Using Solar Setup during Lockdown

[CostMoney]

Hi guys,
Im new to this forum discussion thing and I couldn’t find what I was thinking of doing.
I’ve got a camper trailer with a Victron MPPT 30A, 170ah Renogy Lithium battery, 200w flex solar panel and a 2000w Inverter that just died. During lockdown it’s sitting there doing nothing.

I was thinking of running a lead to it and power my laundry and some of the kitchen, which has a freezer, washing machine and fridge. Getting an average 700w to 1000w a day.

I’m getting another 170ah Renogy lithium battery so 350ah all up and a 3000w Renogy Inverter. Having it run all day, everyday, is this safe to do?
I know it will reduce the cycles of the battery and the life of the 3000w Inverter but would it do any long term damage to the batteries or inverter?
Just want to put it to use while I’m stuck at home.

 

[Bubba1]

You need more panels. 700 to a 1000w is fine for camping but not for what you are planning.

 

[CostMoney]

I can get another 200w panel so I’ve got 400w but that’s reaching the 30A limit on the mppt. It’s more if I’m damaging the Inverter over time. Not familiar with the Renogy ones. Heard there good though

 

[MichaelK]

You really need to start out with an itemized list. Looking at what you mention "freezer, washing machine and fridge" I'd say

freezer 600Wh per day
washing machine 200Wh per hour of use
refrigerator 1200Wh per day
inverter consuming 750Wh per day just being on

So, with the frig an freezer running, and you do one load of laundry That works out to be 2750Wh of power per day. Assuming you get around 3sunhours in winter and 5 in summer, you'd need.... 2750Wh/3 sunhours = 916W of panels to power this.

 

[bobdelso]

I can get another 200w panel so I’ve got 400w but that’s reaching the 30A limit on the mppt. It’s more if I’m damaging the Inverter over time. Not familiar with the Renogy ones. Heard there good though

You can parallel and series wire the panels depending on the MPPT and panels.

Damage to the inverter is caused by heat. If you run a 1500 watt load on a 2k watt inverter and its in a small box with no airflow, your inverter will die quick. If you run a 3k watt inverter with a 1500 watt load with good airflow, that should last a while.

Large inverters have a terrible standby power consumption. Ive seen ones that pull 20-50 watts at idle or 15-35ah per day.

You need at least 1000 watts of solar to do what your thinking of. A deep freezer will consume 15-20AH, a fridge is up to 50AH. Your 200 watt panel will produce around 60ah in 24 hours.

You can supplement the power though. Let your batteries charge up to 80-90%. Switch over to the inverter. Turn off the inverter at 35-20% charge. Let the batteries recharge over a few days. Rinse repeat

 

[efficientPV]

Your panels are probably flat so count on half the power.

 

[Leon]

If it's in a camper trailer, cycle life is never going to be a problem. The batteries would probably die through sheer age before they get worn out from cycling. I'd give it a go and see what results you get. Add one appliance at a time. Do you wash hot or cold? If hot, does the machine heat its own water? This will make a huge difference.

Regarding wear and tear on your inverter, with the fairly small amount of solar input you have, it's not like the inverter could be running at continuous full load for a very big percentage of the time. I wouldn't be worried about it.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

FWIW Renogy is hit or miss on quality as they buy warehouses of overstock and then rebrand from what I understand. I could be mistaken but that is my understanding of their business model

 

[Supervstech]

Cord size and length play a huge part in damage to things… make sure to use a #12 extension cord or larger run to the washer and fridge…

 

[Leon]

Cord size and length play a huge part in damage to things… make sure to use a #12 extension cord or larger run to the washer and fridge…

4mm2 extension cords are not common in Australia. 2.5mm2 is pretty typical for hard-wired household power circuits. Most common extension cords are 1.5mm2, but 2.5mm2 can be had (when not in lockdown).

e.g. https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-50m-2-5mm-10a-extra-heavy-duty-extension-lead_p0191740

and https://www.bunnings.com.au/deta-40m-2-5mm-15a-extra-heavy-duty-extension-lead_p0191739

The 15A one will not work with the power strip in the picture, the earth pin is the wrong shape.

 

[Hedges]

Since you're replacing the inverter,
And buying a second, identical battery,
Consider going 24V. Viola! Your MPPT can suddenly handle twice as many watts.

But make sure the battery is compatible with series connection. That applies more voltage to its FETs when they disconnect.

A small system can't power much of your house. It is difficult to size and use. If it can be grid-interactive (zero-export so free of hassles with utility company) then much easier.

I don't know anything about these, but if they can do zero-export, it could run your trailer off-grid and backfeed the house when parked. You'll have to read the details, or someone else can comment or recommend a different one.

Best Price 24V Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM – 3kW 120Vac Stackable Inverter 2kW MPPT Charge Controller Split Phase 120V/240V capable with two or more units – Special – Watts247 Wholesale

watts247.com

 

[wattmatters]

4mm2 extension cords are not common in Australia. 2.5mm2 is pretty typical for hard-wired household power circuits. Most common extension cords are 1.5mm2, but 2.5mm2 can be had (when not in lockdown).

With plug in appliances operating at twice the AC voltage of the US means we can kinda get away with narrower gauge.

 

[pollenface]

I run my washing machine from 2x 20m el-cheapo extension leads from bunnings. Works awesome.

 

[Leon]

I run my washing machine from 2x 20m el-cheapo extension leads from bunnings. Works awesome.

It's probably a bad idea, but I've run a tumble dryer on one of those, drawing 2000W. The socket end of the cord gets slightly warm.

 

[pollenface]

It's probably a bad idea, but I've run a tumble dryer on one of those, drawing 2000W. The socket end of the cord gets slightly warm.

High drawing appliances it could be bad, but I've never seen my washing machine pull more than about 350w instantaneously. It's a fisher & paykel front loader.

Most high drawing loads are run close to the inverter (in my workshop).

 

[Leon]

High drawing appliances it could be bad, but I've never seen my washing machine pull more than about 350w instantaneously. It's a fisher & paykel front loader.

Most high drawing loads are run close to the inverter (in my workshop).

Sounds normal for a washing machine that is not doing any heating.