Harbor Freight Solar Panels

[brreitsma]

I am trying to find a camper van but if I can't I will get a pickup with camper. Either way I need whatever I get off grid. I was just wondering as far as the solar panels that are on sale now would 45 watts handle a small fridge or would I need two of them.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the forums!<br><br>Harbor Freight solar panels were discussed recently ( I can't find the post though) and the consensuses was that you can get better made and higher wattage&nbsp; panels elsewhere.<br><br>&nbsp;Check this post and the link for sizing panels for your fridge -<a href="http:// http//www.cheaprvliving.com/forums/post/EASY-to-use-12V-usage-calculator-5485453?highlight=volt+fridge" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> https://vanlivingforum.com/post/EASY-to-use-12V-usage-calculator-5485453?highlight=volt+fridge</a>

 

[wrcsixeight]

The HF panels are not ideal for many reasons.<br><br>In general, 60 watts and a sunny environment should be considered the minimum for a small fridge. &nbsp;With solar, aim high. &nbsp;It is easy to use everything the solar makes, but less easy to add more later.

 

[sparky1]

1.welcome to the site<BR>2.NO, harbor freight 45 watt solar panel set will NOT run your small fridge,Because you will only have a (few) hours of collecting time charging YOUR battery,&nbsp;opposed to 24 hr-run/drain off your battery to operate it..<BR>I have a set of their panels, they do me fine for what I have,---but NOT a fridge.

 

[highdesertranger]

what type of refer would help.&nbsp; i personally will not buy anything from hf.&nbsp; cheap chinese junk that they stole the rights to or got another company to sell out for profit to have goods made there&nbsp;not to mention the slave labor, political prisoner labor, and child labor used in allot of their companies.&nbsp; america better wake up cheap is not always better.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[owl]

&nbsp; Some are using these panels with success.

 

[Saguache]

I was just wondering as far as the solar panels that are on sale now would 45 watts handle a small fridge or would I need two of them.

<br><br>This really depends on the fridge you're thinking about buying. &nbsp;Basically, you'll want to start looking for something that sips electricity. &nbsp;The comparison is going to be a ratio between power consumption and cost, primarily for the fridge. &nbsp;For instance, the <a href="http://www.engel-usa.com/index.php?..._id=1&amp;option=com_virtuemart&amp;Itemid=59" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Engle MT45 AC/DC</a>&nbsp;(which is incidentally a great unit) is going to run you nearly a $1000 USD. &nbsp;You'll be able to charge a battery which will power it for days with a 45 Watt panel (or even less if that's all your charging off the battery -&nbsp;Power Consumption: 0.7 - 2.5 Amps (at 12V DC)). &nbsp;<br><br>Comparable to that is the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.whynter.com/productdetail/outdoor_living/portable_fridges_freezers/282" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Whynter 45 Quart Portable Fridge/ Freezer</a>&nbsp;which can cost less, but which will draw considerably more with constant use (12V/24V - 4.5A /2.5A). &nbsp;Something like this you'd want a larger panel to keep that battery charged and conditioned.<br><br>2 cents ...

 

[coultergeist]

The 45 watt set at Harbor Freight is usually about $190 on sale.&nbsp; I have used their 15 watt panel on a vehicle before.&nbsp; It did a good job of keeping the battery bank charged with relatively light use.&nbsp; The 45 watt set would do okay with similar light use, but it would take up a lot of roof real estate.&nbsp; You can get a lot more solar power for the same or a little more money for the space that the 45 watt set takes up.&nbsp; The set I am probably going to use is on Amazon.&nbsp; It is a set of two 145 watt panels for $350 including shipping.&nbsp; If you don't want that much power you can find smaller setups for less.&nbsp; You can usually get a 100 watt panel off of ebay delivered for about $200 if you are patient and look around a bit.

 

[wandering mike]

I got a set of HF panels and they really don't do too much. &nbsp;You should calculate your use and calculate the watts/amps and all that stuff. &nbsp;It made my head swim. &nbsp;Long and short though, it probably won't meet your needs even without a 12 volt fridge. &nbsp; If you get. 3.5 amp hours at 12 volts for 6 hours a day (taking into account some less than optimal exposure time), you are looking at 21 Amp hours a day of production. &nbsp;My Nexus 7 tablet wants a 2 amp charge at 12 volts. &nbsp;I am guessing, based on my experience with my panels set up and adjusted through the day, I can run all of my &nbsp;miscellaneous&nbsp;12 volt needs in my RV (but I have a propane fridge) and charge my laptop, tablet, phone and mi-fi; maybe some led lighting. &nbsp;But that would be just barely. &nbsp;Regular lights would kill it, as would a TV. &nbsp;No question a fridge doesn't work. &nbsp;Maybe a bit of a small fan. <br><br>From a quick look at this<span style="color: #ff0000;"><a href="http://koolatrononline.stores.yahoo.net/p9-traveller.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #ff0000;"> Koolatron site</span></a></span> that makes 12 volt coolers, not refrigerators, it says:<br><div style="padding-left: 30px;">&nbsp;</div><div style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px;">Most of our current production coolers consume 4.5 amps at 12 volts. The conversion is: 4.5 amps (X) times 12 volts (=) equals 54 watts. The P-9 consumes only 3 amps. = ( 36 watts) On household current the power consumed by each cooler is less than 1 amp at 120 Volts.</span></div><div style="padding-left: 30px;">&nbsp;</div><br>Now if you are in the cold, it will use less, but in the summer, the HF Panels couldn't even keep up with current demand during the day when in full sun, let alone charge a battery for use later.<br><br>If anybody wants to buy a set of HF panels, I have a set for sale. &nbsp;I am in El Paso heading towards Houston. &nbsp;I have $160 invested and will sell for $125. &nbsp;I have also modified the frame so that they come apart easily and are easier to store. &nbsp;They were/are fun to learn with and putz around, and if you have a very small demand, they can have a place. &nbsp;I travel enough and have a generator that I think is fitting my needs OK for the present and would just rather have the space.

 

[Les H]

I had a HF solar kit on my bus. It worked well for my needs, which were minimal. Also had a (older) 12 v cooler by doorman, which was similar to the Koolatron. It drew EIGHT (8) amps an hour, and ran non stop. A true 12 v fridge might draw 2-3 amps, but only around 30% of the time. The cooler would draw down my 125 Ah battery in about 6-7 hours without the solar, about 15-18 hrs with it. The solar set ran my 7" lcd tv/dvd AT NIGHT, PARKED UNDER A STREETLIGHT, without TOUCHING my battery level. I had no trouble running my O2Cool fan and led lights off the setup either. At $199 reg price, and $150 on sale ( COMPLETE with EVERYTHING except a battery and inverter), its not a bad starter set, and worked for me and many others.

 

[Les H]

Damned edit button... needs to be KOOLATRON, not " doorman "

 

[wandering mike]

Les, I was thinking a regular TV. &nbsp;A LCD or LED would be better without question. &nbsp;It sounds like we have pretty much the same experience. &nbsp;If you are really careful, the HF can work. Then again most of the issue is managing your electrical usage. &nbsp;Especially if you are driving every day.

 

[twokniveskatie]

Edit button is working and that is one of rhe funnier typos ive seen lately ;-)

 

[MK7]

&nbsp;<span id="post_message_1277231370"> i personally will not buy anything from hf.&nbsp; cheap chinese junk that they stole the rights to or got another company to sell out for profit to have goods made there&nbsp;not to mention the slave labor, political prisoner labor, and child labor used in allot of their companies.&nbsp; america better wake up cheap is not always better.&nbsp; highdesertranger

<br><br>Very ignorant statement. I bet 80-90% of everything that you own that was bought new in the last 5 years, were made in China. iPods, cellphones, Sony, Samsung, Honda generators, some Craftsman tools, etc.&nbsp; All manufactured by such slave labor, prisoners and children that you complain about.<br><br>I remember requesting an alternator from Trak Auto that was not made in China.... and the clerk said, "they're all made in China". At least my excuse is...this was like 15 years ago.<br></span>

 

[Willy]

For $190 I can buy a 150W polycrystalline panel AND charge controller.&nbsp; http://www.windturbine.ca/sun_panels.html&nbsp; Both will also be of a somewhat better quality too. ..Willy.

 

[Zil]

they are not a manufacturer. They are a distributor. Where do they get the panels? But there are panels made in usa, Sharp is one.

 

[cygvan]

sundanzer is known for making extremely well insulated and energy efficient freezers and refrigerators.<br><br>they have a .pdf on their site that shows recommended PV capacity as well as battery capacity.<br><br>for their "50" unit, they recommend a 45 watt panel and 60 AH battery under <span style="text-decoration: underline;">ideal conditions.</span><br><br>so my way of thinking is if a manufacturer known for insulating and efficiency recommends that size charging equipment for one of their smaller units under ideal conditions...<br><br>then a lesser manufacturer with less insulation and lower efficiency under less ideal conditions (typically what those on this forum experience) suggests higher PV capacity and higher battery AH capacity.<br><br>its a simplistic way of looking at it but i think it would serve anyone well to strive for a panel around around 2x or 3x that size and perhaps a battery with 100 AH jsut for the fridge. you might get away with a little lighting as well. adjustments need to be made in respect to insolation hours and useage needs.<br><br>this equipment is still on the small size compared to the giant 200+ watt panels and the 100AH batteries are not too big to fit.<br><br>

 

[Cubey]

The HFT panels are WAY overpriced now. For $150 you get three 15w panels in the kit plus some crappy accessories. Here is a USA made Renogy panel (I have two of these exact panels) for $170 shipped. http://www.amazon.com/RENOGY-Monocrystalline-Photovoltaic-Battery-Charging/dp/B009Z6CW7O<br><br>I paid just under $300 (incl. shipping) for my pair of 100W Renogy panels on ebay, straight from Renogy. They might have deals on ebay still, you'll have to check. You get over twice the watts for not much more money. Get a cheap charge controller and wire on ebay like I did. <br><br>Here is a blog post about the install I did. Well, the outside part anyway. I never got around to posting "part 2" which involved the wiring inside and the charge controller.<br>http://cubey7800.blogspot.com/2013/06/solar-panels-part-1.html

 

[sparky1]

I love my Harbor freight panel set got it in 2008 &amp; it's still working Just Fine.yes I have bought more larger panels but the HF kit still works 5 years with No failure. had a free light every night from it too-it charges a U1 battery in a battery box from walmart $30.oo love free electricity.<BR>sparky1.in southern Va.<A href="/file?id=1625140" rel=lightbox target=_blank><IMG class=bbc_img alt="HF 45 watt Panel set.JPG" src="http://files.websitetoolbox.com/82529/thumb/1625140"></A>&nbsp;

 

[MK7]

If you get the right coupons, the Harbor Freight solar kit can be had for $112. <br><br>And this kit is not&nbsp; crappy, just not very powerful and takes too much space for a van's roof. It comes with a digital voltage regulator. These are like $40 at least with a digital readout. The lights that comes with the kit is dumb though.