Finally Got to Use The Harbor Freight Solar

[leadman]

I previously boondocked with one set of the Harbor Freight solar panels and they were ok, but still had to use the generator at times.
Last fall I installed a second set of HF panels so have 90W of free power.
I went on an elk hunt a couple weeks ago and gave the set-up a good test. My rig only has 2 group 27 batteries. I previously installed LED lights on the rig so this cut power consumption quite a bit.
With both panel sets we could use the LEDs, furnace was set at 60' at night. We used the under counter kitchen TV to watch DVDs, the fridge and water heater use 12v for controls. The water pump was used as needed. In the morning the batteries were about 12.3V. After all day in the sun the batteries were at 12.8V.
We used the generator only a couple of times to power the microwave for a couple of minutes each time.

I know some here say these panels do not put out much power, but it has proved enough so the generator will get very little use now.

I have about $350 total in the solar system so I think it was a good investment. And I have a spare controller and flourscent lights that came with them. I was also able to make the investment in 2 stages so this helped as my budget is limited.

Just thought I would share how my system turned out for those that might be considering something similar.

[Conquest102]

Did you run all 6 panels thru one controller? I was told by HF tech support not to do that I would love to have second set of panels running.

[leadman]

Yes, the one controller seems to be handling it just fine. The system has been operating with both panels since last fall. This was just the first trip, but I did run lights, fan, etc. once in a while when it was parked at the house.

[jscribn1]

More importantly..... Did you get an Elk???
Glad the solar setup is working for you..

[leadman]

Yes, all 3 of us in camp got elk. I was the last one to tag one. Was almost a self defense situation! My friend spooked them and the elk ran right at me. When I knelt down they swerved to the side and I took the lead cow at about 20 yards.

[Dunner]

I have 96 watts of solar wired straight to my battery bank. It puts out about 6 amps on a good day and does alright. Would a controller help? Which kind?

[Shadowcatche]

The care and feeding of deep cycle batteries is complex and if you want maximum life from your batteries they need to be managed. The best bet is to check the Solar that really works thread.

[wa8yxm]

I do agree. However if you boondock for say a week, using solar and not burning up a lot of power watching old CRT tv's and such... Then come home and plug in so as to let your 3-stage convereter properly re-charge and top off.. should be good.

Congrats on bagging your elk too.

[JimandWanda]

I have 3 HF sets on my MH. Rather than use the 3 controllers which was a headache to turn on and off each day, I purchased a Prostar 15 charge controller and connected the 3 sets to it. This controller will charge 3 types of batteries and has a digital display. I can leave it on all the time. With 135 watts it keeps my 2 trojan 6v batteries in good shape. We can watch 2hrs of tv each day. I have also converted all lighting to LED. our longest trip has been 4 days without running the genset. I use a 750 watt inverter from HF

Jim

[leadman]

I never turn off the controller unless I want to check the battery level during the day. There are diodes in the controller I use to prevent feedback so I can plug in if I want with no problems.

The controller will charge to around 14.3v in good sunlight. At this level, which is the same as most autos charge at, I have very little outgassing from the batteries.

Dunner, with your panels you should have a controller to prevent boiling your batteries. Have you checked the output voltage from your panels? My HF sets put out about 22v before the controller.

[Dunner]

The label says open circuit:19.8V, 3.35A and rated: 15.9V, 3.02A. They are two older Siemens 48 Watt panels that were given to me several years ago. I'd have to check the voltage output, but I do know they put out 6 amps on a sunny day. Pretty sure they put out at least 16 open circuit volts, maybe more.