Tweet
hello all
i am brand new to this great forum. this is my first post.
i am about ready to start connecting all the pieces on my first solar system. i had a couple of questions so i started reading things online. all i got was more questions and a growing fear. it is a black hole. if i keep reading i'll never do anything. i'd like your input on my planned setup. and the one thing that has caused my brain to melt. i'll leave that to the very end. this will be long please bear with me.
.
P1, P2 - 100W panels wired in series. (each panel has an ISC of 6.45. VOC 20v)
F1 - in-line MC4 fuse holder with 10A fuse
SW1 - SPST BEP Battery Switch (i want to be able to cut off the power from the panels without having to remove the fuse or pull out the cables from the CC. do i have to worry about an arc? Sunking you talked about putting a SPST switch across the panels' inputs. did you mean a SPDT? not sure how i'd wire a SPST like that...)
CC - Victron 15/50 MPPT charge controller with built in Bluetooth
B1, B2 - 100Ah AGM batteries
F2 - ANL 20A
SW2 - SPST BEP Battery Switch
LC - Blue Sea Systems ST blade battery terminal mount 4 circuit fuse block kit mounted on Stainless Steel Single Stud Power and Ground Junction Block. i don't want to mount the fuse block on the batteries so i'm attaching it to the Junction Box (which i'll mount on a wood shelf) and connecting the CC load terminals to it. Good?
C1 - 150W $10 portable car inverter for charging phone, 2Ah cordless tool battery, camping shower, headlamp. i charge my phone once a week. never charge more than one thing at once. it has an on/off switch.
C2 - eventually will be a microscopic DC fridge.
C3 - maybe an LED light bulb for the shed.
the panels are mounted on a DIY wood structure facing south. 4 feet off the ground. at the winter angle for this region (20 degrees). this structure leans against a microscopic (6x4) shed. the wall it leans against is sided with metal roof panels. the panels' wires come into the shed through the fire blocking on the wall's framing. they don't touch the metal siding only wood. (the siding only goes up to the top plate).
now for the brain melting question: grounding. (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) here's what i think i know after reading tons of stuff on this forum. specially posts by Sunking:
my system is small enough that i don't need to ground it but i should float it.
questions about that, though:
Sunking says to put an OCPD at each source on both polarities. so, i'd add a fuse to the negative of the solar panels and another fuse to the negative at the batteries. is that correct? or just the batteries would be enough?
but we are talking about an electrical ground, right? do i still need to provide the system with a mechanical ground? meaning do i need to connect the panels' frames (and maybe the shed's metal siding?) to a rod that's stuck 8 feet in the ground? if yes, what if i can't manage to pound a rod 8 feet into the rocky hill the shed is on?
one last thing: should i get a multi-meter? is there anything i should do on a regular basis to make sure all is well? or is it enough to just look at the monitors on the bluetooth app?
any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
i am brand new to this great forum. this is my first post.
i am about ready to start connecting all the pieces on my first solar system. i had a couple of questions so i started reading things online. all i got was more questions and a growing fear. it is a black hole. if i keep reading i'll never do anything. i'd like your input on my planned setup. and the one thing that has caused my brain to melt. i'll leave that to the very end. this will be long please bear with me.
.
P1, P2 - 100W panels wired in series. (each panel has an ISC of 6.45. VOC 20v)
F1 - in-line MC4 fuse holder with 10A fuse
SW1 - SPST BEP Battery Switch (i want to be able to cut off the power from the panels without having to remove the fuse or pull out the cables from the CC. do i have to worry about an arc? Sunking you talked about putting a SPST switch across the panels' inputs. did you mean a SPDT? not sure how i'd wire a SPST like that...)
CC - Victron 15/50 MPPT charge controller with built in Bluetooth
B1, B2 - 100Ah AGM batteries
F2 - ANL 20A
SW2 - SPST BEP Battery Switch
LC - Blue Sea Systems ST blade battery terminal mount 4 circuit fuse block kit mounted on Stainless Steel Single Stud Power and Ground Junction Block. i don't want to mount the fuse block on the batteries so i'm attaching it to the Junction Box (which i'll mount on a wood shelf) and connecting the CC load terminals to it. Good?
C1 - 150W $10 portable car inverter for charging phone, 2Ah cordless tool battery, camping shower, headlamp. i charge my phone once a week. never charge more than one thing at once. it has an on/off switch.
C2 - eventually will be a microscopic DC fridge.
C3 - maybe an LED light bulb for the shed.
the panels are mounted on a DIY wood structure facing south. 4 feet off the ground. at the winter angle for this region (20 degrees). this structure leans against a microscopic (6x4) shed. the wall it leans against is sided with metal roof panels. the panels' wires come into the shed through the fire blocking on the wall's framing. they don't touch the metal siding only wood. (the siding only goes up to the top plate).
now for the brain melting question: grounding. (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) here's what i think i know after reading tons of stuff on this forum. specially posts by Sunking:
my system is small enough that i don't need to ground it but i should float it.
questions about that, though:
Sunking says to put an OCPD at each source on both polarities. so, i'd add a fuse to the negative of the solar panels and another fuse to the negative at the batteries. is that correct? or just the batteries would be enough?
but we are talking about an electrical ground, right? do i still need to provide the system with a mechanical ground? meaning do i need to connect the panels' frames (and maybe the shed's metal siding?) to a rod that's stuck 8 feet in the ground? if yes, what if i can't manage to pound a rod 8 feet into the rocky hill the shed is on?
one last thing: should i get a multi-meter? is there anything i should do on a regular basis to make sure all is well? or is it enough to just look at the monitors on the bluetooth app?
any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Comment