Hooking up a Solar System to a popup

[calicamper]

My sailboat has a 15amp max shore power charger. It has advanced battery management / charging and will step up to cover 12v draw while on shore power. Heavy use items are always shore power 110 items which are plugged into the seperate shore power outlets. 12v items plug into the 12v system and are covered by the battery and shore powered charger.

 

[john61ct]

The only reason to run any loads off the solar controller is to take advantage of its LVD cutoff, and that will only allow for very light loads in total amps.

The converter is for charging the battery and running all other 12V loads, but only when connected to shore power.

Hope that helps.

 

[john61ct]

OP, you should just forget the SC loads feature for now, put all DC house loads in line with your converter output and battery bank.

Then you add a shore power charger. To the battery. This is what all rvs and boats have.

Unlike boats, the RV industry calls them a converter, to distinguish from cheaper garage style chargers not designed to constantly power loads as well. Google "Progressive Dynamics".

Yes very confusing terminology.

 

[calicamper]

The only reason to run any loads off the solar controller is to take advantage of its LVD cutoff, and that will only allow for very light loads in total amps.

The converter is for charging the battery and running all other 12V loads, but only when connected to shore power.

Hope that helps.

If that's all he's trying to do. Then you pick up a shore power battery charger an intelligent one like this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01A...0_QL65&keywords=15+amp+marine+battery+charger

Bank refers to how many batteries you have and if they are grouped in seperate groups.
I have two large batteries isolated into two banks on my boat. I have a two bank charger.
I have a large switch that allows me to power 12v system one one or the other battery or both.

If you need more Amps to cover constant 12v appliance load you buy one with a higher Amp rating. The solar controller goes directly to the battery as does the shore charger. The solar controller simply will go to float mode when shore power is charging etc.
you don't convert 110 to 12v to power stuff. 12v system is based on the battery power in power out. Power in needs to be smartly managed. A "dumb" converter simply dumps 12v power into what ever it's hooked too regardless if the battery is being cooked etc. that's why you have the advanced shore power charger/power unit drawing off 110.

 

[calicamper]

OP, you should just forget the SC loads feature for now, put all DC house loads in line with your converter output and battery bank.
Unlike boats, the RV industry calls them a converter, to distinguish from cheaper garage style chargers not designed to constantly power loads as well. Google "Progressive Dynamics".

Yes very confusing terminology.

Ok that makes more sense. If his "converter" is advanced it should also give him load info and over draw protection just like the solar controller output feature. Which case simply isolate the solar controller solar and battery only connection. If he has an inverter that has its own dedicated fused power / wire from the battery.

His shore power / charger "converter" simply manages power into the battery from the shore power.

As for the "converter" to 12volt be very careful using that terminology given there are 110 to 12v converters not the same as a battery charger/shore power unit.

 

[john61ct]

As for the "converter" to 12volt be very careful using that terminology given there are 110 to 12v converters not the same as a battery charger/shore power unit.

Give an example please.

As I said **in the RV campervan world** they use the word converter to mean a battery charger.

Just as a fancy marine shore charger is better than some Schumacher garage POS, there are good ones and bad.

Yes it is confusing just like the scammers selling a batt in a box as an overpriced "solar generator" sometimes don't even include a decent panel.

 

[john61ct]

I want to power the stuff I have that's 12v with solar when I DON'T have shore power. And shore power when I have it or in a shaded campsite

Are you still not clear?

Let's call your converter a shore charger just for clarity OK?

Input comes from shore AC power.

Output to 12V loads and bank, just like controller

Other questions? Ask as specifically as you can.

 

[john61ct]

One method of 'work around' is use the controllers LVD protected output to drive your favourite low control current relay.
The relay switches power what directly comes from the battery.

Let's KISS for now.

 

[Matty74]

Thank you everyone. What I got out of the conversation is skip the load on the controller and run 2 lines to the battery one to charger the battery from the controller and one to pull and charger the battery from the convertor.

 

[dwh]

Thank you everyone. What I got out of the conversation is skip the load on the controller and run 2 lines to the battery one to charger the battery from the controller and one to pull and charger the battery from the convertor.

Yes. But one line should already be run from the power center to the battery to power the 12v loads when you aren't plugged into shore power (and to sorta/kinda charge the battery when you are plugged into shore power).

So solar to solar charge controller to battery. Leave the existing system as is. Ignore the load terminals on the charge controller you don't need those.

Then if you wanna get fancy, get an upgrade kit for your power center that replaces the converter section with a proper battery charger:

http://www.bestconverter.com/