# 45 Watt panels



## Smitty901

I was given a Thunderbolt 45 Watt solar panel kit. It has been sitting in the bike room about 3 months in the box. Damp rain changed my mind on riding today so I open the box.
Simple PVC frame
Controller
3 panels and the wiring two lights with it.
15 minutes to put together.
Set it up in the house . Soon as I turned it on 4.3 volts. Moved it towards a window 14.7 -15 volts. Now what to do with it. I may use this to power the battery tenders for my bikes for now. they require a small amount of power. Pictures will follow soon.


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## stowlin

A 45 watt panel set would be great for rechargeable battery packs, small devices like notebooks/ipads, but a large battery it will take a while (days probably) to charge up depending on its size. GREAT for LED lights by the way.


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## Smitty901

stowlin said:


> A 45 watt panel set would be great for rechargeable battery packs, small devices like notebooks/ipads, but a large battery it will take a while (days probably) to charge up depending on its size. GREAT for LED lights by the way.


 That is my plan LED's on my way to buy a 12 volt battery to play with it some more.
What I need to find out is if it will regulate the charge of will I need to shut it off.


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## stowlin

Smitty901 said:


> That is my plan LED's on my way to buy a 12 volt battery to play with it some more.
> What I need to find out is if it will regulate the charge of will I need to shut it off.


I do play with panels and batteries but I don't consider myself an expert. I have a regulator that will prevent over charging on my large panels but my small panel set up is for direct battery charging and they just stop charging when full; but you might want to look at this:
https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R8C72T9FY14MWDQ101XH


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## Smitty901

stowlin said:


> I do play with panels and batteries but I don't consider myself an expert. I have a regulator that will prevent over charging on my large panels but my small panel set up is for direct battery charging and they just stop charging when full; but you might want to look at this:
> https://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R8C72T9FY14MWDQ101XH


 Found in the small print it shuts down @ 14.5 volts witch is fine for a 12 volt system. I purchased a 12 volt battery I plan to use in the sidecar anyway to play with. System is charging it right now with over cast sky. Plugged a small inverter into it . 40 watt LED only dropped the reading 1/10 of a volt.
Right now I will catch heck I have it all laying around the living room. Wife is not home yet. I am some what of a nut case I always need some thing to mess with.


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## LunaticFringeInc

Sounds like the same system Harbor Freight sells just rebranded for another outlet to sell. Might wanna check out some of the reveiws on that Harbor Freight system if so...its notorious for having some issues as far as long term durability and servicability go.

I went a slightly different route and bought 3 x 20 watt panels on clearance from Academy for about 2 bucks a watt, bought a seperate charge controller and gel cell battery for about the same price that system would have cost at harbor frieght and got a 30% increase in wattage capacity. It does a awesome job in my off grid shed although I have limited ability to run 110v power tools for more than a few minutes. LED lighting is definitely the way to go too from a power consumption stand point.


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## Smitty901

If you run through an invert you have a loss in power. If you run everything 12 volt you have increased cost and have to find 12 volt lights ect. Plus the wiring issues.
Speak up I am listening.


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> Found in the small print it shuts down @ 14.5 volts witch is fine for a 12 volt system. I purchased a 12 volt battery I plan to use in the sidecar anyway to play with. System is charging it right now with over cast sky. Plugged a small inverter into it . 40 watt LED only dropped the reading 1/10 of a volt.
> Right now I will catch heck I have it all laying around the living room. Wife is not home yet. [B]I am some what of a nut case I always need some thing to mess with[/B].


Hop on your bicycle and come on down, . . .

I'll show you the 2000 watt inverter I got at Harbor Freight, . . . set it up on a good sized car battery, . . . put all LED lights in the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms, . . . put those circuits on their own panel, . . . with a switch over breakers setup, . . . I can have lights in the house for several hours if the electric goes off.

And you do want to make sure you put a controller on your solar panels. They can burn a battery up pretty quick with out one (at least that was the information I was given).

I'll also let you help me design the magazine and bolt for an M14-.22 I'm building. Just finished the barrel today, . . . friend has a lathe and mill, . . . barrel is profiled just like a standard M14, . . . just gotta finish it up.

Tinkering is fun, . . . spent the winter putting a new forced air furnace, . . . ductwork, . . . registers, . . . etc. in the house. What the heck, . . . lived here for 20 years, . . . probably time to put a furnace in.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Kauboy

Smitty901 said:


> If you run through an invert you have a loss in power. If you run everything 12 volt you have increased cost and have to find 12 volt lights ect. Plus the wiring issues.
> Speak up I am listening.


You will certainly spend a little more on the light bulbs themselves if you stick with 12v, but their longevity more than makes up for it.
You can get years out of a 12v LED light.
I picked up a few that are standard A26(I think that's right) socket, and a few sockets from a disassembled fan.
I can have the whole thing up and running in an hour or so, wired to each of the closest rooms in the house.
I've got a single 75w panel that should work to run all of them, and more.
I've got a backup 40w panel for charging electronics like radios and GPS.
I keep the whole system 12v where possible, but I have an inverter if I absolutely must use AC power for something.


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## dwight55

It has cost me about 6 hours labor, . . . and something less than $150 to set up the inverter system (plus the inverter and the battery, . . . another $200).

The neat thing about it, . . . I can run a small TV, radio, lights, shaver, charge all the electronics, . . . just like having power, . . . but I cannot use big appliances or anything needing 220.

AND, . . . setting up a solar panel to keep it charged, . . . I'm in good shape until the cycles wear down the battery, . . . and I think that'll take a while.

I got lucky and hit Harbor Freight on one of their 2 day specials, . . . was gonna get a 1000 or 1200 watt inverter, . . . they were getting rid of the 2200 ones for the 1200 price.

It works great, . . . best part of it, . . . light switches all work, . . . every thing is just like normal, . . . I flip one switch in the power panel and plug in the inverter cord. 

Done.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## budgetprepp-n

Can I make a suggestion? Go with one of these corn row bulbs for lighting. I have been using them
and they give off as much light as a regular light bulb and they seem to last forever. 
I have tested a few and they don't draw as much as they are listed to.
Like the 10 watt only pulls about 8 watts and the 15 only pulls about 13 watts
The 10 or 15 watt is all you will need to light up a room nicely (the cool white is the brightest) 


E27 Base Socket Screw LED Corn Light Lamp Bulb Outdoor Camp Home Solar DC12V


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## Smitty901

budgetprepp-n said:


> Can I make a suggestion? Go with one of these corn row bulbs for lighting. I have been using them
> and they give off as much light as a regular light bulb and they seem to last forever.
> I have tested a few and they don't draw as much as they are listed to.
> Like the 10 watt only pulls about 8 watts and the 15 only pulls about 13 watts
> The 10 or 15 watt is all you will need to light up a room nicely (the cool white is the brightest)
> 
> 
> E27 Base Socket Screw LED Corn Light Lamp Bulb Outdoor Camp Home Solar DC12V


 Thanks for the post. I have long been sold on LED's. First on the bikes , then the house.


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## Smitty901

If you were going to wire a room for 12 volt. would you run both wire to each item or run one Hot and the share a common ground to each item?
Wire braded copper or solid?


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> If you were going to wire a room for 12 volt. would you run both wire to each item or run one Hot and the share a common ground to each item?
> Wire braded copper or solid?


If it were me, . . . I would run both + and - to each one, . . . and I would most likely run them into a 1/4 inch mono-plug like on the end of a microphone. You then put the same plug on whatever you are plugging in if you are using lamps, . . . radio, . . . TV, . . .

And, . . . definitely use stranded wire instead of solid, . . . you get much less voltage drop that way, . . . and if you can, . . . make sure it is copper wire, . . . no aluminum or steel.

I sat one day and weighed the pros and cons of 12 VDC, . . . VS, . . . 120 VAC from the inverter, . . . and for me it just made more sense to do the inverter in my application.

I go back in the pantry room, . . . with a flashlight of course, . . . open up my auxiliary panel, . . . flip one breaker (it disconnects the house current, . . . connects to the inverter cable), . . . then plug in the cable to the inverter, . . . then my house is lit up again. Regular wall switches turn stuff on or off, . . . and a couple of regular outlets work.

I tried to make it as idiot proof as I could, . . . so someone else could use it when I've had my last rites. I put the whole thing on a little cart, . . . I can unplug it from the panel, . . . take it to sporting events, . . . camping trips, . . . whatever, . . . and as you can see, . . . there's room for another battery just as soon as I sprout the extra cash for another one.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Dirk Pitt

I have a harbor freight setup and it is powering one 12V deep cycle marine battery. The only thing I have running on it is a 12v car radio with speakers. I have had zero problems with it and I very impressed with entire setup. I do have the provided lights setup with it also and I use them off and on (no pun intended). My only question is this, at random intervals I hook up by battery charger to it and it shows the battery almost dead. It charges it back up of house 120V. So I am new at this and scratching my head. My little system works, but is seems I need more juice going into that battery. I am thinking about getting another system and hooking it all together. That would be 90 watts. 
Math is not my strongpoint, so please don't hit me with volts x amps x watts x whatever. It is all gibberish to me, I know a little but I need some advice from all of you experts on there.


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## LunaticFringeInc

You really got to know that math on this one as you need to figure out how much power your using, so that you know how many watts in panels and batteries you need to "keep the lights on". Math aint one of my strong points either. In fact for me I wouldnt even consider it a point, lol. But knowing how many amps I am using, how many amp hours my panels generate and how many amp hours my battery can store makes it all work out. Solar power is all about maintaining a balancing act. You have to look at it as a three legged stool. If one of the legs is shorter than the other, it wont sit level and work well so to speak. Thats the best analogy I can think of...


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## Smitty901

Yep a learning curve about to happen. Panels listed in watts . But anything to many use is in Amps needed. Clearly a 45 Watt solar is not going o run much more than some lights. It will need the battery to run them at a constant brightness and steady. The trick will be how long it take the Panels to full recharge the battery.
Right now if I disconnect the battery it show 13. 2 volts on a very overcast sky. If I hook the battery up it shows 12.8 volts Battery tester shows battery at 12.55 volts. In my uneducated way of thing that would mean the battery is at about 12.5 volts and the .4 volt difference is what is lost through the system and maybe the panel is putting a little back.
This will be expanded, I have some time on my hands and an interest. Will it be worth while , time will provide the answers.
Questions I will be looking to answer.
How long will the 1 car battery run two LEDs lights , with the panel recharging during normal day light.
What can I safely run off a 150 watt inverter and how long.
Latter how many Watts in Panels would I need to run all the lights in my house as they are normally used.
How many batteries would that take.
I run the internet off of RF it draws very little power on sight, the source has back up power. Think that may not need much to keep operating if needed.
I would like to figure out what it takes to power all the over head lights in the bike room. Bike room also serves as underground safe room is the reason.

I am focusing on lights for now as they are the easiest. With LED's they use the least amount of current in the home.

4 lights 2-32 watt each light. I just figure this would be a good start


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> Yep a learning curve about to happen. Panels listed in watts . ................
> 
> I am focusing on lights for now as they are the easiest. With LED's they use the least amount of current in the home.
> 
> 4 lights 2-32 watt each light. I just figure this would be a good start


OK: Volts measures the "outward push" of the electrons from your power source, . . . in essence, . . . it is _pushing electrons out of your battery at 12 volts worth of push_

Amperage measures the number of electrons that are being pushed out of your battery by the Voltage.

Watts is the combined effort of the two, . . . Watts = "Volts" multiplied by "Amps", . . .

A 100 watt light bulb used on a 12 volt system uses 8 1/2 amps, . . . ( 100 watts, divided by 12 volts, = 8 1/2 amps).

Batteries are rated in "Ampere Hour capacity": a 100 ampere hour battery will (theoretically speaking, . . . because it is not a perfect science) produce 100 amps for 1 hour or 1 amp for 100 hours, . . . or some combination of time multiplied by amps.

The problem with solar / battery / inverter systems, . . . there is no way we can predict with seriousness exactly how much charge we can get today with whatever sun comes out, . . . nor what power we will use tonight, . . . when the sun is down, . . . and multiple users turning on lights, TV's, radios, . . . charging phones, tablets, . . . etc.

BUT, . . . taking the example you gave there Smitty, . . . 4 lights 2-32 watt each light. Each fixture uses 2, 32 watt bulbs, . . . that makes 64 watts per fixture. Four fixtures at 64 watts each is 256 total wattts when all of them are on.

That 250 watts on 12 volts, . . . is 20.125 amps, . . . if you have say an 85 ampere hour battery, . . . the lights should burn for just over 4 hours (85 divided by 20.125).

Again, . . . the whole thing is somewhat unpredictable, . . . but if you build in a bit of overage in your original power, . . . it should compensate for any miscalculations.

Like my little system in the picture, . . . that big blank space in front of the battery is the place the next battery will go when I get the cash for it.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Smitty901

The lights in the bike room were installed in away I do not have to use them all.


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## Smitty901

Next question would be how to find the "Ampere Hour capacity": All of the test methods I have found are not very sound ways to do it and it is not include with the battery.


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## 8301

Smitty901 said:


> Next question would be how to find the "Ampere Hour capacity": All of the test methods I have found are not very sound ways to do it and it is not include with the battery.


Deep cycle and Renewable energy batteries are rated in amp hour capacity and that number should be listed.
but,,, with lead acid, AGM, and gel batteries the faster you pull the power from the less amp/hrs the battery will provide.
example: T105 battery, if you pull all the energy fast so that the battery is completely drained in 5 hours (C/5 rate) you will only get 185 amp/hrs at the rated 6 volts. If instead you pull the energy slowly over 100 hours (C/100 rate) the battery will give you 250 amp/hrs of energy. Basically the harder you pull from a battery the less energy it can actually produce. To keep battery comparisons even most RE battery makers rate their batteries at the 20 hr rate (C/20). 
See the Electrical specifications for this battery data sheet. http://www.trojanbattery.com/pdf/datasheets/T105_Trojan_Data_Sheets.pdf


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> Next question would be how to find the "Ampere Hour capacity": All of the test methods I have found are not very sound ways to do it and it is not include with the battery.


This is a pretty good explanation: Amp Hour Tutorial - Explaining The Specification | All About Lead Acid Batteries

I had really not paid any attention to it for several years, . . . you know, . . . go buy a battery, . . . put it in, go on with life.

You're right, . . . the AH is not on there like it used to be.

The best way would be to put your "load" on it, . . . put it on a timer, . . . and when it gets to where it won't operate the stuff, . . . you can then calculate that for "X" number of hours, . . . you provided "Y" number of amps, . . . so multiply em out, . . . and you will have a AH figure.

That is one of the things I have not gotten around to, . . . because I have to go make a change in my auxiliary panel first, . . . and have not had time to do that.

I'll holler back with the results when I do it, . . . give everyone else an idea of what can be done with an inverter.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Smitty901

Warning to some this thread may get redundant and long. I plan to play with this a bit and am sure at least a few will jump in often. Going into this with some predigest .
Solar is not cost effective. Storage is not cheap nor are the battery options cost effective. So doing it as a cost saving is a failure from the start. What I want it to do is provide some power in emergences. I do not plan to run big things off it. It is effective at charging batteries so that is a plus.
With the addition of a mid size car battery out of the box it has already reached a goal. It runs two 12 volt Lights well and with a small inverter it runs 110 volt lamps.
The simple 3 panels at 45 watts provide charging power on an overcast day. Much better than the smaller panel I have that runs a power roof vent. If you do not have almost 100% sun it is worthless.
Putting to many batteries on a small system will not be effective, the panels need to bring them back up in a reasonable time. This will give me something to play with.
Ideas I have is to install wiring in a room to use 12 volt lights. Then we need to use it just attach a power lead to that room. 
So far Grandchildren have got a kick out of it. When I had panels in the living room facing a big window I was informed by 1 of them that Grandma is not going to like this.
New question about DC . When I built this house American was in a lumber shortage. I tend to do things in a different way . My house has a steel frame not the walls but the base it is built on. I wonder if there is a down side to using that as a common ground for a 12 volt system. If it can be done it would save a lot of expensive wire.


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## Smitty901

Another overcast day 0930 panels are putting 13 volts to the battery. That will charge one but it would take a long time.
With the battery disconnected the panels read 16 volts.


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## Smitty901

Panels have charged the battery to a full 13 volts. Not uncommon for a 12 volt to be at 14. To night I will hook a couple 12 volt lights to it and see how it draws down. After that I will try to play with the 100 watt inverter some.


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> Panels have charged the battery to a full 13 volts. Not uncommon for a 12 volt to be at 14. To night I will hook a couple 12 volt lights to it and see how it draws down. After that I will try to play with the 100 watt inverter some.


Smitty, . . . in order not to cook your battery(s), . . . you really need to put a controller in that system.

Since I don't know for sure how much you are drawing (amps) I don't know if this one will work for you, . . . it's max charge or discharge is 30 amps.

GENSSI 30A PWM Solar Panel Charge Controller Battery Regulator 12V/24V with LED | eBay

Trying to rely on the voltage will not tell you if the battery is charged, . . . charging, . . . dead, . . . or cooked. An amp meter will, . . . and this one seems to have a little window that tells you how many amps are moving.

Personally, . . . I would not have a system without a controller.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Smitty901

dwight55 said:


> Smitty, . . . in order not to cook your battery(s), . . . you really need to put a controller in that system.
> 
> Since I don't know for sure how much you are drawing (amps) I don't know if this one will work for you, . . . it's max charge or discharge is 30 amps.
> 
> GENSSI 30A PWM Solar Panel Charge Controller Battery Regulator 12V/24V with LED | eBay
> 
> Trying to rely on the voltage will not tell you if the battery is charged, . . . charging, . . . dead, . . . or cooked. An amp meter will, . . . and this one seems to have a little window that tells you how many amps are moving.
> 
> Personally, . . . I would not have a system without a controller.
> 
> May God bless,
> Dwight


 I have a controller on it. The controller shuts down at 14 most chagrining system charge battery's higher than 12 . I will be looking into some better parts for this as I play with it.


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## stowlin

Would not say that solar isn't cost effective for it depends on circumstances. Sure for 99% that are grid based solar doesn't compete, but most people here prepare for power with no grid or off grid living. Compared to solar you have fuel based generators and wind. Unless you make your own fuel I think solar can beat both.


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## Smitty901

Right now running two 5 watt incandescent lights off it battery only now dark out. Drawing .8 amps less than 1 amp and giving off fair amount of light . I may leave it on all night. Battery shows 12.5 volts. The control will shut down to prevent running the battery to low.
What I have is two controllers . 1 has plugs and options I want to use but only give volts The other gives me volt and amp draw . So I wired it to use both. it has all tested out and is working. I have of course fused everything. The incandescent lights will get replaced with LED, but have to order them no one has them in 12 volt local.
Right now I am using a midsize battery car battery. Purchased it new to use in our sidecar anyway . If this works out I will get a larger battery for the panels.


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## Smitty901

stowlin said:


> Would not say that solar isn't cost effective for it depends on circumstances. Sure for 99% that are grid based solar doesn't compete, but most people here prepare for power with no grid or off grid living. Compared to solar you have fuel based generators and wind. Unless you make your own fuel I think solar can beat both.


 Weak link in solar is the batteries. They just cost to much for how long they last. Your thinking is some what where I am. If solar can cover emergency lighting that would take running hours off the generators. Solar panels running lights directly that are needed during daylight would be effective.
For now I am looking a short term with this . Total SHTF world as we know it ends, we will live without electric. It would not be far fetched to encounter a few days a week or more with out power . If this works and after stepping it up a bit, the idea of running most or all lighting off an expanded system is some thing I will look at.
Prepping is an on going thing. It often means trying something different. Some things work, some end up in the bad idea box.


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## dwight55

I actually have a generator, . . . purchased a few years back, . . . never have ran it, . . . power has not been off for more than an hour or so since that outage.

I built my inverter system to mainly do lighting, . . . but with an eye to also let it do some light duty power applications (radio, small TV, computer, tablet, charge cell phone, etc.).

I bought some 12 volt LED bulbs to put in the drawer, . . . hope to high heaven I never, ever, have to use them, . . . they are backup for the backup which backs up the backup.

May God bless,
Dwight

PS: I'm with you Smitty, . . . keep this thread going, . . . there can be a lot we could all learn, I'm thinking.


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## 8301

dwight55 said:


> I actually have a generator, . . . purchased a few years back, . . . never have ran it, . . . power has not been off for more than an hour or so since that outage.
> 
> I built my inverter system to mainly do lighting, . . . but with an eye to also let it do some light duty power applications (radio, small TV, computer, tablet, charge cell phone, etc.).
> 
> I bought some 12 volt LED bulbs to put in the drawer, . . . hope to high heaven I never, ever, have to use them, . . . they are backup for the backup which backs up the backup.
> 
> May God bless,
> Dwight
> 
> PS: I'm with you Smitty, . . . keep this thread going, . . . there can be a lot we could all learn, I'm thinking.


Dwight, I learned that even when you think the system will work you may need something else or some part of it is wonky. Every year or so I pick 36 hours (2 nights) and shut down the grid and my solar system to only use things like my backups. I found several areas where my backups just didn't work well and it gave me a chance to improve things. If nothing else you learn how hard it is to cook with a little battery lantern. Live off the generator for 1 night... then,

Shut the power off before you go to work Friday and get by until Sunday with what you have. Like me I'm sure you'll learn quite a bit.


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## PrepperDon

Sounds like the harbor freight set 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Smitty901

First test with two lights 9 hours the lights have been on. Battery still showing 12.1 volt and .8 amp draw so this is a Go. Will let them keep going until day light and allow panels to charge battery.


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## Smitty901

10 hours still 12.1 volts lights working prefect.
I will try to explain what I am doing with two controllers and why. This one connects to the panel, it then powers the second controller. This black one provides volts, amp from panels and amps draw by light. It however requires bear wire to hook up. The second controller has options of inverter socket ,12 volt car type and straight jack 12 volt connections. It works, best I can figure now is wiring LED read outs on controllers the loss through the system is less than .04 amps.

solar2 by bob smith, on Flickr

solar by bob smith, on Flickr

Yes I am going to hear about all of this in her flower room.


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## dwight55

John Galt said:


> Dwight, I learned that even when you think the system will work you may need something else or some part of it is wonky. Every year or so I pick 36 hours (2 nights) and shut down the grid and my solar system to only use things like my backups. I found several areas where my backups just didn't work well and it gave me a chance to improve things. If nothing else you learn how hard it is to cook with a little battery lantern. Live off the generator for 1 night... then,
> 
> Shut the power off before you go to work Friday and get by until Sunday with what you have. Like me I'm sure you'll learn quite a bit.


Thanks for the good words, John, . . . and for the suggestion.

Pardon me, . . . for having a short laugh, . . . because if I do the shutdown, . . . it will have to be Thurs and Fri, . . . as I am a small community church pastor, . . . Saturday and Sunday are my "big" days, . . . Monday and Tuesday closely following.

Thurs and Fri are more or less my "weekend", . . .

And you are 101% correct that we need to "test" our plans to be sure they work. My first inverter croaked on me, . . . and there were no symptoms, no evidence inside, nothing could be found to determine where the electronics went south, . . . they just did. Found it out when I went to use it.

We're going to expand that thought just as soon as the weather breaks here, . . . plan is to spend some more time on wood stove cooking, . . . using mostly cast iron cookery. I especially want to learn to bake bread in it (corn bread and biscuits are the first subjects).

May God bless,
Dwight


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## Smitty901

At 10 minutes short or 12 hours the sun is on it's way up so this test is done for now. Battery still showing 12.1 volts. Lights as bright as when they were turned on. quickly after shutting lights off volt reading came up to 12.2 normal with a battery that has a good charge.
Next is to watch how the panels recharge the battery.
This thread may get old but what they heck we have spent a lot of time this last year on watching our government. A worth cause but we have to offer something more to our visitors.
Heck it an 11B can make solar lights work with out shooting something anyone can.

Dwight two things you must know about corn bread. Lard not oil, cast iron pan. The most important is using Lard.


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## Slippy

Excellent thread. I plan on setting up solar power for lighting and tool charging in my barn. Cool project Smitty


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## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> At 10 minutes short or 12 hours the sun is on it's way up so this test is done for now. Battery still showing 12.1 volts. Lights as bright as when they were turned on. quickly after shutting lights off volt reading came up to 12.2 normal with a battery that has a good charge.
> Next is to watch how the panels recharge the battery.
> This thread may get old but what they heck we have spent a lot of time this last year on watching our government. A worth cause but we have to offer something more to our visitors.
> Heck it an 11B can make solar lights work with out shooting something anyone can.
> 
> Dwight two things you must know about corn bread. Lard not oil, cast iron pan. The most important is using Lard.


Glad to hear your test ran well for you, . . .

We probably could be related, . . . 11B background and you know about lard and cast iron when talking cornbread.

Lard and pie crusts are pretty good together as well.

Right now, . . . I've got 3 things on my prepping "bucket list" of things to get: a thermal rifle scope, . . . solar panel(s), . . . and a pump for my well.

If something happened, . . . I most definitely want that first one, . . . after dark, it makes all the difference in the world for being able to see out there in the darkness.

The other thing I bought and have stashed is an alternator for 12 volts. It is the kind that is self regulating, . . . I can hook it up to a exercise bicycle and charge my 12 volt batteries with it, . . . have to build a bracket to hold it, . . . but it'll do it. It is another one of my backups for the backup.

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## Smitty901

Mid day and back from church Panels putting 13.1 volt (under the load) to system at 2.7 amps. Good full sun. From what I can find the control will stop putting voltage to the battery at 14.5.
And that does not seem to madder on these. I know most cars and bikes will charge up to 14.5. Every controller I have checked that say 12-24, charges higher.
Had it quickly wired up refine the wire now . Cool part is the connectors and fuse links are the same as I use for my heated bike gear. So I had some spares around.
Wife just ask will it run the coffee pot . I said not yet. She said keep working on it.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

darn handy to have a solar and outside and inside light for the out house


----------



## Smitty901

Slippy said:


> Excellent thread. I plan on setting up solar power for lighting and tool charging in my barn. Cool project Smitty


This simple setup will run one for sure.

solar4 by bob smith, on Flickr

Long as I prove it will run the coffee down the road I am getting away with having it in the flower room. So far.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Is anyone but me using the corn row bulbs?


----------



## Smitty901

Put 100 watt invertor on it. Plugged in one lamp with 13 watt incandescent it pulled 1.4 amps VS the two 5 watt 12 volt that drew .8 amps and supplied more use able light.


----------



## Smitty901

budgetprepp-n said:


> Is anyone but me using the corn row bulbs?


 I will be ordering some to try. No where to get anything in 12 Volt LEDs local. I looked the other day.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> I will be ordering some to try. No where to get anything in 12 Volt LEDs local. I looked the other day.


try the ones I provided a link to you will be happy with them. (let me know) most people still think of the little LEDs that aren't very bright. 
these things are nice it would be nice to have someone back me up on this. I'm telling you they are close to a regular bulb.
And you can use an old regular light fixture for them since they screw in.
The 10 or 15 watt should be all that you need. And being 12 volt is nice


----------



## Slippy

budgetprepp-n said:


> Is anyone but me using the corn row bulbs?


I'm running all standard LED's. They have cut my electricity bill greatly. Will need some more months data to give a %.


----------



## Smitty901

[QUOTE=budgetprepp

I have the page marked. Switch every thing in my home to LED except the over head lights in the bike room. I have found tha my eye prefer the day light ones in 5000 K range


----------



## Smitty901

Slippy said:


> I'm running all standard LED's. They have cut my electricity bill greatly. Will need some more months data to give a %.


 With the solar toy I am working with now changing bulbs in a standard 120 lamp then watching the AMP draw while running the lamp on the invertor show some major differences.
Have it running all night right now on 1 12 volt 5 watt. Draw is .4 amps. The light is listed as a 380mA draw so the minor difference is what is lost in wire and controller.
The one 5 watt incandescent hanging up provides enough light to get around and you could read near the light . I am sure an equal LED would do a little better.
I am leaning toward going 12 volt for lighting. Inverters have their down sides and those add up.


----------



## dwight55

Smitty901 said:


> Wife just ask will it run the coffee pot . I said not yet. She said keep working on it.


This one will run all three coffee pots............lol

May God bless,
Dwight


----------



## Smitty901

dwight55 said:


> This one will run all three coffee pots............lol
> 
> May God bless,
> Dwight


 Yes , however she likes the Bunn coffee makers as much as I do.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> If you run through an invert you have a loss in power. If you run everything 12 volt you have increased cost and have to find 12 volt lights ect. Plus the wiring issues.
> Speak up I am listening.


I use all 12 volt lighting in my B.O. trailer I have 11 of these One or more in every room I used a #10 wire from one end to the other 
They are the ones I built. They are on a pull string. I still have the on grid lights but I just don't use them don't need them. 
The one in the kitchen also has a small night light built in with a 3 way pull switch. One of these would run days and days
on one battery the watts they pull is very low. But the lights are really bright.

The picture you see that has two lights in the picture one is right over the kitchen table it has 
grid and 12 volt solar in the same light.

It shouldn't matter if you have 1 or 20 lights just so long as you only run one at a time you could 
have a small set up and still have lights in every room





Outside I have two of these with a 12 volt corn row bulb they come on at dusk and off at dawn.
this is when I was first installing them you cant see the light sensor anymore. 
One has a 15 watt and one has a 10 watt they light the place up really nice at night. 
I had to put foil on the back side so they don't blind you at night if you come out on the 
porch. -- The porch is up pretty high


If you look you can see the light at the end of the porch you can see the light.
Also under the floor you will see two light bulbs one is on the grid on is 12 volt where ever there is
grid light you will also find a 12 volt light. 


Didn't mean to highjack your thread.
I also have 12 water system let me know if any of you want to see it and will do a post on it
low cost using sur-flo camper 12 volt pumps


----------



## Smitty901

budgetprepp-n said:


> I use all 12 volt lighting in my B.O. trailer I have 11 of these One or more in every room I used a #10 wire from one end to the other
> They are the ones I built. They are on a pull string. I still have the on grid lights but I just don't use them don't need them.
> The one in the kitchen also has a small night light built in with a 3 way pull switch. One of these would run days and days
> on one battery the watts they pull is very low. But the lights are really bright.
> 
> The picture you see that has two lights in the picture one is right over the kitchen table it has
> grid and 12 volt solar in the same light.
> 
> It shouldn't matter if you have 1 or 20 lights just so long as you only run one at a time you could
> have a small set up and still have lights in every room
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Outside I have two of these with a 12 volt corn row bulb they come on at dusk and off at dawn.
> this is when I was first installing them you cant see the light sensor anymore.
> One has a 15 watt and one has a 10 watt they light the place up really nice at night.
> I had to put foil on the back side so they don't blind you at night if you come out on the
> porch. -- The porch is up pretty high
> 
> 
> If you look you can see the light at the end of the porch you can see the light.
> Also under the floor you will see two light bulbs one is on the grid on is 12 volt where ever there is
> grid light you will also find a 12 volt light.
> 
> 
> Didn't mean to highjack your thread.
> I also have 12 water system let me know if any of you want to see it and will do a post on it
> low cost using sur-flo camper 12 volt pumps


 Not a hijack that is why thread is here. To get the conversation going.
When I built this house lumber was in short supply cost high so I did the deck frame in steel. I have been wondering if that could not be used as a common ground for a 12 volt lighting system.
Ran the single 5 watt over 12 hours it made little drain on the battery. For now I want to focus only on lights and some light inverter use.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Using the steel frame as a ground? 
I don't know if that would work or not.,,,,, sounds like a great idea. Save on wire 
I would definitely experiment with that idea. I like it

I like using a straight 12 volts where ever I can I have an inverter for running the fridge
and stuff if I need it I use it for the computer tv and stuff like that.


----------



## Smitty901

Overcast day again Sun was slow to come out , however panels did return all the power used last night in the test.


----------



## Smitty901

Running the light all night again for the 3rd night . Next step will be to go ahead and figure out where to mount it . I am sure once I do the panels will be a bit more effective.


----------



## Smitty901

How the two controllers are wired.
The black one is the controller, the second is more of just a power port.
Black controller has 3 power slots.
1. panel to controller IN
2. Controller to battery OUT
3. Controller to lights of what ever you wish to run , power out

The 3rd slot is also controlled by the right hand red on off switch. I ran the panel leads to slot 1 then the power out from slot 2 to the battery. The power out of slot 3 runs to the second controller I am using as a power port. Of course I have fuse all circuits with 10Amp.

The left hand red switch works like this controller shows volts tap switch one time it will read amps in from panel tap it again it will read amps out (what you are using).
It will after a few seconds return to the voltage read out.
Hope this explains some of it.

solar3 by bob smith, on Flickr


----------



## Smitty901

Panels held up to a 20 minute plus heavy as heck hail storm. Size from marble to a quarter.
How about mixing a small say a 500 watt wind generator with the small solar?


----------



## Smitty901

Snow likely, over cast little useable sun next two days. I may run the lights all night each night and see how it plays out.


----------



## Smitty901

Sun up and snow started . I appears as another day of no real sun. Such is the down side to solar. However I can still run both light off battery .
While over cast and snow it is bright out side. The panels have brought the battery from 12.4 to 12.7 volts. Not a lot but it is something.


----------



## Smitty901

At 0800 it is 20 degrees out. Ice on the solar panels overcast but bright out. The panels are putting .1 amps back into the battery. Not much but that should come up as the day goes by.

1130 full sun for a while now. Ice has melted off panels. 14.1 volt at 2.8 amps. Battery is well charged.

1500 overcast putting .8 amps back ran lights off the system for dinner no major drop in battery.


----------



## Smitty901

Full sun bright day cold . The panel have been basically been out in standby by the controller. The one battery is at full charge.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> Sun up and snow started . I appears as another day of no real sun. Such is the down side to solar. However I can still run both light off battery .
> While over cast and snow it is bright out side. The panels have brought the battery from 12.4 to 12.7 volts. Not a lot but it is something.


Well it shows that you can still get some charge without direct sunlight. -- That's a good thing


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty is showing us that having a small solar set up isn't that hard or expensive. I have heard
people say that candles or lanterns will be all they need or want. I would think any true prepper would 
have a small solar set up of some kind stashed. Even if it is one of the kits from harbor freight.
With one of the small kits you could have lights all night using the low amp draw L.E.D. bulbs.
Or run a radio. Stash a solar kit and when the time comes use a car battery if you need to.

Even if you can only run one light it might be comforting and bring some normality to stress situation


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> Running the light all night again for the 3rd night . Next step will be to go ahead and figure out where to mount it . I am sure once I do the panels will be a bit more effective.


Hey can I see what you are running for a light bulb?
How many amps does it use? and is it bright?

great post by the way


----------



## Smitty901

budgetprepp-n said:


> Hey can I see what you are running for a light bulb?
> How many amps does it use? and is it bright?
> 
> great post by the way


Until I get my LED's these are 12 Volt 5 watt incandescent . They are rated at 380mA. running one shows a draw of .4 two about .8 There is some loss through controller, and wires.
My thinking is it is better that any other source of light. It is unlikely to cause fire if fused . and once setup. Pretty much done.
Currently my plan is to wire a room with 12 volt from the battery . So when needed Just plug in and use what I need. For now focus is on lights only. I have already used a small inverter also to run lights and a power tool charger. Once I learn more I will expand it ,and every room will have at least one power port. Also considering having it run lights that are used the most day in and out.
Bright yes but LED will do better.


----------



## Smitty901

So far the small system using 1 battery has shown it can run 2 lights all night and replace the power used during the day. It also was able to supply the over night lighting during a good 2 1/2 days of little to no useable sunlight to recharge. They are running all night again to night.

O400 in the morning.


----------



## Smitty901

Adjusting the angle a bit today. They recommend about 10 degrees here. About 20 degrees right now witch should be good, in winter the recommend adding 10 Degrees. Before adjusting it I was at 35 degrees.
The some what over cast sky and filtered sun is putting .5 amps back at 1000 hours . Battery is showing 12.7 volts back up from 12.1 this morning.

Using a standard polycast protractor used in building roofs to measure angle

At 1100 panels are putting 2.7 amps back battery indicates close to a full charge. Sky is bright sun is behind cloud cover.
It appears adjusting the angle was an improvement.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Ok to talk about where to place any that are being added on in this thread?


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> If you run through an invert you have a loss in power. If you run everything 12 volt you have increased cost and have to find 12 volt lights ect. Plus the wiring issues.
> Speak up I am listening.


If you pick up a full roll of #10 it's not to bad on price. Expensive


----------



## Smitty901

budgetprepp-n said:


> If you pick up a full roll of #10 it's not to bad on price. Expensive


 My plan is to over wire. Most will like be 10g to keep it simple and reduce the collection of connectors needed.
If we can we need to bust this tread wide open. Get the conversation going. New ideas, old ways that have not lost value. What ever we can.
Lights and having some power when SHTF is a major importance .
The some what filtered and full sun today has restored all the power we used last night. 8 year old grand son said first thing this morning , "Hey they are still on"
Wait until I show him it will charge his tablet.
Next test My internet runs on RF. It needs power, the RF runs to a router it needs power. In a power out period it would be like the Rf tower would still be working. Can I and how long can I run them off the solar Battery.


----------



## Smitty901

Training grandson he is 8 years old. 
Teaching him solar has a place and use. That solar is not free nor is it the answer to our energy needs. It is one part of providing us comforts that make our lives easier and more productive. Solar must be subsidized by some one. In the case of the big companies under Obama that went broke it was tax payers. In our case we subsidize it.
We pay the high cost up front with funds that could do other things. We do this because if we ever had to rely on the solar it would mean there was no other real option at any cost. Some solar is an investment one that takes a long pay back.
At 8 he is trilled it will charge his Tablet if the power goes out. The rest of the information will sink in over time.


----------



## 8301

Smitty, Since you're taking a lot of careful measurements if you're using a lead acid battery (which you probably are) the next step is to get a hydrometer. A hydrometer (or the more expensive specific gravity refractometer) is the only truly accurate way to measure battery charge and health. After using any hydrometer be sure to rinse it out a few times with water. I like using this temperature compensated hydrometer.

https://www.solar-electric.com/midnite-solar-battery-hydrometer.html @Smitty901


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## Smitty901

John Galt said:


> Smitty, Since you're taking a lot of careful measurements if you're using a lead acid battery (which you probably are) the next step is to get a hydrometer. A hydrometer (or the more expensive specific gravity refractometer) is the only truly accurate way to measure battery charge and health. After using any hydrometer be sure to rinse it out a few times with water. I like using this temperature compensated hydrometer.
> 
> https://www.solar-electric.com/midnite-solar-battery-hydrometer.html @Smitty901


 For safety reasons I am using sealed batteries , maintance free. for now.


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> My plan is to over wire. Most will like be 10g to keep it simple and reduce the collection of connectors needed.
> If we can we need to bust this tread wide open. Get the conversation going. New ideas, old ways that have not lost value. What ever we can.
> Lights and having some power when SHTF is a major importance .
> The some what filtered and full sun today has restored all the power we used last night. 8 year old grand son said first thing this morning , "Hey they are still on"
> Wait until I show him it will charge his tablet.
> Next test My internet runs on RF. It needs power, the RF runs to a router it needs power. In a power out period it would be like the Rf tower would still be working. Can I and how long can I run them off the solar Battery.


 I was looking at my router and it has a little transformer where it plugs in and I was reading
that it is 12 volt. I have an extra cable that I plug straight in with 12 volts ,, works good


----------



## 8301

Smitty901 said:


> For safety reasons I am using sealed batteries , maintance free. for now.


A thought for the future.

AGMs are expensive and there is no way to check the SOC (state of charge) without letting them rest (no power in / no power out) and letting them rest for 6-8 hours before checking the voltage. Some people use them for convince (no watering) but assuming you have them in a well ventilated area LA (lead acid) batteries are cheaper and allow for easy SOC measurements. Considering the 2.6 to 3 amps those panels put out I doubt they'd even gas enough to need a well ventilated area.

Since I've got 48 cells to water every 6 weeks I sometimes almost wish I had AGMs but I really like to know exactly how they are doing and their SOC so I know when to EQ (equalize). 
P.S. Never attempt to EQ an AGM or Gel type battery.


----------



## Smitty901

John Galt said:


> A thought for the future.
> 
> AGMs are expensive and there is no way to check the SOC (state of charge) without letting them rest (no power in / no power out) and letting them rest for 6-8 hours before checking the voltage. Some people use them for convince (no watering) but assuming you have them in a well ventilated area LA (lead acid) batteries are cheaper and allow for easy SOC measurements. Considering the 2.6 to 3 amps those panels put out I doubt they'd even gas enough to need a well ventilated area.
> 
> Since I've got 48 cells to water every 6 weeks I sometimes almost wish I had AGMs but I really like to know exactly how they are doing and their SOC so I know when to EQ (equalize).
> P.S. Never attempt to EQ an AGM or Gel type battery.


 I will be looking a different options. One I am considering is not putting all the batteries together but small separate systems


----------



## Smitty901

This may get old , but it give people a pattern to make educated choices from.

0830 Bright out but sun is hidden a little over cast. Panels are putting .3 amps into battery that is showing 12.9 volts.


----------



## 8301

A fun slightly off topic post.

10 am here and the panels are putting 289v at 11.3 amps into the MPPT charge controller. The charge controller is converting that to 52.6 amps at 59.9v. 59.9v because the controller just went into in absorb and the battery bank is cool (65 degrees) so the temperature compensated controller is upping the voltage.

As the batteries get closer to full charge it will take less energy to maintain the desired absorb charge voltage. 

11 am and with the hard charging the last hour the battery temperature has climbed to 69 degrees so the desired charging voltage has dropped to 59.7v. Since the batteries are getting close to full they don't need as much energy to maintain the desired 59.7v so the charge controller is limiting the energy it pulls from the panels to 6.6 amps at 311v and putting out 32.2v at 59.7v to run the house and charge the batteries Because of this the batteries no longer need all the energy the panels can produce. This is an excellent time to draw additional power from the panels by doing laundry or running the mini-split.

As the batteries get closer to full charge the required amp draw to maintain the desired absorb voltage will slowly drop and by 1pm today the absorb amperage will be down to around 11 amps or 1.5% of the total battery capacity. At that time my SOC will be about 96-97% and charging will be done for the day. The controller will then reduce the battery voltage to about 54v (float) and hold that voltage as long as the sun can. During this time the controller is limiting the amount of power the panels put out so there is additional power available if I want to run additional loads like watering the garden.

Without the detailed testing Smitty is doing and the learning that results from testing a person really doesn't understand the strengths and weaknesses of a solar battery setup. For a person to be successful with solar they need to have meters and really learn how things work.


----------



## Smitty901

What I am learning so far it that I can with ease and with out going broke like Obama's solar investment. Make this work. By sticking smaller systems I can use them to power smaller banks of batteries and power different rooms as needed. Lights being primary but other smaller things will also use the power.
I have no intent to sell back power. The cost saving if any to using the power it to avoid using some of the electric power coming in in the first place. What is sold back is at a lower rate than what I pay anyway.
I know that I can run 2 lights for 3 nights off one battery charged by the panels and no real sun to recharge . I also know if I get a good full day of sun The battery can be returned to nearly full power. What do I get out of it? If do to weather we are with power for a few days I have lights. I also have the ability to run other small items like a radio. Router and Rf internet. Generators use fuel. The less I have to run them the better. One of my generators running just to power lights and small items is a waste.
To keep Freezer and refrigerator up generator does not need to run 24/7. about 4 hours a day is enough. If grandchildren keep the doors shut. By not running generators amounts of stored fuel last a lot longer.


----------



## Smitty901

Picture this. Power is out for 7 days. Longest it ever happened here was 5. If I figure out what it takes to power well pump for say two hours using an inverter . Then what it takes to replace the power used. Showers and water use limited to nigh time, solar recharges during the day. Waste of money right. How often does power go out.
This is how my thinking works. Pool runs a filter pump and chlorine generator. It needs to run about 4 hours a day. If I make a setup that will run well pump , no reason it can not run the pool the same way. It makes no difference if chlorine generator runs in day or night time. 
Winter time I run 3 small battery tenders 24/7. They keep my bike batteries up and the ATV ready to go at any time. They draw little power. However it would not take much to replace them with a small solar. Because they are tenders and not chargers it would make no difference if power from the panels was limited due to lack of sun for a few days.
I am drawn to several small systems rather than 1 central one.

1000 panels putting .3 amp in overcast.


----------



## Smitty901

Overcast, rain it will not be a good solar day around here.


----------



## 8301

Moderate overcast here but still putting out 19 amps at 54v. During heavy overcast or moderate rain I get 6 to 10 amps. That's why with solar you need to plan things about today's and tomorrows weather. Since it's cloudy today I'll hold off on doing laundry until the sun is stronger. The inverse of this is if I really don't need to do laundry for another day but I know heavy rain is coming in for the next few days I'll go ahead and do it while the sun is strong.


----------



## Smitty901

It is a no sun day here. nothing you can measure coming from panels


----------



## budgetprepp-n

Smitty901 said:


> Picture this. Power is out for 7 days. Longest it ever happened here was 5. If I figure out what it takes to power well pump for say two hours using an inverter . Then what it takes to replace the power used. Showers and water use limited to nigh time, solar recharges during the day. Waste of money right. How often does power go out.
> This is how my thinking works. Pool runs a filter pump and chlorine generator. It needs to run about 4 hours a day. If I make a setup that will run well pump , no reason it can not run the pool the same way. It makes no difference if chlorine generator runs in day or night time.
> Winter time I run 3 small battery tenders 24/7. They keep my bike batteries up and the ATV ready to go at any time. They draw little power. However it would not take much to replace them with a small solar. Because they are tenders and not chargers it would make no difference if power from the panels was limited due to lack of sun for a few days.
> I am drawn to several small systems rather than 1 central one.
> 
> 1000 panels putting .3 amp in overcast.


 I would like to point out how easy it would be to have running water in your bug out location using
just a small solar set up with one or two batteries. Or even one of those small gas generators $99 to
charge up your batteries instead of a solar set up.

You would need a 12 volt shurflo pump from a camper of some sort and a container of water a 5 gallon bucket or a 
55 gallon drum will work. Keep in mind we going to do this without any damage to the pluming that is in place now.
You will need to find a place in the pluming that has an outlet (like where a garden hose might hook up) 
Use an old garden hose, Hook one end to the water outlet. The other end needs to have an adapter of
some kind to be hooked up to the shurflo pump. 
Then the other side of the pump needs to have the intake water hose in your container of water.

You will need to find an outlet for the water that is close to the normal source of your water if possible.

IF YOU HAVE A WELL WATER SET UP there should be plenty of places to hook up to and you should have a accumulator 
tank. When the pump is turned on it will pressure the pluming system and even though the shurflo pump is an on demand 
pump it will run until the pressure reaches what ever pressure the pump is set for. Then you can run like 6-9 gallons of
water out before the pump kicks back on. The accumulator tank will make this possible.

If you have city water the pump will be kicking on and off each time you use it. 
IF YOU HAVE CITY WATER MAKE SURE IT"S SHUT OFF FROM THE MAIN LINE !!!

Note when you tap into the exciting pluming try to stay on the intake side of the hot water if your hot water 
tank uses natural gas or propane you will also have running water hot and cold. 
Being able to flush a toilet or maybe take a hot shower in a grid down situation is nice

Let's say you have a drum of water (with few drops of bleach for long term storage) and your pump and 
hoses ready to go it would only take about 5 to 10 minutes to hook up.

Just think,,, A 55 gallon drum of water just sitting there waiting,,, The grid goes down and you have running water
in 5 minutes


----------



## Smitty901

You could say today I am wasting sun light. But you would be wrong. Battery is fully charged . So the full bright sun I have been blessed with today is not doing any work for me on the panels.
But I did not waste. had so things to do in town. I took the bike and went the long way every where I went. It felt great. 45 degrees and 100% sun. Lot of strong wind but not a problem.


----------



## Smitty901

I had 25 feet for heavy extension cord left over from a 100 foot cord that lost a fight with the lawn mower. Use that to make a 25 solar jump cable I can use it to charge up the ATV battery. Attached clips to one end the other end got the same connector I use for all the motorcycle batteries.


----------



## Smitty901

Cold out but full sun. Panels are charging the full size battery on the ATV at a rate of 2.5 amps.


----------



## Smitty901

With the grandchildren we eat dinner with the 12 volt light . They got a kick out of that. Full sun bring battery back up and bring the full size car battery in the ATV back to full charge.
Side note if you own an ATV with a winch, adding a extra full size car battery makes a big difference.


----------



## Slippy

Again, great thread! I cannot wait to put a system in place. (Damn money and time...not enough of either one!) :vs_mad:


----------



## Smitty901

Slippy said:


> Again, great thread! I cannot wait to put a system in place. (Damn money and time...not enough of either one!) :vs_mad:


 Slippy, I have seen this same system at Harbor Freight for as low as $119.00 All you need is a battery. I added the second controller to give me Amps in and out.
It is simple . It has proven you can run two lights all night and charge the next day. It have ran them with 2 and a half days of no sun. It has charged its own battery and the full size battery on my ATV also. So if you want some thing low cost to paly with it may not be a bad deal. I have learned a bot from it and learning more.
My next move will be to get it mounted in the best position. Then wire up permanent plugs in two room to use lights as needed.
I don't know when I will do it but I will expand it.


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## PrepperDon

This weeks ad had them for 119
http://m.harborfreight.com/45-watt-solar-panel-kit-10-pc-kit-62443.html
Well not the link, ours had parking lot sale, it's over but they come down to that price probably once every couple months

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 8301

Smitty, Here is a low cost meter ($15) that may help with your experiment. It only measures one way so you can either measure the power going in your batteries or power going out. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013PKYAV6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=A1T3LOAKNUUM9N&th=1 @Smitty901


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## Smitty901

We got a bit of a winter reminder yesterday Panels buried in snow. Cleaned them off today back charging batteries .


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## 8301

Smitty901 said:


> We got a bit of a winter reminder yesterday Panels buried in snow. Cleaned them off today back charging batteries .


Since panels heat up, especially if the charge controller shows a full battery and is limiting current, if you can get a bit of the panel cleared the remainder will clear up fairly fast.


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## Smitty901

John Galt said:


> Since panels heat up, especially if the charge controller shows a full battery and is limiting current, if you can get a bit of the panel cleared the remainder will clear up fairly fast.


 Mainly need to get them mounted on roof . Right now they are on the deck and a 20 degree angle is not a lot.


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## Smitty901

Swapped out the two 5 watt incandescent for two 10.5 watt LED's today one draws about 7 amps off the system that is equal to about both of the 5 watts. But I am betting 1 LED will put out as much light as both of the 5 watts. Sun is going down so I will give it a shot tonight.


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## Smitty901

Two grandchildren were the judges.
One 10.5 watt LED put out a lot more light than the two 5 watt incandescent ones. The meter shows that the one LED draws the same amps as the two 5 watt incandescent. Note these are 12 volt lights.


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