Need advice on what Solar system equip to buy

[VagaboundSusan]

Please forgive me for asking what has probably been asked many times before but after searching for hours on this forum I am still not ready to make this purchase without some help.

I have roughly $700.00 to spend on a solar set up, for everything and am not sure what would be the best way to spend it. I am wanting a 200 watt system but there are so many other items that are needed. Should I go with a better controller and inverter? Batteries do I get 2 6v or 1 12v giving me roughly 200 ah. What tools and wires do I need? Wishing there was an all in one kit that had everything in one swoop. :s

Please do not tell me to go somewhere to get it done, I can do this......just need a little/lot of help with what to purchase. :angel:

 

[John61CT]

Start with Sam's Club or Batteries+ Duracell/Deka GC 6V x2.

If you need to charge from shore power buy that next.

Forget the inverter for now.

I would not skimp on the controller, $100 gets you a Victron 75/15, take your time getting (a) panel(s) to maximize its output.

Get all that wired in, see where your budget is.

Keep saving for if you need to spend more, e.g. combiner to charge when travelling, or a decent batt monitor, but many consider that overkill.

 

[Almost There]

To help you, we'll need a bit more information.

Have you done an assessment of power needs or are you guestimating that 200 W of solar will work well for you.

With so many members it's hard to keep track so are you full-timing or part-timing this adventure.

Do you want to mount the solar on the roof or do you want portability.

What other charging devices are you planning to have or already have to keep the batteries happy.

Where abouts in the continent are you planning on roaming. 200W of solar may keep the batteries very happy in the south in the summer but fall short by a long way if you're in the pacific N/W a lot.

Are you the type that wants to be able to forget about power usage or are you the type that wants/needs to be on top of it all.

 

[regis101]

I'm new to this also and it can be overwhelming at first.  

Next time, I'll piece something together vs a kit.  I found that I did not use any of the supplied wiring so as to better custom fit my application.  

It seems that the main components are, the panel(s), battery(ies), controller, and battery monitor.  

The wiring, fuses, connectors and ancillaries must be properly sized and can be put into their own category but are a necessary need.  

I definitely overthought this first system but that's my hang up.  

Calculated load should be taken into account for proper system sizing.  

I'm wanting to think that a system should be designed so as to have more available power coming in than will ever go out , taking weather conditions into account.  

Sorry.  rambling on like I know something.

 

[VagaboundSusan]

To help you, we'll need a bit more information.

Have you done an assessment of power needs or are you guestimating that 200 W of solar will work well for you.

With so many members it's hard to keep track so are you full-timing or part-timing this adventure.

Do you want to mount the solar on the roof or do you want portability.

What other charging devices are you planning to have or already have to keep the batteries happy.

Where abouts in the continent are you planning on roaming. 200W of solar may keep the batteries very happy in the south in the summer but fall short by a long way if you're in the pacific N/W a lot.

Are you the type that wants to be able to forget about power usage or are you the type that wants/needs to be on top of it all.

Thank you for your help....

My power needs= small cf-18 Dometic, laptop, cellphone and led lights 200 should be enough for now.?

I am a part-timer for now located in the deep south but will travel west in the winters and in various directions throughout the year.

I debated portable vs mounted and found that mounted suits my needs best, although the idea of a mixed system is even better

I plan on installing an isolator in the future so that my batteries have a good running start. When I get closer to full time or we have another busy hurricane season down here a generator will be considered.

 

[John61CT]

Fridge will need more than 200w PV at least some of the time. Especially if you're trying to get the max life from the batteries, need to strive for 100% full.

And unless frequent access to shore or carrying a gennie, get a second pair of GCs, the whole bank should be bought all at once, while panels can be added later NP

 

[Almost There]

IIWM i'd start with the isolator so that your batteries charge while you're driving. But keep in mind that it can take 5 hours to fully charge a battery bank to 100%. Great if you're doing a road trip, not so great if you're only doing a couple of hours a day of travelling. It's not that expensive to do either.

Renogy has a 200W kit complete with a MPPT controller and your choice of 20 amp  ($445.)  or 40 amp ( $515.) charge controller and you can choose your type of panel (poly or mono). You would probably need more wiring than comes with the kit depending on where you're placing the batteries. And of course, fuse block and assorted parts are always needed even with a kit.

Batteries - I recommend buying the best you can afford unless you know you're the type that doesn't want to have to pay attention to them, then get the cheapest you can find because the first set is a learning set and most likely not to last their expected lifetime.

 

[frater secessus]

200w and a pair of 6v is pretty close to consensus for running a fridge, and charging laptop/phones, etc.  It's the number Bob himself has stated for running a fridge and other small items.  Spiff runs a system like you describe and the gear you want to power, as do many others.  

Adding in the isolator would take your house power from the "sufficient" zone into the "I generally don't have to worry about it" zone, unless extended periods of Pharaohic-level locust plague eclipses are at hand.  Or you start getting cocky with heavy loads.  Or both heavy loads and locust plagues, which is inadvisable for several reasons best not discussed in front of a crowd, as Erasmus once said.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Are you confused yet?

 

[John61CT]

IIWM i'd start with the isolator so that your batteries charge while you're driving. But keep in mind that it can take 5 hours to fully charge a battery bank to 100%.

Usually a lot longer, more like 8 hours. Many factors involved of course, but critical to bank life is defining Full properly, which very few regulators do out of the box.

 

[Trebor English]

I have a different opinion.  I got a cheap PWM controller so that a year down the road I wouldn't be wondering should I have got the expensive one or would the cheap one have been good enough.  The one I got was like this:  
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06ZY6ZPWQ

It is $15.  My thought was get this then spend the hundred later if necessary and keep this as a spare.  I only have one 100 watt panel so MPPT doesn't really make sense, another panel would be better.

 

[tx2sturgis]

My power needs= small cf-18 Dometic, laptop, cellphone and led lights 200 should be enough for now.?

I am a part-timer for now located in the deep south but will travel west in the winters and in various directions throughout the year.

This part hangs me up just a bit. This is a long post so grab a glass of your favorite beverage and sit back....

Susan, this is not the same thing as boondocking full-time off-grid and parking on BLM or forest land for 14 days then moving 25 miles and setting up camp again...more or less all year long.

If you are only going to be starting out part time, and traveling, (but maintaining a home base) which is what I have been doing, in one form or another, for about 22 years of (part time) RV living, you COULD consider a much smaller solar system, and a nice marine quality ice-chest cooler like a Yeti, Engel, Orca, or similar.

Every one here will start throwing rocks at me so I will have my shields up, but hear me out...

With a GOOD quality cooler, and traveling part time, and especially some wintertime travel, ice (especially block ice) can last a LONG time in a good cooler. I'm not talking about the cheap coolers from the box stores, I'm talking about the high performance coolers that cost around $200 to $400 or so, that hunters, sportsmen, ATVers, boaters, and yes, campers, have been using for a decade or so now.

You will be buying ice, now and then, but not that much. About as often as you make a run to a grocery store or gas station anyway. For topping off my cooler with ice between purchases, I carry into the store, a couple of large 64oz mugs and fill them for free at most any convenience store, or restaurant, and that can last for days in a good cooler, after the initial purchase of cube or block ice. Pre-feezing your food items at home, or buying frozen, will extend the ice even further.

If you were going to stay off-grid and no access to store-bought ice or fresh food for weeks on end, then my answer would be, of course, to buy a large solar system and a 12v cooler (or equivalent).

If you went the way I am suggesting, you will save money by not buying that large, complex solar system and 12v fridge, and still have access to good, fresh, safe food, and at the same time, vastly simplify your installation. And also taking baby steps, you will learn what can work for YOU. And good ice chest coolers will not fail (all at once) and spoil your food as long as you can supply some ice every now and then.

This is EXACTLY my current setup: I have a smallish 45 watt panel, a small solar controller, 2 normal car starting batteries, and the large high-quality ice chest, and before I hit the road for a week or two, I freeze my own blocks of ice at home (in plastic boxes) then drop them in the cooler, add food and drinks, then top off the cooler with a 10 pound bag of ice for 2 bucks....this ice and food will last me for around 2 weeks if the weather is cool, or about a week in hot weather. Plus as the ice melts and you drain the water, you will have water for washing and rinsing utensils or even some small clothing items, just drain the water into a catch bucket and let it warm up if needed.

Sure, you will buy some ice...but you said it will be part time, and you wont come out ahead, financially, spending $700 on solar and $700 on a 12v fridge if this is only a part time gig. Or so it seems to me.

My minimal solar panel and controller provide enough electrical supply to recharge my laptop, smartphone, and balance my parasitic drains that the van has, due to interior lighting, dome lights, operating the power door locks, windows, etc when parked for a week or 10 days.

I heat with a small propane heater, and cool with a fantastic roof fan running at night on low, I do not have stationary AC, and you wont either with 200 watts of solar. I also use battery powered LED lanterns and kerosene lighting outside at night...and I dont have a TV or gaming system or any other items that need power for many hours.

My total cash outlay on the cooler, small panel, extra battery, the battery tray, cabling, fuses, and charge controller is all less than $500. For 2 weeks on the road I might spend about $10 on ice...less than a dollar a day...

You can buy a LOT of ice, AND carry more food, when part time traveling, for that $1000 difference!

Shields UP!!!!!!!!

 

[akrvbob]

This $414 Renogy 200 watt Kitt: http://amzn.to/2uAShvF

and a pair of Duracell golf carts from Sam's Club or Batteries Plus.

It should handle your needs just fine and if you find it doesn't you can add a third panel later, the 30 amp controller can handle it.

 

[VagaboundSusan]

This $414 Renogy 200 watt Kitt: http://amzn.to/2uAShvF

and a pair of Duracell golf carts from Sam's Club or Batteries Plus.

It should handle your needs just fine and if you find it doesn't you can add a third panel later, the 30 amp controller can handle it.

Thank you Bob,

I appreciate your input.  Panels are in my cart. I looked at the 6 volt batteries you suggested but they are not sealed? Should I be concerned with batteries sitting in the van. I really do not want to vent them out as that will limit where and if I can use them.

Susan

 

[John61CT]

I have a different opinion.  I got a cheap PWM controller so that a year down the road I wouldn't be wondering should I have got the expensive one or would the cheap one have been good enough.  The one I got was like this:  
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06ZY6ZPWQ

It is $15.  My thought was get this then spend the hundred later if necessary and keep this as a spare.  I only have one 100 watt panel so MPPT doesn't really make sense, another panel would be better.

That's great to know, I'm always afraid some of those supercheap units just won't work

 

[VagaboundSusan]

This part hangs me up just a bit. This is a long post so grab a glass of your favorite beverage and sit back....
Susan, this is not the same thing as boondocking full-time off-grid and parking on BLM or forest land for 14 days then moving 25 miles and setting up camp again.
My total cash outlay on the cooler, small panel, extra battery, the battery tray, cabling, fuses, and charge controller is all less than $500. For 2 weeks on the road I might spend about $10 on ice...less than a dollar a day...

You can buy a LOT of ice, AND carry more food, when part time traveling, for that $1000 difference!

Shields UP!!!!!!!!

Thank you for all of that. I have to build this out for my future which will be full time dwelling. The Yeti or similar coolers are great but just as pricey as Dometic. For now my needs are smaller so I can start with a smaller system that can be expanded if I plan properly.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I have to build this out for my future which will be full time dwelling.

{snip}

The Yeti or similar coolers are great but just as pricey as Dometic.

I can't argue with that of course.

But the Igloo Sportsman Cooler is priced right:

https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Produc...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00Y8ASXN4

I have one and it is a great cooler. Perfect size for one person for a week or 2 'out there'....

 

[frater secessus]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06ZY6ZPWQ
...
It is $15.  My thought was get this then spend the hundred later if necessary and keep this as a spare.  I only have one 100 watt panel so MPPT doesn't really make sense, another panel would be better.

I'm using one of those in an experiment I am conducting;  no problems with it.    I'll start a thread about that shortly.

 

[Weight]

Bob has given you the answer that will work. The panels are very good and you could later get a better controller. I highly recommend a 12 volt compressor fridge like your first choice. Ice was such a pain in the. Lost lots of wet food and stuff grows in old water. So much work. Here is another blog with some good advice. http://therecklesschoice.com/2017/07/07/handy-bob-solar-summary/

 

[tx2sturgis]

Ice was such a pain in the. Lost lots of wet food and stuff grows in old water. So much work.  

I just use a small plastic basket in the ice chest and/or a divider. And again, if full-timing or even 'long-timing' then an ice chest is not a good solution. But for occasional trips of about 2-3 weeks, its not a bad way to do it.

I used a Yeti for about the last 10 years as a professional driver...but we always had a supply of free ice at our terminals.

BTW I'm glad to see you mention old water getting kinda funky...that came up in another thread about the slope of holding tanks in RV's....