Sun_Dried_Toad
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2020
- Messages
- 81
So. I have my Sol-Ark 12k up and going for 4 days now. Of those 4 days, only 2 have been running loads. 2440w of panels on the roof.
Day 1: install 12k and connect 4X trojan T-1275 batteries for 48v. let charge to 100%, no loads.
day 2: connect single load circuit. circuit consists of: one 12cuft chest freezer (GE one year old) two LED light bulbs, one 120v central HVAC blower fan motor. circuit was dead when I woke up, Sol-Ark in alarm for low battery. Move Chest freezer to a separate circuit, allow system to restart, on it's own,
Day 3: when sun came up. System runs fine, all day. that night, we got a cold front, Central HVAC unit was running (only the 120v blower fan is on solar circuit). The battery died before I went to bed at 11:45 pm. for the record, the outside temperature overnight was not very cold. as a reminder, our HVAC condenser is NOT on the circuit, just the blower fan. Our HVAC furnace is gas powered, not a heat pump, so it would not have mattered, anyway. I Removed the entire load circuit from solar system, allow system to recharge batteries next day after sunrise, with no loads.
day 4: Batteries (4x trojan t-1275) charge all day, no loads. stop at battery store, pick up 4 more trojan t-1275's. come home, wire in additional batteries. NO LOADS CONNECTED. will allow sun to rise, and charge and top off all 8X trojan T-1275 batteries to full. once batteries are topped off, I will connect a single load circuit. Of course, it will run fine, all day, while sun is up. the test will come at night, when we switch to batteries.
Day 5: When sun rises, I will allow system to charge, without load for a few hours, just to ensure all 8 batteries are equal and full charge. after a few hours of top-off charge, I will connect one load circuit. It will likely be a circuit with a freezer OR refrigerator on it, since that will be my primary critical load focus over nights, as we tiptoe into off-grid.
I know that 4 batteries was not much, but I was still surprised just how fast a single circuit ran them down.
I am unsure if I will purchase any more FLA trojan t-1275 batteries. not because of any negative feelings about the product, I just feel that by the time I buy enough banks to achieve my needed storage, I would exceed the number of banks that are recommended for a single 12k unit (4 banks of 4 trojans each) and I would have spent money that would/could be better spent on something lithium bases, such as a Fortress Eflex. the Eflex batteries are around $3,500 and must be purchased in a set of 2 to work with the Sol-Ark. after the initial investment of 2 Eflex, you can add additional Eflex batteries one-at-a-time, you just have to START with two, minimum.
I have another less desirable 48 volt charge controller that I can eventually pair my FLA batteries with, in a less critical or less night-time use area. or, I could sell them to someone for a golf cart, or just eat the cost, and have some last ditch back up batteries on a shelf for a few years, until they give up the ghost. I'm sure I could find a use for them.
Wife and I are planning a move to a home we are building, so the upgrades will continue, using our current home and circuits as a test area to learn about what works and what needs to be improved. We will be buying 12x Mission Solar 345w panels after we get our storage situation figured out and properly sized.
When we move to the new home, we will be making a drastic change in lifestyle. we will switch to wood fire heat and cook stove as our primary source. we will switch to oil lamps in the evenings, and will no longer watch tv after sunset. We will spend our evenings working the land, and our nights either reading, interacting with each other or simply getting bed at a much earlier healthier hour, so as to be ready to wake early the next day, to begin work on the homestead.
I realize this is a bit of a repeat of a recent post of mine. sorry about the redundancy. at least the top of the post was all new about my real world testing of the system.
Day 1: install 12k and connect 4X trojan T-1275 batteries for 48v. let charge to 100%, no loads.
day 2: connect single load circuit. circuit consists of: one 12cuft chest freezer (GE one year old) two LED light bulbs, one 120v central HVAC blower fan motor. circuit was dead when I woke up, Sol-Ark in alarm for low battery. Move Chest freezer to a separate circuit, allow system to restart, on it's own,
Day 3: when sun came up. System runs fine, all day. that night, we got a cold front, Central HVAC unit was running (only the 120v blower fan is on solar circuit). The battery died before I went to bed at 11:45 pm. for the record, the outside temperature overnight was not very cold. as a reminder, our HVAC condenser is NOT on the circuit, just the blower fan. Our HVAC furnace is gas powered, not a heat pump, so it would not have mattered, anyway. I Removed the entire load circuit from solar system, allow system to recharge batteries next day after sunrise, with no loads.
day 4: Batteries (4x trojan t-1275) charge all day, no loads. stop at battery store, pick up 4 more trojan t-1275's. come home, wire in additional batteries. NO LOADS CONNECTED. will allow sun to rise, and charge and top off all 8X trojan T-1275 batteries to full. once batteries are topped off, I will connect a single load circuit. Of course, it will run fine, all day, while sun is up. the test will come at night, when we switch to batteries.
Day 5: When sun rises, I will allow system to charge, without load for a few hours, just to ensure all 8 batteries are equal and full charge. after a few hours of top-off charge, I will connect one load circuit. It will likely be a circuit with a freezer OR refrigerator on it, since that will be my primary critical load focus over nights, as we tiptoe into off-grid.
I know that 4 batteries was not much, but I was still surprised just how fast a single circuit ran them down.
I am unsure if I will purchase any more FLA trojan t-1275 batteries. not because of any negative feelings about the product, I just feel that by the time I buy enough banks to achieve my needed storage, I would exceed the number of banks that are recommended for a single 12k unit (4 banks of 4 trojans each) and I would have spent money that would/could be better spent on something lithium bases, such as a Fortress Eflex. the Eflex batteries are around $3,500 and must be purchased in a set of 2 to work with the Sol-Ark. after the initial investment of 2 Eflex, you can add additional Eflex batteries one-at-a-time, you just have to START with two, minimum.
I have another less desirable 48 volt charge controller that I can eventually pair my FLA batteries with, in a less critical or less night-time use area. or, I could sell them to someone for a golf cart, or just eat the cost, and have some last ditch back up batteries on a shelf for a few years, until they give up the ghost. I'm sure I could find a use for them.
Wife and I are planning a move to a home we are building, so the upgrades will continue, using our current home and circuits as a test area to learn about what works and what needs to be improved. We will be buying 12x Mission Solar 345w panels after we get our storage situation figured out and properly sized.
When we move to the new home, we will be making a drastic change in lifestyle. we will switch to wood fire heat and cook stove as our primary source. we will switch to oil lamps in the evenings, and will no longer watch tv after sunset. We will spend our evenings working the land, and our nights either reading, interacting with each other or simply getting bed at a much earlier healthier hour, so as to be ready to wake early the next day, to begin work on the homestead.
I realize this is a bit of a repeat of a recent post of mine. sorry about the redundancy. at least the top of the post was all new about my real world testing of the system.