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diy solar

Is this battery good choice for 600 watt system?

gaveupontv

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2023
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60
Location
Sacramento Ca

I believe that Renogy said I should get 2500-3000 watt hours a day with my 6 (100 watt panels) system. I wanted to get the new A cells and put together a 302 amp hour battery, but they are out of stock now. It would be around $900. But this battery is 400 amp hours and I think it has a 200 amp bms, so am I correct that this is enough to run a small microwave 700-800 watts I think that I had previously planned to run my generator for? The battery I had planned to build only had a 100 amp or a 120 am bms.
This $1450 battery doesn't have the led screen that tells everything going on with it, but I will have that Renogy One screen that should tell me everything I need to know.
 
The battery is probably great. However having only 600w worth of panels you might find that you can not keep it charged up if your loads draw it down each day. In terms of starting and running a microwave it will supply an inverter with up to the 200a that its BMS is rated for minus inverter conversion overhead. Many people use 85%. Example you want to operate a 800w microwave that draws 1200w to run. 1200w/.85=1412w from battery (battery is 4800wh nominal)

The bigger question is if your inverter you are planning to use can handle the microwaves demand. A 2000w likely would but a 1500w might not.
 
I don't actually have a large amount of electricity use at the moment, but I plan to have a wireless network up. The battery will probably stay close to full.
I think my inverter is at least 2000 and might be 3000. Its Chinese and sometimes it "glitches" the power turns off but then goes back on immediately. I'm going to keep it but only for microwave and air fryer. I'm planning on getting a good quality smaller inverter that also maybe has lower "overhead" when its on. 700 watts should be plenty. What are the better brands of invertors? Everything I have is Renogy so far
 
Sometimes I'll use a small compressor and a table saw or sliding chop saw too. It would be nice to never (or rarely) use my small Honda generator. Maybe in future I'll put another 2 100 watt panels on roof, but I'll have to make compromises to do it. Maybe a free standing set of panels would do it.
 
If your inverter glitches as you describe (and it has proper supply cables and hookups) I would say you should not use it for anything. I do not have any real input into best brands of inverters since I run a AIO presently and the inverters I have used in the past were all cheap Chinese made units. Probably Samlex or Victron if you need a sub 1000w model.
 
Since the inverter you have is glitchy and you need over 1000W, to operate the tools and microwave, and you are building to eliminate the genny, I would go 24V, get an all in one 3000W 24V Inverter, and get the battery in 24v configuration at 200Ah...
Much more efficient, better use, and smaller wiring needed.
 
I have a cheapo $300 all in one, and have it tied to 680W of used panels in series, and leave it on all the time tied to a 160Ah battery, and it does all my tool charging, runs my air compressor, and runs my wire stripping equipment in the shop yard...
 
I need some kind of bigger battery (or at least I WANT a bigger battery). I know its always better to go up on voltage for the reasons you said and I guess I could use micro invertors for the few things I have that are 12 volt. I wouldn't mind having ac but I am ok with the fans I have now. Maybe if i plan to go to Death Valley (which I'd like to do eventually but no immediate plans now) but I'd need more panels as well as a big battery then.
Still it's really a upgrade using a generator a whole lot less.
 
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