Help with standalone outdoor pole lighting

[alep11]

thank you all for the help here!

[inetdog]

Thanks for all the help guys.
I went to get the battery cable for 50 amps battery and was impressed with the thickness of the cable. Does it really have to be that thick? I was told by the sales person to get a #6 cable.

If you were driving a large inverter and trying to get all of the power from the battery in a short period of time or needed to run a long distance without much of a voltage drop, then #6 would make sense. But you need to size it for your actual DC load since you will not be using an inverter.
Once you have the minimum size wire needed to safely carry the current, you then look at the voltage drop for that wire, that current, and the distance from battery to load and try to keep the voltage drop at 3% or less.

The other consideration is how much current the charging circuit will be delivering at peak. Often (when you discharge over 10 hours and recharge over 3 or 4, for example) the charger connection will require larger wire than the load side.

[Shockah]

Thanks for all the help guys.
I went to get the battery cable for 50 amps battery and was impressed with the thickness of the cable. Does it really have to be that thick? I was told by the sales person to get a #6 cable.

You don't need #6... because you don't need 50amp cable.

Lamp: 10Watt / 12Volt = .833 amp current .... #18 or #16 (gauge) wire would be sufficient.

[Shockah]

Great minds think alike.

Here is what I got:

-60 W mono crystalline solar panel 12V
-Morningstar SL 10L-12V
-UPG UB12500 12V 50Ah Rechargeable SLA AGM Battery
-10W LED FLOOD WASH LIGHT WATERPROOF FLOODLIGHT
-Insulated box to store battery and charge control

Would that work?am I missing anything?

That should be a nice adequate set-up for you.
However, I don't see fuses on your list.

I did a few 10W units with this Lamp... worked well.
10w_washlight03.jpg

[alep11]

Thanks for all the help guys.
I went to get the battery cable for 50 amps battery and was impressed with the thickness of the cable. Does it really have to be that thick? I was told by the sales person to get a #6 cable.

[sos]

Ouch!Didn't realize those enclosures cost that much

Ebay can be a good place to buy enclosures if you're a little patient.
The other place is a good scrap yard, if you have one that still lets you pick what you want.

Steve

[SunEagle]

Ouch!Didn't realize those enclosures cost that much

Try your local electric supply shop. They may have something less expensive but it may not be as good as the Iron Ridge boxes.

[alep11]

Ouch!Didn't realize those enclosures cost that much

[Naptown]

At this power level of use stay at 12v

[alep11]

Closest location to there I found is Newberg
December insolation there is 1.4
So to run your 10 watt light 12 hours a day would require a panel
120x 2 / 1.4 =118 watt panel
This will also require either a larger battery to account for higher charge current or a switch to an AGM battery that can take higher charge currents

Reducing the time on during the winter could also compensate for this
Nights in December and January are 14 hours long.


EDIT
My math was wrong on panel size
It will take a 130 watt panel if you use a controller like the sun saver mppt
Or a 180 watt panel if you go PWM

Should I stay with 12V or change the equipment to 24V at this point?

[Naptown]

Closest location to there I found is Newberg
December insolation there is 1.4
So to run your 10 watt light 12 hours a day would require a panel
120x 2 / 1.4 =118 watt panel
This will also require either a larger battery to account for higher charge current or a switch to an AGM battery that can take higher charge currents

Reducing the time on during the winter could also compensate for this
Nights in December and January are 14 hours long.


EDIT
My math was wrong on panel size
It will take a 130 watt panel if you use a controller like the sun saver mppt
Or a 180 watt panel if you go PWM

[alep11]

That changes everything
Winter insolation there is vastly different than where I thought you were
So to start over again where in NY are you.

Yorktown Heights NY - 10598

[Naptown]

Iron ridge makes all the boxes pole mounting units etc a web search will locate a dealer.
The battery box will need to be ventilated.

[Naptown]

That changes everything
Winter insolation there is vastly different than where I thought you were
So to start over again where in NY are you.

[SunEagle]

actually I am upstate NY.
I went to home improvement store and could not find insulated box to store the battery and charge controller up in the pole. Any ideas?

You may have to go to an electrical supply store to get a NEMA 3R (rain tight) enclosure for that equipment. These can be metal but are usually plastic with gasketed covers that are screwed on or hinged on one side.

There are other possibilities depending on what size you need such as a Pelican box. They are very good enclosures but can be expensive.

Just remember that all of your wire penetrations in either box will required to be water tight and you will need a "back panel" inside to mount the charge controller and terminal blocks.