Recent content by MichaelK

NO!!! These numbers are absolutely NOT correct. The 3hp value is the power OUTPUT of the pump motor, NOT the power input. Please go back up to post #8 and look carefully at the numbers posted for a 3hp pump. My recommendation at this point is stop asking for people's opinions, and start...

Something I could add is the amount of solar needed for that sized battery. It's going to depend in part with the panels themselves, and the electronics you connect them to. As a general rule of thumb, traditional lead-acid likes charging at ~1/8th of C. With your C = 260Ah, that works out to...

I think it might be appropriate at this point to suggest a course change. Yes, you can build a solar system that can power your well-pump, but at this point I'd question instead as to whether you should power it with a solar system? This is for outages that might occur once or twice a year...

What I have read is that soft-start electronics on a well-pump is a BAD idea. My understanding is that water lubricates the pump bearings, and slow-starters allow the pump to turn with inadequate water flow, damaging the bearings. That being said, I don't actually personally know anyone that...

Are these your batteries? When measured at the 20hr rate, they are only 424Ah. That being said, the charge rate you are going them might be a little on the low side. Most AGMs like a charge rate of 0.2C, which in your case should be 424Ah X 0.2C = 85A. They are really not matched well with...

Can you take a pic of the little meter you have? I'm thinking that most likely you have it set to the wrong parameter and you reading something other than DC volts. Does the meter have more than one scale printed on it? You might have it switched to 3V instead of 30V? Yes, a cheap analog...

Is this your freezer? Looking at comparable models at HomeDepot, I'd guestimate your unit might consume between 1.6 and 1.8kWh of power per day. But, as E.Cho mentions, the best option is using the killawatt to actually determine your real-world consumption. But, we can start with the 1.8kWh...

Couple of options. Looking at the shadows from your loquat at 11:43am, it appears that you have your array facing East, is that correct? Take out the first array, and put in two of mine, that would hold 3000W. I think I could squeeze two in the space you have shown? What is that big bush in...

Took a bit of digging to find out the actual Vmp? Don't understand why they have to make it so hard? Looking at the specs, your string of 5 panels would be putting out 41.65Vmp X 5panels = 208.25Vmp. Keep in mind that these are factory specs determined in a test chamber. You might see the...

The voltage values are rather high, so are you confusing the Voc with the Vmp? The Voc is the voltage of the panels when NO current is flowing. The Vmp is the voltage when the panels power is actually being consumed. That being said, once you are getting the voltage that high, power loss via...

Yes, please post pics. A mount holding only four panels is not very big, so it might be worthwhile to simply remove it. How high off the ground is the top edge of the panels? A higher mount in the back would need to clear the sun in December when the sun is at it's lowest angle. Might be...

This is the wiring diagram I used to connect mine. Hope you will find it helpful

A very important point is the mis-conception that a 12V panel produces 12V. It does not. The designation "12V" means that the panel can be used to charge a 12V battery with only simple electronics. In actuality, most "12V panels" actually output between 17 to 20V. This becomes very important...

During the last partial eclipse here in California, I was pumping irrigation water that day, after watering my orchard trees earlier that morning. Saw the solar input drop from 2200W to 800W. I shut off the pump till at least 4/5 of the sun re-appeared.

You mentioned the RV, so I'll assume that these panels are going to be mounted flat on the roof? In that case, I'd de-rate their output to just 60% of nameplate, especially since you are in a more Northern area. In the real-world, what that means is that what goes into the battery is likely...