Solar That Really Works

[Dogpatch]

Anyone got any comments about Ramsond products? In particular, their 3000 watt inverter.

[RLKBOB]

I asked about Ramsond a while ago cuz they "look" like you'd be dealing with a US company. Also I'm in Michigan and they supposedly are too. The feedback I got was not good. People weren't able to get through to anybody of any use. All their stuff is made in China and the solar panels at least(not sure about outher products) are not UL listed. After further investigation I decided not to spend my money with them, too much of a gamble for me.

[Dunner]

Get yourself a tall one and Google Ramsond complaints, a really tall one.

[rodeobumm]

Originally Posted by RVRoadTrip

I read HandyBob's page before I bought my solar setup. He has some useful info but his opinion of MPPT controllers is way off base. Why would he not like a controller that converts excess voltage into amps? Fully understanding solar and batteries goes a long way in deciding what you need. Here are a couple of useful links based our recent installation of 270 watts of solar:

RV Road Trip Library - Solar Power Installation Guide
RV Road Trip Library - 12v Information

Links are not valid

[Wanderman]

I know I've probably already posted this link, but it does have some useful information. of course, I am biased, since it was MY installation and research I drew from.

Try:
WanderMan: A Better Solar Charging Mouse Trap.PART 1

It's a 6(!) part series on the whole Solar charging system. I ended up with 470 watts and an MPPT controller. Hopefully it will help someone!

Thanks,

Rich "The Wanderman"

[Midniteoyl]

Originally Posted by Wanderman

I know I've probably already posted this link, but it does have some useful information. of course, I am biased, since it was MY installation and research I drew from.

Try:
WanderMan: A Better Solar Charging Mouse Trap.PART 1

It's a 6(!) part series on the whole Solar charging system. I ended up with 470 watts and an MPPT controller. Hopefully it will help someone!

Thanks,

Rich "The Wanderman"

Thanks for posting again, I had lost it

[elkhornsun]

Originally Posted by RJay

I don't have solar power but in what I've been able to learn is that the higher wattage panels with the higher voltages are more expensive but they are the ones that ensure that the power generated will reach the batteries.

Partly true but the higher voltage panels are also impacted more by any shading of a panel due to the way the load resistance affects the controller.
Panels are made for commercial and residential applications and not RV's. In a large grid array on a roof or out in a field the higher voltage with DC current is important. For a 12' run from a RV roof mounted panel to the controller it is much less important.

There is an exaggerated notion as the gauge wire needed. #8 wire has a resistance of .628 per 1000 feet as compared to #6 at 0.395 per 1000 feet and #4 at 0.248 and #2 at 0.156. The difference for a 30 foot cable run between #8 and #2 is a whooping 0.0141 Ohms. With panels providing 24v output the additional voltage drop using #8 wire for the 30 foot run is going to be all of 0.34 volts or 23.66 volts in total getting to the controller. If you are losing more than that then the problem is in one or more of the connections from the panel to the controller or the controller's grounding.

You can get 10x that amount of resistance from a single badly crimped connector. I put my attention into properly soldered copper terminals using my butane powered portable soldering iron to insure maximum current flow through the connections over the life of the installation.