Need help please total newbie in solar world.

[Wilseya]

A purchase the start of a small off-grid place in Arizona. There are two 320 watt 72 cell solar panels 100w Harbor Freight System a trimetric 2030 RV box and a bogart engineering 30 amp charger there are no batteries and there are no batteries with the system so I need to know what would be the best batteries to connect to the system any help with this would be greatly appreciated and then what could I expect to run off of the batteries. I understand I would need a power inverter to go from the 12 volt or 24 volt to the AC current. Looking 4 best recommendations thank you so much in advance.

[Wilseya]

Sorry trying to do this off my phone I purchased not a purchased.

[Mike90250]

Save the shipping carton from the harbor freight kit, it's the most valuable part . Seriously.

So you have about 600W of usable power in the 2 big panels. What does the Vmp Imp and Voc listing on the back sticker read ? we need those numbers

I expect the simplest thing is a pair of 6V 200ah golf cart batteries, good durable and cheap.

You can expect to run about 3,600 watt hours worth of load from those batteries, with no more than a 1,000 12V pure sine wave inverter

That load can be 10 minutes with a coffee maker or 40 hours with a small LED light. You spend it however you want.

Remember, you asked this question at the " Forum of Fewer Illusions."

[Wilseya]

Thank you so much for the reply the voc is 45.80 the IMP is 8.56 the Vmp is 37.40

[extrafu]

Mike90250 I guess you meant 1,200 Wh worth of load.

[Wilseya]

I tried to upload a photo but it's too large and I don't know how to make it smaller

[Wilseya]

Mike90250 So if I understand you that the to solar panels and two 6 volt batteries I can only expect to run a coffee maker for 10 minutes once a day? Am I understanding that right.

[PNPmacnab]

Why is everyone tarting out with solar so stingy with solar panels? They are the cheapest thing you can buy. More panels and you can run a lot of stuff real time without draining the battery. I suggest you put a new battery in your car and use the old one for your system. You are guaranteed to destroy your first battery anyway, might as well minimize your losses till some experience is gained. Living on just a car battery is a great trainer and will teach you your limitations quickly.

[Wilseya]

Please understand this wasn't my choice it was the system that was here and somebody has stolen the batteries and the inverter so I'm just trying to figure out where to start and what needs to happen in order to make things work. I only know what I've read about sizing a system and I don't understand because I don't have anything powered yet to be able to measure how many watts I need or will use. I know that I'm extremely Frugal unlike most people I don't run lights unless necessary I don't have a television I don't use a hair dryer don't use electric coffee maker. I don't play the radio or listen to music. So for now what I need to do is to be able to recharge cordless drill batteries cordless power tool batteries and maybe run an electric box fan late in the evening to cool the place down. That is a move Farther Along I'll have to run an occasional light to work at night more then willing to purchase more panels and batteries under the right directions that's why I am here. So thank you in advance for your input and any advice.

[littleharbor]

If you're going to charge your cordless tool batteries with ac power be sure to use a pure sine wave inverter. Also use the smallest inverter you can get away with for your needs. Modified square wave inverters don't play well with cordless tool chargers and the larger the inverter you have, the more no load power they burn doing nothing.

[Wilseya]

Great advice thank you. How can I determine the smallest one that will work to charge my batteries? Do I just add the chargers that I would be using

[J.P.M.]

Please understand this wasn't my choice it was the system that was here and somebody has stolen the batteries and the inverter so I'm just trying to figure out where to start and what needs to happen in order to make things work. I only know what I've read about sizing a system and I don't understand because I don't have anything powered yet to be able to measure how many watts I need or will use. I know that I'm extremely Frugal unlike most people I don't run lights unless necessary I don't have a television I don't use a hair dryer don't use electric coffee maker. I don't play the radio or listen to music. So for now what I need to do is to be able to recharge cordless drill batteries cordless power tool batteries and maybe run an electric box fan late in the evening to cool the place down. That is a move Farther Along I'll have to run an occasional light to work at night more then willing to purchase more panels and batteries under the right directions that's why I am here. So thank you in advance for your input and any advice.

Not a knock in the least, but as you describe it, except for apparently having a computer and cordless power tools, your lifestyle sounds like it came out of the '50's. Well, believe it or not cordless power tolls weren't around in the '50's, society survived that trauma and we're still here to talk about it.

I don't doubt that you believe your frugal in a lot of ways. NOMB or concern, but characterizing a lifestyle that apparently requires expensive PV to recharge batteries for cordless power tools as frugal seems oxymoronic to me. Frugal is using power tools where the power comes from muscle. Perhaps to your disappointment, as you learn more about it, you may discover it's hard to be frugal and maintain an off grid PV system. Such things require more money and effort than most other ways of generating power. It's a matter of priorities I guess. Save time/toil using cordless power tools and spend Time/$$ on PV. With enough money, most anything is possible. Whether some choices are practical and workable are different questions.

[Wilseya]

J.P.M. I still don't think you read the whole entire post I purchased the property with this power on it. All I was asking is what I could do with it. Mind you I have installed a 1000 gallon septic system by hand with a shovel with a hundred foot of leach field by hand dug with a shovel. I am completely capable of using muscle power which I am doing. I don't own a computer I have a cell phone. So please don't be so quick to judge or make statements while stating that it is none of your business. It is your business I ask for opinions and help. I don't take it personal. I am almost 58 years old and I'm very capable of living without of most of today's well desired uses for power. However I do enjoy the conveniences of a refrigerator/freezer and say running something like a box fan or a swamp cooler once the place is built.

[Sunking]

I suggest you put a new battery in your car and use the old one for your system. .

Do not listen to this guy, he is extremely dangerous and destructive.

[Wilseya]

J.p.m. So with all that said would you care to offer some advice or just passed judgement and criticize.