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You still can do a ground array - get 4 panels hook them up in series, then connect to your ground mount mppt. That’s if you decide you need more solar.

If you carefully select the ground mount panels so they work well with your roof mount array - yes you can. They will just be another parallel string. You will want the Vmp string voltage on the ground to be as close as possible to the Vmp string voltage of the roof array. If you end up with...

I think everyone has the wrong idea about winter- if you are not getting enough sun in the winter to keep the battery full - go south - that’s what those big black tires on your MotorHome are for. Winter in Arizona or Baja provides plenty of sun… Oops - I think I missed the point😎. In my...

You are looking for differences - are they all around 3.000v or are the all but one at 3.125v and one is at 2.850v. Also on charging are they all close to the same 3.500v or all they all at 3.312v but one that is at 3.650v. You are looking for the high and low and where most cells are at each...

It has Dicor on it - I think this photo was taken towards the end of the project- before that step.

I have been helping my Brother-in-Law design his system. We went the same way using the PowerIn’s as the Main Bus Bar. Here is a photo in the middle of construction (actually at a day’s end). The PowerIn on the left will connect to his three Lithium batteries. The switch and BMV712 in...

I don’t worry about theft because if you steal my Starlink you can’t do anything with it - cannot be reused unless the owner transfers the rights via the app. That kills the stolen market.

Some of the BMS built in counters are not known to be accurate. You may want to get a Victron Smartshunt (or Bmv712) to accurately measure the current flowing into and out of the battery- $112 Also if your cells have become unbalanced, you could be shutting down due to a low cell voltage...

Mine is the Gen2 so it points itself. I got a FlagPoleBuddy system and usually attach it to my ladder w/2 4’ poles (starts out at about 7’ - so it is about 15’ up there) - I have another 2 poles to get it much higher to help w/trees if needed. I have the base and have a 150’ cable- sometimes...

With Starlink it varies- but it is all “fast enough”. I just tested as I was writing this In Arkansas (11pm) and it was the slowest I have seen in a long time 26Mbps down and 15 up. Yesterday 10am, I got 148Mbps down and 18 up. Same spot. A few months ago we were in Baja and the speed really...

I think you can zoom on my dad’s brackets in the photo. He cut two 3” pieces. One he bolted onto the bottom of the solar panel frame, the other was screwed into the roof. Then he bolted the two brackets together. It made a “Z” shape (except 90 degree bend instead of 45). I remember...

As a full-time RVer - for us Starlink has been awesome! $150/mo (roam) and I can get signal as long as I don’t have too many trees above me. We boondock a lot and often in areas that don’t have any signal.

I used 2” “L” angle stock .125” (from On Line Metals). I made mine 6” long. I used eight prices per 200w panel - bolted four to the corners of the panel and the other four were attached to my Fiberglass roof - VHB Tape, plus a roof screw - Dicore over everything. Mine are in a “C” shape. A...

Thanks for the catch… typo between the brain and the finger…. I fixed the above statement to be correct. 😎

Ok back to interesting problems of mis-matched panels… One other idea. Add a mppt. Mppt#1 100/50: put the two100w panels in parallel- then put them in series with the 200w panel. Design so if you ground mount any they go on this array. Mppt#2 put right side 55w + 35w panels in parallel… put...

I used a Victron Multiplus in my MotorHome - it is an inverter/charger and works VERY well. Upstream of the inverter is a transfer switch to switch between grid & generator. One very important thing to check is that the inverter is handling the N-G bonds correctly (Neutral-Ground Bonds). You...

Wow 4 different panels… with 7 panels in total… 1 200w 2 100w 2 55w 2 35w This will be a fun problem. To get started we need to know for each panel the following specs. Voc Vmp Imp And your battery voltage and type.(example - 12v LiFePo4). Also, have you already purchased any Solar Charge...

One issue you need to solve is your N-G bond. (Neutral-Ground Bond). This unit doesn’t help. When on inverter your inverter needs to supply the N-G. When on generator, the generator needs to supply the N-G bond. When on Grid, the grid will supply the bond. You CANNOT have more than one N-G...

Three options… 1. Use propane/natural gas for water heater, stove & house heating. 2. Spend the money to get: Heat pump water heater Induction stove Ground based heat pump furnace Extra panels &batteries 3. Plan on grid for those heavy hitter to support the needed amps. 4. Only use heavy...

The receipts for the items purchased is what an irs auditor will ask about - also if the story you tell them makes sense and seems reasonable. This year I did the third solar tax credit on my MotorHome (my primary residence). Each was a project that I added solar. I will do another in a few...

I think I understand your questions. In that drawing of the Victron Lynx “stuff” there are three different items in the “Main Bus Bar” A. On the left side is a Lynx Power In. This is what all the batteries connect to. Each cable that attaches to a battery needs to be the same size, length,etc...

The Victron Smartshunt is well worth it - especially when you have a Victron mppt. The Bluetooth app works very well. The biggest advantage of the Smartshunt is you will KNOW how full or empty your battery is and can then take appropriate actions. I full-time in an RV (with lots of Victron...

When you add the two panels, mount them so if possible you can add two more in the future. Go 2s2p now then you have options for the future. And get the Victron Smartshunt or BMV712- that will help you really understand what is happening to your batteries.

I don’t know about Marine… But my brother installed a lithium battery in his side by side ATV. A short time later (a couple of hours on the atv), it died and then they noticed “smoke” coming from the battery. He pulled the battery out (very hot and venting) and started to walk back to cell...

Those are both good panels to combine. Using Vmp & Imp (not Voc and Isc) The math of combining is: In series you add volts and use the lowest amps. In parallel you add amps and use the lowest volt. After volts * amps = watts. The penalty for combining different panels depends on the the...

Your inverter and your battery must be the same voltage- both 12v or both 24v. What equipment do you already have?

You may want to research soft starts. I put a Micro-Air soft start on my RV air conditioner so my Victron Multiplus can start it up and run it… But my guess is you will need a massive inverter/battery/system to run all that.

You really need more than one battery for an inverter of that size. Nope not even close… it might be able to pull that much but the voltage drop would shut the inverter down as you heated the wire up. Especially in a 12v system voltage drop is not good. Look up “Blue sea wire amp chart” you...

The BMS can only supply 100a (or so depending on the model) to the inverter- to get 200amps you put two batteries in parallel. If you need 250a you put three batteries in parallel. The fuse size depends on the wires. To get that many amps into an inverter you need 4/0 cable or two sets of...

Those panels do qualify because they are new - “not used”. Shipping, taxes and labor paid is all included in the cost of the project. The entire project that is part of the solar/battery project is available for the credit. So the conduit to the critical load panel, the backhoe rental to dig...

Do you RV in cold or is the cold just for storage? You can discharge colder than 32F - but DO NOT charge when the battery is colder than 32F. If you RV when temps are below 35F a battery that has heat would be good. If you just store your rig in the winter - just disconnect the battery - it...

You are a cash based taxpayer. So the taxes are due in the year you receive the cash (or other units of value). If you discover you didn’t report income/deductions on your taxes in the last three years you should do an amended tax return - the statute of limitations expires after three years...

When mixing different panels (really this is for any panels -same or different); (Using Vmp and Imp numbers) When in Series the volts add and you use the lowest amps. When in parallel the amps add and you use the lowest volts. You figure out each string - then if you combine strings together...

One issue that may occur… Your mppt solar charge controller will be switching from 12v to 24v and back to 12v a lot. Is the settings to make that change easy to change? Good luck

Hopefully you have a switch between the solar charge controller and the panels- “turn the sun off” switch. If not, in the Victron app for the SCC There is a “Charger enabled” switch in the battery settings page, you can turn the charger off there.