Solar, inverter and breaker box wiring 1706FB

[Duercos]

Hey guys, I have just completed upgrading batteries and planning to do solar installation tomorrow. I have 2 x 200W panels, 20A mppt controller, 1000W pure sine inverter and 2 agm batteries mounted outside.
My plan is to wire mppt controller to my trailer's breaker box and connect the inverter to the same location. Is that acceptable at all? I don't want to drill more holes in order to do the wiring to the batteries.. Today I opened the cover on the breaker box and not sure if there is enough room on the board terminals for 2 more cables on each terminal. Also not sure what is +VCC terminal for. I've attached a picture for better understanding.
Thanks!

[DavidM]

A 20A solar controller is too small for 2 200 watt panels.

David

[Duercos]

Originally Posted by DavidM

A 20A solar controller is too small for 2 200 watt panels.

David

I am wiring them in series

[powercat_ras]

1,000 Watt Inverter can draw up to 95 amps DC. The factory wire from the battery + to the panel is not sized for that draw, and will have a circuit breaker in line that is 60 amp or perhaps even smaller.

Best practice would be to run 0 gauge wire from batteries directly to inverter for both + and - , with 100 amp ANL fuse in the + line.

You'll get better solar charging performance if you wire your charge controller directly to the batteries or to the inverter + and - if you tie inverter to batteries with 0 gauge wires.

[Duercos]

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

1,000 Watt Inverter can draw up to 95 amps DC. The factory wire from the battery + to the panel is not sized for that draw, and will have a circuit breaker in line that is 60 amp or perhaps even smaller.

Best practice would be to run 0 gauge wire from batteries directly to inverter for both + and - , with 100 amp ANL fuse in the + line.

You'll get better solar charging performance if you wire your charge controller directly to the batteries or to the inverter + and - if you tie inverter to batteries with 0 gauge wires.

I see. I think I might send the 1000W inverter back and order a small 300W one that plug into a cigarette lighter socket which I can install as well. I was only planning to use a 32" tv and a laptop/small items charger on AC while dry camping..
Would you know why I have 2 negative wires running from the breaker box to the battery?

[DavidM]

Originally Posted by Duercos

I am wiring them in series

Solar controllers are usually rated by their maximum battery output current, not solar panel input current which is halved by series wiring.

Roughly speaking you take your rated solar output in watts and divide it by 12 to select a controller. 400/12= 33 amps. I would use a 40 amp rated controller.

David

[creativepart]

DavidM is correct. Your solar charger controller is too small. But, while a 40 amp is certainly proper it is overkill. Most 400w systems would spec a 30 amp controller. On paper 30 amp is slightly undersized but in the real world where systems live you will never see maximum possible output.

I think your plan to avoid wiring the controller directly to batteries is a mistake. Same for the inverter wiring. Don’t cut corners to save a few holes.

[Marine359]

Victron’s moderated discussion site has a wealth of information about their 75/15 mppt controller. This controller’s “hard limits” are 75v and 15a input, not output.
Two 200w panels wired in series would not exceed these limits. I hope not, because my Victron 75/15 and the first of my suitcase panels just arrived. The Victron forum makes me comfortable that my new controller can handle two series wired 110w portable panels and two series wired 110w roof panel should I install them. The two pairs of series panels would then be wired parallel to the mppt, and my math says, that’s still under the 75/15 hard limits. 18+18 = 36. 36+36=72v. 6+6=12a. Unless I’m missing something, I don’t see the need for a bigger mppt to handle a total of 440 watts of panels.

Check it out at: https://community.victronenergy.com/...00-watt-1.html

[Duercos]

I am so sorry guys, I made a mistake writing a post ugh, My panels are 2 x 100W lol.
I seriously got confused reading your answers and then going back to reading the specs of my controller

[DavidM]

Aha, then your 20A controller will work fine.

David

[Marine359]

Originally Posted by creativepart

I think your plan to avoid wiring the controller directly to batteries is a mistake. Same for the inverter wiring. Don’t cut corners to save a few holes.

I’m planning on wiring cc to spade fuse block, then on to bus bar. I’ve read that this way works great. Would like your input before I start my mppt install.

[Duercos]

I think I have a plan
I want to remove one side marker light to run the cables through it's hole without having to drill any additional ones. Then mount my charge controller on the front wall inside the storage compartment and fit my small inverter behind my mattress (right in top of the charge controller).

[Duercos]

I have just finished my install. I decided to run the cables through the floor in the front of the storage area, ran 2 sets of cables, one for the solar charger, and a separate one for the inverter.

[Marine359]

I’m just finishing up install of a Victron 75/15 cc before we leave for Outer Banks tomorrow. cc is fed by an sae port thru the side of trailer. I chose to wire cc and other additional dc loads to a Blue Sea fuse block, so as to take care of all my fusing needs. The cc has 20amp fuse. I’m running 6awg thhn from the fuse block to my bus bars. It’s about 4ft of wire. Since the wire size is overkill for the max of 15amps from the cc (maybe another 15 amps when I add a second cc), and the wire run is very short, do I really need a fuse on this wire? Both the inverter and battery have internal fuses. Would I be safe to wire this up for our trip and add a fuse later?