Remedial solar help?

[sheriff1]

Getting ready to make the solar jump. I’ve done the search box and google searches. I’ve yet to find a source of information I need. I find Lewster is the local pro here so perhaps he will point me in the right direction.
I have a 2012 Eddie Bauer 27FB, no solar, Xantrex Freedom HF 1800w/40a inverter, stock Parallax 7300 series. LED lights.
What I would like to accomplish, I think: enough battery/ solar capacity to watch TV in the evening, short warmups in the microwave 3-6 minuets. Keep the fridge etc running. No AC use. Be able to do this for at lest a week or two in Arizona-Texas during the winter. Be able to grow the system easily if use dictates. Don’t mind overbuying to a point to avoid having to replace something undersized.
Here are items I’m considering:
Victron MPPT charge controller. Size to be determined.
2-100watt Renogy mono panels
2- Trojan GC2 batteries. I will extent the current battery box to accommodate them.
I will probably use the panels as portable this winter mounting them on the roof next spring.
I don’t think I need to replace the Parallax as the Xantrex serves as a multi stage charger.
How far off base am I?
Thanks!

[GMFL]

Victron MPPT 100/30 is good for up to 400 watts solar
2 Trojan GC batteries will give you 100 useable Amp hrs, you probably need twice that (200ah useable)
Renogy panels are great. I would go with at least 400watts. This will allow faster charging on less than ideal days.
Victron BMV 712 will help you manage your system usage.
That’s my stab at it.

[JMynes]

I think you’re off to a good start. Not sure if you’ll make it 1-2 weeks, with good sun likely so. But will your holding tanks last that long?
I put 200 watts on the roof last summer. It’s working real well, but my holding tanks, particularly the grey tank, limit my time.
I read this, more than once, before I took the plunge. It was very helpful.
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

[daleyocum]

Originally Posted by GMFL

Victron MPPT 100/30 is good for up to 400 watts solar
2 Trojan GC batteries will give you 100 useable Amp hrs, you probably need twice that (200ah useable)
Renogy panels are great. I would go with at least 400watts. This will allow faster charging on less than ideal days.
Victron BMV 712 will help you manage your system usage.
That’s my stab at it.

That sounds like good advice. That will likely send you down the Lithium rabbit hole, though, to get 200ah usable battery. That IS what you want though.

[lewster]

Hi Sheriff1,

I have a lot of info to send to you. Please shoot me an e-mail at: 4rvsolar@gmail.com with your projected project requirements.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by sheriff1

Getting ready to make the solar jump. I’ve done the search box and google searches. I’ve yet to find a source of information I need. I find Lewster is the local pro here so perhaps he will point me in the right direction.
I have a 2012 Eddie Bauer 27FB, no solar, Xantrex Freedom HF 1800w/40a inverter, stock Parallax 7300 series. LED lights.
What I would like to accomplish, I think: enough battery/ solar capacity to watch TV in the evening, short warmups in the microwave 3-6 minuets. Keep the fridge etc running. No AC use. Be able to do this for at lest a week or two in Arizona-Texas during the winter. Be able to grow the system easily if use dictates. Don’t mind overbuying to a point to avoid having to replace something undersized.
Here are items I’m considering:
Victron MPPT charge controller. Size to be determined.
2-100watt Renogy mono panels
2- Trojan GC2 batteries. I will extent the current battery box to accommodate them.
I will probably use the panels as portable this winter mounting them on the roof next spring.
I don’t think I need to replace the Parallax as the Xantrex serves as a multi stage charger.
How far off base am I?
Thanks!

[AirMiles]

I'd recommend reading my "Solar Show & Tell" thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...ll-181608.html where I documented my summer-long solar boondocking experience with 400W of solar panels, Victron 100/30, and a pair of 230AH Golf Cart Batteries. This setup meets all my needs, but I only have a 1000W inverter and use a generator to run the microwave and A/C.

To use an 1800W inverter to run a microwave for six minutes is a LOT of load. You are going to run into Peukert's Law https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...attery_runtime . 1800W divided by 12.3V equals a 146 Amp draw! Sure its only for six minutes which totals only 14.6 AHs before Peukert's Law. But when you pull 146A against a pair of 230AH golf cart batteries, they are going to get crushed due to Peukert's law. Golf cart batteries are tough, but I don't know if they could handle this crushing and how much juice you'd have left for watching TV. If you use the microwave at noon, you'd have the benefit of solar recharging after use, but if you use the microwave in the evening????

Maybe others can share their experiences with using the microwave on batteries. My plan is to just stick to using the generator for microwave and A/C needs.

[billrector]

Also, when you say you want to run the refrigerator, I assume you mean on propane? No way will you be able to run it on an inverter with the setup you outlined.

[daleyocum]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I'd recommend reading my "Solar Show & Tell" thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f448...ll-181608.html where I documented my summer-long solar boondocking experience with 400W of solar panels, Victron 100/30, and a pair of 230AH Golf Cart Batteries. This setup meets all my needs, but I only have a 1000W inverter and use a generator to run the microwave and A/C.

To use an 1800W inverter to run a microwave for six minutes is a LOT of load. You are going to run into Peukert's Law https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/...attery_runtime . 1800W divided by 12.3V equals a 146 Amp draw! Sure its only for six minutes which totals only 14.6 AHs before Peukert's Law. But when you pull 146A against a pair of 230AH golf cart batteries, they are going to get crushed due to Peukert's law. Golf cart batteries are tough, but I don't know if they could handle this crushing and how much juice you'd have left for watching TV. If you use the microwave at noon, you'd have the benefit of solar recharging after use, but if you use the microwave in the evening????

Maybe others can share their experiences with using the microwave on batteries. My plan is to just stick to using the generator for microwave and A/C needs.

We are able to run the microwave or induction cooktop off of our 3000w Victron Multiplus inverter but it’s being driven by 3 (now 5) 100AH lithium batteries in parallel. In my previous trailer I had about 150AH of lead acid batteries and the Magnum inverter was able to run the microwave but, yes, the voltage drop was substantial. It wasn’t happy about it.