One company set out to change all that and to an amazing degree they have succeeded. Here are the two boxes opened up: Two 100,watt panels, MPPT controller, wiring and mounting feet. An MPPT controller will give you about 33% more power into your battery  but will cost much more, so many people argue that instead of buying the more expensive controller, you should just buy a third solar panel which will give you 33% more power. During the highest sun I plugged in my small shop vacuum to give the inverter a good load and see what kind of peak wattage the panels could provide. CHARGE CONTROLLER INSTALLATION 1. LFP batteries are improving quickly, but I’ll wait for a plateau before I join in. WTXCal. Order online right now! Shop the Renogy Website Via the LYRV Affiliate Link - https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1529919&u=2125881&m=96785&urllink=&afftrack= *Update* - See my … There is always a big alternator under the hood to make up for any shortcoming of the pump. Thus, you can cater to expanded need at a later date as required. Billy, I don’t undertand, this is a picture of what I see when I go to the Amazon sit and look at Renogy 200 kits: also do i need a 20 mppt or 40 if i plan to top out at 400w?, and do i need 6v batts or are 12 v good enough? http://www.technomadia.com/lithium/. Don’t do it, Bob. Very few people will benefit from them this early in their lifetime. Giant alien spaceships! Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks for the post. There is a “new” battery out there that has proven to be a valid option to the traditional Flooded Lead-Acid Deep Cycle Batteries. I couldn’t find the post on how to adapt the power cord. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HR8YNK6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1. But that still left the problem of how to get it installed. Bob you are hitting this new series of solar powered articles out of the park. Hi Bob. Say for example, each panel is able to put out 5 amps per hour. It’s paid for and you are used to carrying it around. It does not come with a readout but offers a Victron VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle for $49.30 on sale that will display everything you need and more including history on a smart phone! I think you can do it to! Your email address will not be published. Ming, the main thing is you have to have a MPPT controller to work with high voltage panels. But, I’d strongly suggest you join my forum, you’ll get all the ideas, help, encouragement and friends you could ever need. I decided to go with the Renogy panels after reading so many positive reviews about them and the attractive price for the kit. However, in the last few years all that has started to change as the price of solar has dramatically dropped. I dipped each screw into the sealant and slowly tightened down the mounts, being careful to not over tighten and cause the screw to lose its bite in the wood. with a pure sine wave 1000 watt inverter that are directly hardwired to my batt. That’s with my flooded GC batteries. They cost about twice as much. Are you in a different country? Thanks in advance. They ended end up parking side by side in the desert by chance. It’s also a hassle to have to store them away every time you need to run into town. She had a wall near her back door that was perfect. Ming yes, putting them in series doubles the voltage which only needs a wire half the size. Bob, I like the idea Dandelion is using with the extension cord. I know there are more efficient units with some cool extra features on the market. Uniquely Designed Z brackets for Mounting on Flat Surface; UL Listed 20′ Solar MC4 Adaptor Cables: AWG 12. They are nearly certain to get full every day. Literally the first common sense, get to the point no mumbo jumbo know-how information I have found on the web. Most 12 volt batteries that say they are deep cycle really aren’t the are a hybrid like a marine. Your email address will not be published. I left room up there and will definitely be adding another 2 – 100 watt Renogy panels on the other half of the roof up front to bring the system up to 400 watts. But if a MPPT controller decreses the voltage by 66 percent from 36 to 12 volt, it then increases the amps by a 66 percent so it all goes in the battery. They are sold under the name of “Lifeline” for mobile applications and are made by Concourde (the same company that supplies the batteries for our Military Aircraft). The rule of thumb that we use here would be “Continuous Watts / Battery Voltage times 1.25, for example a typical 1000W 12V inverter draws up around 83 continuous amps and we would add the 25% safety factor which comes out to 105 Amps, so we would recommend a 150A fuse.This is a brief introduction and summary for fusing your system. I recorded 8.25 amps @ 13.25 volts. Now, lithium is supposed to last longer than lead batteries, so the extra cost would be amortized. Bob. For most people, 200 watts is the sweet spot with enough power to meet your needs for the least amount of money. Pterodactyls! Bob. ... 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Suitcase. If you can do that, 1 to 1 is better for rainy days. Read trough some of those posts and you’ll get a good introduction. If all of that works, there is no problem running an extra line into the controller from the portable panels. Renogy 200W Monocrystalline Starter Kit is designed specifically for customers new to solar. They will tel you exactly how to do it the very best way. Think about that when you buy 50, 100 foot extension cords for your DC. ... Renogy 200-Watt 12-Volt Monocrystalline Solar Bundle Off-Grid Kit with 30 Amp Charge Controller (3) and I never did run out of power or have to use the Honda. AGMs are very good batteries, I have a pair of 6 volt golf cart AGMs in my trailer and they are working very well. Great discussion on solar, Swanson’s Law much like Moore’s Law is providing much more power for less! We’re hoping that 600 watts of panels will be enough. I purchased a couple heavy duty 3 foot automotive battery cables. Had to put inverter near panels then 200 feet to house. All that matters is that we each find what works best for us. they sure have a complex system, don’t they? 2. I’m very glad I could play some small role in helping you follow your dreams! I use about 60 amps a day. Greg, Greg, that’s a great point! When people start adding up all the prices, it may seem like alot. I hid them under one panel and any exposed wires I used some Eternabond tape to keep them neatly in place. For boondockers another very good option is to buy the 100 watt folding suitcase solar panel from Renogy; we’ll talk about that in my next post. Miscellaneous – Sealant, Mounting clips, screws, etc. A van is another kettle of fish. Two Renogy 100 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panels, 20 Amp High Quality Renogy MPPT Charge Controller. In a laer post  I’ll give you details  on how to adapt the 110 volt cord to use it with your solar panels. It should always be done that way. Lifeline is a premium brand of batteries and they are very expensive. I did exactly that with a cheap MPPT controller that worked great for 4 years and then failed. Eventually sold that and went back to a little one. Thanks for the time put into it. First thing to do was plan out where I was going to mount the 2 100 watt solar panels on my Keystone Cougar fifth wheels roof and the best routing for the wiring. Thanks Daniel, that makes sense, I’ll look into it. They fold up pretty flat in a nice case with a handle, and store flat in a compartment on my 17 foot trailer. Could this be a problem with two controllers? Bob you mentioned that you watch TV all evening and that 2 golf cart batteries aren’t enough for all of your needs with the TV included. My friend Dandelion bought a 200 watt kit. In the summer you will be amazed by how much power you get out of them! While solar power has been around for a long time now, for most of us it was so expensive we couldn’t really afford it, And if we could afford it we found it too confusing to figure out what we needed and how and where to get it. I guess given the almost dollar for dollar equivalence of tank ah vs. pump watts one can decide if they want a slow filling big tank or a fast filling small tank and the money comes out the same. Bob, I was just talking to a friend today about the Renogy 100 watt suitcase solar panel. They are a good system, but when cheaper ones came out I tied to get my distributor to drop the price and he wouldn’t. very close now to going off grid full time in AZ. Compare CAD $399.99 - CAD $479.99 Choose Options Quick View Add to Cart Renogy 200 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Bundle Kits. That way I don’t have to move the trailer for weeks on end once I get situated. It is available in paperback for $6.71 from Amazon.com here: The controller is electronic so it has different settings for AGM. I’m glad you’re getting it figured out! Or even just weeks of boring rain…. You can see they suggest combining the panels in series. I replaced it with a Honda 3000i for a while, but that heavy thing wasn’t nearly as portable. But you will always know that a golf cart is a true deep cycle. Next I covered the panels with a blanket so they weren’t outputting power and hooked up all the wires to the charge controller. Bob, Did you know that AC travels better then DC. So, by placing the panel’s right up front they will get the best solar coverage and will have a slight tilt into the sun. The Renogy 100W suitcases overcame my last objections. T sell for that it be better to use a microwave you need 2000! A generous amount of money difference between it and a minimum amount at night can simply plug in summer. My recommendation is very simple ; buy all you do the same climatic conditions lithiums and the! You are going to mount the controller is electronic so it converts 12V to?. Electrical equipment without a power hookup flooded batteries and they are in the open desert I ’ ll for. 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