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I am a complete noob regarding solar, but I am planning to set up an off grid solar system for my backyard utility trailer I use an an office/workshop. The trailer is roughly 8' x 14', and the 14' side has southern exposure. I am considering installing 4 panels (72 cell) in the portrait...

Battle Born states that their batteries can be mounted in any orientation. Many RVs have BB batteries laying on their sides in their battery bay. If you look at the picture of the BB battery in the post above you will see that the posts are rectangular, and they are mounted in a recess in the...

Thanks

Thanks. That is what I was thinking - the amp hour rating of the battery is just a measure of tha battery capacity, not the load draw from the battery. The Growatt 3KW inverter/charger is 24 volts, so that would mean it can accommodate a maximum current draw of 125 amps. What would be a factor...

I am installing a Growatt MPP 24 volt system in my utility trailer. I just turned it on for the first time and I am getting an 81 error "solar utility" error, with a green flashing light and a buzzing sound. I have two strings of 2 solar panels each going into the Midnite Solar combiner box...

Thanks for the information. I think I will need a larger battery bank than I planned - probably 5kwh or more. I will have a wall inside the trailer which will give me a space of about 8' x 9' x 7' to cool, so I think the a/c duty cycle might be much less than cooling the entire trailer.

I forgot to mention that I have 4 Battle Born 100 AH batteries (2 strings of 2 batteries connected together for 24 volt output.) I am reading 26.8 volts output from the battery bank into the inverter. I think I have the wires connected properly and all of the connections to everything seem to...

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking 2s2p would do it. Do you have any thoughts on running 10 AWG pv wire all the way to the combiner box, considering that the conductors should be derated for heat and conduit fill? I can see at least 8 AWG to the controller.

So, If I used 4/0 wire from the battery I would use 260 amps (4/0 wire ampacity) x 1.25 = 325 amp fuse?

With my setup, what would be the correct sequence for shutting down the system to work on it or relocate the components? Would it be: Disconnect solar panels using the circuit breakers Shut off Growatt controller/inverter Disconnect batteries

What circuit breaker size would you recommend in the combiner box for the 2 strings?

I will be using a Midnite Solar MNPV6 combiner box for the solar panel PV input. Can I also use the same combiner box for the battery output? That would involve using 2 circuit breakers at 100 amps each (one for each 24 volt battery bank). The following text from the Midnite Solar instructions...

I have a MPP 24 volt 3000 watt all in one inverter and am about to connect my 4 Battle Born batteries connected in two strings of 2 -12 volt batteries in series. Being an ignorant noob, I need to know the correct procedure for precharging the inverter capacitors. I have a 30 ohm resistor which...

I have no AC output on my Growatt 3000 watt 24 volt all in one inverter. The batteries are at 27.4 volts. I have the letters "FC" on the display but there are no fault codes on the display and the fault code light is not flashing or beeping. Power is available from the solar panels. Does...

The MPP display just flashes once through all features quickly, so I really can make out what it is displaying. It just shuts down after about 30 seconds of flashing light and buzzing sound. All I can make out is the "solar utility" error with an image of a solar panel. Do you think there is...

The plan for my application is 2 Battle Born 12 volt batteries wired in series to make one 24 volt battery. I will have two of those 24 volt battery setups, so 4 individual batteries total. Each 24 volt battery would connect to a Blue Sea 4 position battery disconnect, which will allow for both...

I see a response from sunshine_eggo but I don't understand it. Can you be more specific?

I am just getting back to the solar project after experiencing an unfortunate medical issue just after making this initial post. I guess the bottom line is that without an earth ground you really can't have a grounded solar system, although I do see RV solar systems with a ground running to the...

Supervstech - the gate operator you are looking at is not the same one I am using. The one I am using is a different one. If you click on the link in my first post it will take you to the $188 operator I bought, which the seller claims has no solar option. I am leaning toward a Jackery...

Here is my Growatt current display reading (attached)

Would this battery have a 30 day warranty?

You are correct about the evaporative "swamp" coolers During the summer "monsoon" season there is high humidity, even though we rarely get rain lately. With high humidity the swamp coolers put out a bit cooler air, but they put out humid air which makes for an uncomfortable experience. Plus...

Thanks. The trailer is only 14' long, so I am guessing the longest wires will be 20 feet total run. The Tucson desert gets very hot, but I am hoping 4 10AWG conductors in a PVC junction box on the roof and 1" conduit beyond that will still be OK. I will try to get at least some shading on the...

Your are correct about the start up draw on a window a/c. I guess I am still in the lead acid battery mindset, which don't like big power draws at all. The problem with the energy saving mode is that there is no air circulation on that setting, so it can quickly become uncomfortable. However...

So, 2 strings in series would be 2 circuit breakers at 40 amp for each breaker, and 2 strings in parallel would be 2 circuit breakers at 20 amp for each breaker?

The photo of my combiner box shows the wiring. Red wires from solar panels to the DC circuit breakers, black wire from the solar panels to the negative bus, black output wire to the negative bus, red output wire to the main positive bus. Red combiner output wire goes to the PV + on the...

Thanks. My idea for circuit breakers inside the trailer rather than on the roof was to provide a convenient disconnect to before the charge controller/inverter. I am thinking of using a weatherproof PVC junction box on the roof with 1" PVC conduit to the Midnite Solar combiner box. I think 4...

So, connect both positive and negative leads from the positive and negative battery buss bars to the inverter with the inverter turned off. Then using the leads of the resistor contact both sides of the circuit breaker/disconnect in the positive cable going from the battery bank to the...