Hello all, I haven't been able to find a post that addresses the issue I have, So I am going to ask.
I bought a used 5th a few years ago. I am the 3rd owner. I was told that they 1st owner was a master electrician. He made a few adjustment to the wiring, which is ok. everything works fine. It just a lot of stuff I have never had on my other trailers
So..... Installed when I bought it is a panel bolted to the roof, a 30 amp controller in the cabin and a 2000 w inverter next to the battery bay in the front of the trailer. All I know of the system is this. push the button by the TV, it turns green, then a few of the plugs in the cabin are able to put out 120v and the TV and DVD player all work.
I replaced the batteries that I had in there since I did not know how old they were and I was not getting more than 24 hour of light use and they would not recharge just on solar. (Everything is fine if I am plugged in). I put in 4 trojan T-105's new, everything is still working good so I am sure I got that part right.
Its just that when I last boondocked, I was very careful not to use any extra power and tried to conserve as much as I could. Even then, in the morning after running the heat all night, I would be at or below 50% if the controller is to be believed. I would turn everything off and let it sit all day and it would just barely get back to 100% by sundown.
So now I am thinking that since I have no idea of how old the panel is and the controller for that matter, maybe I should replace them with a bigger panel. making the assumption that the panel is a 30 w panel. I need to climb up and check.
So I am thinking that
1) I need a new panel at least 100W, but wanting to stay with 1 panel if I can
2) Do I need a different controller panel? or can I get by with the one I have. Or should I get a new one, but does it have to be the same manufacturer.
Taking the stuff out and putting new seems simple enough for me to do myself. I just don't want to do to little and or waste money.
I guess what I really want is for the batteries to charge quicker so I am not cutting the edge all the time. I have a small generator for when I am in a pinch. So its not like I want to get it to run for a week without plugging in. This time of year here in the Southwest, I only go to places I can plug in so my A/C runs.
Does any of this make sense?
Thank ahead of time
I bought a used 5th a few years ago. I am the 3rd owner. I was told that they 1st owner was a master electrician. He made a few adjustment to the wiring, which is ok. everything works fine. It just a lot of stuff I have never had on my other trailers
So..... Installed when I bought it is a panel bolted to the roof, a 30 amp controller in the cabin and a 2000 w inverter next to the battery bay in the front of the trailer. All I know of the system is this. push the button by the TV, it turns green, then a few of the plugs in the cabin are able to put out 120v and the TV and DVD player all work.
I replaced the batteries that I had in there since I did not know how old they were and I was not getting more than 24 hour of light use and they would not recharge just on solar. (Everything is fine if I am plugged in). I put in 4 trojan T-105's new, everything is still working good so I am sure I got that part right.
Its just that when I last boondocked, I was very careful not to use any extra power and tried to conserve as much as I could. Even then, in the morning after running the heat all night, I would be at or below 50% if the controller is to be believed. I would turn everything off and let it sit all day and it would just barely get back to 100% by sundown.
So now I am thinking that since I have no idea of how old the panel is and the controller for that matter, maybe I should replace them with a bigger panel. making the assumption that the panel is a 30 w panel. I need to climb up and check.
So I am thinking that
1) I need a new panel at least 100W, but wanting to stay with 1 panel if I can
2) Do I need a different controller panel? or can I get by with the one I have. Or should I get a new one, but does it have to be the same manufacturer.
Taking the stuff out and putting new seems simple enough for me to do myself. I just don't want to do to little and or waste money.
I guess what I really want is for the batteries to charge quicker so I am not cutting the edge all the time. I have a small generator for when I am in a pinch. So its not like I want to get it to run for a week without plugging in. This time of year here in the Southwest, I only go to places I can plug in so my A/C runs.
Does any of this make sense?
Thank ahead of time