Adhoc Solar System

DJ1001

I just registered on the site, so newbie I am.  I sent the below to BB but don't know if he's still around.  Would like to get a recommendation on how to proceed.

I came across this thread and would like to get recommendations on the best way to employ my system.  The parts are excess I've collected and are just sitting around.  I wish to put together something I can use.

1 - 140 watt solar panel

3 - Deep cycle marine trolling batteries (each is a minimum 100 ah to 126 ah)

1 - Solar Charge Controller (Model LTD1220N)

1 - 3500 watt power converter ( I also have a 400 watt power converter in the car)

I would like to set these batteries up in parallel and have the solar panel maintain them.  I would also like to plug in a separate battery tender to the power converter to charge/maintain a bunch of smaller 12 volt batteries (riding lawn mowers, motorcycle, boat, jetski, four wheeler, and an extra car battery I have on hand).  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks;

Dean

BB.

I am still around, just need a little free time in a computer to answer.

You will get good answers from others here to.

-Bill

Mountain Don

DJ1001 said:

1 - 3500 watt power converter ( I also have a 400 watt power converter in the car)

  Welcome.  First, just to get the terminology correct, what you call a converter is probably an inverter.  Inverters take DC and produce AC. Converters take AC and make DC... like a battery charger does.

Second, are the three batteries that are mentioned wired together in a power bank or are they batteries that are taken out to go fishing (trolling motors) and then brought back to be charged?  Or used some other way.  The amount of energy that is drained out before a recharge is important to sizing the system for best results.  With a mixed bag of battery capacities and perhaps types this may not have a solution as simple as wiring all in parallel.  

Just a note, if there is grid power available there are less costly solutions than going solar.  But tellus more details of what you want to achieve.

DJ1001

Mountain Don;

You're correct, typo - inverter vice converter.  There is grid power available, just trying to reduce my electric bill and figured with the available excess items I had laying around, I could use them for something.  My garage comes to mind first with all the rechargeable batteries I have (riding lawn mowers, motorcycle, boat, jetski, four wheeler, extra car battery, etc...). Setting up some sort of recharging station seems like a logical use of the solar panel along with the other available items.  The three marine deep cycle batteries are not wired together and are used for a boat 12 volt trolling motor (one at a time, I do not wire them together), they are always separate.  I just charge all three for a long weekend and change them out when one runs out of juice.  So instead of sitting idle during the fall/winter months, I'd like to put them to use.  Have them charged by the solar panel, and once charged, use the inverter to power a battery tender to charge the other batteries.

inetdog

In the RV world a "power converter" is often a combination of an inverter and a grid input battery charger, sometimes with the transfer switch for shore power included.
A 3500 W inverter is way too big for safe reliable operation off a 12V battery bank. The DC input at rated output would be ~300A.

DJ1001

yes; I meant to say inverter vice converter.  Sorry, me Newbie.  Trying to figure out what I can do with the parts at hand.  I also have a 400 watt inverter.

littleharbor2

My 2 cents worth here, Do not use a NON sine wave inverter to power your cordless tool battery chargers. I ruined a bunch of expensive to replace cordless tool batteries this way. Very costly mistake. The newer high tech chargers might not even work on modified square wave inverters but if they do its just a bad idea IMO.

DJ1001

Littleharbor2;

Thanks for the good info.  I've taken inventory of the power inverters I do have:

Vector (Vec024) 400 Watt / 800 watt Peak:  http://www.manualslib.com/manual/587374/Vector-Vec024.html#manual

Peak (PKC0BO) 400 Watt: http://www.gandermountain.com/assets/prodman/PKC0BOPeak400WattTailgateInverter.pdf  

Power Bright (pw3500-12) 3500 Watt / 7000 Peak: http://www.powerbright.com/pw3500-12.html

The Power Bright I may be able to return to get another model if needed.  So give the list of material I have on hand:

1 - 140 watt solar panel

3 - Deep cycle marine trolling batteries (each is a minimum 100 ah to 126 ah)

1 - Solar Charge Controller (Model LTD1220N)

and the above power inverters, is it possible to set up something like I indicated in the original post?

Thanks;

DJ1001