Great video. I want to add one or two panels to my solar system. Can I add any panel or does the Wattage or the open circuit voltage etc. be the same. Or do some other values have to be identical? I have one Vicrton 15A 75V controller.
Dear Jeff, I have a question; I'm about to install a solar panel system, I have 3 ways of charging my batteries. 1. engine/alternator 2. shore power charger.3. solar panels, do I have to have some way of disconnecting the solar panels when I'm running the engine? do I install a disconnect switch?
I’m not Jeff but I can try to help. A charge controller takes care of that issue, Jeff discusses it in the video. When the charge controller sees the battery is at a certain voltage it will stop sending power. I have the same charge sources on my boat. Charge from the alternator goes directly to my house battery, charge from my 150 amp battery charger goes to my house battery, and my solar panels via my Victron 100/20 smart controller (which is specific to my solar array arrangement) goes to my house battery. Per Jeff‘s recommendation I use a Xantrex Echo charger (15A) to charge and maintain the start battery from the house bank. I use a battery isolator switch (blue sea systems 5511e) to send the house power to the house panel and the starting battery power to the starter. It also allows me to jump the start battery. This keeps the systems separated and you don’t have to worry about switching anything. I never worry about starting the engine with the house battery or draining the start battery with house loads. Everything is automatic and requires no intervention. Jeff also recommends the Victron 712 battery monitor to keep track battery status, discharge, and charge. You can connect to it with your phone via Bluetooth, set battery parameters like capacity and battery type, and set up a low-voltage alarm. It also shows graphical trends and can tell you how long until your batteries are dead or charged. I hope that is helpful.
Mr. generic himself shows up to lay criticism. I didn't know shit about wiring, and now I've hooked a second battery up in my boat w/kill switch. Thanks for all the help guys.
@@rglaz0311 : I don't know. As I've stated in my comment. If I remember the video correctly, he's not mentioning voltage drops, cross section of a wire, it's resistance by cross section per length, conductivity per length in Siemens, etc. Nor he mentions contact resistances, wire and terminal materials. ALL of which can make HUGE differences in system's efficiency. About me : I'm a qualified electrician, I'm into electronics and I've designed and executed a pretty elaborate wiring setup for my boat. The boat (3 cabins, 2 heads and a saloon), 11,6 m long is certified by local maritime certification agency, and she happily continues her 11th chartering season. English is not my native tongue :)
@@JohnSmith-xn3fr His primary audience is marine electricians who should already know this stuff... He has done numerous seminars about voltage drop and excessive use of terminals and connectors.
Great video. I want to add one or two panels to my solar system. Can I add any panel or does the Wattage or the open circuit voltage etc. be the same. Or do some other values have to be identical? I have one Vicrton 15A 75V controller.
Dear Jeff, I have a question; I'm about to install a solar panel system, I have 3 ways of charging my batteries. 1. engine/alternator 2. shore power charger.3. solar panels, do I have to have some way of disconnecting the solar panels when I'm running the engine?
do I install a disconnect switch?
I’m not Jeff but I can try to help. A charge controller takes care of that issue, Jeff discusses it in the video. When the charge controller sees the battery is at a certain voltage it will stop sending power.
I have the same charge sources on my boat. Charge from the alternator goes directly to my house battery, charge from my 150 amp battery charger goes to my house battery, and my solar panels via my Victron 100/20 smart controller (which is specific to my solar array arrangement) goes to my house battery. Per Jeff‘s recommendation I use a Xantrex Echo charger (15A) to charge and maintain the start battery from the house bank. I use a battery isolator switch (blue sea systems 5511e) to send the house power to the house panel and the starting battery power to the starter. It also allows me to jump the start battery. This keeps the systems separated and you don’t have to worry about switching anything. I never worry about starting the engine with the house battery or draining the start battery with house loads. Everything is automatic and requires no intervention. Jeff also recommends the Victron 712 battery monitor to keep track battery status, discharge, and charge. You can connect to it with your phone via Bluetooth, set battery parameters like capacity and battery type, and set up a low-voltage alarm. It also shows graphical trends and can tell you how long until your batteries are dead or charged. I hope that is helpful.
What are the panels and controllers that you have on your sailboat? You mentioned you have 6, but don’t believe you mentioned which brand or models?
My panels are Solbian and controllers are Genasun.
I can't figure out whether you have no clue about electricity, or you simply can't explain what you know.
MULTI power point tracking ?
MULTI ????
Mr. generic himself shows up to lay criticism.
I didn't know shit about wiring, and now I've hooked a second battery up in my boat w/kill switch.
Thanks for all the help guys.
We've all made mistakes forgetting or assuming acronyms of technology devices before. Calm down.
Do you actually think this guy doesn't know it stands for maximum, or maybe he just misspoke.
@@rglaz0311 : I don't know. As I've stated in my comment.
If I remember the video correctly, he's not mentioning voltage drops, cross section of a wire, it's resistance by cross section per length, conductivity per length in Siemens, etc.
Nor he mentions contact resistances, wire and terminal materials.
ALL of which can make HUGE differences in system's efficiency.
About me : I'm a qualified electrician, I'm into electronics and I've designed and executed a pretty elaborate wiring setup for my boat.
The boat (3 cabins, 2 heads and a saloon), 11,6 m long is certified by local maritime certification agency, and she happily continues her 11th chartering season.
English is not my native tongue :)
@@JohnSmith-xn3fr His primary audience is marine electricians who should already know this stuff... He has done numerous seminars about voltage drop and excessive use of terminals and connectors.