Make all your solar connections up on your van roof with a waterproof COMBINER BOX.
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2021
- Turn a daunting job into a pleasant one. I like to make all my solar panel connections up on the roof of my van builds using a home made combiner box. A combiner box is simply a location where all the solar panel wires come together and connect to bus bars. Allowing for easy editing in the future. And don't forget to subscribe for more innovative design ideas for your van build.
#onahumbleroad
#customvanbuild - Auta a dopravní prostředky
The Victron MPPT charge controllers take what ever combination of volts and amps from the panels to produce the max amps at the batteries voltage. So with parallel panels, you get higher amps less volts to the controller but bigger wires. With the panels in series, you get less amps higher volts to the controller and use smaller wires. Given the panels in series and parallel provide the same watts, the controller will provide the same amps to the batteries. Shading is an issue with series but not so much with half cell panels. I like the idea of higher voltage smaller wires. Also with the higher voltage, cloudy days the voltage will still be above the 5v difference between panels and batteries state of charge. So if the batteries need it, they'll be able to get a charge. That's my understanding.
I agree. The MPPT controller does the work. Efficiently moving higher Amps requires larger gauge wire. High voltage to the controller, is efficient with smaller (10 gauge wire). High voltage is better. The MPPT does the thinking and takes care of the rest. Both will work with different degrees of performance. Be sure to use UV resistant insulated wire!
24V? (Or basically 36V going to the controller) For the average van builder, I'm thinking that's the sweet spot between increasing voltage (to decrease current and wire size) and risking your life messing with higher voltages.
I just love hearing you talk about things so brilliantly … even if my eyes roll back in my head trying to figure out what you’re talking about … seriously … I just love hearing an expert speak. 👍💙
Angela, as a female, please don't put yourself down. You are as capable of understanding every single thing being shown here as anyone else. We women have a habit of letting this tech info roll off us like water off a duck's back. We tune it out. But in fact, be like blotting paper. Soak it in. I knew nothing of technical trades but decided to learn. I have learned a lot. It takes time if you never had any foundation. But don't put anyone on a pedestal and think you can never get there. You can do everything that is being shown here. Everything. Be as good as them.
@@mjremy2605 … well said … I’m sure if I put my mind to it I could understand the solar / electrical system … I appreciate George and his knowledge … and happily hire out things like that that I don’t want to divert my energy toward … I’m happy with the gist … at this time ,.., but I do appreciate your sentiment … 😋💙👍
Man I'm realizing just how much I don't know about solar! What I do know is if I ever decide to have a van conversion I'm having you outfit it for me. Much love from So.Cal.💟
Love the box and the wire glands and the grommets!
Remove the two powered roof fans and replace with one marine solar powered vent. Add a passive close-able vent in the floor. Remove roof AC. Use two 410w PV panels, with two more (switchable) on slide-outs to serve as a rigid awning along the starboard side when parked. Optionally, stack a second pair to extend out the port side. 820w while stowed, 1640w or 2460w deployed.
A small atmospheric water condenser can now be powered to supply water for shower, laundry and general cleaning, and filtered for cooking and brushing teeth. A secondary effect of AWCs is that they chill the intake air over their condensation vanes. With a little creative duct gating, one can select for cabin cooling, cabin heating or neither.
Either way they are wired, you have the same number of watts. The mppt will take the volts and amps and scale them to what is appropriate for the battery state of charge. I believe there is some loss in a large voltage conversion, but series wiring and higher solar voltage will start charging earlier in the day or in heavier cloud cover, giving better performance in winter or less ideal conditions.
Thank you so very much for sharing George. Awesome love it. 👍❤️
Another well articulated video.
Thank you for your integrity in quality building, you are the master. Someday
i hope you can outfit a van for me, that is my wish. You are probably the only person i would trust to know everything is connected, built with the highest quality and the smartest design. Thank you for having high standards.
Some very important information imparted 😎👍✅
Thank you for the educational contents and eye candy, (somehow even the ordinary wires look like art work after you lay them out)
Awesome.
The Victron MPPT will start charging at BatVolt+5V, but it is not at its most EFFICIENT at that low voltage level. The highest efficiency for most MPPT controllers is when PanelVolts is approx DOUBLE the BatVolt. In the case of Victron MPPT, the manual specifies this quite clearly. MPPT functions need a broader range of voltage (above the battery voltage) from the panels to find the right MPP combination of volts and amps to track, before converting down to battery charging voltages. My strong suggestion is to follow Victron's recommendation on this, and configure the panels into a two strings of 3S for each of two controllers, or into a 3S2P config for a single large controller.
Disagree
@@HumbleRoad fair enough. It will work, of course. :)
@@HumbleRoad It has been a little while, was wondering if you did any comparative testing to see if series or parallel works better for you.
@@PanelsUpSolar series has given me the best results. I now do two separate strings in series with dedicated MPPT controllers
@@HumbleRoad thanks for the response. Been enjoying the binge watching of your videos.
I know it'll be a while out, but when you get finished with the builds, could you post a supercut of the build process to combine all your info for the build into one video? My scatterbrain has trouble piecing together all this information spread out over so long, and I'm sure that other viewers feel the same. Keep up the good work, man!
No! Get your scattered brain more disciplined and organize this info. You already have it so easy with HR feeding you every little bit of detail. And now you want someone else to collate this for you too? Good grief man, get off your armchair and shut that big screen TV off and DO YOUR HOMEWORK. There will be no more spoon feeding. You fish out the details, assemble them yourself. That is how your brain will start ticking and you will understand the whole big picture. We have enough lazy Americans today and we are losing our ability to think creatively. We delegate everything to others - even fruit is cut up and sliced in jars for you in stores - ugh! Learn to think. Now. Go!
@@mjremy2605 LOL :)
The playlist is the supercut.
MJ...😍
@@ttalkman It's an intense diatribe, no doubt, but perhaps the man is sensing the urgency of something gone awry in our society...
Woohoo First!
AM solar makes a slick, low profile combiner box that would probably fit under the panels if you ever have a need for the space savings.
But then to access the combiner, a solar panel must be removed?
@@HumbleRoad assuming your panels are easy to remove like mine, in the rare event you need to get to the combiner it’s no biggie
quicker not longer... well said that man
yay
With 3 parallel you are probably @17A open circuit and the panels are probably rated 15A max are you placing 15 A fuses in each panel line?
The combiner box is sensually located? I'd like to see THAT video.
Love your videos and respect your research and knowledge. I see you are using 3m 5200 but I think in a video from a while back you used loctite PL-marine in construction. If I'm correct, is there a reason you switched or do you still use PL-marine in some cases?
I use different adhesives for different applications.
Where do you obtain your solar panels. Looking for more resources to compare.
George, have you considered reaching out to the community for an expert on aerodynamics? Maybe there is a viewer out there that has access to a wind tunnel for testing. I only say this as I look at the installation of the solar panels on the roof. Could wind tunnel testing possibly suggest angling the solar panels with a slight angle upward from front to back to provide a "spoiler effect" while traveling down the road. Just a thought.
A good thought, Steve. While I have not shown it yet, we have a wind deflector on the front edge of the assembly
How does subjecting the solar panels to a moderate hailstorm affect their power generation?
I want to hear more about "elephant wings"...
very good with barbecue sauce..
Elephant wings? Angels have wings (at least the seraphim and cherubim do) but elephants have ears.
Picky, picky, picky..
Do you prefer the 3M adhesive over Sikaflex?
Yes
Go 3S2P, put diodes in that combiner on each string, and ditch/save the money of that second mppt controller.
Single 30 A controller is too small for 600W array.
@@JGnLAU8OAWF6 depends on the battery voltage. Would be fine if it's 24V.
@@pau1phi11ips judging by DC-DC charger they are 12V.
12v system. But the big reason is redundancy. 2 controllers are better than 1
@@HumbleRoad still, 3 series is much better than parallel, as long as OCV is less than 33V per panel.
How does it sound with all that apparatus mounted on the roof?
like a church pipe organ
Although I haven't shown it yet, there is a wind deflector on the front
With MPPT as long as voltage of panels higher that battery voltage + 5V and all panels generate equal amounts of energy there should be no difference between series and parallel. When sun is not as bright parallel connected 12V panels may not generate enough voltage to start charging, while series connected panels can (total voltage is the sum of voltages of series connected panels).
MPPT can turn higher voltage into lower voltage with higher current, that is it's main difference from PWM charge controllers. So your assumption of longer charging time with higher voltage could be wrong.
Agree 100%. Series is almost always better for MPPT. Especially if you’ve gone with the expense of a separate charge controller per string. I’d rather have spent the money of the second charge controller on diodes for the combiner box. I’d rather do them 3S2P.
I agree too. I don't think this would be the best setup unless you're expecting heavy shading on some of the panels that are parallel connected. Series would give more power out over the whole day as it would turn on quicker in lower light levels.
What size 8020 do you use? 1" x 1"?
I use either 10 series or 15 series, depending on load. The roof rack is 15 series.
Is the 6 solar panels not an overkill?
Considering advanced has none
ARV uses a second dedicated alternator to pump 280 amps into their proprietary battery bank. This Promaster utilizes two 30 amp DC-DC chargers, solar or shore power to charge the Lithionics 630 Ahr lithium battery. So no, 600 watts of solar is not overkill. If I could fit more up there I would.
@@HumbleRoad I suppose it’s really about the client’s requirements. Still, it seems like the charging side (solar and alternator) is a bit overbuilt for that size battery.
@Tesla Porn. No 6 isn't overkill. I'm just about to start of my Aluminum TIG welded roof rack on my '20 promaster 159 and I'm putting 800 amps on the roof. 2 rows of 400 with a blank space down the middle containing 2 Maxxairs and a skylight. I'd put 1 KW up there if I could fit it.
details
George... Elephant wings? Abomination? Have you named the van yet? How about Dumbo? 🐘
At the 2:00 minute mark of this Victron Energy video, the advantages of series vs parallel connection of solar panels explained
czcams.com/video/NXfHM-p3ehM/video.html
What I've noticed with all CZcams van tours, is that nobody talks about the maximum voltage and ampere ratings of the solar panels; they only tell the watts and the type (mono crystalline most of the time). And some retailers will say if it's walkable, flexible or has internal diodes against performance loss when partly shaded, and the dimensions.
While V and A of the PV panels are also important when designing the system (matching the desired charge rate, with the panels and the controllers).
For vans I would calculate the available area on the roof.
Pick a panel that gives me the maximum amount of watts for that area.
Check one charge controller that is the closest to handle the maximum volts and amps and watts of the selected panels with the Victron solar calculator, with simulation for parallel and series connection of panels.
Half the first set up to work with two charge controllers and use calculator again. If the results are the same, check the costs incl. wiring and fusing, because two smaller charge controllers can be cheaper than one large controllers with the approx. the same output.
Each controller wants the maximum rated voltage for it's top performance, so you would think series. But higher voltages are more dangerous. That's why we like to keep 12V DC in moving vehicles as much as possible.
I’ve been enjoying your channel for a long time and have picked up some great tips but man you lost me on this one. Your running MPPT controllers so your panels should be in series not parallel. What’s going to happen on a cloudy day when those parallel panels aren’t generating a voltage 5v higher than your batteries? I think you need to research how MPPT works a bit more.
Sorry but you should have used 3M 4000, 5200 is not rated for UV and will crack and chalk over time. 4k is.
100 percent incorrect. Get a tube of 5200 and read the very first paragraph on the back label.
@@HumbleRoad 5200 is meant for below water applications. 4k has the purple label and specifically says UV rated. I've worked in yachting long enough to know what is what.
Where are you located? If not close by (NJ) I would like to talk with you.
@@HumbleRoad I'm currently in Virginia but worked a long time on all types of marine systems. We can email if you like.
So 5200 will mildew and 4000 will not? The former is for something permanent, though, and 4000 is a wee bit more flexible (less permanent) correct?