts of solar on roof

    i have 6 375 watt panels i am putting on my rv roof (these panels are not as efficient as the newer ones) and i have 2-300ah 12volt epoch batteries. i have 3-Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100V 50 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) using 1 each for every 2 panels. (my...
  • charge my sok battery with regular car charger

    i hope i got this right but amps are amps, right? if i have a 10 amp regular battery charger, i can just charge up my super expensive sok as long as i don't over charge it, right? i was using a battery tender 4 amp unit that can be set on lithium but for some reason it won't switch over from...
  • Do panels for rv’s need to be 12v

    Have a fairly large toy hauler 33 foot, it’s an older one andHave a fairly large toy hauler 33 foot, it’s an older one 2007 so everything runs on 12 V. I’ve got room for some of the fairly large residential panels, like the 400 W range ones but would it be simpler just to get the 12 V panels?
  • dc to dc charger isolated vs non-isolated victron

    can i use an isolated unit on an rv? does it matter? vs a non isolated one?
  • Backfeeding thru 50 amp breaker

    I have a large south facing barn Typical metal roof, it’s 25 feet wide and 50 feet long it’s about a four or five pitch roof, I haven’t measured it. The barn has got number six wire running to it from the house where the main panel is. It’s on a 50 amp breaker. it is a very long run of...
  • Need new batteries for my fifthwheel. Best place to buy right now?

    I’m looking to get at least two separate 12v 200 amp hour batteries,,, I could even do 300 amp hour battery so I’ve got plenty of room. Missed out on a decent deal for some slightly used ones locally dang it. If anyone has shopped around lately where did you wind up buying from.
  • chin 300ah smart battery, sideways install in rv

    would anyone know if these batteries would not stand up to the rough road/ mobile environment if installed so the terminal are facing to the side as opposed to up? obviously, the cells are arranged inside the plastic case in a certain way. also,,, are any certain lifepo4 batteries able...
  • fifth wheel roof mounted panel, what is best brackets,

    i was getting ready to putting 4 430 watt panels on my fith wheel roof, they are 67'x41" i believe, i was just going to get some 3x3" aluminum angle stock and cut 4 or 5" pieces. what are all the cool guys using?
  • box for diy eve280ah, what are folks using

    to house the bms and the bat packs. will this stand up to the abuse of the rv life,,, dirt roads and bumpy trails? will these diy packs,, in my case, using 4 of them to make a 280ah 12v ideally i would like to do a 4s3p pack in one box to make a 840ah bat for my rv, is this...
  • victron quattro weird issue

    Quattro-II 12/3000/120-50/50 2x120V gennie hooked up to line in #1, shore power to line in #2, typical spots for my 600 amp lipo's ( 2-epoch 300 ah 12v ) and typical out to 50 amp split panel in my rv. it seems to be working fine when in inverter mode. but when i switched to...
  • cheapest yet sturdy ground rack system for DIY.

    i have a welder, chop saw, torch, tractor. is it worth it to build it yourself? or just buy ready made? any good designs out there using some red iron and angle iron?
  • Cleaning panels. How often. And Silver or black panels

    I was curious, I see a lot of roofs where the panels are just side-by-side like four on one side by six long and it makes me wonder how often do people clean them? And how do you clean them if they’re such a large field, where I live in the southwest you get this rain that leaves a lot of dusty...
  • 200 ah sok? Will bms allow It to be charged with typical car alternator while running

    I have one of those medium size 12 V refrigerators in my forerunner, kind of a overland or type of set up, I’ve been using an old 12 V boat battery that I just charge up before I leave and it might last two nights during cooler temps but it does say 86 amp hours on it, I thought if I got a 200...
  • Cheapest place to buy a sok battery

    Has anybody recently done a bunch of shopping around, is Amazon really the best place? Are there any smaller solar places that might need the business?
  • Lifeline equalization

    I’ve got 4 lifeline agm batteries in my Rv Right now. GPL-6ct 300ah. I’ve got them in a 2s2p set up So I supposedly have 600 amp hours at 12 V. I got them about seven years ago and they worked good for a while. I’ve got some pretty dated equipment, it’s a 2007 toy hauler but I have a true...
  • putting in 400 amp panel, want to prepare it for grid tie system, HOW!

    i have a seimens solar ready panel. i was going to run 2" or 1 1/2" conduit out of the bottom and over to the side of the hill where i will be putting FUTURE my ground mount solar panels. i am doing this like tomorrow. i AM NOT working with a solar company at this time. I've seen...
  • sok charging with 4.5amp battery tender in lithium mode

    my sok 100ah smart battery arrived at with a SOC of 10.9v. that seems low. so i hooked up my charger but it is now only registering 11.76v,, i would have thought it would be at a higher charge voltage. seem normal?
  • bms vs charge controller vs 12v vs 48v

    if i buy a quality charge controller,, why do i need a bms,( assuming i build a battery, which i am not going to do) just wondering what the bms does when also using a charge controller,, also, on a rv set up, which i think i will start with,, what is the advantage of a 48v battery set up...
  • SOK are they going out of business or what is reason for out of stock on everything

    i had bought a 100ah 12v from them earlier this year and was going to upgrade to 200ah but everything on their website says out of stock.
  • SOK 100ah 12v what is volts when fully charged?

    i've tried different chargers and can't seem to get this thing above 13.49 volts. anyone know what voltage is fully charged? i am kind of re-visiting this problem from many months ago. my application is i run a smaller whynter fridge when i go for 2-4 day overnight trips, i move it and...
  • what is a good, no hassle charger i can plug into a typical wall socket and bulk charge/maintenance charge this SOK LIPO battery

    anyone else do this,, when done with a litte trip, i just take out my battery and hook it up to a charger in my garage, but need a good one for this sok, recommendations? it's a 12v 100ah smart version with heater
  • epoch 300ah 58lbs vs other brand ionic 300ah 83lbs

    i know with lead batteries heavier is better but why would 2 same AH lipo batteries be so different in weight? the ionic is twice as expensive. just wondering
  • fifth wheel trailer solar project, panels hanging out over side a bit?

    i've got a choice between 39" wide panels or 41" wide panels, my working area is between 36" and 39",, so the panels may stick over the sides of roof a couple inches. has anyone done this with fine results,, doesn't seem like a big deal to me. it seems like mostly sprinter vans on this...
  • TETRIS WITH PANELS,,, aka putting panels on trailer roof

    i was looking at 3 different panels for my rv solar set up,,,,, 240w at 37voc- 39"x56" in dimension and 370w 47.8voc-39x77 in dimension and 445w 49.88voc-41"x83" in dimension the max watts i can come up with is 6-445w panels and 2-240w panels= 3150w total on the roof other configs are...
  • has anyone bought some new panels without a warranty from the wholesalers?

    found some panels that are on the tier 1 list, (which i know doesn't mean a lot probably) they sort of have a 20 year warranty originally,, but not sure if it goes with them. possibly buying from someone who bought numerous semi truck loads on the cheap, the price seems like the best i have...
  • new sok 100ah smart battery,,, doesn't seem to be handling load very well

    i had charged this battery up to 13.6,, tested with my expensive fluke meter. i hooked it up to my 12v cooler and after a single night, and then a few hours during the day, it was down to 12.9v. according to typical voltage charge,, that is down to a 20% soc. the thing is, i used to...

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