Need the solar/power pros to weigh in

[TantoTrailers]

Ok cool so the ring terminal of the black cable will go to Negative on the battery, but...directly to the battery or on the load side of the BMV shunt?

 

[dreadlocks]

shunt, always load side of shunt.. you never ground anything directly to battery anymore w/that.. if something says to ground directly to battery, just attach it to shunt load.. or a negative bus bar if you want to cleanup wiring that is hooked to shunt.

 

[TantoTrailers]

understood, good tip. lastly, am I paying attention to my ring stacking on the load side of the shunt like I am on the + of the battery terminal? Same order?

 

[dreadlocks]

yep, the BP will be one of your lightest loads.. like a tiny fraction of an amp, so put it at top.. and likely your chargers at bottom.. if you think you got too much on it, its time for a bus bar.

 

[luthj]

Yes, highest current on the bottom. Though for lower load applications I will sometimes swap the stack order if it results in a cleaner stack. Some terminals don't easily nest together.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Alright, it took 5 hours of swearing and hand cramps but I got it all installed and tucked away. Like I said, I was LOW on install surface realestate but I think I made the best use of what I have with minimal wire mess. I need to update my Visio diagram but everything works. I tweaked the DC/DC converter to 14.40v and set the disconnect at 12v. I can say with certainty that the rig is now complete. I do not want to add anything to Tanto 1.0. I was considering adding a hot water heater but that would be on the outside and more or less self contained, might even just make it a portable deal for the no times I would use it. Depending on how bored I get this winter I may swap out the MPPT to round out my Victron collection (this would be a senseless buy to most but it would satisfy my lazy OCD). Heading out this weekend to test out a modified heating idea in sub 20F night temps.

 

[luthj]

Very clean work. Nicely done.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Very clean work. Nicely done.

Thank you! Also, those pics were taken at different times so the voltages show a bit different. I just went in there and checked and everything is showing identical readings.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Well a successful round trip this past weekend down to Indiana and back. DC/DC converter seemed to work well, although the fridge didnt have to run much with the temps in the 30s during the drive down and back. Solar charged up everything I used overnight both nights. In 2 weeks or so I will be heading out again, this time to try other heating options for my cabin. I will run a heated blanket which draws about 6A and see if that will trigger my 12v battery protect disconnect overnight.

I am also building an immersion heater for my WaterPORT water tank. I got a small temp control module which will turn the immersion heater on and off as the water gets up to temp. This will run strictly off of the load terminals on my MPPT controller and not off my battery. If all goes according to plan I should have warm or hot water at the end of the day when I would want to take a shower if facilities are unavailable....tbd...

 

[shade]

I am also building an immersion heater for my WaterPORT water tank. I got a small temp control module which will turn the immersion heater on and off as the water gets up to temp. This will run strictly off of the load terminals on my MPPT controller and not off my battery. If all goes according to plan I should have warm or hot water at the end of the day when I would want to take a shower if facilities are unavailable....tbd...

I'm interested in how that goes. One of the reasons for my power system upgrade is hot water.

 

[Alloy]

One BTU is needed to raise the temp of 1 pound of water by 1 degree F.
I think a WaterPORT is 3.8gal or 31.73 lbs

To raise 31.73lbs of water from 60F to 100F would require 1269BTUs or 372 watt hours. That's with no efficency or thermal losses.

 

[shade]

One BTU is needed to raise the temp of 1 pound of water by 1 degree F.
I think a WaterPORT is 3.8gal or 31.73 lbs

To raise 31.73lbs of water from 60F to 100F would require 1269BTUs or 372 watt hours. That's with no efficency or thermal losses.

TT's electrical system will be stressed to do it, but with careful timing & monitoring of the SOC, a morning shower every day or two may not be too difficult. A hot tank in the evening may not work out so well, though.

 

[TantoTrailers]

It’s a $34 experiment since I’m bored and looking for things to play with haha. Plus I have been tossing the idea around of setting up a small on demand water heater on the driver side of the rig where my shower tent is. Then I thought why not try this before going big and drilling the rig. I won’t have this running off of my battery so SOC is not a concern, it’s going on the load terminals of my MPPT controller. I’m also hoping this 100w immersion heater taxes my solar system enough to show the true potential of what those 2 120w panels can produce. Again all in the name of experimentation and boredom. I’m hoping to have definitive results this weekend.

 

[Alloy]

How many amps are the load terminals rated at?

 

[TantoTrailers]

The Renogy Rover I have is rated for 20A on the load terminals.