I have become Serious Now

Discussions about solar power and solar energy projects.
Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Sat Oct 03, 2015 8:27 pm

PUD Jacked our Rates and I am not happy.

So I purchased with a 1 year extended warranty a 2,000 watt harbor Freight Inverter for 126..hey..it was on sail.

So far in testing I ran The Following 1 at a time

1 Fridge , barely makes 3 bars
2 Air conditioner 2 bars
3 NuWave Oven.. Lights all but 2 bars up lol.
4 small Variable wattage heater 3 to 5 bars
5 Halloween inflatables 3 bars
6 microwave all but 2 bars and runs crappy.
7 Induction Cook Top...DOES NOT WORK only fan spins and sensor senses removal of pan.
8 our oasis hot and cold water on demand functions.
9 washer sorta functions will wash. But won't spin up and it won't drain, yeti 300 at least drains it , but the load has to be small. .so I guess large inverter for heat loads and then yeti to such the water out..I think it's time to find a replacement controll panel and get rid of that computerized control panel.

The Center inverter is fairly decent in size and fans come on only when the external temp gets to warm or when it is pulling a heavy load.
For now I am running 2 35 amp hour batteries.

So if I have a battery that is 12 volts rated at 35 amp hours that is 12×35 420 Ah . I have batteries at 420 ah so 420 ×2 is 840 Ah.
I do realize the batteries are 13.2 volts

At any rate the batteries are listed as deep Cycle..they sure we're not cheap that is for sure and the are agm deep cycle.

Ksfixitman
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2015 5:50 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Ksfixitman » Sun Oct 04, 2015 8:00 am

Hi

You might want to do a little more reading on how amp hours work. Here is a pretty easy to follow description.

A 100 Ah battery will produce 100 amps for 1 hour. This capacity can be divided up any way you choose.

100 Ah could produce 1 amp for 100 hours, or 50 amps for 2 hours, 4 amps for 25 hours or 25 amps for 4 hours etc.

So in your case you have 2 - 35 amp hour battery's that if you connect them pos to pos and neg to neg you would have 70 amp hours which would be 70 amps for 1 hour or 1 amp for 70 hour or somewhere close to the depending on the age and quality of your battery's.

I have 6 - group 31 deep cycle batters which are rated at 100 amp each. So I have 600 amp total. There not near the best I could get but all I can afford right now.

Hope this helps.

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:11 pm

I now have 6 35 amp hour agms and they are new. For a total of 210 Ah.
I currently now have a new charger and maintainer.
Model No. PL2310C10/6/2 Amp 6/12V
Intelligent Battery Charger 
/ Maintainer CEC Compliant

Combining fully automatic operation and the ability to properly charge multiple battery types, the PRO-LOGIX PL2310C is the perfect charger to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s professional technician. Intelligent, beneficial, safe and versatile – one charger does it all, from fast charging and battery repair to battery maintenance and long term storage charging.

Plus, with the ability to properly charge virtually any lead acid battery type, it is the only charger you will need. Flooded, AGM, Gel Cell, Spiral Wound, Marine and Deep Cycle batteries all can be charged right with the PL2310. Meets efficiency requirements for sale in California and Oregon.

6 and 12 Volt battery charging10/6/2A charge ratesFully automatic operationAdvanced multi-phase charging processProperly charges all battery typesSoft Start Mode for severely depleted batteriesRecondition Mode rejuvenates distressed batteriesEnhanced maintenance mode for ideal long term storageTemperature compensation for more effective chargingReverse Polarity Protection and Battery Fault DetectionData rich display provides detailed feedback during chargingMeets CEC efficiency requirements.

severely depleted batteriesRecondition Mode rejuvenates distressed batteriesEnhanced maintenance mode for ideal long term storageTemperature compensation for more effective chargingReverse Polarity Protection and Battery Fault DetectionData rich display provides detailed feedback during chargingMeets CEC efficiency requirements.

Operating Voltage :6/12V
Operational Mode :Automatic
Charging Rates :10/6/2A
Charging Phases :7
Enhanced Maintenance Mode :Yes
Reverse Polarity Protection :Yes
Battery Fault Detection :Yes
Battery Recondition Mode :Yes
Soft Start Mode :Yes
Temperature Compensation :Yes
Output Cable Length :72"Output Cable Gauge :#12 AWG Weight :4.3 lbs.
Warranty :1 Year Limited
UPC :010271024186
Attachments
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Last edited by Solar98632 on Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Thu Jan 07, 2016 9:14 pm

Gene and BucktoothBetty'sboyfreind seem to like the charger.
I am in starting to get serious now?

techman
Site Admin
Posts: 1329
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 am

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by techman » Thu Jan 14, 2016 12:20 pm

Looks like a very nice (expensive?) charger.

My only problem would be the relatively low power output of 10 amps = 120 watts. That is not much power at all really.

I guess you would need a bunch of these to charge up your batteries fast enough.

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:51 am

techman wrote:Looks like a very nice (expensive?) charger.

My only problem would be the relatively low power output of 10 amps = 120 watts. That is not much power at all really.

I guess you would need a bunch of these to charge up your batteries fast enough.
Your correct on that, but i use only 50 watts total on a continual basis.

I am switch eeryrhing over this summer to see what else i need to do.

3 things wre a suprise to me at how little power they used.

1 was our mini freezed and the other was our on demand hot water unit.

I brought in about 150 wats o

I went from 9 pm till 6 am. Running them 2 items.

On electronics only i can almost run 24/7...this spring i should be able run 24/7.

I will be using our grill for cooking.

Just yesterday, i peaked at 11 amps on solar or about 165 watts.


Oh, I just learned them midnight controller units will good, eat up a lot of power.
ChrisDiyer, made mention on that.


For now information in a pinch I can start the generator to charge the agms.

They do seem to charge faster than flooded cells. So that is one thing working to my advantage.

techman
Site Admin
Posts: 1329
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 am

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by techman » Tue Feb 02, 2016 9:11 pm

Good stuff. You are really doing it!!!

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Sat Mar 12, 2016 12:30 am

Screenshot 2016-03-11 at 9.17.06 PM.png
5000 Watt Continuous/10000 Watt Peak Power Inverter

his power inverter lets you run power tools, small appliances and electronics during a camping trip, roadside stop or power outage by using your vehicle's battery. This unit features a high surge capacity for products that require power up to 10000 watts to start and an LED readout to monitor amps and voltage.
High surge capacity for products that require power up to 10000 watts to start
Continuous power up to 5000 watts
Protection from low/high voltage, high temperatures, high currents
Modified sine wave for up to 87% efficiency
Two USB ports
Short circuit and overload protection
LED indicator light
Screenshot 2016-03-11 at 9.17.06 PM.png (90.07 KiB) Viewed 33004 times
I currently Just re-upgraded.
Looks like I am going to need a larger battery bank.

The unit really does a lot of work.
I am looking for some 0 AWG line though.
I don't plan running it at full 5,000 watts.

so far I have powered all these things at once.
How ever it came with a cost.
I had to keep a close eye on the battery bank as it began to tick down.
I was running:
Satellite Receiver
TV
fridge
freezer
NuWave Oven
modem
water cooler/heater dispenser
and our fish tank. :o

I think I might need some more panels?

I am most definitely going to get a few more batteries

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Sat Mar 12, 2016 12:39 am

I really like the battery level indicator,it is very sensitive and shows you the real power you have to use.

I also like it because it because it took the guess work out of wondering how much power I have left.
I know it is not pure sine .but it gets the job done.

i will need to do an over night test.
oh, only once did I ever have the large fans kick on...
cooler surrounding temperatures and I never had the fans kick in..I warmed the apartment up a bit..and yup they kicked in when I ran the NuWave Oven for 10 minutes.

at any rate, I usually only use 50 watts , Oh i managed to run the dishwasher for about 20 minutes lol..just had to try it totally off grid.
used rain water it heats the water with an element.
The GE uses 525 watts with the heating element activated..
it gets the water hot enough to give you a nice facial lol.

Solar98632
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:10 pm

Re: I have become Serious Now

Post by Solar98632 » Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:37 pm

I want to say one thing about this inverter.
it is a hard worker.

We also have to hit 10 to 14 amps
on the DC side to start charging so if we are running 50 watts or 3.3 amps.

we have to hit 12 amps or 180 watts to break even.
at 14 amps or 210 watts we start charging.

Our panels are 225 on a good day. on a really good day we can hit 16 amps or 240 watts which will recharge our system in a matter of minutes after a heavy load has been applied like the NuWave Oven.

We also have our 12 volt emergency lights tied in to the charge controller with an on/off switch.
I have some ideas on how we will be able to heat our home safely. in the winter.

One thing about the inverter is it lets you know even when things are even on how much power you have available.

it is even touchy as in you plug in a cell phone the power bar can drop 1 bar.

So far on a full load I have only once ever went in to the red while running a load.

it was a toaster and the new wave at the same time.

the fans then kicked in.

This is a very handy system.
Simple and easy, and I was surprised when it "Flashes the LED" to let you know on if it is charging or discharging.

I have used a smaller gauge than what the unit called for.
and it adjust its power out-put accordingly .

Needless to say if you go over the rated amps for the cable, the unit will shut down.

All in all I have ran a number of items of this unit.
and it handled its self well.

I am pleased with the unit.
I have also noted that it seems that I am the only one on YouTube who has this unit,well
as far as I can tell right now.

I have searched for it and there are a lot of inverters out there but this one is not in any list.
Attachments
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