Single battery solar questions.

[reaper229]

Hi folks
Another question on solar,i know i know...

I have a JKU,my battery is a NorthStar,i have only one battery(my starter batt) and i want to keep it that way for money and space reasons.

Next Spring i would like to order a Dometic CFX40 to put in the back of the jku,already installed the wires for it.

We don't camp on long times like 3 days as the same spot...we never do that...we are more 1 night and we move to another spot ect...but we are in the backcountry,so i just want to be sure my Jeep will start.
I would like to install a solar SAE plug style on the outside on the jeep(so no need to open the hood),wires will be hook'up on the battery with a fuse of course to maintain the battery,i would like to use a 100w or 60w solar panel with a charge controler.Is it sounds ok or it is not a good idea??I prefer to ask you guys before buying the stuff.

Whats kind of solar panel and wich charge controler i need to do this ?
Fot the wires i will use an OptiMate cable weatherproof+ a battery tender termial harness with fused and sae plug.

thanks
Steve

 

[devero4]

For one nighters a 100 watt panel would be just fine. You could piece together a kit for cheap and include a controller from Amazon for around $20 to get you started. But when it's time to get serious or you start staying out for longer period of time I would recommend a better controller like a Victron or better. I linked which controller I started with and what I use now. As far as panels I prefer the solid type since room isn't a concern and they are more efficient than flexibles. Stick with Renogy or HQST monocrystaline. With a 100w mono panel and a Victron 75/10 BT controller powering a Engel with a house battery I can stay out for quite a while. Not indefinitely, but pretty close. Spend time finding out about you loads and what they draw and build from there.

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089471&sr=1-5&keywords=solar+controller&dpID=41%2B5WGBhLFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monoc...ns&keywords=renogy+100+watt+solar+panel&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-MPPT-75-10/dp/B075NTT8GH/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089553&sr=1-1&keywords=victron+75/10

 

[DaveInDenver]

I ran a single battery for many years with my Engel and my $0.02 is a solar system doesn't really buy you that much if you pick up and move each day. I'd get a jump pack for insurance, though. Consider that in this paradigm you are usually driving during the day when you'd need to have the solar set up. I have a portable 50 W solar system and unless I decide to stay put for a whole day or get into camp really early I don't bother setting it up, so it's used mostly at home to maintain than on the trail.

 

[luthj]

How long do you drive a typical day? What is your alternators charge voltage? Adding a cheap 50-100w panel could extend the life of your expensive battery by quite a bit.

 

[reaper229]

For one nighters a 100 watt panel would be just fine. You could piece together a kit for cheap and include a controller from Amazon for around $20 to get you started. But when it's time to get serious or you start staying out for longer period of time I would recommend a better controller like a Victron or better. I linked which controller I started with and what I use now. As far as panels I prefer the solid type since room isn't a concern and they are more efficient than flexibles. Stick with Renogy or HQST monocrystaline. With a 100w mono panel and a Victron 75/10 BT controller powering a Engel with a house battery I can stay out for quite a while. Not indefinitely, but pretty close. Spend time finding out about you loads and what they draw and build from there.

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089471&sr=1-5&keywords=solar+controller&dpID=41%2B5WGBhLFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monoc...ns&keywords=renogy+100+watt+solar+panel&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-MPPT-75-10/dp/B075NTT8GH/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089553&sr=1-1&keywords=victron+75/10

thats awesome thanks for your time,i will take a look.

 

[reaper229]

I ran a single battery for many years with my Engel and my $0.02 is a solar system doesn't really buy you that much if you pick up and move each day. I'd get a jump pack for insurance, though. Consider that in this paradigm you are usually driving during the day when you'd need to have the solar set up. I have a portable 50 W solar system and unless I decide to stay put for a whole day or get into camp really early I don't bother setting it up, so it's used mostly at home to maintain than on the trail.

thanks for the reply,of course one thing sure is i always bring a jump pack with me ...yeah sometimes we found some nice spot and stay put and relaxing...its for these moments i'll don't wanna stress because a fridge is ON and the jeep is not running...this is why i thought about a solar system.Sorry for the english guys if it sound weird i am speaking French.

 

[reaper229]

How long do you drive a typical day? What is your alternators charge voltage? Adding a cheap 50-100w panel could extend the life of your expensive battery by quite a bit.

thanks for reply,yeah we drive sometimes more than 2hrs but its really about the times we are not moving.Really dont know the voltage of the alternator,sounds like i need to know this lol!!

 

[reaper229]

For one nighters a 100 watt panel would be just fine. You could piece together a kit for cheap and include a controller from Amazon for around $20 to get you started. But when it's time to get serious or you start staying out for longer period of time I would recommend a better controller like a Victron or better. I linked which controller I started with and what I use now. As far as panels I prefer the solid type since room isn't a concern and they are more efficient than flexibles. Stick with Renogy or HQST monocrystaline. With a 100w mono panel and a Victron 75/10 BT controller powering a Engel with a house battery I can stay out for quite a while. Not indefinitely, but pretty close. Spend time finding out about you loads and what they draw and build from there.

https://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/ref=sr_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089471&sr=1-5&keywords=solar+controller&dpID=41%2B5WGBhLFL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monoc...ns&keywords=renogy+100+watt+solar+panel&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Victron-SmartSolar-MPPT-75-10/dp/B075NTT8GH/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1541089553&sr=1-1&keywords=victron+75/10

Buying a cheap charge controler is it risky to over charge the battery?

 

[reaper229]

cheap but good for the task ?

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/noma-100w-solar-panel-kit-0110004p.html#srp

 

[LivinDaDream]

In checking the spec's on that Dometic unit, they give a typical usage of .74Ah/hour or a little less than 18Ah/day. In units I prefer to work with, that is about 9.4Wh/hour or about 224Wh/day (assuming 12.6V nominal system voltage). What is the Ah rating of your battery? If your battery is in good shape, you might be ok for a couple days if other power usage is minimal.

On a clear sunny day, with clear sky access for 4-5 hours, you should be able to make this up easily with a 100W panel and typical PWM controller. 60W panel might be marginal except on the best of days. Once you factor in all the losses AND keep orientation somewhat optimized, you'd be lucky to see 70-80W out of a 100W panel or 40-45W out of a 60W panel. Cloudy day, forget it...no way...same if you can't locate your panel for 4-5 hours of unobstructed sun with decent orientation for max efficiency. Depending on your location and time of year, having a panel flat on a roof or on the ground vs being angled towards the sun can make a huge difference in output...25-30% or more.

Cheers!

 

[reaper229]

In checking the spec's on that Dometic unit, they give a typical usage of .74Ah/hour or a little less than 18Ah/day. In units I prefer to work with, that is about 9.4Wh/hour or about 224Wh/day (assuming 12.6V nominal system voltage). What is the Ah rating of your battery? If your battery is in good shape, you might be ok for a couple days if other power usage is minimal.

On a clear sunny day, with clear sky access for 4-5 hours, you should be able to make this up easily with a 100W panel and typical PWM controller. 60W panel might be marginal except on the best of days. Once you factor in all the losses AND keep orientation somewhat optimized, you'd be lucky to see 70-80W out of a 100W panel or 40-45W out of a 60W panel. Cloudy day, forget it...no way...same if you can't locate your panel for 4-5 hours of unobstructed sun with decent orientation for max efficiency. Depending on your location and time of year, having a panel flat on a roof or on the ground vs being angled towards the sun can make a huge difference in output...25-30% or more.

Cheers!

specs battery say
Ah/20h
65
and the battery is brand new.

 

[LivinDaDream]

Hi reaper...that's key info...and I'd say you're treading on thin ice with only a 65Ah battery...especially since that's likely not a true deep-cycle battery.

So, here's where you go with this...

65Ah capacity at a rate that would discharge the battery fully over a 20 hour time period, which in this case would be 3.25Ah/hr. And that rating is from full charge (about 12.6V to 10.5V, which you really do NOT want to do. Discharging more than 50% on a regular basis will greatly shorten battery life.

So, de-rate your battery to say 30Ah...the Dometic is likely going to use up 2/3 of that (18Ah) on a daily basis. The vehicle itself always draws some small amount of power and you'll probably charge phones, run some lights, etc. Not likely you could safely run for two days without either cranking up the jeep for a while or having a decent amount of solar input to replace what you've used. If you follow your typical approach of relocating every day, probably no worries at all, even without solar. Again, if you park in areas without lots of direct sun, or can't place your panel away from your Jeep in a sunny spot, solar will not do you much good. The plus side of having solar, even in your move every day scenario, is that it would prolong the life of your battery by not discharging to a lower level so frequently and give you some headroom if you want to power other things than your cooler.

I would strongly suggest that at the very least, you invest <$20 in one of the many power monitors you can find on Amazon or eBay so you can keep track of your power usage and system voltage...and definitely have a jump start box with you!

 

[vtsoundman]

65Ah should be fine for a single night, and indefinitely with plenty of solar for a single smaller fridge and cell battery charge usage...it is marginal if no solar and only driving 2hrs/day. Running the engine will help tremendously.

If stationary for extended perioids, look at getting >100W of solar and keep it in the sun & rotate the modules 3x per day if you're in far northern clims. Make a pair of long wiring harness (for a total of 50ft/15m) to allow you to move the modules or keep it short as needed. Youll find that 25'/8m of cable is too short.

I ran 150W of solar without using the alternator for about a week - I have CF65DX and for a few days ran a CF18 as well...in addition to charging cell & camera batteries. At that point, I was not running any radios.

I had to adjust the panels to maximize production, but it worked well - a good solar MPPT controller makes all the difference. Yes MPPT is worth it...

Keep the dometic covered with a white towel, but make sure the vents have plenty of room to breath...keep with windows cracked/open and vehicle out of the sun.

You need to track your usage and solar charging carefully.

If a Victoon 75/15 is too costly (you can monitor Ah consumption as well as solar contribution), get a 1-2 Ah meters from eBay or Amazon and track all the current consumed by loads and /returned by solar.

You can fit a 100Ah under the hood of your JkU. 07-12 will need a battery tray to do it. >12, it can be done with some cuttingb/adjusting of the stock tray.

If your drive less than 2hrs each day and don't use solar to top up the battery, you may start running I to issues. Driving more than 2 hrs will help for sure, but plan on connecting an AC charger when you get home after a long weekend.

It can be relatively easy to rack up engine time...start the engine and let it idle while you are doing the final packup - that can add 10-15min of run time...

Carry a jump pack for back up (and practice - make sure it works)...and go have fun.

 

[luthj]

Not what the OP is asking for, but a 30-40AH lithium battery would be very small. Wire it directly to the alternator, and it would likely get all the charge it needs in an hour or two. No worries about getting a full charge (lithium doesn't need it) and it would only weigh 15lbs or less.

 

[reaper229]

Really wow,looks like i am really in poor battery knowledge haha!!

So the battery choice is not the best??what are you all using as battery??

All my buddies told me go with northstar or yellow top from optimA but the optima i heard some bad stories about them...

Man i am lost...i'll start from the begining.Really thought i could get away from a dual battery set-up

Hi reaper...that's key info...and I'd say you're treading on thin ice with only a 65Ah battery...especially since that's likely not a true deep-cycle battery.

So, here's where you go with this...

65Ah capacity at a rate that would discharge the battery fully over a 20 hour time period, which in this case would be 3.25Ah/hr. And that rating is from full charge (about 12.6V to 10.5V, which you really do NOT want to do. Discharging more than 50% on a regular basis will greatly shorten battery life.

So, de-rate your battery to say 30Ah...the Dometic is likely going to use up 2/3 of that (18Ah) on a daily basis. The vehicle itself always draws some small amount of power and you'll probably charge phones, run some lights, etc. Not likely you could safely run for two days without either cranking up the jeep for a while or having a decent amount of solar input to replace what you've used. If you follow your typical approach of relocating every day, probably no worries at all, even without solar. Again, if you park in areas without lots of direct sun, or can't place your panel away from your Jeep in a sunny spot, solar will not do you much good. The plus side of having solar, even in your move every day scenario, is that it would prolong the life of your battery by not discharging to a lower level so frequently and give you some headroom if you want to power other things than your cooler.

I would strongly suggest that at the very least, you invest QUOTE]

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