diy solar

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Fuse

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hellolucky

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Joined
Jul 10, 2022
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Hello folks,

I will be getting the system signed off by a qualified electrician, but I will be installing it. After much research, I am confident of getting this correct first time, but one question. The in line fuse between the battery and the controller, should that be on the positive or the negative line?
 
And between the charger inverter and the battery should that also be positive?
I have a 200w fuse for that
 
200w fuse not exist what AMP your solar array + charger able providing battery?
 
OK 200 A fuse up to 32V

what inverter you have and what battery bank you have ?
 
Urgi said:
OK 200 A fuse up to 32V

what inverter you have and what battery bank you have ?
Click to expand...
Hi

Sorry for the slow reply.

I have 200A 12V Renogy Battery and the 2000w Renogy inverter charger.

I have got it working and the solars are charging. I was surprised though that when I tested it as soon as the sun went in the TV lasted less than 2 hours.
 
In theory your fully charged 12V 200Ah battery can feed your 2000W invertor with max current 166.66A this mean fuse is big enough.

About TV last 2 hours depend how was battery charged and another appliances connected ect. All depends how much your TV power input is

Theoretically if your TV take 200W = current 16.6A from battery = Estimated Battery Life from fully charged: 11.765 Hours




Sun not shine all day same ;)
 
Last edited:
Thank you once again for your reply.

The Battery was at 85% and I was testing it with just the TV and a max air fan running at normal speed. The test was at dusk, so it seems like once the sun went down, it drained super fast.

Also, I am hearing reports of the battery getting damaged if it is completely drained.

I am only testing right now, but if I have to work on a laptop all day, then there is no way this battery is going cope with 2 other people and their screen needs!!

I suppose there is always sure power, plus alternator and I may also consider wind turbines if it's appropriate and they aren't noisy.
 
Remember with lead batteries you really only get to use half of its rating. Using more than half on any regular (or semi regular) basis can damage it and reduce its lifespan.

That means your 200Ah battery gives you 100Ah.

Factor in efficiency losses from the inverter etc you're probably looking at around 85-90 Ah usable, which for a 12V battery is roughly1000Wh give or take. Then you said you were at 85% capacity, so you're down by 150Wh already, so you only have what 850Wh left assuming ideal battery health.

How many watts does your TV and fan pull?

This is all just rough napkin math by a guy who is just drinking his morning coffee and has been up too late too many nights in a row, so it is possible I screwed something up somewhere... but you get the idea ?
 
littleharbor2 said:
Do you leave the 2000 watt inverter on 24/7? If so have you left it on for days? Weeks? Months? That alone will put an unnecessary drain on your battery which will leave you drained in the morning.
Click to expand...
Hello,
Thanks for your reply. It's a Lithium battery and it's brand spanking new. I don't leave the inverter on, except for when I need to use it - eg the TV.
 
SparkyJJO said:
Remember with lead batteries you really only get to use half of its rating. Using more than half on any regular (or semi regular) basis can damage it and reduce its lifespan.

That means your 200Ah battery gives you 100Ah.

Factor in efficiency losses from the inverter etc you're probably looking at around 85-90 Ah usable, which for a 12V battery is roughly1000Wh give or take. Then you said you were at 85% capacity, so you're down by 150Wh already, so you only have what 850Wh left assuming ideal battery health.

How many watts does your TV and fan pull?

This is all just rough napkin math by a guy who is just drinking his morning coffee and has been up too late too many nights in a row, so it is possible I screwed something up somewhere... but you get the idea ?
Click to expand...
Hey SparkyJJO

It's 90w
 
littleharbor2 said:
It really sounds like your battery is toast. When lead acid batteries are on their way out they will appear to charge really fast but will drain just as fast. They have no capacity left.
Click to expand...
Can brand new batteries be occasionally TOAST?
 
littleharbor2 said:
Do you leave the 2000 watt inverter on 24/7? If so have you left it on for days? Weeks? Months? That alone will put an unnecessary drain on your battery which will leave you drained in the morning.
Click to expand...
No I haven't. The maximum time it's been on since unboxing earlier this week is 4 hours.
 
hellolucky said:
Can brand new batteries be occasionally TOAST?
Click to expand...
Anything's possible.
After your other comments I wonder if your charge settings are too low. I had mine turned down on my lithium bank only to find out that I was only getting about 30% of a full charge. 14.6 is your target setpoint for a LiFePo4 battery.
 
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