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living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com
Croft and Kevin are wondering where we stand on the solar project. You may remember that seven weeks ago they pitched in to put the panel on the roof and run the cables down through the wall. It was quite a job and I am happy they were willing to help.
So, to answer the question, the solar panel is still well-secured to the roof and producing tons of electricity that is going nowhere at this time! I have yet to buy the charge controller and install it.
The good news is that we will be in San Antonio later this week and it is an ideal time and place to order and have the charge controller delivered. I believe that I can install it myself as I have researched it to death and have also figured out how to run the cables.
The only thing now is to how to hard wire an inverter into the system. That I think I will have some tech wizard help me with. I do have one hooked up from the battery with clamps and installed inside the trailer. I want all the outlets to be live and I do understand that we will have to be careful when using power inside so that we don't overload the inverter.
Two comments about the inverter. Okay, maybe three!
ReplyDeleteFirst, you need to locate the inverter as close as possible to the batteries. No more than six feet away, and preferably less than three.
Second, you need heavy duty cables with good tight connections from the inverter to the batteries.
Third, don't buy an invereter that is too big for your needs. That's a mistake that I made. A large inverter uses a lot of power simply being turned on.
Simple to hook up your inverter to supply all the power outlets. Just have it so that you can plug your main power cord into it, making sure that you have turned off the breaker that supplies power to your converter/charger.
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
Kevin took the words right out of my mouth! Don't use clamps to hook up the existing inverter. Replace the clamps with ring terminals.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you plug the RV cord into the inverter, make sure the fridge is locked on gas, A couple of hours of the fridge running on AC will kill the batteries. I would even suggest turning off than breaker as well or unplugging the fridge just to be sure.
Juan, tell him to stop procrastinating.
Also, if you plug the RV cord into the inverter, make sure the fridge is locked on gas
ReplyDeleteGood point! Occasionally I have forgotten to do that and soon realize why my voltage looks low!