my solar

[havingfunnow]

I did it! I can harvest solar energy!



I put the whole system together myself, buying each piece separately. I'm so proud of myself.





Happy, Happy!!!

[BirdbyBird]

WoooHooo.....I like that intelligent women can think and even read directions when necessary!

[havingfunnow]

I am irrationally and excessively proud of myself! Also happy that I won't have to worry about getting campsites with electricity!

[WickedLady]

Good for you! The components? What size panels, battery, and what is that other thing?

[JudyJB]

Congratulations! We women can do anything. (Well, almost.)

[Bethers]

Yahoo!!!

[snowball]

That is super good...wish I understood mine better
sheila

[Redetotry]

Well done!! You have every right to be proud!!

[havingfunnow]

Thank you! I'm all thrilled that it worked.

It's just a little 50 watt panel -- but I only need power for my "toys" -- laptop, cameras, Kindle -- so that should be fine. The power controller is 20A, which should be large enough for that input. I like the readout, and I like the fact that it has two USB ports and a "load" output for charging other devices. I hate the way the input/out contacts are designed; you can't actually see the wire when you're screwing down the contact clamp. I prefer the kind where you can wrap the wire around the contact, but I don't know if any charge controllers have that kind. The black box with the clamps on the terminals is a small 12v sealed lead acid battery, about the size you'd use for a house alarm system. (I have other batteries, but none that the controller could recognize.) The third black thing is a little lithium battery that can do lots of things -- emergency flashers, jump-start the car, backup supply for devices. It can't be used as the collecting battery, because this controller doesn't register lithium. I've read that the "load" position actually draws from the collector battery, so maybe that's why it can be charged in that position.

It was fairly easy to set up -- but then, everything is easy after you understand it! I couldn't find the right connecting wires for several things and ended up cutting and stripping some wires, which was a bit nerve-wracking. It turned out ok, though!

[Cudedog]

Well done!

I have been thinking for quite a while to add solar to my van, mainly so that (as you stated) I won't need electric hookups. Mostly I want to be able to run my ac/dc Dometic Refrigerator/Freezer.

Have done a bit of research, the Dometic only draws about 3 1/2 amps, so likely a 200 watt solar system with two deep cycle batteries would more than fill the bill.

Would love it if you would care to post your list of components, where you purchased them, and the "adventure"of putting everything together.

I think it would make a good story for everyone here.

Thank you!

Anne

[havingfunnow]

Oh, Anne, we must have been online at the same time! Yeah, it really was an adventure!

The panel is a Renology with MC4 connectors. I ran across it at half price at Home Depot and bought it on impulse. It's lightweight enough for even a wimp like me to move around easily, and I'm not going to install it on top of the van, because I prefer to park in the shade.

The controller is the ALLPOWERS 20A from Amazon, also on sale. I know the controller should be sized to the fit the panel, but this is a really small setup so I didn't worry about it too much. It's a PWM controller, not an MPPT. I'm not sure exactly what the difference is; I think something about the sine wave. I know some appliances, like microwaves, are really fussy about that, but I don't know about the Dometic (by the way, I am hereby formally jealous of your Dometic! )

I already had two jump start batteries, which I am using for this season. Not the greatest choice for sure, but I already have them and didn't want to dip into the traveling stash, so there you go. Neither one could be used with the controller as a primary battery, so I got a little sealed lead acid with F1 terminals, the kind you'd use for a home alarm. Nobody had them on the shelf locally, so that came from Amazon also. (Does anybody else think stock in local stores has deteriorated with the huge rise of mail order?)

The wiring was annoying. The MC4 connectors were ok, except that the open wires weren't twisted or soldered and splayed out under the screw. The alligator clips came with ring connectors, which had to be cut off and the wires stripped and prepped. The cigarette plug cable came with open ends but no stripped wires. I ended up adapting all of them.

Other than that, it was pretty straightforward. The controller has six contact points, all clearly labeled, and the + and - are labeled too. You're supposed to hook up the battery first, then the panel. That's some kind of safety thing, but I've never seen an explanation of just what.

Anne, let us know what you do about your setup! I don't know much about wiring in parallel yet, but I'm curious!

[Cudedog]

Oh, Anne, we must have been online at the same time! Yeah, it really was an adventure!

Anne, let us know what you do about your setup! I don't know much about wiring in parallel yet, but I'm curious!

I have been researching solar systems for my van for quite a while, and actually spent the entire day today sitting on my a--, surfing the net researching information.

I checked out everything from a full professional install (just not me! I am the DIY type) to your basic DIY install.

I hate to admit it (shhh!) but I am a YouTube junkie, and after hours of searching found this video that pretty much filled in all of the blanks of "how to wire a simple solar system" for me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-sobsJvuX4&t=160s

I don't plan to run an inverter, I just want to be able to run my Dometic CF25 ac/dc fridge/freezer on solar so that I don't always have to have electric hookups to keep my food cold. This video gives step-by-step wiring instructions, including how to install a DC recepticle in order to run DC appliances.

I spent probably the entire day searching for just the right panel set-up, from a "solar suitcase" to just purchasing the panels and putting them together myself. At first I thought the flexible solar panels that one just basically glues to the roof of one's RV (in my case, my van) was the best idea going, and was all set to go until I began to read that these types of panels have a very high failure rate. Some panels failed after only a few days.

Ugh. Not for me.

I then looked at standard aluminum-frame solar panels mounted on a roof rack on my van, but after lots more reading realized that to purchase a reliable rack for my van would be quite a few major $$, plus the rack would put the panels up in the slip stream of the van, which would cause wind drag, which would likely lead to a loss of gas mileage - and a loss of stealthiness.

Additionally, having items up there in the wind stream would most likely lead to rattling and wind whistle, which would drive me nuts. I really dislike rattles and bumps (and whistles!) as I am going down the road, and have always done everything possible to ensure that my van has a quiet ride. Which it does.

A further limiting factor in my search is that I don't want to drill holes in the outside of my van, nor do I want to carry anything on the back bumper. So, with the stick-on solar panels (bad failure rate) and the aluminum-frame panels (expensive no-drill roof rack to mount them) and the requirement that the panels fit inside my van (they can take up space pretty fast!) my choices were getting pretty limited.

I finally went back to square one, and have pretty much decided on this solar suitcase package from Amazon. It is monocrystalline rather than polycrystalline (which is preferable).

https://www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-Portable-Monocrystalline-Foldable-Suitcase/dp/B06Y47379G/ref=sr_1_cc_9?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1505598587&sr=1-9-catcorr&keywords=60w+mono+solar+panel

and I can always upgrade the PWM charge controller to a MPPT controler later on, if need be.

https://www.solacity.com/mppt-vs-pwm-charge-controllers-whats-difference/

It will be a pain to deploy the suitcase each time, but I figure that I will probably only use them when out boondocking with friends (where I will stay put for a few days), and not on my usual "mad dash" style of travel (when the van is running, the fridge runs off of the dc socket (which used to be called the cigarette lighter).

Still further research to be sure that the this suitcase will be able to charge the deep-cycle batteries enough to be able to run the fridge, this calculator proved extremely helpful:

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/solar-calculator.html

It will be close, but I think this solar set-up can do it.

I am now looking at deep-cycle batteries, probably 120ah will be best. Not sure if I will go with 12 volt or two 6 volt wired together (to create 12 volt). What I have read suggests that two 6-volt batteries might be best, because these are true deep-cycle batteries and the 12 volt "deep cycle" are pretty much just modified car batteries and not true deep-cycle.

Anyway, all of this has been fun. I think I will be able to stow the suitcase at the end of my bed in the van so that it is out of the way, but am still deciding.

If anyone can suggest a source for high amp-hour deep-cycle batteries, it would be appreciated. I am still researching this part of it.

Not 100% sure I will go forward - I generally like to stay at campgrounds that have electric hookups - but they are more expensive than those without. On the other hand, my daughter recently suggested a days-long no-hookups camp out at the beach, so I am still deciding whether or not to do this.

Have you used your new solar set-up yet? Would love to know how you like it.

Thanks!

Anne

[Bethers]

Anne, I recommend you check out products on Brian Boone's site. He's my solar guru. And he'll answer questions without doing the install for do it yourselfers.
https://gotsolarinstalled.blogspot.com/?m=1

[havingfunnow]

Thanks for the links, folks!

So that's why an MPPT controller is so much more expensive! It sounds a lot more efficient, too. Ah, upgrades, upgrades . . .

I like the look of that solar "suitcase." I'll bet it only takes a minute or two to set up, so it couldn't be too inconvenient. I think the big drawback would probably be only getting energy when you're somewhere that you can set up, and none while you're driving. I don't really see that as a problem; I charge off the alternator/driving battery while in transit.

I haven't been out for a weekend or a trip yet, but I've been setting the panel up in my back yard. It tops off my batteries very nicely! I can see I'm going to be very happy with it.

Son #2 is talking about installing solar to run all his outdoor lights. I told him he's not allowed to do it unless I'm around to take part in the build. Won't that be fun?