250w 30v solar panels

[almac]

Nothing is for free, not even this advice as I am just someone on a forum. IMO any advice posted on a forum should be explored further online to be verified before putting into practice. So spend some time and learn about stand alone solar systems, battery care etc etc.

if you do the sums on the cost of each KWH of electricity that you will get for the life of this system you will find you are paying way more than grid price.

How do you know your batteries are almost charged? The volts/amps readings only tell you part of the story. You will need a hydrometer at a minimum to to know where you batteries are at. If you dont learn how to properly understand your battery SOC you will likely ruin them in a very short time.

The load terminal should have a rating in amps, or you can run a relay off it and run more items. It may have some timer off/on functions.

the thing about a forum is the good advice is easy to pick. incorrect advice will soon be shot down by other members. so far the advice i have got from you guys has been hugely helpful thank you . going by the indicator eye and the declining amps they are drawing from the panels. at 11am i was getting 18amps at the CC. my $10 chi-com voltmeter wires fried at 18amps

[Bala]

the thing about a forum is the good advice is easy to pick. incorrect advice will soon be shot down by other members. so far the advice i have got from you guys has been hugely helpful thank you . going by the indicator eye and the declining amps they are drawing from the panels. at 11am i was getting 18amps at the CC. my $10 chi-com voltmeter wires fried at 18amps

Generally lower end multimeters have a 10A DC max circuit, and would not likely be designed to be continuous.

So add the cost of a new meter to the free power equation.

divide cost of the meter x cost per kwh of grid power = amount of mains power you could have used.

It all adds up.

[almac]

Generally lower end multimeters have a 10A DC max circuit, and would not likely be designed to be continuous.

So add the cost of a new meter to the free power equation.

divide cost of the meter x cost per kwh of grid power = amount of mains power you could have used.

It all adds up.

got to remind you this was not a lifestyle choice. i still dont have the option of grid power. there was a category 2 cyclone here 3 weeks ago. the electricians are not answering emails or answering phones because they are booked solid. so it will be a while before i have the choice of grid power, my power cable was knocked low by 135km/h winds then a week later a truck finished it off. still i dont think i will get connected again anyway

[Bala]

I had cyclone Yasi to deal with, winds up to 300kph. The next day I used my backhoe to clear the trees off my access then power poles off the main road. Neighbours were 3 weeks without mains power. I disconnected mine for the event but was back on first thing.

But IMO that is the only good thing about stand alone. I would prefer to have mains and a good quality inverter generator for power outages.

If you are seriously considering staying off grid then you want to do some planning.

What was your monthly power consumption, do you have AC, what heating, stove, hot water.

And what are the actual batteries you have now, you said they have an indicator eye so I am thinking a sealed battery.

[almac]

my peak load for the last quarter was 400kwh. i would convert to gas for hot water. so i need 1600kwh per year. the 2 batteries i have now are 100ah 12v flooded lead acid not sealed. i dont use heavy power consumers like AC of heating. i have a wood fire pot belly for heating and a gas stove for cooking. got the 360w 24v inverter yesterday. the biggest consumer is the fridge but i would probably get a gas fridge so i might only need 800kwh per year. would need a 2000w inverter for the coffee machine

[Bala]

my peak load for the last quarter was 400kwh. i would convert to gas for hot water. so i need 1600kwh per year. the 2 batteries i have now are 100ah 12v flooded lead acid not sealed. i dont use heavy power consumers like AC of heating. i have a wood fire pot belly for heating and a gas stove for cooking. got the 360w 24v inverter yesterday. the biggest consumer is the fridge but i would probably get a gas fridge so i might only need 800kwh per year. would need a 2000w inverter for the coffee machine

2000w inverter will require a bigger battery bank, and quality in those 2 alone are not cheap. You will also need a decent charger to be able to equalize batteries and charge them when you have days of bad weather.

How will the neighbors feel if you have a genset that is non silenced running for hours on end.

Do you iron clothes, use clothes drier?

[almac]

2000w inverter will require a bigger battery bank, and quality in those 2 alone are not cheap. You will also need a decent charger to be able to equalize batteries and charge them when you have days of bad weather.

How will the neighbors feel if you have a genset that is non silenced running for hours on end.

Do you iron clothes, use clothes drier?

no clothes dryer power munger. run the gen now big private yard not near neighbours. my dogs are louder. yes i figured i would need to expand battery bank, already have a charger, was using it to charge batteries b4 i got solar panels. its a 16amp 12v

[Bala]

no clothes dryer power munger. run the gen now big private yard not near neighbours. my dogs are louder. yes i figured i would need to expand battery bank, already have a charger, was using it to charge batteries b4 i got solar panels. its a 16amp 12v

Every time I start to get sick of the cost and inconvenience of this rural life i just go and stay in the suburbs and lie awake listening to the neighborhood dogs barking. here I just get a few lost pig dogs turn up for a feed and water then I find their owner and give me back.

You are already running a 24v system so your 12v charger is of no great value, and a 12V system will be to small for you. You cant use the 12V charger to charge one battery at a time in a 24V system unless you disconnect the batteries and charge one at a time to full charge, but that is very inconvenient.

You need to get a hydrometer and check each cell. They will likely be uneven already due to the way you have used them. if they are uneven you need to do an equalize charge.

[almac]

Every time I start to get sick of the cost and inconvenience of this rural life i just go and stay in the suburbs and lie awake listening to the neighborhood dogs barking. here I just get a few lost pig dogs turn up for a feed and water then I find their owner and give me back.

You are already running a 24v system so your 12v charger is of no great value, and a 12V system will be to small for you. You cant use the 12V charger to charge one battery at a time in a 24V system unless you disconnect the batteries and charge one at a time to full charge, but that is very inconvenient.

You need to get a hydrometer and check each cell. They will likely be uneven already due to the way you have used them. if they are uneven you need to do an equalize charge.

i would charge them in parallel with the 12v charger if we had a cloudy day and just use the 12v inverter. 16amps for 200ah is enough. the 3 panels charge them pretty fast so it would have to be raining all day to need the charger. what is an equalize charge?

[Amy@altE]

Amy - Do you mean 24 volt panels or did you really mean 20 volt? Not trying to nit pick, but I see the OP being confused as it is.

If the Vmp is around 30V, it is a 20V nominal panel. If the Vmp is around 35V, it is a 24V panel. Another way to tell is counting the cells (squares). 20V panels have 60 cells, 24V panels have 72 cells.

[Bala]

i would charge them in parallel with the 12v charger if we had a cloudy day and just use the 12v inverter. 16amps for 200ah is enough. the 3 panels charge them pretty fast so it would have to be raining all day to need the charger. what is an equalize charge?

The cells in battery banks can get out of balance, this is why you need a hydrometer to check them.

The quality batteries come with a range of graphs etc that give you info on temp V SOC etc etc.

my batteries came with a hydrometer and thermometer.

If the cells are out of balance then you do an equalize charge, which is a high charge to rebalance, or equalize them.

My specs say 31V for equalize for 24v system.

What do you have your charge controller charge rates set at?

[almac]

The cells in battery banks can get out of balance, this is why you need a hydrometer to check them.

The quality batteries come with a range of graphs etc that give you info on temp V SOC etc etc.

my batteries came with a hydrometer and thermometer.

If the cells are out of balance then you do an equalize charge, which is a high charge to rebalance, or equalize them.

My specs say 31V for equalize for 24v system.

What do you have your charge controller charge rates set at?

left it at factory settings. will have a look into it. thanks

[almac]

just one more question about this set up, how much storage could i use at 24v. currently 200ah. im getting about 18amps at 34v to the CC for about 4 hrs a day in the winter. the batteries seem to be charging very fast so how much more could i add?

[Bala]

just one more question about this set up, how much storage could i use at 24v. currently 200ah. im getting about 18amps at 34v to the CC for about 4 hrs a day in the winter. the batteries seem to be charging very fast so how much more could i add?

I assume you mean how much power can you use from the batteries.

The answer is related to how long you want the batteries to last,

the more you drain them each night the shorter their life span.

Not sure how long you are expecting these batteries to live BUT,

If you dont check the charge controller settings and ensure it is charging at the correct rates for your batteries,

and get a hydrometer and check their SG then they will not last long at all!!!!!!!!!

[almac]

I assume you mean how much power can you use from the batteries.

The answer is related to how long you want the batteries to last,

the more you drain them each night the shorter their life span.

Not sure how long you are expecting these batteries to live BUT,

If you dont check the charge controller settings and ensure it is charging at the correct rates for your batteries,

and get a hydrometer and check their SG then they will not last long at all!!!!!!!!!

i meant how many more batteries can i add. 400ah? bulk is set at 28.8v and float is set at 27v