Off Grid RV- just need some LIGHTS!!!

[loreoff]

Off Grid RV- just need some LIGHTS!!!

thanks for the info

[Sunking]

Each set of 2 draws 5 amps. Just want lighting, have plenty of other supplies. Can someone give me the figures on this: 114amp@1hr marine deep cycle batt

It is very simple math

H = Hours
A = Amps
AH = Amp x Hours

So from that knowledge you know:

H = AH/A
A = AH/H

So lets say you have a 100 AH battery and apply a 5 amp load. So H = 100 AH / 5 Amps = 20 hours. However if you fully discharge your battery you do serious damage to the battery. To maximize battery life you only want to use about 20% of the battery capacity. So for that 100 AH battery, only 20 AH is usable so with that same 5 Amp load is just 4 hours.

Now with that said if the battery is only for emergency use you can discharge down to 50%. You give up some cycle life, but batteries only have a limited shelf life so if used only occasionally no harm discharging down to 50% because it will be worthless by the end of its shelf life anyway. So 50% of 100 AH is 50 AH so that same 5 amp load can be applied for 10 hours.

[dabbydo]

Struggling with solar, but want lights for backup lighting at home!

What think ye?? Working on solar, but cannot get act together right now regarding solar. BUT want home backup NOW.
I have 2 sets of 2 each auto DC LED lights, for a total of 4 lights. Each set of 2 draws 5 amps. Just want lighting, have plenty of other supplies. Can someone give me the figures on this: 114amp@1hr marine deep cycle batt, thinking about getting 2nd esp if needed. Want to charge on grid, NOT SOLAR. Wud like to leave hooked up to elec. so when elec goes off, I can switch to batt power. There R U guys out there that know your stuff! Your advice please!!!!

[PNjunction]

Its for indoor lighting, and some outdoor lighting if possible. Maybe a small fan on the inside. I just need to figure out the math on this stuff.

O2Cool 10" fan - 12V * .5A = 6 watts
Rayovac Sportsman xtreme SE3DLN = 3 D cells. (300 lumens broad beam output)

These are cheap enough to see if you could actually stand living with them before wiring up a solar system. The cool color temperature of most led lights can sometimes be too depressing in the long run, and some may have an unsuitable beam indoors. Since both products can run on internal batteries, you can do a test-run first.

[ppreceipt]

Yep $1500 for some lights is crazy, better off getting a low power system like the ones I previously linked to.

[Sunking]

Its for indoor lighting, and some outdoor lighting if possible. Maybe a small fan on the inside. I just need to figure out the math on this stuff.

Well that would be a good idea. When you do you might just see it does not add up and start to wonder what all the hype is about.

[SolarRV]

Its for indoor lighting, and some outdoor lighting if possible. Maybe a small fan on the inside. I just need to figure out the math on this stuff.

[ppreceipt]

why?

Why do you want to spend $1200 to $1600 for some simple security solar lights?

Maybe I don't understand your final usage? Because that is serious over kill for some security lighting

[SolarRV]

http://www.bluepacificsolar.com/rv-solar.html

Found this link also. But does not include batteries.

[ppreceipt]

Anything sold by horrible freight (or is that fright) that is useful for anything other than a boat anchor?

that's what the web site reviews are for. Cheap people love to complain so it's pretty easy to weed out the good products from the bad.

[SolarRV]

Ah, ok, so around $1200.00 should do it for a basic setup, I guess that's what to expect. So not this year.

Ive seen some LED lights that are replacements at 1 volt or watt. They just cost $30.00 a piece.

[axis11]

LED's here I come. If that. Sounds like you need a couple grand just for lighting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3W-Cool-White-MR16-3-LED-Bulbs-focus-LED-spot-Light-Lamp-12V-3X-1W-/320845865627?pt=US_Light_Bulbs&hash=item4ab3e7629b

I have purchased a few of these 12v LED bulbs. They were rated at 3watts but actual test shows a power draw of 0.08 amps @12v. That's just 1 watt of consumption but the brightness was great for its size. Run 8 of those for 12 hours and it takes less than 8AH from your battery.

[Sunking]

This is not even including probably a 250 watt solar charger to keep this battery charged enough? I'm in a pretty sunny area.

Just caught this part. If you use a 250 watt panel with a decent MPPT charge controller you would need a 12 volt 250 AH battery, and then you can run all the dang lights you want. If you put a 250 watt panel on the 18 AH battery you selected, it will rupture or explode charging at the 1C+ rate.

[inetdog]

Anything sold by horrible freight (or is that fright) that is useful for anything other than a boat anchor?

There are regular bargains on solar garden lights and security lights at big box stores and hardware stores. Some are good. You have a choice of finding one which uses a separate panel and running the wiring inside or just setting up a charging rack outside and bringing the lights in after dark. The two problems to watch out for in these units are degradation of the solar cell from weather exposure (not much you can do to change the design) and battery life (usually replaceable NiCd or NiMH or even LiPePO4 in larger units.

You can always just cannibalize them for parts, but most are designed to run off 1-5 volts, so connecting them to a 12 volt panel and battery system would not be economical.

[russ]

Anything sold by horrible freight (or is that fright) that is useful for anything other than a boat anchor?