New solar generator system questions

[jeepnmedic]

hey guys, so I am starting a new system from almost nothing, I had lots of questions, I am sure some are newbie questions but I cant seem to find the answer already on the forum, and the world wide web seems to send me in loops. some of my questions are general based and some are specific for my build so I will start here and if the thread needs to be moved it can. so anyhow some back ground on my system, I have a 2021 jeep gladiator (truck) I am building an overlanding rig out of, that said I have a bed rack with a tent over the truck bed. so my system will be exposed to water when it rains (no direct downpour just major moister in the air and water in the bed of the truck), so to start I have found a box that seals fairly well from water (not air tight) to put all my components in, I already have a reneogy 30a dc-dc with mppt, and renogy 1000 w inverter to start with. here's the first barrage of questions.

1. with these types of components do I need to have air flow through the box for cooling? if so will the normal outside humidity affect or damage them?

2. also I plan on a LifePo4 battery can that be in the same box as the components? I have read before SLA batteries should not be in the "general" area of the components because of minor off gassing.

3. I wont have any where to hard mount solar, so it will mainly be used when the truck is off, (dc-dc not charging batts) is it ok to disconnect and reconnect solar panels to a active system through the dc-dc with mppt system?

these are the main ones in can think of as I go forward, I am sure I will have more as the system progresses. thank you for yall help.

 

[HRTKD]

Yes, you need airflow. I have a 1000 watt inverter and it will heat up the compartment it is in pretty good. Both the DC-DC and the inverter will create heat. Some units can handle humidity better than others. Check the manufacturer's specifications.

LiFePO4 cells can also create heat, but it's not much as long as you aren't charging or discharging at high rates. Colocating the cells with other components is OK. There are many examples of that here on the forum. Look up milk crate builds.

You can connect and disconnect panels as much as you want. However, MC4 connectors shouldn't be disconnected under load. Check the Maximum Voltage Input of your DC-DC and the Voc of the panels. The panels may produce more voltage than the DC-DC device is capable of handling. I would not run the output of an MPPT through the DC-DC device. The MPPT is expecting to get feedback from the batteries on voltage. The input side of the DC-DC may not produce any volts.