bp-guy Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 My motorhome has never had the solar charging system hooked up correctly. I just replaced the 2 6 volt batteries and I don't want to keep buying them every couple years. I went ahead and redid the entire system. I bought a new solar panel ( just enough to recharge the batteries after a night of using the heater) not to run a tv or anything like that. I bought a new charge controller as well. I ran 10 gauge wire through out the entire install. I got eveything hooked up and the charging light does not come on and the readout on the display is 10.4 volts. The solar output is Zero! My question is-- Do the controllers come on at a specific low voltage? Mine has some adjustments that can be made internally. It does have the temp sensor for the battery and that is hooked up the to Neg side of one of the 6 volts. Here is the link to the charge/controller I have- http://www.solar-electric.com/sb2000.html The panel is ran directly to the controller and the controller directly to the batteries. With a 30 amp inline fuse at the battery. I put my multimeter on the solar panel ( disconnected from controller) = 22.43 volts Rehook it back up and checked voltage at controller= 12.53 volts but readout says 10.4 Maybe my panel isn't big enough to trigger the controller? Just want to get this figured out before presidents day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19th_AT Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Sounds like you need to adjust your float voltage "The float voltage will have to be readjusted down to around 13.43 volts using the internal pot inside the controller. Instructions for adjusting it are in the owners manual. ***" Also keep in mind to compensate for voltage drop when that regulator clicks on, so you want it a little high say 1-2 volts over. That way you are making the regulator do its job. ALso a sidenote but fresh batteries in a multimeter make a world of difference ! Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 I will give it a shot. I am thinking the panel isn't big enough. I think it is like under 1 amp at full power. Its more of a trickle charger panel I guess. But I will see if making adjustments will kick on the controller. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Got it all up and running! It was the panel, it was too small. Got a 60 watt panel out of Arizona and mounted it on the roof. Now the batteries are charged up at 14 volts under a charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19th_AT Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Sweet good deal ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam @ GTP Off Road Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I was going to say take it out of the garage, but too late... Just make sure you check that water level on the batteries. sounds like a great peice to have, especially out in the desert. plenty of sun there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 Solar wil be a big help in reducing the gas useage in recharing the batteries during the daytime by running the generator. I am also replacing all the lights inside with led lights. I have been getting them off EBAY and they put out great light. They are a couple bucks apiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19th_AT Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Can you post pics of your new setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Sure thing, when I get home I will snap some pics. It was very easy and total cost was under $400 for everything. Edited February 15, 2012 by bp-guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Ok heres how I ran my solar panel- Heres the panel. I got it from www.Solarblvd.com I ran it down my A/C vent since it was easier to get the wire on the drivers side of the motorhome to run it forward to the batteries. (tip) cover the wires in a loom to help keep the UV rays from breaking down the wiring. Alot cheaper and easier to replace that plastic loom from radio shack ($5) Here is the controller I bought. Its way overkill for my application but I got it on ebay for $90. They list for $250. But now I can add an invertor and run the TV off the solar and not run the generator. The wires were ran behind that panel from the kitchen to the box which is above the drivers seat. I used 10 gauge wire on the entire run. From the box it goes back into that carpeted panel and to the windshield and down to the front of my motorhome where the batteries are. From here I just added a 30 amp inline fuse and connected them to the new deep cycle 6 volt batteries and thats it! I did alot of reading on charge controllers and it seems for RV's it is suggested that the controller be a MPPT (Maximun Power Point Tracking) type. It always is checking the voltage and regulating the charge it sends to the battery. I can adjust it internally and put out more voltage if I need it or turn it down. Here are the LED lights I have been putting in the motorhome as well. I am trying to do all I can to save battery power at night. The one on the right is your standard 1156 lightbulb. The one on the left is the new LED 1156. Here is the difference in using the two side by side. The LED is alot whiter in the light it puts out. But the energy they use is so minimal its a no brainer for me to put them in. These light bulbs can be found on EBAY. Just do a search for "1156 LED" and you will find them. There are many types to choose from as far as how many LED's you want in the bulb. Just pick the one that fits your needs. There you go, Solar 101! I learned alot doing this and hopefully it pays off this weekend in the desert. On a scale of 1 to 10 for difficulty it was a 3. Anyone could do this. Just plan ahead for the wires and where they are going to go, make sure you have enough and have fun. And the technical support at Blue Sky is top notch. I called him with some technical stuff on the controller and he helped me out even though I didn't but it from them firsthand. Edited February 16, 2012 by bp-guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunefreak Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Great post, Tim! Looks super easy and an efficient way to save juice and hours on the gennie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 16, 2012 Author Share Posted February 16, 2012 It was very easy Pete. If I had all the stuff ready to go, It could be done in 4-5 hours easily. The hardest part was removing the panels to run the wires. Taking out all the pots and pans to get at that access panel! Here 's a breakdown on the prices- Solar Panel $89 Charge Controller $90 Wiring $40 Batteries $210 LED Lights- $28 ( alot of bulbs) Dicor Sealant and misc stuff $20 Happy Timmy in a warm motorhome- PRICELESS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Motorhome was NICE!!! Had fully charged batteries by mid-day. Can't believe I waited so long to do this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FE135 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Do you have a link to the led bulb vendor you used? I was amazed at the varying amounts the same bulb costs from different vendors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Do you have a link to the led bulb vendor you used? I was amazed at the varying amounts the same bulb costs from different vendors. My bulbs came from Hong Kong,The vendor was "vstore999e" But most that come from overseas are about the same price and have free shipping as well. The thing that changes the price is the amount of LED's on each bulb.I think my bulbs have 17 leds on each of them. This is more than enough light. I had one light on and it lit the entire motorhome with no need to use any others. The hard part is getting use to the "white" light as opposed to the yellow light the standard bulbs put out. Edited February 22, 2012 by bp-guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19th_AT Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Awesome pics and write up ! Thanks for sharing and I am glad to hear you got it all installed and working !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dune_rat Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I tried to buy around 17 or 18 of them a few weeks ago from a seller in Hong Kong. They wanted 1.00ea or something close to that, and 4.95 for shipping. Well when I asked him to combine shipping he said they don't do that. So it would have cost me 18 dollars for the lights and almost 90.00 for shipping. I thold him no thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp-guy Posted March 11, 2012 Author Share Posted March 11, 2012 I tried to buy around 17 or 18 of them a few weeks ago from a seller in Hong Kong. They wanted 1.00ea or something close to that, and 4.95 for shipping. Well when I asked him to combine shipping he said they don't do that. So it would have cost me 18 dollars for the lights and almost 90.00 for shipping. I thold him no thanks Screw that- Look around there are plenty of sellers out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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