Whitemystery
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2022
- Messages
- 6
Hey Y'all, I'm Aaron. Welder/Fabricator, Blacksmith, Handyman type fella!
I recently purchased a 16' Enclosed trailer to convert into a workshop space. I've begun installing 12v lights and fans in the cargo trailer and needing a way to power them. I also plan to set up shore power inside the trailer, and it will be used stationary (and on grid-power) probably all of the time at first. After spending all of my savings on the trailer itself, this is going to be a paycheck to paycheck build and the budget is tighter than a duck's ar$e for the time being! So I'm hoping to build this piece by piece based on my current needs.
One important thing to note is that I plan to always be on Shore power in the beginning of this Trailer's use, but want to build toward the ability to go Off-grid with it down the line.
Please if these questions have already been covered, or there are Keywords I might use to find these answers, I'm happy to start there. I just don't even know exactly what to search for since the majority of information I find is geared toward Van/RV/Home builds. I'm just trying to confirm my understanding of concepts I've yet to find explicitly confirmed.
So far the Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM looks like my best bang-for-the-buck as for my long-term needs balanced with my budget.
I will pretty much always be on Shore power in the beginning. This brings up question number...
1. Am I making any fatal errors in my understanding that this device could charge my batteries (while plugged into shore power) with no solar panels connected? And also basically convert the 120v input into 12v power to run those lights and fans safely? Are there any real downsides to this plan that would make another device a far better choice here?
2. I know that such a charge controller/Inverter must be connected to a battery/bank in order to operate, but is there any minimum limit to the Amp hours (size) that would make it dangerous as long as the voltage is correct? I've looked through manuals and haven't seen any such warnings, but maybe they just assume that someone wouldn't be so stupid as to try such small batteries with a device like the Growatt or similar MPP.
The idea here is to try to start as small as possible with battery capacity, so I can begin the savings for some lovely (expensive) LiFePO4 batteries, and waste as little money as possible on a Lead Acid "starter kit."
Ex. Could I run 2x 12v 20ah Lead Acid batteries in Series (to make 24v) on that 24v Growatt unit while plugged into Shore power?
A final note: I don't expect my 12v loads to be much more than 100w at any given time. The reason to reach for the 24v Growatt is to allow expandability when I do need the Solar power more. If hope this wasn't too much to ask for a noob. Thank you to anyone who made it this far!
Cheers!
Aaron
I recently purchased a 16' Enclosed trailer to convert into a workshop space. I've begun installing 12v lights and fans in the cargo trailer and needing a way to power them. I also plan to set up shore power inside the trailer, and it will be used stationary (and on grid-power) probably all of the time at first. After spending all of my savings on the trailer itself, this is going to be a paycheck to paycheck build and the budget is tighter than a duck's ar$e for the time being! So I'm hoping to build this piece by piece based on my current needs.
One important thing to note is that I plan to always be on Shore power in the beginning of this Trailer's use, but want to build toward the ability to go Off-grid with it down the line.
Please if these questions have already been covered, or there are Keywords I might use to find these answers, I'm happy to start there. I just don't even know exactly what to search for since the majority of information I find is geared toward Van/RV/Home builds. I'm just trying to confirm my understanding of concepts I've yet to find explicitly confirmed.
So far the Growatt SPF 3000TL LVM looks like my best bang-for-the-buck as for my long-term needs balanced with my budget.
I will pretty much always be on Shore power in the beginning. This brings up question number...
1. Am I making any fatal errors in my understanding that this device could charge my batteries (while plugged into shore power) with no solar panels connected? And also basically convert the 120v input into 12v power to run those lights and fans safely? Are there any real downsides to this plan that would make another device a far better choice here?
2. I know that such a charge controller/Inverter must be connected to a battery/bank in order to operate, but is there any minimum limit to the Amp hours (size) that would make it dangerous as long as the voltage is correct? I've looked through manuals and haven't seen any such warnings, but maybe they just assume that someone wouldn't be so stupid as to try such small batteries with a device like the Growatt or similar MPP.
The idea here is to try to start as small as possible with battery capacity, so I can begin the savings for some lovely (expensive) LiFePO4 batteries, and waste as little money as possible on a Lead Acid "starter kit."
Ex. Could I run 2x 12v 20ah Lead Acid batteries in Series (to make 24v) on that 24v Growatt unit while plugged into Shore power?
A final note: I don't expect my 12v loads to be much more than 100w at any given time. The reason to reach for the 24v Growatt is to allow expandability when I do need the Solar power more. If hope this wasn't too much to ask for a noob. Thank you to anyone who made it this far!
Cheers!
Aaron