I know they should work. I have both the dual and triple type connectors but some are not made as well as others. If not protected water can get inside to the connection point.
You also have to be careful if you need to replace the fuse on the in line holders. Those connectors can come lose if incorrectly pulled apart or if it is done during the day time with sunlight can cause an arc flash.
I am just trying to tell people to be cautious when using certain equipment. It only takes one act of complacency to hurt someone with electricity.
-
-
While those combiners and in line fuses work they can be difficult to replace or they can get corroded from the moisture in the air.
It's a tricky one. I have the same panels as you, and the same charge controller, but I wire mine in series most of the time. There's a chance I'll fry my charge controller from a spike on a cold morning, but I've had my setup for a year and that hasn't happened yet. So you *should* wire them in parallel to avoid having to worry about that issue (or get a 150 volt charge controller).
And the charge controller you linked to is the same unit I use and love. Looks like $219 Canadian = $165 U.S., so it's the same price too. Get the remote monitoring box too (it's at the bottom of the link you sent), it's very nice to have and is a better display than on the unit itself.
For the inverter, as Mike pointed out the 600 watt Xantrex ProWatt should be able to handle the surge from your fridge turning on, so it should work fine.
That inverter will have plenty of power left over to power other AC gizmos.
As far as the remote switch, it's just to turn the inverter off and on. Personally I don't really use it since I just leave the inverter on 24/7/365 even when I'm not using my RV, but it's handy if you plan to and won't have easy physical access to the inverter:
While technically the 640 watts of panels could be sending extra power to the charge controller, in practice I've found that two flat mounted 320 watt panels only put the charge controller for part of the day. And that's no big deal, the charge controller just dials back the output, nothing bad happens.
As far as no room to grow, while it would be nice to have a 60 amp charge controller, it's quite a price jump, since 60 amp MPPT charge controllers start around $575. That's pricey for an RV install. If someone has a link to a cheaper 60 amp MPPT charge controller, please share it.
And I've found 40 amps to be plenty strong. It's far more power than 99.99% of all RV solar install have, for example.
It's about $43 extra.
$11 for the 3-way combiner:
$32 for three inline fuses:
Like anything else. You can get away with going cheap up front but end up paying more in the end if there is an issue with the cheap stuff.
The decision is up to each person to make.Leave a comment:
-
It's a tricky one. I have the same panels as you, and the same charge controller, but I wire mine in series most of the time. There's a chance I'll fry my charge controller from a spike on a cold morning, but I've had my setup for a year and that hasn't happened yet. So you *should* wire them in parallel to avoid having to worry about that issue (or get a 150 volt charge controller).So for this set up what is the better bet then to go parallel? Only big reason I like parallel is the fact of not loosing all your panels if somehow there was a problem with wiring, panel maulfution or shaded ect..
And the charge controller you linked to is the same unit I use and love. Looks like $219 Canadian = $165 U.S., so it's the same price too. Get the remote monitoring box too (it's at the bottom of the link you sent), it's very nice to have and is a better display than on the unit itself.
For the inverter, as Mike pointed out the 600 watt Xantrex ProWatt should be able to handle the surge from your fridge turning on, so it should work fine.
That inverter will have plenty of power left over to power other AC gizmos.
As far as the remote switch, it's just to turn the inverter off and on. Personally I don't really use it since I just leave the inverter on 24/7/365 even when I'm not using my RV, but it's handy if you plan to and won't have easy physical access to the inverter:
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-808-9.../dp/B002W87JNO
While technically the 640 watts of panels could be sending extra power to the charge controller, in practice I've found that two flat mounted 320 watt panels only put the charge controller on max 40 amps for part of the day. And that's no big deal, the charge controller just dials back the output, nothing bad happens.You would be over powering it and absolutely no room to grow if needed.
As far as no room to grow, while it would be nice to have a 60 amp charge controller, it's quite a price jump, since 60 amp MPPT charge controllers start around $575. That's pricey for an RV install. If someone has a link to a cheaper 60 amp MPPT charge controller, please share it.
And I've found 40 amps to be plenty strong. It's far more power than 99.99% of all RV solar install have, for example.
It's about $43 extra, which is a whole lot cheaper than a charge controller capable of handling three 60 or 72 cell panels in series.The moment you add a 3rd panel in parallel now requires very expensive combiners and fusing.
$11 for the 3-way combiner:
$32 for three inline fuses:
Last edited by Wrybread; 06-05-2017, 12:24 PM.Leave a comment:
-
-
[QUOTE=Wrybread;n351931]Here's a handy chart for figuring your wiring:
If you wire your panels in parallel, that's 640 watts @ 36 volts = 17.7 amps (640/36 = 17.7)
In series, that's 640 watts @ 72 volts = 8.8 amps
So for this set up what is the better bet then to go parallel? Only big reason I like parallel is the fact of not loosing all your panels if somehow there was a problem with wiring, panel maulfution or shaded ect..
While I agree that all things being equal of course series wiring is better, when you add real world considerations there's good reasons to wire panels in parallel sometimes. Wiring in parallel lets him use a much cheaper 100v charge controller, which saves about $310 ($160 versus $400 for the controller plus $30 versus $100 for the display screen). Another way to look at it is that it cuts the total cost of the solar system (except batteries) almost in half. That's pretty substantial.
And in buying 72-cell 320 watt panels he's getting at least an extra 140 watts (70 watts per panel) more power than if he used similarly priced 250 watt 60-cell panels.
If he's using a 40 amp charge controller the maximum is 40 amps, meaning a minimum of 8 gauge wire up to 10 feet. Personally I use 6 gauge, which is the fattest that my Tracer 4210 charge controller will accept, which still gives me plenty of overhead. Obviously keep that 40 amp run as short as possible, ideally well under 10 feet. With the Tracer you can get the remote monitoring box for an extra $30, which lets you see the status of your system and make configurations without having to physically access the controller.
I was looking at buying this controller, seems its very popular in the solar world for the price, efficiency and such. Buy the controller and the separate monitor:
For inverter, you're sure about the 800 watt spike when you turn on your fridge? I power a fridge part time too, and don't have that spike. Anyway the Xantrex ProWatt inverters are tried and true and excellent:
Yes, thats why in my testing i had 731 as my highest watts showed so far, I'm guessing that would only happen when the compressor kicks on.
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-806-1.../dp/B002O5P8BA (600 watts)
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-806-1.../dp/B002I04A74 (1000 watts)
You might also look at the Samlex inverters:
Whatever you get, make sure it's a true sine wave inverter (TSW). If whatever you get comes with wires, make sure they're at least 6 gauge for the 600 watt and 3 gauge for the 1000 watt. On the off-chance it comes with a cigarette lighter socket, throw it away. This is the 6 gauge wire I use for my 600 watt ProWatt:
Ok, so what would be the inverter I would be needing for this project to run this fridge how I need too, as well maybe some other 110v stuff if i have too as well?
Mount the inverter as close to the battery as possible and get the remote on/off switch so you don't need physical access to turn it off and on.
Your talking just a master switch to turn it off and on?
And I should mention that if you wire 3+ panels in parallel you need to add inline fuses to the + side of each panel, since otherwise a short in one of the panels could cause a fire. Personally I use them even with my 2 panel system to be safe:
I was looking at using fuses for sure to be safe, ones like in my link below. What all sizes should I be getting for my system and where would they go into the system at?
Leave a comment:
-
Great reply Wrybread, I'll reply to it with some questions in the morning what I have my laptop out! Thanks!Leave a comment:
-
-
If you are using a standard compressor fridge, you have a spike of about 10x running current when the motor starts.
Just because you can't see it with a meter that costs less then $300, does not mean it does not exist.
Here's the surge rating for the Prowatt series (straight from Xantrex) https://www.xantrex.com/power-produc...rowatt-sw.aspx
600 / 1000 / 2000 watts maximum, 1200 / 2000 / 3000 watt surge capability
So the 600w inverter can supply a couple cycles of 1,200 watts, which is what starts the fridge. Most fridges need about a 1Kw inverter to
supply the starting current, Xantrex has some of the best overload/surge ratings around.
Leave a comment:
-
Here's a handy chart for figuring your wiring:
Use the 3% loss column of the graphic.
If you wire your panels in parallel, that's 640 watts @ 36 volts = 17.7 amps (640/36 = 17.7)
In series, that's 640 watts @ 72 volts = 8.8 amps
So parallel wiring your panels (17.7 amps) requires at least 12 gauge wire for up to 10 feet. Personally on my system with the same specs I use 10 gauge since it gives me room to expand, on the off-chance I want to add a 3rd panel (which would be 26.6 amps), which would give me more power in the winter for example.
I've been really happy with this pre-crimped wire, very easy to connect to the panels:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D7VBJNA...ing=UTF8&psc=1 (I use the 10 foot lengths of 10 gauge, which costs $23)
Cut it to the length you need, and strip the wire to connect it to your charge controller.
Yup, about $5 (see link above).parallel will add wiring cost
While I agree that all things being equal of course series wiring is better, when you add real world considerations there's good reasons to wire panels in parallel sometimes. Wiring in parallel lets him use a much cheaper 100v charge controller, which saves about $310 ($160 versus $400 for the controller plus $30 versus $100 for the display screen). Another way to look at it is that it cuts the total cost of the solar system (except batteries) almost in half. That's pretty substantial.paralel defeats a lot of the purpose of using a MPPT controller
And in buying 72-cell 320 watt panels he's getting at least an extra 140 watts (70 watts per panel) more power than if he used similarly priced 250 watt 60-cell panels.
And in practice there's no significant loss of power between parallel and series wiring of two 72-cell panels. I swap the wiring back and forth on my system (same specs) pretty often and my setup graphs the output, and there's absolutely no difference in wattage when the sun is reasonably high. Remember, it's still 36-46 volts, which is plenty high for MPPT to do it's thing with a 12 volt system. There's probably a slight difference when the sun is very low, but I haven't tested that since I don't really care as I don't get much power then anyway (though I do plan to test it eventually). And with real world considerations, the extra watts from my 72-cell system more than offsets it.
If he's using a 40 amp charge controller the maximum is 40 amps, meaning a minimum of 8 gauge wire up to 10 feet. Personally I use 6 gauge, which is the fattest that my Tracer 4210 charge controller will accept, which still gives me plenty of overhead. Obviously keep that 40 amp run as short as possible, ideally well under 10 feet. With the Tracer you can get the remote monitoring box for an extra $30, which lets you see the status of your system and make configurations without having to physically access the controller.640 watts \ 12 volts = 53.33 amps.
For inverter, you're sure about the 800 watt spike when you turn on your fridge? I power a fridge part time too, and don't have that spike. Anyway the Xantrex ProWatt inverters are tried and true and excellent:
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-806-1.../dp/B002O5P8BA (600 watts)
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-806-1.../dp/B002I04A74 (1000 watts)
You might also look at the Samlex inverters:
Whatever you get, make sure it's a true sine wave inverter (TSW). If whatever you get comes with wires, make sure they're at least 6 gauge for the 600 watt and 3 gauge for the 1000 watt. On the off-chance it comes with a cigarette lighter socket, throw it away. This is the 6 gauge wire I use for my 600 watt ProWatt:
Mount the inverter as close to the battery as possible and get the remote on/off switch so you don't need physical access to turn it off and on.
By the way here's the joiners I use when wiring in parallel:
And I should mention that if you wire 3+ panels in parallel you need to add inline fuses to the + side of each panel, since otherwise a short in one of the panels could cause a fire. Personally I use them even with my 2 panel system to be safe:
Last edited by Wrybread; 06-05-2017, 01:35 AM.Leave a comment:
-
-
-
-
From what I can see from my research I'll need a minimum MPPT controller of 40A and wire the panels into series.
What wattages should I be looking at for an inverter when it comes to the wattage and peak wattage?Last edited by UrbanElite; 06-04-2017, 11:34 PM.Leave a comment:
-
Take it easy grandpa, I've been using sine wave inverters ever since they've become available and would use nothing else. Was just mentioning it in case he has a non TSW. As I've said a few times in this thread, I love and highly recommend the Xantrex TSW inverters. And on a sidenote, those blow over time too, inverters are by their nature a bit fragile.
Hilarious! And what do you think your tally would be if this forum had a thumbs down button next to postings?Anyway I can say one thing you cannot, I have been thanked 4 times today already and counting,Last edited by Wrybread; 06-04-2017, 02:06 PM.Leave a comment:
Leave a comment: