Solar panels have come a long way. The two main types are called mono or poly. This refers to the structure and the quality of the silicone crystals used in the manufacturing of the panels. The mono's are considered better, and these can be identified by the diamond shapes in the corner of the squares on the grid. They have a better efficiency rating for conversion. The poly's are a little less expensive and have a little less efficiency. They can be identified by the panel has no diamonds between the squares, it looks like a straight grid. Poly Mono (with the diamonds) For typical use it really doesn't matter which ones you use. The loss of efficiency for your typical weekend warrior isn't
1. This is shore power 2. This is the solar panel 3. This is the charge controller 4. These are your deep cycle batteries 5. This is your fuse block 6. This in your inverter 7. This is your transfer switch that switches between inputs automatically ( shore power or batteries) 8. This is your converter/charger 9. This is your distribution panel for AC power to your loads This is how your RV works when you are plugged in. When you are not plugged in, the #4,and #6 are in use (assuming you don't have solar or fuse blocks) Converter/chargers take 110 volts from shore power (AC) and convert it to 12 volts (DC) to charge your batteries. Inverters take that 12 volts (DC) and bring it back up to 110
Electricity going through wires generates heat and that heat dissipates out of the wire losing that energy. The longer the distance of the wire, the more energy that is lost. To preserve that energy transfer, the farther you go, the thicker wire you need. For example if you wanted to put your solar charge controller (that was handling a 10 amp load out) 100 feet away from your solar panels on a 12 volt system, you would need a 2 gauge wire. If it was 10 feet away you would need a 12 gauge wire. On a 24 volt system the wire size for 100 feet would be a 4 gauge wire, and for 10 feet is a 14 gauge wire. This is because the higher the voltage the less energy loss through the wires. When it comes
A solar system set up for your RV is simple once you understand how it all works. It starts with the solar panel taking energy from the sun and converting it to electrical power you can use. They typically operate around 17 volts and are rated in watts for how much power in amps they can supply to charge your batteries. They operate around that 17 volt mark so they can handle the peaks and ebbs of the sun at high noon or lower light and still be able to pass along the 15 or so volts your batteries need to be charged with. The solar panel must pass through a charge controller. This is the brains of the operation. They control the voltage and prevent damage to your batteries. They come in all
It isn't always easy to tell if it is the battery, the alternator, or the starter. If the car is trying to turn over - sounds like whirrrrrr in a steady flow - it isn't likely to be the battery. If the car lights are bright it probably isn't likely to be the battery. If the car is trying to turn over - sounds like whir...........whir.........whir...... - it could be the battery. No matter how you look at it, it is going to be something. If the alternator packed it in, it may have taken out the battery along with it. If the starter packed it in and you kept trying to turn the car over repeatedly you may have killed the battery. Are the connections clean and tight? . A good battery should read
