Kevin Means
Site Team
Frank, a handful of us are getting together at KOFA starting January 9th. Can you make it?
Kev
Kev
supermanotorious is FINALLY going solar!
- Thread starter supermanotorious
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Frank B
Well-known member
Kevin:
It is possible....
Frank.
It is possible....
Frank.
OP
OP
supermanotorious
Well-known member
by the way, I did not have to cut the "mesh" on top of the refer vent, I have many years of professional installation, after drilling the holes for the grommets, I used a steel fish tape to run down the vent as I looked through the mesh, super clean install, I'm having some PC issues now so I'm not able to upload pictures but I will when I can
Frank B
Well-known member
The only reason that I had to cut the mesh open on the top was because I had to run the wire down the far side of the fridge cavity from where the placement of the conduit obliged me to make the entry hole. I then wanted to staple that wire in place, and I couldn't reach up high enough in the cavity from outside to nail the wire staples in place. That pretty much had to be done from above.
Do send us pictures of your installation when you have a moment.
Frank.
Do send us pictures of your installation when you have a moment.
Frank.
OP
OP
supermanotorious
Well-known member
the picture issue is two fold, for starters I have a new hard drive in my PC that is for applications only and I haven't figured out how to route imported pictures to the original drive without duplicating pics already on there, the second issue is the compression requirements for this forum, I HATE THEM, especially with the new 3MP+ size iPhone photos
Frank B
Well-known member
One can do that in Linux with a symbolic link. I think the same can be done in Windows, but I don't know how anymore. Been years since I used it. I did find a few articles by doing a Google of "windows symlink". One of them is this article:
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365680(v=vs.85).aspx
There are some free utilities that will do a file compression easily. I suspect that Irfanview will, but again, it is years since I used Windows and Windows utilities last. AFAIK, Irfanview is still freeware.
I know that I too hate to take additional steps to post pictures here because of size limitations, but the forum also has limited disk space, and bitmap graphic files are BIG.
Frank.
OP
OP
supermanotorious
Well-known member
QZ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2017
- Posts
- 556
Nice job. You will love it.
Frank B
Well-known member
Nice install! Sure beats lugging up there each time you need them. 
The two-piece brackets are so that you can angle them if needed?
We are in Arizona now trying out the solar I installed this past summer. So far, so good. Even on partly cloudy days I have the 6 GC-2's fully charged by 1 PM. I'm still playing with the settings on the charge controller to fine tune things, however.
Frank.
The two-piece brackets are so that you can angle them if needed?
We are in Arizona now trying out the solar I installed this past summer. So far, so good. Even on partly cloudy days I have the 6 GC-2's fully charged by 1 PM. I'm still playing with the settings on the charge controller to fine tune things, however.
Frank.
Kevin Means
Site Team
Everytime I see that "1.2 kw of solar" in your signature line I chuckle a bit Frank. Hope to see you in KOFA soon.
Kev
Hope to see you in KOFA soon.Kev
Frank B
Well-known member
Kevin:
I'm looking forward to it.
Looks like we may have to make a run back to Las Vegas before we go to KOFA, however. While I have lots of solar, and 6 gc2 batteries, for some reason we are depleting our battery bank nightly with nothing more than running the furnace and lights. I'm going to have to break down and install a battery monitor to try to find out what my parasitic loads are. Something is definitely not right here.
Frank
I'm looking forward to it.
Looks like we may have to make a run back to Las Vegas before we go to KOFA, however. While I have lots of solar, and 6 gc2 batteries, for some reason we are depleting our battery bank nightly with nothing more than running the furnace and lights. I'm going to have to break down and install a battery monitor to try to find out what my parasitic loads are. Something is definitely not right here.
Frank
Kevin Means
Site Team
With as much boondocking as you guys do, I think a battery monitor would be a wise investment. I totally rely on ours. With six GC batteries and 1.2 KW of solar, I'm surprised you're having this problem. I'm wondering if the batteries aren't getting fully charged to begin with. How much furnace time are you seeing in a 24 hour period? Is your fridge set to run off A/C through an inverter (if you have an inverter) or off D/C power? I can't think of what else could draw your batteries down so far, so quickly.
Kev
Kev
Frank B
Well-known member
Kevin:
Yeah, I don't understand it either. The furnace only runs once or twice a night here in Lake Havasu, and it doesn't draw a lot of power. The batteries are new just a few days ago, and I have upped the charge rate to 15 volts before it switches into absorb. We still get a full 2-hour absorb time before it goes into float at that setting even when drawing loads during the day, and the voltmeter is saying that the batteries are charged before 3 p.m. I need to get a hydrometer and find out if my electronics are lying to me. Interstate recommends something like 15.3 for the absorb voltage, but I was afraid to go that high. The fridge will only take 15.4. :-(
Frank.
Yeah, I don't understand it either. The furnace only runs once or twice a night here in Lake Havasu, and it doesn't draw a lot of power. The batteries are new just a few days ago, and I have upped the charge rate to 15 volts before it switches into absorb. We still get a full 2-hour absorb time before it goes into float at that setting even when drawing loads during the day, and the voltmeter is saying that the batteries are charged before 3 p.m. I need to get a hydrometer and find out if my electronics are lying to me. Interstate recommends something like 15.3 for the absorb voltage, but I was afraid to go that high. The fridge will only take 15.4. :-(
Frank.
Frank B
Well-known member
Kevin:
The fridge is running propane only, and our 2500 watt sunforce inverter is only turned on if we're watching a little bit of TV. I have been real easy on the use of the microwave and the toaster because of the battery drain issue. To kill off that much power over night, I would have to have at least a 10 amp steady draw. I have no idea where that might be coming from. I even checked the DC 12 volt tank heaters to make sure they were turned off.
Yes, I guess I need to get a battery monitor and find out for sure what my drain is. I may even have some bad batteries from Costco.
Frank.
The fridge is running propane only, and our 2500 watt sunforce inverter is only turned on if we're watching a little bit of TV. I have been real easy on the use of the microwave and the toaster because of the battery drain issue. To kill off that much power over night, I would have to have at least a 10 amp steady draw. I have no idea where that might be coming from. I even checked the DC 12 volt tank heaters to make sure they were turned off.
Yes, I guess I need to get a battery monitor and find out for sure what my drain is. I may even have some bad batteries from Costco.
Frank.
QZ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2017
- Posts
- 556
Frank
I sometimes use a fuse buddy. The model I have only does 10 amps max but they sell larger models. It can replace one fuse at a time to see individual circuit draws or if I'm pretty sure the draw is under 10 amps I will use jumpers to put it in line to check system draw. It's also handy for doing solar panel amp tests. I do have a Trimetric but fuse buddy is cheap and handy, not that you cant use some multimeters too. It's easy to plug in and watch or have DW watch while I'm doing stuff.
One example:
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=ESP309&source=froogle&kw=ESP309&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI456cuPOn2AIVSmx-Ch28QgIoEAQYASABEgLiWPD_BwE
When I was running four sams GC2 we had a propane frig, led lights, 42" led tv (about 5 hours), 19" led tv (2 hours), ceiling fan, house furnace which ran a good amount and we could easily make it over night. It was common to be down 60 to 80 AH. Now I run a resi and it's common to be down 120 to 160 AH but we also now have six GC2.
I sometimes use a fuse buddy. The model I have only does 10 amps max but they sell larger models. It can replace one fuse at a time to see individual circuit draws or if I'm pretty sure the draw is under 10 amps I will use jumpers to put it in line to check system draw. It's also handy for doing solar panel amp tests. I do have a Trimetric but fuse buddy is cheap and handy, not that you cant use some multimeters too. It's easy to plug in and watch or have DW watch while I'm doing stuff.
One example:
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=ESP309&source=froogle&kw=ESP309&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI456cuPOn2AIVSmx-Ch28QgIoEAQYASABEgLiWPD_BwE
When I was running four sams GC2 we had a propane frig, led lights, 42" led tv (about 5 hours), 19" led tv (2 hours), ceiling fan, house furnace which ran a good amount and we could easily make it over night. It was common to be down 60 to 80 AH. Now I run a resi and it's common to be down 120 to 160 AH but we also now have six GC2.
Frank B
Well-known member
QZ:
>I sometimes use a fuse buddy. <
Now, that little device is brilliant!
As you say, you still have the trimetric battery monitor, and I am going to purchase one tomorrow and install it sometime this week. I understand that it will read current draw down to a tenth of an amp or less, so that may give me similar functionality. All I need to do is unplug a fuse, and see if the current draw goes down, and by how much. I must say though, that I had not thought of pulling a fuse to find out where the current drain is. That little device and your comments gave me that idea.
I'm finding this whole thing rather perplexing. I've been scratching my head trying to figure out where I could be losing 10 amps steadily all day long. It may be as Kevin states further up in this thread that I am just not getting the batteries to a full charge, regardless of what the limited instruments in my trailer are telling me.
In any case, armed with the battery monitor and a hydrometer, I should be able to get this figured out sometime this week.
This all seems to have developed since I installed the solar controller in July. Anyone know how much the solar controller itself draws when it is not charging the batteries?
Frank.
>I sometimes use a fuse buddy. <
Now, that little device is brilliant!
As you say, you still have the trimetric battery monitor, and I am going to purchase one tomorrow and install it sometime this week. I understand that it will read current draw down to a tenth of an amp or less, so that may give me similar functionality. All I need to do is unplug a fuse, and see if the current draw goes down, and by how much. I must say though, that I had not thought of pulling a fuse to find out where the current drain is. That little device and your comments gave me that idea.
I'm finding this whole thing rather perplexing. I've been scratching my head trying to figure out where I could be losing 10 amps steadily all day long. It may be as Kevin states further up in this thread that I am just not getting the batteries to a full charge, regardless of what the limited instruments in my trailer are telling me.
In any case, armed with the battery monitor and a hydrometer, I should be able to get this figured out sometime this week.
This all seems to have developed since I installed the solar controller in July. Anyone know how much the solar controller itself draws when it is not charging the batteries?
Frank.
QZ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2017
- Posts
- 556
I wouldn't suspect the solar controller so much. It does happen where people dont get fully charged when using only solar. My Trimetric along with the Bogart SC2030 is set to return 112% RPC return percent charge. Along with setting the wet cell battery efficiency at about 94%.
I have used my toaster at 90 amp DC draw but not often. I think of GC2 as golf cart only and golf carts dont demand high amps as much as they demand long ru times. If I was going to attempt to pull 125 amps for our Kerig or micro I think I would go to AGM. We use the remote start for the generator/ coffee/micro/toaster etc. You may need an equalize. After running my four old wets very hard for 29 months they would fall on thier face. I didn't get into equalizing them and checking performance further because I went to a resi and six new GC2. Now these six 16 month old gc2 have recently dropped considerably one night I did an equalize and they seem to have doe better.
I have hit them with the genny for an hour or less in the evening lately so they wouldn't drop low enough for the inverter fall out. The voltage could be at 12.4 or so but when the tv, satellite, furnace, lights and frig are running I can be pulling 25+ amps. When something kicks on it can dip just enough for the invert sag to drop the satellite and tv. That means a reboot when DW is watching tv.
Wets are an excellent value but they do have limitations. I'm probably the guy who only gets the suggested 2 years or so out of them vs 6 or 7 because I cycle them to the limit often. They are always watered and usually not below 12.2 but...... I have also looked at other options but hesitated to go AGM or certainly lith because of at first not knowing if we would like RV'ing or find another second house or cabin etc. If I was full time I would surely have AGM and possibly lith. Since I'm rambling on I'll add more. I know that the rule of thumb is if you have say 200 AH of wets you can pull half of it. I have seen people say they could and stay above 12.2 and I have seen others say that it would be measured when taking the battery to 10.5. Well, 10.5 is never happening on my system and I find it more realistic to see 12.2 and be down around 120 or 140 ah.
I have been down about 160 or 170 but iirc it may have been around 12.1 or so. I dont see how I could pull 300 ah off this 630 ah bank. I have my Trimetric set to 500AH which makes the relationship between battery % full and the voltage more in line. I have also seen people say that the Trimetric needing to be reset from time to time and they didn't like it because of losing some history or lifetime amp count? Not sure on that as I'm no expert on Trimetric. It works for me to see volts, ah used, solar amps in, various item amp draw. Dont look at history much
Edit: Another example of wet performance is that I have a set of four sams 12 volt that are used lightly and recharged at around 15 to 15.1, I bought them in 2008 and replace as they die. Their ages are 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016. That's excellent for a cheap dual purpose battery but I can see how people might only get 2 years from a GC2 if running it hard. I pretty much put it in the fuel use category. 29 months for four gc2 was about $12.00 a month
I have used my toaster at 90 amp DC draw but not often. I think of GC2 as golf cart only and golf carts dont demand high amps as much as they demand long ru times. If I was going to attempt to pull 125 amps for our Kerig or micro I think I would go to AGM. We use the remote start for the generator/ coffee/micro/toaster etc. You may need an equalize. After running my four old wets very hard for 29 months they would fall on thier face. I didn't get into equalizing them and checking performance further because I went to a resi and six new GC2. Now these six 16 month old gc2 have recently dropped considerably one night I did an equalize and they seem to have doe better.
I have hit them with the genny for an hour or less in the evening lately so they wouldn't drop low enough for the inverter fall out. The voltage could be at 12.4 or so but when the tv, satellite, furnace, lights and frig are running I can be pulling 25+ amps. When something kicks on it can dip just enough for the invert sag to drop the satellite and tv. That means a reboot when DW is watching tv.
Wets are an excellent value but they do have limitations. I'm probably the guy who only gets the suggested 2 years or so out of them vs 6 or 7 because I cycle them to the limit often. They are always watered and usually not below 12.2 but...... I have also looked at other options but hesitated to go AGM or certainly lith because of at first not knowing if we would like RV'ing or find another second house or cabin etc. If I was full time I would surely have AGM and possibly lith. Since I'm rambling on I'll add more. I know that the rule of thumb is if you have say 200 AH of wets you can pull half of it. I have seen people say they could and stay above 12.2 and I have seen others say that it would be measured when taking the battery to 10.5. Well, 10.5 is never happening on my system and I find it more realistic to see 12.2 and be down around 120 or 140 ah.
I have been down about 160 or 170 but iirc it may have been around 12.1 or so. I dont see how I could pull 300 ah off this 630 ah bank. I have my Trimetric set to 500AH which makes the relationship between battery % full and the voltage more in line. I have also seen people say that the Trimetric needing to be reset from time to time and they didn't like it because of losing some history or lifetime amp count? Not sure on that as I'm no expert on Trimetric. It works for me to see volts, ah used, solar amps in, various item amp draw. Dont look at history much
Edit: Another example of wet performance is that I have a set of four sams 12 volt that are used lightly and recharged at around 15 to 15.1, I bought them in 2008 and replace as they die. Their ages are 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016. That's excellent for a cheap dual purpose battery but I can see how people might only get 2 years from a GC2 if running it hard. I pretty much put it in the fuel use category. 29 months for four gc2 was about $12.00 a month
Frank B
Well-known member
QZ:
I think we are a lot alike in philosophy. I keep mine above 12.1, and I got 6 years our of the last set -- three years in one trailer, and 3 more in this one. I replaced them all with Costco Interstate GC-2's last week, but have not seen a real increase in performance.
We did mostly Solar last year in Arizona while boondocking, but that was with the 200 watts of solar we had then. I had to supplement a lot with the generator, but it seems to me that we got several days of use before we had to resort to that. Just don't remember for sure. However, I was just guessing then, and charged according to 'need'. Probably did not get the batteries fully charged for two or three weeks at a time before we did an overnighter with shore power.
Anyway, thank you for your 'ramblings' as I appreciate your experience with usable power. I may get a bit of an education (reality check) this year after installing so much solar, and assuming that I would never need to plug in again.
Anyway, I am looking forward to installing the Tri-metric battery monitor. I found one in stock in Yuma at Starlight Solar. The fellow close to us here in Lake Havasu does not do over the counter sales. We are headed toward Quartzsite in a week or so anyway, so I guess I can wait that long.
Frank
I think we are a lot alike in philosophy. I keep mine above 12.1, and I got 6 years our of the last set -- three years in one trailer, and 3 more in this one. I replaced them all with Costco Interstate GC-2's last week, but have not seen a real increase in performance.
We did mostly Solar last year in Arizona while boondocking, but that was with the 200 watts of solar we had then. I had to supplement a lot with the generator, but it seems to me that we got several days of use before we had to resort to that. Just don't remember for sure. However, I was just guessing then, and charged according to 'need'. Probably did not get the batteries fully charged for two or three weeks at a time before we did an overnighter with shore power.
Anyway, thank you for your 'ramblings' as I appreciate your experience with usable power. I may get a bit of an education (reality check) this year after installing so much solar, and assuming that I would never need to plug in again.
Anyway, I am looking forward to installing the Tri-metric battery monitor. I found one in stock in Yuma at Starlight Solar. The fellow close to us here in Lake Havasu does not do over the counter sales. We are headed toward Quartzsite in a week or so anyway, so I guess I can wait that long.
Frank
QZ
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2017
- Posts
- 556
Yep, been to Starlite. Good clean place. There is also Craig at Discount solar in the Q. He has a good deal of stuff in stock.
Frank B
Well-known member
QZ:
Thanks for the tip on Discount Solar. They are closed until tomorrow, so I'll call them then and see if they have one for a similar price. I don't plan on going to Yuma unless I have to. Quartzsite would be better for me if the price is close.
It is amazing how hard it is to source something that common. I spent over 2 hours scouring the web yesterday. Some small places may have stock, but they either don't have a website, or don't list it if they do. I had to call Starlight to find out if they had one, as a search of their website for anything related to it turned up nothing. We thought we might have to go back to Las Vegas to get one, but I couldn't confirm anything there either.
Thanks again!
Frank.
Thanks for the tip on Discount Solar. They are closed until tomorrow, so I'll call them then and see if they have one for a similar price. I don't plan on going to Yuma unless I have to. Quartzsite would be better for me if the price is close.
It is amazing how hard it is to source something that common. I spent over 2 hours scouring the web yesterday. Some small places may have stock, but they either don't have a website, or don't list it if they do. I had to call Starlight to find out if they had one, as a search of their website for anything related to it turned up nothing. We thought we might have to go back to Las Vegas to get one, but I couldn't confirm anything there either.
Thanks again!
Frank.
