Search results

I just bought the 120 Ah deep cycle batt fr Walmart: http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-Group-Size-29DC-Marine-Battery/20531543 Is this any good for solar power use?

If I'm not mistaken, wiring for 24vdc solar panels will need a pair of the 12vdc connecting in series. Then from those series parallel them to combine them to keep the same voltage but increase in amperage. It is not possible to wire 3 panels in series because it'll become 36v right? Another...

The rate here in Southern CA is about 0.16 for tier 1 and all the way up to 0.32 for tier 3. I'm past tier 3 and paying about $300-400/month. With a $1000 investment in the newer 165 W panels, I should see my investment pay off within 6-12 months and keep the pricing down to 0.16/kWh. For micro...

Solarepic Grid Tie Inverter 1000w Stackable w/ MPPT 20-45v Input 110v Output https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01846NGNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 At $130, it's worth the try to save a few hundred bucks a month on power bill.

I'll try out the small scale grid tie inverter (1000w) for $130 to see how it goes.

I think the answer to my problem is a cheap grid-tie inverter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RX3YF12/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza This pretty much eliminate the need for battery or transfer switch. Any suggestion or tips on grid tie inverter? I never used one. This will be the first.

All I'm trying to do is capture the sun's free energy during peak solar hours without going trough the battery. My load is about 120-180w (going through an 1000W PSW inverter.) I'm seeing about 18-25A of solar output from the 6 120w panels. When the peak solar hour is over, I switch back to grid...

This is a unique situation where I'm not completely off the grid. There are times where I park my minivan in the city. My electrical needs are completely off the grid, grid and off-grid (hybrid). I have full access to solar panels on the top of the house roof. About ten 120w panels to be exact...

Providing that the sunlight availability is excellent only during the duration of the load (~11a-4p), is it possible to feed about 800W of panels directly to a 80A PMM controller -> 1000W DC-AC inverter and also direct 12vdc out to the loads? The loads I'll be using are: LED TV, lights, laptops...

Thanks for the tip. I'll order the Magsafe cable only and your link should do the trick. Sticking in 12VDC domain seems to be a wiser choice since I don't have to go to an inverter which will loose at least 15% of energy...

I'm trying to power my MBP 15" Retina 2014 model with 12 VDC but no luck. They used to have the old airline Magsafe adaptor but that only works on earlier models of the MBP. The latest MBP has higher voltage requirement. Seems like Apple is a proprietary company and 3rd party products don't have...

I have the Micro Solar 1K PSW inverter for 4 months and it died. The PSW works great on sensitive computer hard drives, laptops and other delicate electronics. The reason it died (keeps on beeping with anything greater than 10w of load): I overloaded the inverter by plugging into a Mac Pro...

Roll up panels are super expensive. Suitcase panel at 100 W is simply too little power. 100W may sound big but in reality it's not in actual real-world environment. My rule of thumb is a 100 W panel is really only 50 W. So double up on the panels. I'm using four 120W flexible solar panels and...

I noticed unwanted insects are getting into the van. Most noticeably spiders. I left my window open during the night for many days. I didn't use the Skeeter Beater magnetic windshield protector. I guess the only way to combat this is to vacuum the van's interior on a regular basis. Last spider...

I use the Koolatron to store produce and perishable foods. During winter and in colder northern states (WA, MT, WY), I can turn it off more and let the cold ambient temp keep the produce cool. But when I use Mr Heater MH9BX in the van and the int temp rises to 70 F, that's where I tend to turn...

I'm using a budget VMax Tanks 175 Ah AGM batt. Max charging is 40A. If I have two 175 Ah batts wired in parallel, can I charge it at 75 A (using the PowerMax Pm3-75@$150) while it's in parallel connection? The PowerMax chargers looks pretty plain. It's almost like a computer power supply. The...

The Lasko 200W 120V ~2A heater is used during night sleeping and certain cold morning. Another 170 Ah AGM batt dedicated just for this is ideal. But it's not cheap in terms of cost and space needed to stack another big AGM batt in the crowded minivan. I usually use Mr Heater and propane anytime...

The four 120W panels are actually only 2.5 in terms of true power output. When I permanently mount the two 120W on top of the minivan, it's no where as effective as manually positioning the remains two panel to the sun. During peak sunny days (getting about 10-14A), it helps to keep the...

I'm thinking of getting a Honda EU2000 generator to reduce my minivan's engine & alternator wear and tear. I'm using a lot of electricity per day and I don't know how much longer can my minivan last if it's constantly idling for 6-8 hours/day to charge the two 170 Ah batts. My four 120W semi...

The Whistler 400W mod sine wave I got came bundled with a very thin AWG wire. If I'm not mistaken, 400W AC load on that inverter will need roughly 33 A (400/12=33) in DC. That would translate to roughly a 10 AWG wire on my solar panel below 10 ft run. I'm seeing the supplied cable to be very...