Solar charge controller reccomendations

Two4leisure · 10-26-2017, 04:45 PM

Hi all. I bought a 2006 2720SL last year. Since then have changed interior and exterior lights to LED, lift kit, 15" Maxxis tires and TPMS. Recently I have added 200 watts of solar. I am using the Trimetric TM2030 battery monitor and SC2030 charge controller. I have set the P22 at 3 per the instructions for the 2 Trojan T105's wired in series. My question is, are there any other settings I can change to get the best performance out of this system. i have been out one time since the solar install. Each night we went into the evening system indication 100% charged. but our power use is modest. thanks for any suggestions you can offer. And thanks to the people who contribute to this forum.

scrubjaysnest · 10-28-2017, 07:57 AM

Not familiar with the 2030 settings. I have my Morningstar set for 14.8 volts absorb voltage with temp compensation set at 3 mv per deg C.
For the 105's it should be similar.
On another point with the 105's; the 200 watts is about a 5% ROC which is the minimum you want to use. It will be fine if you use about 10% of capacity per day from the batteries but will be slow to recover if you get to the 50% SOC.
When starting from 50% SOC the recommended ROC is 10 to 13% which is about 400 watts of panel.
As with most things these are suggested starting points.
While we don't have the Trojans we got along fine with 500 watts while dry camping from the 2nd week in May until the 3rd week in Sept this year.
The last week on Sept and first week of Oct was full shade with maybe 10 amps from the panels for 15 minutes. This required lots of jenny run time.

Two4leisure · 10-28-2017, 10:03 AM

Thanks for your reply scrubjaysnest. Totally makes sense. My plan is tobdo most of my camping off season(less people) so it will not be necessary to park in the shade. That way I hope I can take advantage of the full daylight sun however long it lasts. I have piped in propane to the interior for Mr Heater so as not to use the onboard heater. For now main power usage is intermittent water pump lights and phone charging. Will be addding a tuner/cd deck. Where do you reccomend placer the temperature sensor on the battery? Thanks again. Emailed the manuufacturer the questions and no reply as of yet. It has only been 5 days.

gonzo628 · 10-29-2017, 11:06 AM

if you've piped in propane for Mr Heater, do you have to vent as well? I read a bit on the product, but would be leery of having a combustion-based heat source without means of controlling exhaust/providing fresh air. Are your CO2 alarms functioning? Do you check them often in this scenario?

Two4leisure · 10-30-2017, 12:06 AM

I am using a 12 foot propane extension ( Mr Heater brand) to pipe in the propane from one of my foward tanks. Yes I do have to vent for fresh air. I leave a couple of windows partially open. I ran the hose throught a hole in the floor under the couch (covered when closed) and into the living area through a hole about 11 inches away from the furnace. Just made a small slit in the couch fabric after I made a 1.25 hole between the bottom of the couch and the seat cushion. The Mr Heater dies state thst it has a low oxygen sensor. Have used it on the 1 pound bottles campung at the coast a few weeks ago and it worked great. Nice and toasty in short order. My smoke alarm does work. And to be honest I have not checked the Co2 /propane detecters. I have been trusting the green. Thanks for mentioning that. Planning a trip to Death Valley in November and the nights get a little cool.

scrubjaysnest · 10-30-2017, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Two4leisure

I am using a 12 foot propane extension ( Mr Heater brand) to pipe in the propane from one of my foward tanks. Yes I do have to vent for fresh air. I leave a couple of windows partially open. I ran the hose throught a hole in the floor under the couch (covered when closed) and into the living area through a hole about 11 inches away from the furnace. Just made a small slit in the couch fabric after I made a 1.25 hole between the bottom of the couch and the seat cushion. The Mr Heater dies state thst it has a low oxygen sensor. Have used it on the 1 pound bottles campung at the coast a few weeks ago and it worked great. Nice and toasty in short order. My smoke alarm does work. And to be honest I have not checked the Co2 /propane detecters. I have been trusting the green. Thanks for mentioning that. Planning a trip to Death Valley in November and the nights get a little cool.

We did this for years with no problems, you have to keep a vent and sometimes a window cracked open to prevent moisture build up anyways.

The temp probe for the charge controller goes on one of the battery terminal posts. I used the positive because it was convenient.

Two4leisure · 10-30-2017, 04:59 PM

Thanks for the temperature sensor location. I was hearing some people say they were putting in between the battery cases. This is easier and I know it will stay there. Seeing in your reoly that you'vr done it for years lets me go forth with confidence. I prefer to camp "off season" and hopefully miss some of the crowds during the week.

tentcamper · 10-31-2017, 07:51 AM

I assume when you say add a CD/tuner, you will be adding a radio above the fridge? When the radio is turned off it still draws power save the presets. The radio antenna is powered all the time even without a radio installed.

When I installed my radio I installed a power switch and powered the radio and antenna through the switch to limit the battery drain. Only downside is I lose my presets, but since we are moving around with the trailer it has not been a concern.

Two4leisure · 10-31-2017, 09:10 PM

I will for sure add the power on/off switch for the radio and antenna as you did. I actually had a unit installed, but in my opinion the heat sink on the unit gave off too much heat. i really just want somehing I can plug my mp3 player (remember those?) or phone into to occasionally listen to some music. i may just opt for a small speaker system I can plug into.

Padgett · 11-03-2017, 08:48 AM

When down, everything is disconnected from the battery except the "Battery Tender" float charger. I replaced the stock radio with a Bluetooth unit I already had.

Have 200W of solar feeding two Duracell GC2s through a $30 PWM controller with display. Of course I also carry a generator for the AC that also can feed the WFCO.