Beginner questions - Solar boondocking a micro minnie - Page 6

Marine359 · 05-20-2021, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianotuna

A 100 watt panel in ideal conditions *may* do 25 amp-hours per day. In real life, probably far less than that.

Does that apply mostly to roof mount panels? I thought a portable panel placed in full sunlight, oriented optimally would produce more like 6amps x 5-6 hours = 30-35ah. IDK as I have no first hand experience.

**creativepart** · 05-20-2021, 08:01 AM

Living with solar panels you learn quickly that the power output changes constantly. And, that all projections are pretty much, let's say, unreliable (I was thinking "worthless").

And expecting certain amounts per day is even less reliable.

Plus, it's not just panel wattage, the list of other variables is as long as a CVS register receipt - placement, angle to the sun, amount of sun, time of day, time of year, longitude and latitude, percent of cloud cover, controller efficiency, battery state of charge, wiring loses, battery age/condition. And the hits just keep on coming.

I think batteries are the important thing - and solar is just a noiseless way to replenish them by an entirely unpredictable amount. If it doesn't rain. It's not free because there's an upfront cost, but it's essentially free power and you take what you can get.

The place to put your money is into more available battery amp hours. Spend what's left on multiple methods to recharge them.

R_Lefebvre · 05-20-2021, 08:09 AM

Thanks. After analyzing the situation, that's pretty much where I ended up.

Possibly after my experience on a university solar race team in the 90's.

Our school had no money, and we were re-using an old car built in the 80's. Our solar cells were in bad shape, so we loaded the car with batteries. It was basically an electric car with solar trickle charge. The first two days were really cloudy, but it barely made a difference to us, we weren't going to get much anyway. All the other teams with super advanced carbon fiber cars were screwed. The organizers gave us all a free grid-recharge. We finished the last two days, mostly on batteries still. Well, until we ran out of tires, many blow-outs due to overloaded bicycle tires because so much battery weight, but that's another matter...

Pianotuna · 05-21-2021, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R_Lefebvre

Thanks. After analyzing the situation, that's pretty much where I ended up.

Possibly after my experience on a university solar race team in the 90's.

Our school had no money, and we were re-using an old car built in the 80's. Our solar cells were in bad shape, so we loaded the car with batteries. It was basically an electric car with solar trickle charge. The first two days were really cloudy, but it barely made a difference to us, we weren't going to get much anyway. All the other teams with super advanced carbon fiber cars were screwed. The organizers gave us all a free grid-recharge. We finished the last two days, mostly on batteries still. Well, until we ran out of tires, many blow-outs due to overloaded bicycle tires because so much battery weight, but that's another matter...

in 2009 I did the same on my RV--my battery bank was 875 amp-hours and I still feed it with 256 watts of solar.

Marine359 · 06-05-2021, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobC

I don't think the "portable power station" aka "solar generator" is necessarily a good idea for this application. I think you'd be far better off with some solar panels and good battery bank. From what I've read, they're really intended for someone who needs truly portable power for numerous applications. [/url]

Bob,
You’re a reliable source, but I recently saw the YouTube for the new Bluetti eb70. $499 buys you 714 kWh of LiFePo4. No Will Prowse review yet. This price point is getting way down there. 714kwh = 59.5a/h @ 12v. That compares favorably with the cost of LiFePo4 house batts. Trying to figure out if a power station like this could extend my boondocking time by a couple of days.

Would like to hear from anybody using a power station to supplement their house batt bank. Is it worth it?

**creativepart** · 06-05-2021, 02:52 PM

I agree with Bob. They don't put out anywhere near the max amount they advertise. If you search the eb70 on YouTube you find a lot of folks that received one for free and they are posting positively about it.

To me these things sound too good to be true - and you know what that means. But, I have no experience with them which makes my opinion pretty much worth what you paid for it.

I'm sure you could get extra hours of boondocking - but extra days?????

RocknRoll · 06-06-2021, 05:30 AM

Agree with Bob as he indicated, they're useful for auxillary power and also good to have on hand in emergencies. Many folks use them for their CPAP machines.

I have an older 400Wh MaxOak (bluetti) that I charge with a portable 100W panel and mainly use it to charge/top-off my e-bike and laptop. Works well for my needs.

Pianotuna · 06-06-2021, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

Bob,
You’re a reliable source, but I recently saw the YouTube for the new Bluetti eb70. $499 buys you 714 kWh of LiFePo4. No Will Prowse review yet. This price point is getting way down there. 714kwh = 59.5a/h @ 12v. That compares favorably with the cost of LiFePo4 house batts. Trying to figure out if a power station like this could extend my boondocking time by a couple of days.

Would like to hear from anybody using a power station to supplement their house batt bank. Is it worth it?

I think you mean 714 watt hours, not KWH. My battery bank is about 556 amp-hours or 6600 Watt hours. I'll be upgrading (if covid allows travel) to 7200 watt hours this summer. The Bluetti, while better than nothing, is not terribly useful.

Marine359 · 06-06-2021, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianotuna

I think you mean 714 watt hours, not KWH. My battery bank is about 556 amp-hours or 6600 Watt hours. I'll be upgrading (if covid allows travel) to 7200 watt hours this summer. The Bluetti, while better than nothing, is not terribly useful.

Yes sorry, I did mean watt/hours. Thank you for real world experience. Probably better to spend my $500 on more solar, and an ez start.

BobC · 06-06-2021, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred 2106DS

I looked at both. SAE would have been an easier to install and would do the job, but I wasn't sure how the rubber cover for the contacts would hold up over the long term. My experience with rubber covers are that they dry out overtime and the lanyard part breaks and I end up losing the cover. The Furrion has a hinged plastic cover that snaps in place and I could get it in gray to match the MM.

Like Marine359, I've also been noodling about this. Given the price difference, I think I'll probably go the SAE route. If it doesn't hold up, I can always change it out. I was also thinking of a port that uses Anderson Powerpole connectors but they're pretty expensive as well.

I have two 160W panels for my roof but I'm going to need some help* so, in the meantime, I'm going to use a relatively compact (42.4" x 20") 100W panel I have as a portable. I just need to figure out where to store it (under the bed?).

*My wife won't let me do it on my own. I was cleaning the roof prior to installation in July 2019 and slipped when transferring from my MH ladder to a step ladder for the last few feet, tearing my rotator cuff. Initial recovery took six months, but it took a year before I felt normal again. Covid has delayed things further in terms of getting friends to help. I think I need to realize I'm not as young as I used to be.

Marine359 · 06-06-2021, 05:55 PM

Bob,
Thank God you didn’t fall and kill yourself. Even if you were as young as you used to be, the roof of an RV is not a safe place. I loathe going up there to sweep off the slide out. Your wife is right I won’t ascend the ladder without my dw present. Stop taking unnecessary risks, even though you are as young as you used to be.

BobC · 06-06-2021, 06:17 PM

Yep, I was lucky, by grabbing the vertical rail of the MH ladder, I fell straight down about 5' and also slowed my descent. It's a miracle I didn't hit my head or broke a leg or ankle.
The ER doctor told the nurse that she wanted to wrap me up in bubble wrap. She also said that ladder accidents were some of the worst they get, especially head injuries.

All in all, it really didn't have anything to do with my age, just my stupidity (I was also carrying a bucket). The surgeon told me later that he was surprised I've regained full range of motion given the severity of my tear.

I have a new respect for ladders and am appalled at what I see people doing.

Winnie1800BH · 09-13-2022, 05:50 PM

I have a question. The very first reply here says that the Micro Minnie (in my case I have a 1800BH) run everything from the battery except the AC.

I have some questions.

1) I am correct that even with a WF-8955-AD, I do not have an inverter from the factory. The WF is only a battery charger and power distribution panel, correct?

2) The television doesn't seem to work if I'm not plugged in to power, so what of the first comment where everything runs off of 12v?

3) Is there a good thread that goes over the addition of an inverter if that is something people want to do?

Thanks for helping a newb.

Marine359 · 09-13-2022, 06:32 PM

Your television operates on ac power. So if you’re just camping with your batteries, the tv won’t work, UNLESS,You use an inverter to change dc power to ac power. Some people install a small (300 amp) brick type inverter up in the cabinet over the tv. Then you can just plug the tv into it. A more elegant solution is to install an inverter between your batteries and the ac circuitry. The inverter will be able to take dc power from the battery and send ac power to the ac outlets throughout the coach. For this, you’ll need a decent size battery bank, and some planning on how to route dc and ac wiring from the inverter. You are correct that the WF is only meant to charge batteries, and provide ac and dc power to the rv when you are connected to shore power or generator

Winnie1800BH · 09-13-2022, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

Your television operates on ac power. So if you’re just camping with your batteries, the tv won’t work, UNLESS,You use an inverter to change dc power to ac power. Some people install a small (300 amp) brick type inverter up in the cabinet over the tv. Then you can just plug the tv into it. A more elegant solution is to install an inverter between your batteries and the ac circuitry. The inverter will be able to take dc power from the battery and send ac power to the ac outlets throughout the coach. For this, you’ll need a decent size battery bank, and some planning on how to route dc and ac wiring from the inverter. You are correct that the WF is only meant to charge batteries, and provide ac and dc power to the rv when you are connected to shore power or generator

Thank you for that awesome explanation. We've lived on a boat -- with inverters, gennys, etc. But this Winnie is a bit more modern. We have some neat plans for it -- so I'm looking to learn lots. Thanks!