Fitting a solar panel battery charger system to your boat or RV is a great way to reduce your fuel costs and maintain your batteries in top condition. Here are 7 practical tips to help you get the absolute most from your boat or RV solar panels:
Where you set your panels is really important. Thuisbatterij obviously, you'll involve some physical constraints but always site them as closely as you are able to to the batteries you're going to charge. Make an effort to minimize the cable run involving the panels themselves and your batteries. This minimizes the voltage drop so that most of the power your solar panels generate actually reaches your batteries.
It's essential that you utilize the correct size of cable to connect your solar panels and batteries together. Always make reference to the manufacturer's instructions and, if in virtually any doubt, consult a qualified person about what gauge of cable to use.
If you utilize too small a wire you'll get plenty of losses in the cables and less power will reach the batteries. In extreme cases undersize cables can create a fire hazard. Using the right size of cable will make certain that most of the power from your solar panels will reach the batteries to charge them.
As part of your solar battery charger system, you'll need to fit a charge controller unit. The charge controller can there be to stop your batteries overcharging, which will be possible on a really sunny day. It contains solid state electronics which ensure that your batteries receive a constant charge at the correct current and voltage. Fitting the best controller will safely maximize the quantity of power provided for your batteries.
You can also use most charge controllers to monitor your battery voltage and the quantity of power being generated by your solar panels in real time. The most effective ones have a built in counter which shows exactly how many amp hours have already been produced over certain time period.
It's always worth installing your panels with a mechanism allowing them to be tilted towards the sun. On a summer's evening or perhaps a winter's day when the sun is lower in the sky, tilting them can make a big difference, as much as doubling the quantity of power they generate.
This can be a quite simple tip and essentially it's keep your solar panels clean. If they get dusty or dirty it does have an impact on what much charge they put to the batteries. A once weekly clean with some glass cleaner and a smooth cloth will ensure maximum power output continues.
When you're travelling or cruising, think about where you're going to park or moor. It's often a compromise when trying to keep your solar panels in the sunlight all day long long as much campsites and moorings have overhanging trees and other sourced elements of shade.
If this is actually the case, think about what times of day you'd prefer your panels to be at their best. As an example, if you're looking to catch the evening sun then position yourself accordingly, and attempt to keep the panels out from the shade as much as possible through the entire day. In this way you are able to maximize the quantity of electricity your solar panels create for you personally in virtually any given spot.
When selecting solar panels to power your boat or RV, you'll need to fit how big the panels to the quantity of power you're looking to get free from them. If the people you decide on are physically small with not very much power output, you could be disappointed with the results.
Thuisbatterij knowing your power requirements and selecting solar panels of the best size means you'll have a lot of charge in your batteries for your day-to-day needs.