Voltage controller

[Oneleggedcowboy]

Hey yall I am wanting you buy the cheapest but best voltage controller for a project I am doing. I havery a sto rage building in sz. That is on some high desert land. I will camp there in our RV sometimes. I want to run a 12 volt water pump from a tank to water the horses and have a led lite in the building plus outside at the corral. I have a 24 volt 245 watt solar panel. I figure a PWM will do it. Which one is the question?  Also can I use a 12 volt cheap Sam's marine battery that's is sealed flooded maintenance free since I will be gone for months at a time but want it to work when I get there?  Thanks. Bill

 

[Oneleggedcowboy]

Wow that's some seriously bad spelling. I was in a hurry. Anyway yall helped me set up a great system with 6 volt trojan batteries and a MPPT controller and a 24 volt panel with 245 watts in my camper. Hopefully I can get a very basic system here for conviences when the lovely Susan and I are horse camping on the high desert.

 

[Trebor English]

PWM is not good for 24 volt panel with 12 volt battery.

Sealed maintenance free might really work if the maintenance free part is because it is AGM.  If it is a maintenance free starter battery with some calcium added to the lead to make it use less water might not work as well.  Instead of 50% limit on discharge stick to 10%.

Do you want it to work when you get there or do you need to water horses when you are not there?  If horses will depend on it that makes the system reliability more important.

 

[Oneleggedcowboy]

The horse will be arriving with me. The battery is s 12 volt marine from Sams Club. It isba glooded msintenance free not a AGM. I want to pump water from a 275 gallon cube tank in the building. I might be gone for 4 or 5 months and want the solar system to take care of itself and be ready for me when I get there.

 

[jimindenver]

Try this one. I have used them on panels of that size and type for 5 years.

http://www.eco-worthy.com/catalog/worthy-mppt-solar-charge-controller-12v24v-p-182.html

 

[Oneleggedcowboy]

Hey Jim I saw where you were at the RTR in Q. Man I am sorry to miss meeting you! I have a bad sciatic nerve problem and haven't headed to Az yet. What about the battery? Thanks, Bill

 

[SternWake]

I did not know they made maintenance free Flooded marine batteries. Generally, maintenance free flooded starting batteries have more calcium in the plate paste which helps reduce water loss.

However I've been told these make for very poor batteries in deep cycle applications and when deeply cycled, their absorption charge voltage should be raised to 15, which then accellerates the water loss, and being maintenance free, are hard/impossible to add water to.

 

[Oneleggedcowboy]

So maintenance free Marine is out. If I get a flooded Walmart Marine and there is no draw on it do you think the solar can trickle charge it for 4-5 months without needing wster added?

 

[Trebor English]

From the description of the use this sounds like float service rather than deep cycle. When the horse is present most of the use will be during the day, the rest of the time there is no discharging at all. Your best bet may be the much derided high calcium maintenance free flooded battery with a temperature compensated float charger.

 

[Oneleggedcowboy]

Ok anyone else want to weigh in on this? I will gladly take in all comments!