Need Help, I am a little confused.

[Soho]

I want to thank everyone for the help. I just got back from installing the system for my parents. Works great, they now have enough power to run their home. I told them that there would have to be some adjustments, such as running the heavy loads during the day on sunny days. Thanks for the suggestions and the assistance.

[Soho]

I want to do a full update; I went to my parents as you all know in December. Installed the LP instant water heater for them, I also installed the 10 panels in pairs. I am happy to report that the system is working great for them, they are still without grid power. Since I installed it, they only drained the system to the halfway point twice "no power" I set the system to shut down the inverter if power got too low. They use the refrigerator 80 percent of the time and only disconnect it on cloudy days. I think someone either on this post or another was questioning the 100 watts usage of the refrigerator, I am happy to report that took along a load meter I measured the consumption and it was using 106 watts when it was running. So the refrigerator is using less than the 100 watts per hour I anticipated. The only challenge is the washing machine; it uses 800 watts. But I told my mother to do laundry on sunny days anywhere from 10 am to 3 pm. I left my parents a list to more or less tell them how much power they had left based on the voltage. They use the list a lot and can plan tv time "average 5 hours per day" without draining batteries to the point the switch shuts off. I also gave my neighbor an extension so that he could have one or two lamps "LED's" on his house and watch one hour per day on the tv after dark and as much as he wants during the day on sunny days. Thanks to the set up my mom is able to make ice and share with the neighbors that have no generator.

That has been working great for her. Thank you all for the help and advise.

I was considering going back soon and make the following adjustments, would appreciate the feedback. Currently, the system is as follows;

4- 210 amp hour 6v batteries wired in series for 24-volt output.

1- 40 amp MPPT controller "corrected typo thanks"

1- 2000 watt 24v Aims inverter/ battery charger/ transfer switch

10- 100w mono solar panels wired in pairs.

I am considering adding four more batteries, that way they do not have to be afraid of running out of power. I was also considering changing the inverter to a 48 volt inverter and changing the charger to a 60 or 80 amp Midnite solar or outback charge controller. I still have another 8 100watt panels there, I was considering adding 6 more panels for a total of 16 and wire them 48volts "groups of four" or should I wire them 60 volts "groups of 5" instead and use 15 instead of 16?

The extra batteries and panels will help on the cloudy days. Last but not least, can someone tell me the correct angle to put the panels on the zipcode 00637. I just want to confirm the angle as different apps appear to give a different answer.

Thanks much again, because of this community my parents are living a semi-normal life again. Only took me one cold shower to want to install the heater. Every time I talk to my mother that is the one thing she thanks me for the most. She suffers from arthritis and the hot water makes her feel better.

[Mike90250]

Before we can tell you the angle, we need to know the seasonal requirements. I have my arrays set for optimum winter angle, summers, I have long days, lots of sun, I don't care about the angle being off, winter - I need most efficient harvest on the days sun comes out.
If you add more batteries, you need to add more solar..

What is PPT controller - a typo of MPPT, or something different.

What do they have for a generator, do they run it on cloudy days to recharge the batteries ? I run mine every cloudy opportunity, so that if i'm trapped by heavy storm, I don't HAVE to go out and start the generator, I can choose to do it between cloudbursts.

[Soho]

Hi Mike, They do not have a generator at the time, so on cloudy days they disconnect refrigerator and limit their tv time. They had a small generator, but it stopped working right after I installed the solar system. Requirements for angle, hmm Puerto Rico is sunny all year round. So not sure what would be best, in that case, I guess something that is a happy medium but allows them to generate more power in winter since the sun is not as high or as warm?

I am planning on getting them another generator so that they can at least once a week run it to keep the batteries topped off.

[Mike90250]

Being able to fully recharge batteries at least 1x a week, is mandatory. What sort of battery charger do they have? You need to get a generator that is well matched to the draw of the charger, and able to supply the PF (power factor) the charger needs. Choose a winter angle, and don't have the panels be too flat, or the dirt will never be washed off them.