12v LED lighting for cabin

JASinIL2006

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Will the solar panels be free of snow? A fully charged lead acid battery can go to -92?F before freezing.

I think there is a good chance the panel will be covered with snow for part of the time. If I left the panel connected, I imagine the batteries would stay at full charge until the snow flies, at which point the temp will be low enough that the charge shouldn't decay too bad...
 

gm280

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I think there is a good chance the panel will be covered with snow for part of the time. If I left the panel connected, I imagine the batteries would stay at full charge until the snow flies, at which point the temp will be low enough that the charge shouldn't decay too bad...

If you want to get really sophisticated, you could use a sensor to read the temperature and when it gets to a certain temp (something before freezing) you could install a little heat element to warm the panel so snow will literally melt off. Then the solar panel would work all the time. You don't have to warm it but just a little above freezing for that to work. Electronics is wonderful. JMHO
 

JASinIL2006

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If you want to get really sophisticated, you could use a sensor to read the temperature and when it gets to a certain temp (something before freezing) you could install a little heat element to warm the panel so snow will literally melt off. Then the solar panel would work all the time. You don't have to warm it but just a little above freezing for that to work. Electronics is wonderful. JMHO

Hmmm... average annual snowfall up there is 100-120 inches... that might take some work to keep the panel clear. I almost wonder if I'd be better off mounting the panel, not on the roof, but on an pole with an adjustable mount. For the winter, I could adjust the panel with enough pitch that snow wouldn't pile up on it. I was really hoping to get by with a roof mount, though...
 

MTboatguy

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Thanks, guys. I have 8 gauge to run from the battery bank to the fuse block. I was thinking of using the same for connecting the batteries in parallel. I thought of getting heavier auto-sized batteries to bonnect the batteries, but 8 AWG over a short run should be ok up to 30 amps, and I can't see ever pulling anywhere near that much current.

I have some extra 2 gauge here that I just finished up from my winch project on my truck, would be happy to send you a couple of pieces for your project, you could use it to wire your batteries in parallel just drop me a private message and I will get them off to you.

Being honest with you and I live in the same environment year around that it sounds like your cabin is in, I would buy a panel kit that can be removed during the winter while you are not there, that is why I suggested the HF panel kit they have on sale all of the time, it puts out more than enough juice for your system, then in the fall when you close things up, make sure the batteries are fully charged, then pull the panels and store them until you open the cabin back up in the spring, that way you don't have to worry about anything, fully charged batteries will actually last a long time during the winter, I have never had a problem with mine going to low during the off season on my RV's
 
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bruceb58

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I think there is a good chance the panel will be covered with snow for part of the time. If I left the panel connected, I imagine the batteries would stay at full charge until the snow flies, at which point the temp will be low enough that the charge shouldn't decay too bad...
Depends on how much current the controller uses. Easily tested though when you get your panels and controller hooked up.
 

JASinIL2006

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Being honest with you and I live in the same environment year around that it sounds like your cabin is in, I would buy a panel kit that can be removed during the winter while you are not there, that is why I suggested the HF panel kit they have on sale all of the time, it puts out more than enough juice for your system, then in the fall when you close things up, make sure the batteries are fully charged, then pull the panels and store them until you open the cabin back up in the spring, that way you don't have to worry about anything, fully charged batteries will actually last a long time during the winter, I have never had a problem with mine going to low during the off season on my RV's

I think I'm going to see if I can do as you suggest and bring the panel in over the winter. I'm still mulling over how/where to mount the panel, and there's nothing that would prevent me from doing a more or less temporary mount this year. The kit I bought has easy disconnected wires on the back of the panel (some sort of modular plug system). I had planned to do a roof mount - we have a portion of the roof that faces southwest and gets good sun most of the day. I really would rather have it mounted on a pole, however, where I could tweak the angle/direction of the panel more than a roof mount will allow. A pole mount would also make for easier removal at the end of the season, too.

I appreciate everyone's help and comments. I've learned quite a bit. I'm off to the North tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it worked upon my return!
 

JASinIL2006

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Just got back from our cabin and I was able to get the solar system installed and working. I went with a roof mount for the panel; finding a pole mount system that would be tall enough to clear obstructions was just too cost-prohibitive. I may not get 100% of the panel's output from the roof mount, but I could buy a second panel for less than it would have cost me to go with a pole mount.

I built a locked battery box for the two flooded deep cycle batteries under the cabin, leaving ventilation holes to allow any gas to escape. (I covered the openings with galvanized cloth, lest any critters decide the battery box would be a nice place for a winter's nest!)

For now, I've left the batteries attached to the charge controller. The batteries weren't at 100% charge, so I didn't want to leave them in that state over the cold winter, and they should charge nicely between now and the time the temps drop. The charge controller has a temp monitor and overcharge protection, so I should be OK. In any case, I'll find out next Spring when I return!

I installed a number of LED fixtures, which were a big improvement over the existing propane lanterns. I'm hoping the LEDs cut down a bit on our propane usage.

Anyway, at this point, I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The kids are already petitioning for a TV w/digital antenna up there, but that ain't happening!

Thanks all for your help!
 

bruceb58

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What did you end up with a charge controller? I am picking up a new travel trailer in a week and I have plans for 200W with am MPPT controller.
 

JASinIL2006

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Looks pretty good... I didn't know about MPPT when I bought my stuff, but to be honest, our power needs are pretty modest so I don't know if we'd even notice the difference. We mostly run some LED lights, and they pull so little electricity we probably are overpowered as it is. Before connecting the solar panel, I was able to run all our lights for the better part of a week off one of the deep cycle batteries and that battery's charge - without any outside power source to recharge it - barely dipped below 12v after all that usage.
 

bruceb58

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You should be fine then. Just remember that 12.0V is 50% and you don't want to dip down below that. If you want to know more about MPPT and want to go that way down the road, I can explain how it helps you and what other options you have using it with multiple panels.
 
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