Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

DIY Solar Panels

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #31
    Very informative thus far .

    Comment


      #32
      Great Thread! I will reference this when I update my system.

      Comment


        #33
        So is there anything regarding solar panels that one of you out there would like to know more about? Any questions??? I don't know what to cover next as I THINK I covered everything but am unsure.

        Comment


          #34
          Problems with batteries, basic feeder system

          Great stuff for larger systems and all the info on the boat equipment, amp draw all the good stuff on wire size for everything. So how could I still have a question well is guess I'm just old and slow but I'm still having problems with solar feeder systems i.e..
          As an example lits just use these:



          with this battery:



          and this charger:



          I don't always use the same brand battery but I always use 6v rechargeable, some of the batteries last a week some may last 6 weeks but none last like some of the guy on here talk about, a year. What am I doing wrong? Do some panels come with controllers and how do you know if they have them?

          I know this is about as basic as you can get. What do I need to do to make it work?

          Comment


            #35
            Originally posted by Roger_Roger View Post
            Great stuff for larger systems and all the info on the boat equipment, amp draw all the good stuff on wire size for everything. So how could I still have a question well is guess I'm just old and slow but I'm still having problems with solar feeder systems i.e..
            As an example lits just use these:



            with this battery:



            and this charger:



            I don't always use the same brand battery but I always use 6v rechargeable, some of the batteries last a week some may last 6 weeks but none last like some of the guy on here talk about, a year. What am I doing wrong? Do some panels come with controllers and how do you know if they have them?

            I know this is about as basic as you can get. What do I need to do to make it work?

            Do you ever pre-charge the batteries before putting them to use? I know several people that will open a brand new battery and find that it is not in very good shape. So they will always make sure the battery is fully charged before installing them.


            Another thing to take into consideration is the solar panel itself. Have you ever cleaned the solar panel? Dust will build up on the plastic cover and that can decrease the solar panel output. Also, what direction is the solar panel cells pointed in? Did you zip tie the panel to a leg on the feeder? If you did then that solar panel is not making much power at all. Is the feeder under trees? If it is then the solar panel won't produce much power at all. The solar panel needs to be 100% in the sun as much as possible. This means it has to be mounted on the sunny side of the feeder, with the cells aimed at the sun during the middle of the day.

            Comment


              #36
              91

              91 Tkx and yes all your guide lines have been followed. The solar panel is the one listed above and is in direct sunlight, at least 6hrs, screwed to the 55gal feeder barrel using mounting bracket. I have purchased a digital DC amp meter to ck draw of feeder motor and the timer draw but have not had a chance to put it in line, I will be there on the 15th and hope to get it up and running.
              Do you know if there is a diode or any type control in these small panels to stop discharge of battery at night or overcharge in full sun?

              Comment


                #37
                Originally posted by Roger_Roger View Post
                91 Tkx and yes all your guide lines have been followed. The solar panel is the one listed above and is in direct sunlight, at least 6hrs, screwed to the 55gal feeder barrel using mounting bracket. I have purchased a digital DC amp meter to ck draw of feeder motor and the timer draw but have not had a chance to put it in line, I will be there on the 15th and hope to get it up and running.
                Do you know if there is a diode or any type control in these small panels to stop discharge of battery at night or overcharge in full sun?

                Definately use the amp meter and find out what the feeders are pulling, and how much power the panels are producing. It could be possible that your feeders are pulling more power than normal for some reason.


                On the solar panels, all of the panels made today are supposed to have an internal diode to prevent the battery from being discharged at night. To test this you can connect your amp meter up between the solar panel and the battery. Read to see how much power the panel is putting out, then completely cover the panel and take another reading. If the amp meter shows power draw from the solar panel, then a small and cheap diode installed would prevent the power drain on your battery.

                There are not any solar panels out there that will stop charging by themselves if the battery voltage gets too high.

                Out of curiosity, how many times do you have the feeder set to go off, and how long is it set to go off each time?




                I know on my dad's feeders, a 4.5 amp/hr 6 volt battery would last for about 3 weeks with twice daily, 5 second runs from the feeder. Once we got solar panels installed to the setups, one battery would easily last all season with twice daily runnings of the feeder of 5 seconds each time.

                Comment


                  #38
                  Originally posted by 91cavgt View Post
                  There are not any solar panels out there that will stop charging by themselves if the battery voltage gets too high.


                  I know on my dad's feeders, a 4.5 amp/hr 6 volt battery would last for about 3 weeks with twice daily, 5 second runs from the feeder. Once we got solar panels installed to the setups, one battery would easily last all season with twice daily runnings of the feeder of 5 seconds each time.

                  I was under the impression if you use a controller it would cut solar power off to the battery (s) when they reached full charge like the auto electric chargers of today. BTY I burned a perfectly good RV battery up with a small panel with out any type controller after about 2 months without using the Camper, so I know even little panels can cause damage.

                  I have mine set up 3 sec twice daily but will bump it to 5 about mid Sept.
                  Will post again here when I check amp draw etc.

                  Tkx for all the input. RR
                  Last edited by Roger_Roger; 07-08-2014, 01:38 PM. Reason: changed to quote

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by Roger_Roger View Post
                    I was under the impression if you use a controller it would cut solar power off to the battery (s) when they reached full charge like the auto electric chargers of today. BTY I burned a perfectly good RV battery up with a small panel with out any type controller after about 2 months without using the Camper, so I know even little panels can cause damage.

                    I have mine set up 3 sec twice daily but will bump it to 5 about mid Sept.
                    Will post again here when I check amp draw etc.

                    Tkx for all the input. RR

                    You are correct. If you connect a charge controller then it will basically drop them to a trickle charge once the batteries are full. And yes, it won't take long if you over charge a battery, even with a small panel.



                    I'll wait and see what your results are after you check things out.



                    Now off to la la land for me.

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Does anyone else have any questions regarding solar setups?

                      Comment


                        #41
                        I was wondering if it would be possible to use solar with battery storage for a pump house that would use 220v pump. It would be used for about 4 hours a week.

                        Thanks for all the info you have given.

                        Comment


                          #42
                          Originally posted by lovetohunt View Post
                          I was wondering if it would be possible to use solar with battery storage for a pump house that would use 220v pump. It would be used for about 4 hours a week.

                          Thanks for all the info you have given.


                          Yes, it could work. You would need a power inverter that puts out 240v instead of one that puts out 120v. They are out there, but not as easy to find.

                          I know there are mathematical formulas out there that you can input your needs into and it will tell you the battery bank size and solar panel wattage requirements but I don't know of any right off the top of my head.


                          Are those 4 hours a week that the pump will be running be non-stop, or is that 4 hours spaced out evenly, say a half hour each day?


                          Let me look around to see if I can find an online calculator.

                          Comment


                            #43
                            Here is a cheap 240v power inverter. It only puts out 5,000 watts constant though so I don't know if that one would be big enough for you or not. Also, it requires a 24 volt battery bank.

                            http://www.ebay.com/itm/5000W-Pure-S...item3a885bd8c9



                            Here is a calculator you can use to find out how large your solar setup would need to be to run the pump;

                            http://www.wholesalesolar.com/StartH...alculator.html

                            Comment


                              #44
                              It would be for watering the yard, and it would probably run for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time.

                              Comment


                                #45
                                David, you don't have a 30A+ charge controller to part with do you? I am just about to have a 145w panel (I'm building) in service on the shop!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X