Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!!! I'm a female that knows nothing about anything. My husband is an electricican, I bought a 500 watt charger for him to hook up to our RV that way we would have light. Well He hasn't done it yet, he says that there isn't any Sun out. Plus Its been 2 weeks now. I've been reminding him ever other day to hook that up only to hear him say ok ok He only gets mad at me for reminding him. So here I am looking up info on how to install this solor charger control myself, and found your video here in youtube. I just wanted to thank you for explaining it so perfect. Perfect enough for a girl/women to understand step by step. Now I have installed my solor charger and My husband is like scratching his head. He didn't think I could do this. Well I did and my own thanks to you. Thank you Thank you for making this video easy. Now a High 5 to you and a hand shack...😉
I bought harbor freight 100w and I use it myself! Ha. But the monocrystalized panels like my harbour freight ones, get plenty of energy even on very cloudy days, and in shade, on rainy days!
Thanks, I have looked and looked for the answer to this question. What is the process of hooking everything up? Start with the battery than work your way up to the solar panel. Thank you for the step by step... I got my kit used with no directions.
golf cart batteries are the best bang for buck you get way more capacity they last anywhere from 5 to 10 years depending on how well you take care of them i find on average about 8 years when taken care of.
A 35 AH battery is rated on a 20 hour basis. So to get the rating, you divide the 35 by 20 to get 1.75A continuous draw for 20 hours. That means 21watts per hour of use. Putting your two batteries in parallel would give you the ability to draw 3.5amps for 20 hours. A single size 27 deep cycle or dual purpose battery will give you 100AH at the 20 hour rate. $100 for the single battery vs 2 $70 batteries from HF. A year and a half ago, I ran one size 27 battery on a HF 2000watt inverter for Hurricane Irma. It ran for about 2 hours without completely killing the battery. The battery was then charged back up by either the truck or generator. That way it was peace and quiet for at least two hours with a fan, lights, fridge, and TV on. That same battery is still in use along with 3 others. Charged daily by 200 watts of solar panels from HF. Right now I have 200 watts worth of more HF panels and 600 watts worth of Mighty Max panels to finish installing. In a 10 hour day, the 200 watts of HF panels will only produce about 500WH of charge for the batteries. But the 4 batteries running either the HF 2000 watt inverter or the Reliable 3000 watt sine wave inverter can at least run a small A/C unit when the power goes out for over an hour.
I put 100 w panel system plus I put 2- 175 panels to the port down below so that charge controler that comes with the 100w HF system so it handles 450w
mine felt like it was going to catch fire when i got to about 16 amps, connecting four "100 watt kits", thats 14.4v x 16a = 230 watts. the wires were getting close to melting the insulation, the fuse inside is only 20 amps lol. no way you actually pushed 450 watts into that thing. did you put an amp clamp or watt meter inline to confirm power?
Hi I have a 13inch by 14 inch solar panel, its supposed to be 100 watts ,it has a 5v and 12v output via USB, can I plug in my power bank its quite small ,I then take power to my phone is it ok ,do I really need a charge controller, as I am carrying it on a bike 🚲 cycle bike
I would say yes, it SHOULD be fine SINCE it ALREADY has USB ports..... I have an Anker solar power hiker pouch, which has 2 USB ports ...... I leave it open to Sun & it has pouches for phones & cable to charge......love it ...l$50 on Amazon( needs sun tho, does NOT store energy);.....
I am a total noob, so I apologize in advance for dumb questions...I really liked your video, lots of folks on YT seem to agree with you in their reviews too. You pointed out the included lights make it a better deal which makes sense BUT you hooked the lights up when the panels are collecting sunlight, what happens when you actually need the lights, when the sun goes down. Does the power flow from the batteries you charged back thru the controller to power the lights or do you have to hook the lights to the bateries?
Solar Panels are also used for Grid Tied Systems, that do not have batteries and goes into a Grid tie inverter. So Yes you can use solar panels without batteries.
Nice tutorial on the system but nobody ever seems to show how they are powering a camp or their motorhome they stop at the batteries I would love to see the hook up between the batteries and what you’re powering for instance a small camp with a couple of lights and a TV but nobody shows how they’re hooking it to the building
70 amp-hours (70 Ah) times 12 V is not 840 watts, it is 840 watt-hours. (840 Wh). Depending on the current draw, that could mean 35 watts for 24 hours. or 1680 watts for a half hour.
Are those AGM batteries really no maintenance? They're sealed, so they don't emit hydrogen, but if you overcharge them they can build up hydrogen so you will have to open a pressure release to let them outgas the excess? Am I understanding that correctly? If I bought some could they be well stored for an extended period without much fuss?
Great questions. AGM batteries are zero maintenance. If they are severely overcharged they will automatically on their own release hydrogen. Remember, hydrogen is lighter than air so it is safe outdoors. AGM batteries do hold their charge better than other types of batteries but I would still top off their charge on occasion if not in use. Fully charged mine read a 13.2 voltage. I would top them off when they reach 12.5 volts just to keep them in perfect condition. Hope I answered your questions. Take a moment to subscribe to our channel. Thanks, Bill
Any lead acid battery will self discharge if left unattended for long periods of time. If you are going to leave then unattended for more than a few months you should have some kind of trickle charger hooked up to them.
I have a total of 200 watt solar panels so I upgraded to a 500 watt charge controller... but what is that cable called and where do I find it to hook it all up... (Seen @ 9:09 in your video)
I bought a solar kit(100w) from harbor freight and I bought one battery for now. I'm hopeing that is enough for an internet modem to run 24/7. I may also charge my phone and my Nintendo switch. I may run a fan sometimes also How many batteries you reckon I need. I have gas heat and stoves. Also bought a bunkerhill solar flood light from them.
PLEASE!!!! Does anyone know what type of controller this is? It's 500 watts,but is it a MPPT or PWM type? The instructions don't say. No video either , yet? 10. plus and still trying to find out.
All of our panels came in kits. The panels are a lot more if you buy them individually. Wait for the kit to go on sale and wait for the 25 percent of coupon. Then buy.
Do you have any idea why Harbor Freight panels are so expensive the reason why so expensive it's because there are low light solar panels they are Morpheus solar panel you could cover off the panel and it will still work the older most expensive panel will not work
Keep in mind, the batteries can only be discharged to about 50% to avoid killing them on the first use. Lead acid batteries won't last very long if discharged to 50% every day.. be prepared to replace them rather quickly... figure 200-300 cycles max. Go beyond 50%, you will be replacing them FAR earlier...
I thought deep cycle and the thunderbolt solar harbor freight little 12v 35amp sealed led battery was meant to be fully discharged and recharged over and over
Deep cycle batteries are designed to discharge to 20% of their capacity. Before setting up, you’re best to check with the manufacturer what is recommended, and what voltage indicates that level. Many charge controllers can be programmed to stop discharging at a given voltage. If you’re running an inverter directly, they may also check voltage, or there are external battery monitors available.
12V 35Ah batteries, $70 each, two = $140. So you spent $140 for 70Ah..... A single 70-90Ah (450-650CCA) deep cycle marine battery at an auto parts store comes in at $60-70, although they are not sealed, still it is never good to have batteries in a sealed unvented place anyways. Even sealed batteries vent a little. I understand you're simplifying things down to 12V, but 190W / 13.8V (charging voltage) = 13.8A, but with cloudy or reduced conditions, 100W / 13.8V = 7.2A. Slower charge to the batteries. Also it helps to get an adjustable low voltage disconnect ($60-90), most can be set to anywhere from 10.6-12.4V, but I usually set them to disconnect at 12.0 to prevent discharging and ruining the battery(ies).
Can I mix different 12v batteries of different capacities? Like I already bought the harbor freight battery...if I get a bigger capacity one can I use them together or do all batteries have to match exactly?
35 amp hours is way too small to do anything of value. Better off having 200 to 1000 amp hours of power. You can run a ton of stuff on that with a killer inverter.
Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!!! I'm a female that knows nothing about anything. My husband is an electricican, I bought a 500 watt charger for him to hook up to our RV that way we would have light. Well He hasn't done it yet, he says that there isn't any Sun out. Plus Its been 2 weeks now.
I've been reminding him ever other day to hook that up only to hear him say ok ok He only gets mad at me for reminding him. So here I am looking up info on how to install this solor charger control myself, and found your video here in youtube. I just wanted to thank you for explaining it so perfect. Perfect enough for a girl/women to understand step by step. Now I have installed my solor charger and My husband is like scratching his head. He didn't think I could do this.
Well I did and my own thanks to you. Thank you Thank you for making this video easy. Now a High 5 to you and a hand shack...😉
That made my day. Thanks.
I bought harbor freight 100w and I use it myself! Ha.
But the monocrystalized panels like my harbour freight ones, get plenty of energy even on very cloudy days, and in shade, on rainy days!
Keyword to long lasting marriages:
= "Ok" .. lol .. but true!
Most men think that their wife wants to hear those "three words". It's actually only 2. YES DEAR
@@wx2833 and lots of cheating
Great job! I appreciate your detailed and I really like you break it down layman language
I appreciate that!
This video was more informative i think you so much.
Thanks, I have looked and looked for the answer to this question. What is the process of hooking everything up? Start with the battery than work your way up to the solar panel. Thank you for the step by step... I got my kit used with no directions.
Excellent! Very well done, thanks...[although I do find Lisa's presentation more engaging...just say'n]
Fair enough!
golf cart batteries are the best bang for buck you get way more capacity they last anywhere from 5 to 10 years depending on how well you take care of them i find on average about 8 years when taken care of.
A 35 AH battery is rated on a 20 hour basis. So to get the rating, you divide the 35 by 20 to get 1.75A continuous draw for 20 hours. That means 21watts per hour of use. Putting your two batteries in parallel would give you the ability to draw 3.5amps for 20 hours. A single size 27 deep cycle or dual purpose battery will give you 100AH at the 20 hour rate. $100 for the single battery vs 2 $70 batteries from HF. A year and a half ago, I ran one size 27 battery on a HF 2000watt inverter for Hurricane Irma. It ran for about 2 hours without completely killing the battery. The battery was then charged back up by either the truck or generator. That way it was peace and quiet for at least two hours with a fan, lights, fridge, and TV on. That same battery is still in use along with 3 others. Charged daily by 200 watts of solar panels from HF. Right now I have 200 watts worth of more HF panels and 600 watts worth of Mighty Max panels to finish installing. In a 10 hour day, the 200 watts of HF panels will only produce about 500WH of charge for the batteries. But the 4 batteries running either the HF 2000 watt inverter or the Reliable 3000 watt sine wave inverter can at least run a small A/C unit when the power goes out for over an hour.
I have 320watt gate motor. I bought a 30w solar panel, 35 amp battery with a solar charge regulator. Will this system work properly?
well done!!! ty 4 shareing!
Great info thanks
I put 100 w panel system plus I put 2- 175 panels to the port down below so that charge controler that comes with the 100w HF system so it handles 450w
mine felt like it was going to catch fire when i got to about 16 amps, connecting four "100 watt kits", thats 14.4v x 16a = 230 watts. the wires were getting close to melting the insulation, the fuse inside is only 20 amps lol. no way you actually pushed 450 watts into that thing. did you put an amp clamp or watt meter inline to confirm power?
Hi I have a 13inch by 14 inch solar panel, its supposed to be 100 watts ,it has a 5v and 12v output via USB, can I plug in my power bank its quite small ,I then take power to my phone is it ok ,do I really need a charge controller, as I am carrying it on a bike 🚲 cycle bike
I would say yes, it SHOULD be fine SINCE it ALREADY has USB ports..... I have an Anker solar power hiker pouch, which has 2 USB ports ...... I leave it open to Sun & it has pouches for phones & cable to charge......love it ...l$50 on Amazon( needs sun tho, does NOT store energy);.....
I am a total noob, so I apologize in advance for dumb questions...I really liked your video, lots of folks on YT seem to agree with you in their reviews too. You pointed out the included lights make it a better deal which makes sense BUT you hooked the lights up when the panels are collecting sunlight, what happens when you actually need the lights, when the sun goes down. Does the power flow from the batteries you charged back thru the controller to power the lights or do you have to hook the lights to the bateries?
Yes, You have it exactly correct. The battery will power the charge controller to power the lights.
___✍🏼 AMPS X VOLTS = WATTS 💡...
OK 🤔 GOT IT. 👍🏼 .....
( KNUCKLE👊🏽BUMP ) Billisa......
Can I run 2 -100 watt HarborFreight solar panels with one battery
Good info, thanks
Thanks for this video, beginner trying to get info before I Take plunge and buy my first starter kit.
Solar Panels are also used for Grid Tied Systems, that do not have batteries and goes into a Grid tie inverter. So Yes you can use solar panels without batteries.
Nice tutorial on the system but nobody ever seems to show how they are powering a camp or their motorhome they stop at the batteries I would love to see the hook up between the batteries and what you’re powering for instance a small camp with a couple of lights and a TV but nobody shows how they’re hooking it to the building
I agree
What gauge of wire are you using for parallel battery cables?
what about sending that charge to a "power station" like a echoflow battery "power station"?
Actually flooded lead acid batteries generally last longer than AGM batts
Hmmm maybe,it’s all relative to the quality.made in Mexico or China?not so much
70 amp-hours (70 Ah) times 12 V is not 840 watts, it is 840 watt-hours. (840 Wh). Depending on the current draw, that could mean 35 watts for 24 hours. or 1680 watts for a half hour.
In our area during Thanksgiving it is cold near zero so we cook inside
Are those AGM batteries really no maintenance? They're sealed, so they don't emit hydrogen, but if you overcharge them they can build up hydrogen so you will have to open a pressure release to let them outgas the excess? Am I understanding that correctly? If I bought some could they be well stored for an extended period without much fuss?
Great questions. AGM batteries are zero maintenance. If they are severely overcharged they will automatically on their own release hydrogen. Remember, hydrogen is lighter than air so it is safe outdoors. AGM batteries do hold their charge better than other types of batteries but I would still top off their charge on occasion if not in use. Fully charged mine read a 13.2 voltage. I would top them off when they reach 12.5 volts just to keep them in perfect condition. Hope I answered your questions. Take a moment to subscribe to our channel. Thanks, Bill
Any lead acid battery will self discharge if left unattended for long periods of time. If you are going to leave then unattended for more than a few months you should have some kind of trickle charger hooked up to them.
How did you hook up the second panel for 200 watts?
I have a total of 200 watt solar panels so I upgraded to a 500 watt charge controller... but what is that cable called and where do I find it to hook it all up... (Seen @ 9:09 in your video)
Batteries do not off gas when discharging only when charging
I bought a solar kit(100w) from harbor freight and I bought one battery for now. I'm hopeing that is enough for an internet modem to run 24/7. I may also charge my phone and my Nintendo switch. I may run a fan sometimes also
How many batteries you reckon I need. I have gas heat and stoves.
Also bought a bunkerhill solar flood light from them.
12v deep cycle batteries. Bigger the better. Or more than one
PLEASE!!!! Does anyone know what type of controller this is? It's 500 watts,but is it a MPPT or PWM type? The instructions don't say. No video either , yet? 10. plus and still trying to find out.
It's a pwm
00:50 important calculated formula
Have you ever put an amp meter inline or used a clamp amp meter to see what your panels are actually putting out.
Where do you buy the panels by themselves... I can only find the whole kit at Harbor Freight but not single panels! Thanks
All of our panels came in kits. The panels are a lot more if you buy them individually. Wait for the kit to go on sale and wait for the 25 percent of coupon. Then buy.
Thank*
What size hub do you need for your panels?
Harbor Freight Tools makes one hub with 8 inputs and one output rated to handle 400 watts.
Battery 🔋 yes with to battery thank you that’s what I thought
Do you have any idea why Harbor Freight panels are so expensive the reason why so expensive it's because there are low light solar panels they are Morpheus solar panel you could cover off the panel and it will still work the older most expensive panel will not work
70 amp-hours, not just amps. Your calculation are fine, but keep units in mind.
Wondering if anybody can help me set up my control panel with my battery. Thanks
google search: American wire gauge ratings. 14 ga wire is rated at 15 amps, 12 ga wire is rated at 20 amps.
keep batteries off the ground or they will indeed ground out in a few days , 2 or 3 inches up insulated
Keep in mind, the batteries can only be discharged to about 50% to avoid killing them on the first use. Lead acid batteries won't last very long if discharged to 50% every day.. be prepared to replace them rather quickly... figure 200-300 cycles max. Go beyond 50%, you will be replacing them FAR earlier...
I thought deep cycle and the thunderbolt solar harbor freight little 12v 35amp sealed led battery was meant to be fully discharged and recharged over and over
Deep cycle batteries are designed to discharge to 20% of their capacity. Before setting up, you’re best to check with the manufacturer what is recommended, and what voltage indicates that level. Many charge controllers can be programmed to stop discharging at a given voltage. If you’re running an inverter directly, they may also check voltage, or there are external battery monitors available.
To bad the solar controller doesn't work for lithium iron fosphate batteries .
12V 35Ah batteries, $70 each, two = $140. So you spent $140 for 70Ah..... A single 70-90Ah (450-650CCA) deep cycle marine battery at an auto parts store comes in at $60-70, although they are not sealed, still it is never good to have batteries in a sealed unvented place anyways. Even sealed batteries vent a little.
I understand you're simplifying things down to 12V, but 190W / 13.8V (charging voltage) = 13.8A, but with cloudy or reduced conditions, 100W / 13.8V = 7.2A. Slower charge to the batteries.
Also it helps to get an adjustable low voltage disconnect ($60-90), most can be set to anywhere from 10.6-12.4V, but I usually set them to disconnect at 12.0 to prevent discharging and ruining the battery(ies).
All good advice. Thanks
Can I mix different 12v batteries of different capacities? Like I already bought the harbor freight battery...if I get a bigger capacity one can I use them together or do all batteries have to match exactly?
Did anyone feel Déjà vu several times in this video?
I think your wrong the big solar power plant goes right to making power no battery
Huh? I know lots of people, almost everyone who has solar, none of them have batteries. And hey have huge rooftop systems.
And when there is no sun. Like at night or cloudy days. They have no power. Batteries store the power for use when there is no sun.
@@billisa Yup. I am aware of batteries. But very very few of the installations here have them. No sun, they use the grid.
It's call connected to the grid to sell extra energy to power companies via house hook up. Batteries are for a off grid hook up
Be careful using that controller
Junk
What a freaking mess of wiring and controllers and hubs.not a nice setup
Stereos panels leaning against the wall wires hanging about yuck
35 amp hours is way too small to do anything of value. Better off having 200 to 1000 amp hours of power. You can run a ton of stuff on that with a killer inverter.
This is where series and parallel networks of batteries work. 200ah agm is hard to find in my area, and expensive to ship.