Which charger+inverter?

[JRH]

Spend time underneath with some aluminum flashing and polyurethane caulking. That will thwart the cute little Mickeys and Minnies. ?
You can eliminate them


Well you haven’t met me.
The original 200W windy nation kit and Giandel 1200W was exactly what I needed then.
My upgrades only happened when I expanded my money saving project and thereby needed electricity to run the fridge. Then I progressed to winterized and needed to accommodate a furnace, and then I added 315W panels and additional SCC options. I never wished id done more because I got exactly what I needed when I needed it.

Scaling up as needs changed or I enhanced my goals was just that. I never regretted what I got or wished for more other than being annoyed at needing a couple warranty issues resolved.

I’m a boat guy- small boat guy- and I just never succumbed to one-foot-itis either.

No , your right … I never met you .. I was generalizing that from the people I have met in almost any DIY endeavor in life, most ( including me) thought at first “ this will get me by” …

sometimes it does , most times it doesn’t… in my case I just didn’t know enough to know I wasn’t buying enough solar to do what I was trying to do…
in this case I can only blame the SUN for not putting out enough power , or Me for not buying enough PV.
i think the answer is clear as to who is fault…

On the forum a lot of financially strong cats are now buying serious gear first time out… mind boggling amounts of equipment like it was nothing…it has changed so much in the last 5 years I’m amazed…that’s a luxury I don’t have…
Any way, you did better than most if you got what you needed out the gate…that’s a commendable achievement …most won’t or can’t do that….
summer is ok, but winter leaves me thinking , “ what was I thinking.” ..?. I need more cowbell.., !
J.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

luxury I don’t have

Understood.

However, i would not have bought my first system until I’d saved enough cash to procure what I calculated to be what my bare need was.

Would I have liked to go all out? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, I never spend if the item(s) obtainable will not suite the purpose. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?”
I know some are not driven in that dichotomy. I am. Just me.

 

[hardtop]

When I bought the inverter I needed to wire it and start using it. I've never wired a direct connected inverter before so I go to Home Depot after looking at all the options to buy wire in town and get wire for it. I look at thier connectors and all the hw store connectors and bought what they offered.

What I experienced was the wire connectors they sell are incompatible with their wire. Seems like a setup. On the flipside, if I RTFM then I would know the inverter should come with power wires. I was just in there today looking for what size fuse to get so the adventure in connecting the inverter could have been completely avoidable since I bought the inverter new.

There is a commercial grade electric shop near me that sells government and electric company type cables and wire and they had one proper connector size to fit the 6 AWG cable I bought with a 1/4" eye hole. I think my cables are too small for the current the inverter can draw and I needed 4 AWG but nobody had connectors for that wire size in 1/4" eye hole. The cables I ended up with are 6 AWG and 25" long. I haven't been drawing full power so that is probably why these cables I made are working?

The pic below shows the 2nd attempt at making a cable lol. Its missing shrinkwrap but I'm on a budget so I can't buy everything I need plus the heat gun. Been thinking about trying a torch to shrink the tubing. It might work if one is careful with a steady hand.

The cable that is all tweaked in the picture is what the local HW stores sell for interconnecting with their wire. Home Depot, Lowes, Ace, Cal Ranch. The better looking connector is what is needed for that type of wire. Its not going to bend and break. Way more robust. The crap connectors were like $12 for a box and the proper UL certified connectors were $2.75 each.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

trying a torch to shrink the tubing. It might work if one is careful with a steady hand.

I use a bernzomatic propane torch. I just ‘brush’ the torch back and forth and it doesn’t burn stuff.

crap connectors were like $12 for a box and the proper UL certified connectors were $2.75

I buy this stuff in bulk-but-small quantities on amazoned. 20 or 25 pieces are pretty inexpensive. An amazone brand I buy multipacks < $20 for a bajillion sizes is Glarks. Big/heavy 1ga-2/0 or whatever for big amp battery cables are available economically as well in various brands. Not the lowest cost but windyNation is good quality.

 

[740GLE]

What are you using to cook food? Portable stove? That works for heat shrink.

Heck a 99 cent lighter (are they still that cheap these days?) will also work, just go slow.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Heck a 99 cent lighter (are they still that cheap these days?) will also work, just go slow

On 6ga or bigger I’m not that patient LOL

fwiw I did s bunch of 2/0 over my kitchen stove burner. And anticipating the next question: nope; I’m not married

 

[hardtop]

What are you using to cook food? Portable stove? That works for heat shrink.

Heck a 99 cent lighter (are they still that cheap these days?) will also work, just go slow.

That sounds like a better idea vs a torch. I'll have both hands to steady the wire over the flame. I use a backpacking stove:

 

[740GLE]

I figured it was something MSR related.

Use low flame and ease into it.

 

[740GLE]

On 6ga or bigger I’m not that patient LOL

fwiw I did s bunch of 2/0 over my kitchen stove burner. And anticipating the next question: nope; I’m not married

Been there too, it’s camp many shady things fly