Recommend a 100 watt Solar Setup for my C-22

[Carl Wonderful]

All good stuff to know. Much appreciated.

Can anyone recommend a battery (deep cycle I guess would be my best bet to start with?) for my setup? I don't even know where to start there.

 

[jssailem]

If you can find one, I would look for an Aerial lift or floor sweeper battery.
I found mine at Dyno Batteries of Seattle. They are 135amp hours, 12V, only 65 pounds, and fit a group 30 space.

Here is the link.

Dyno Battery - Premium Quality Battery Manufacturing - Made in the USA

 

[Project_Mayhem]

The priority switch is either 90/10 or 50/50. They say " If one battery bank reaches full charge before the other, more charge current will be diverted to the lower state of-charge battery." My question here is they say "more charge current will be diverted". It doesn't say 100% of the charge will go to the other battery as they do when only one battery is connected, but I assume it does.

There's only one place it can go if there's only one battery. I'm guessing that this unit will prioritize how much time it sends power to each battery based on that switch. Will that time be wasted on a battery that's not present? Only through testing or by contacting the manufacturer will one find out.

@Carl Wonderful Take some pics and if you do buy the SunSaver, see if there's any voltage on the disconnected battery terminals

 

[Richard19068]

There's only one place it can go if there's only one battery. I'm guessing that this unit will prioritize how much time it sends power to each battery based on that switch. Will that time be wasted on a battery that's not present? Only through testing or by contacting the manufacturer will one find out.

The switches prioritize batteries based on state of charge, not time.

It is clear that if only one battery is connected it gets 100%.

It is not quite clear that if two batteries are connected that the undercharged battery gets 100% of the current when the other battery is full. They say "more" rather than "100%".

I'm probably splitting hairs with that question.

From the manual:

"The SunSaver Duo can charge just 1 battery connected to either the Battery #1 or Battery #2 connections. If Battery #1 or Battery #2 is missing, the remaining battery will be charged with 100% of available power regardless of the charging priority setting."

"The 90% / 10% priority setting allows Battery #1 to receive 90% of available charging current, while Battery #2 receives 10% of charging current. This setting is ideal for RV and boat systems where a “house” bank requires most of the available charge current and a separate engine starter battery requires only a “trickle charge” to remain topped-off. When Battery #1 reaches full charge, more charge current will be diverted to Battery #2 as needed.
The 50% / 50% priority setting splits available charge current equally between two battery banks. This priority setting is ideal for systems with two equal-sized battery banks that require simultaneous charging. If one battery bank reaches full charge before the other, more charge current will be diverted to the lower state of-charge battery."

 

[dlochner]

This priority setting is ideal for systems with two equal-sized battery banks that require simultaneous charging. If one battery bank reaches full charge before the other, more charge current will be diverted to the lower state of-charge battery."

This is Ohm's Law in action. As the SOC increases so does the internal resistance of the battery. In a parallel circuit more current will always flow through the side with the lower resistance and a small amount will go through the remaining side. There is nothing magical about this and there is a formula for calculating the amount of current flowing through each side of the parallel circuit.

 

[Richard19068]

This is Ohm's Law in action. As the SOC increases so does the internal resistance of the battery. In a parallel circuit more current will always flow through the side with the lower resistance and a small amount will go through the remaining side. There is nothing magical about this and there is a formula for calculating the amount of current flowing through each side of the parallel circuit.

I'm not much on electrical theory. Thanks for the lesson.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

The switches prioritize batteries based on state of charge, not time.

Absolutely. PWM applies full voltage to a load based on desired duty cycles, AKA time. That duty cycle would roughly translate to a controlled amount of amperage going into a battery. I'm not sure what method is being used to reduce the voltage from the panels however.

"The SunSaver Duo can charge just 1 battery connected to either the Battery #1 or Battery #2 connections. If Battery #1 or Battery #2 is missing, the remaining battery will be charged with 100% of available power regardless of the charging priority setting."

Well there's our confirmation that it is designed to run with one battery. I must've missed that in the manual.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

I have decided I should go with a Lithium battery for the efficiency and longevity so I can justify the higher upfront cost. Plus I plan to one day use maybe a VERY small fridge and like I mentioned I have music hear and recording gear and more lights than usual on my Catalina 22 boat. I'd rather overdo the power a little in case I want to add things on down the road that would need to use more electric. I plan to do a 10 day trip in Erie this year to so might need to extra power.

Also I don't like using my phone while I'm out sailing so the display is a must.

This is my plan. Can you folks let me know if this looks like a good grocery list for my setup!?

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Victron MPPT 100/20 No idea why it says 48v in the title, but on the descriptions it all says 12v???
Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) - Charge Controllers for Solar Panels - 100V, 20 amp, 48-Volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Victron Distplay...I don't like phones....
Amazon.com

Would this panels work okay?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GF5JY35/ref=ox_sc_act_title_10?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Li Time LiFePO4 12v 100ah.. Heard these are pretty good and reliable...?
Amazon.com

Victron Inverter 12 / 1200
Amazon.com

Including the cord to hook up the display to controller I'm just under $800 for everything.

This a good setup? Should I go for it or is something out of wack somewhere?
Also anything else I will need?

 

[Davidasailor26]

Some people say you’re better off going to a specific retailer for Victron stuff than Amazon, because any future warranty or support needs to come from the dealer, not Victron directly. I’ve heard pretty good things about PKYS; I’m not sure if I’ve ever used them myself. They have the MPPT for basically the same price at Victron Energy SCC110020160R Smart Solar MPPT 100/20 Charge Controller with Bluetooth. They have the display and the inverter too.

Renogy is not universally like for panels. Some people have had technical and support issues with them. Having said that, a 100 watt fixed panel is a pretty commodity item so maybe the mixed-review brand is fine for that.

What do you want to power with the inverter? If you don’t have a clear need for it maybe hold off on that, run things off 12V, and get the rest of the system running first.

 

[dlochner]

Victron MPPT 100/20 No idea why it says 48v in the title, but on the descriptions it all says 12v???

Because this is Amazon and the descriptions do not always match the product. The unit you linked to has a 48v output. The 100/20 12/24v model is more than you need for a 100w panel. For a single 100w panel, the 75/15 model is fine. I run my 150w panels with a Smartsolar 75/15 without any difficulty.

I'm with @Davidasailor26 on calling PKYS for advice and pricing. The folks at PKYS are knowledgeable, honest, and fair. I have done business with them in the past and will again in the future. Peter Kennedy at PKYS is our vendor for a boat I'm working on, it will have a $25K-30K electrical system installed. Peter won't steer you wrong and will be there to support you. Give them a call, except for the controller you have a pretty good plan get his help fine tuning it exactly for your needs.

www.pkys.com

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Some people say you’re better off going to a specific retailer for Victron stuff than Amazon, because any future warranty or support needs to come from the dealer, not Victron directly. I’ve heard pretty good things about PKYS; I’m not sure if I’ve ever used them myself. They have the MPPT for basically the same price at Victron Energy SCC110020160R Smart Solar MPPT 100/20 Charge Controller with Bluetooth. They have the display and the inverter too.

Renogy is not universally like for panels. Some people have had technical and support issues with them. Having said that, a 100 watt fixed panel is a pretty commodity item so maybe the mixed-review brand is fine for that.

What do you want to power with the inverter? If you don’t have a clear need for it maybe hold off on that, run things off 12V, and get the rest of the system running first.

As far as the inverter...I have a lot of music stuff, I'm a musician and plan to write and record on the boat. I need to plug in my pedal-boards and recording devices. Maybe a tinytiny fridge too?

Good to know about the victron warranty!!

 

[Carl Wonderful]

Because this is Amazon and the descriptions do not always match the product. The unit you linked to has a 48v output. The 100/20 12/24v model is more than you need for a 100w panel. For a single 100w panel, the 75/15 model is fine. I run my 150w panels with a Smartsolar 75/15 without any difficulty.

I'm with @Davidasailor26 on calling PKYS for advice and pricing. The folks at PKYS are knowledgeable, honest, and fair. I have done business with them in the past and will again in the future. Peter Kennedy at PKYS is our vendor for a boat I'm working on, it will have a $25K-30K electrical system installed. Peter won't steer you wrong and will be there to support you. Give them a call, except for the controller you have a pretty good plan get his help fine tuning it exactly for your needs.

www.pkys.com

I'll give em a call then!

I think the 48V refers to the fact that it can be 12 - 48v.

 

[Davidasailor26]

As far as the inverter...I have a lot of music stuff, I'm a musician and plan to write and record on the boat. I need to plug in my pedal-boards and recording devices. Maybe a tinytiny fridge too?

Good to know about the victron warranty!!

A 12V fridge would probably be at least as good as 120v, but you’re right that the inverter is probably worthwhile for the music stuff.

 

[Carl Wonderful]

A 12V fridge would probably be at least as good as 120v, but you’re right that the inverter is probably worthwhile for the music stuff.

I didn't even realize I could get a 12v fridge, lol. Yea that makes sense now that I think about it.

Do you think that Lithium battery is worthwile?

Also if I'm just using the inverter for my music stuff which is probably only 100 watts at a time for everything... Can I go smaller than the 1200 inverter?

 

[Davidasailor26]

I didn't even realize I could get a 12v fridge, lol. Yea that makes sense now that I think about it.

Do you think that Lithium battery is worthwile?

Also if I'm just using the inverter for my music stuff which is probably only 100 watts at a time for everything... Can I go smaller than the 1200 inverter?

For your setup yes I think lithium is worthwhile. At this point the best reason to get lead acid is for compatibility with old charging systems. You don’t have to worry about any of that, so go with the technology that gives you almost twice as much usable energy in the same space, lots less weight, and more efficient charging.

You certainly could go with a smaller inverter if your loads are only about 100 watts. A smaller one would certainly be cheaper, though it would give you less headroom if you wanted to add other appliances in the future. I’m not sure how much better the efficiency is of smaller inverters, if at all. I don’t have an inverter so I never looked into that.

 

[jssailem]

Do you think that Lithium battery is worthwile?

Lithium packs more usable power in a compact package. It requires specialized charging systems to maximize its capacity and useful life.
Good luck

 

[Project_Mayhem]

As far as the inverter...I have a lot of music stuff, I'm a musician and plan to write and record on the boat. I need to plug in my pedal-boards and recording devices. Maybe a tinytiny fridge too?

Good to know about the victron warranty!!

I would look at a DC to DC converter. IIRC, pedals run on 9v so a converter will be inexpensive, far more efficient and much less likely to generate unwanted noise. I have DBX Driverack PA2 in my car. I avoided the inverter route and found a suitable DC converter to replace the 120v power supply

I didn't even realize I could get a 12v fridge, lol. Yea that makes sense now that I think about it.

Do you think that Lithium battery is worthwile?

Also if I'm just using the inverter for my music stuff which is probably only 100 watts at a time for everything... Can I go smaller than the 1200 inverter?

A 12v powered cooler might be the perfect fridge for you. It's probably more efficient than using an inverter and it can easily be removed when not in use or for cleaning.

1200w is overkill for your laptop, pedals, and other gear. 360w would likely be more than enough. However, I don't know what else you want to run off of it so you might want to go bigger. If you go for an inverter, your gear will be far less likely to generate weird noises if you go with a pure sine wave unit of good quality.