Go Power

[Last2Die]

Morning, I had a question on my 2018. its wired and im thinking about adding roughly 500 watts of solar. I already have a Onan 6500 and the transfer switch for that. Adding the panels and the controller would keep the batteries charged correct?

Second I was thinking about adding a I C inverter but how would that get wired up ? Do I need to turn off the factory converter ? Just trying to figure its all out.

Tony

[PNW Fireguy]

Some details in your post are not clear at least to me so I will make assumptions on your intent.


Your Onan, adding a PV array and solar charger, converter, I/C all can be charging sources to your battery bank. All can be mixed or combined in general with the exception of the factory converter. (whole 'nother topic)



If you add an I/C it can become the method of charging your battery bank when on SP or when using you Onan. In this method there would be no need to keep the factory converter on. Obviously the I/C has the added benefit of inverting dc to ac power which the converter cannot. You can turn the converter breaker off or remove the reverse polarity fuses either will safely remove the converter from your installation.


Added visual add for how to...your milage may vary.

[Last2Die]

I believe your assumptions are correct. Adding the IC converter is where im stumped. I understand turning off the factory converter but what about my current transfer switch? How does that work ? I guess im confused on how to wire properly the "new" IC converter.

Adding the 2 panels and the go power solar regulator would only allow me to charge the batteries only correct? Adding the IC Converter allows me to potentially wire in some outlets..? Sorry green when it comes to solar....

[PNW Fireguy]

Yes the solar charge controller will "only" charge the battery bank. This ultimately could be in addition to another charging source.



The I/C depending on size and model will allow you to invert your dc battery power to AC power to feed some number of loads that you choose.


The how to wire is very dependent upon your specific scenario and the I/C you spec. I included the diagram of our system as an example. My I/C's have a built in transfer switch that let me choose between shore power and a generator input without a separate transfer switch. However I still needed a transfer switch to select between 30A and 50 A SP since I chose to go with a specific installation known as split phase.


In general the I/C will go between your SP input and your main panel 50A input. When connected to SP it will pass through power to the main panel. When disconnected from SP it will invert from your batteries to provide AC to your main panel. When you start your Onan your trasfer switch will engage it's contactor and feed through to your I/C.


Very rudamentary synopsis
Transfer switch input 1 generator
Transfer swith input 2 SP
tranfer swith output to I/C and then onto main panel

[Last2Die]

ok I think I got it. so the SP thats coming into the unit currently into my transfer switch would be disconnected. the SP cord will run into the IC converter out back to the transfer switch. you explained it brilliantly !

How do I designate what plugs or outlets are hot using 110V on battery ? or would everything be hot ? and by everything I mean within reason for the IC converter ? not ac units or micro don't need those... but a tv and chairs would be nice...

[rames14]

You will need to wire the outlets you want back to your inverter. On my last unit, I had a sub-panel for the outlets that were on the inverter. You haven’t mentioned the critical element - batteries. What type and how many amp hours? What size inverter/charger?

[Last2Die]

Currently I have 2 6v golf 230AH total. I was looking at maybe 2000 watt IC..?

not planning on running everything in the unit on solar, more like planning ahead if the fridge dies I'll go residential. outside of that contingency maybe the tv the chairs....

Tony

[AZ Traveler]

Tony,

There is little price difference in the GoPower 2000 or 3000 watt I/C. If you ever think about going bigger later on you might consider the larger unit.

[Last2Die]

Originally Posted by AZ Traveler

Tony,

There is little price difference in the GoPower 2000 or 3000 watt I/C. If you ever think about going bigger later on you might consider the larger unit.

for sure. larger is probably better. Is there any other brand that can do the same that may be a better option. ?

[AZ Traveler]

Tony,

I recommend either Magnum Energy or GoPower. They are both hybrid inverters. A hybrid inverter can add amps to shore power. For instance if you are in a 30 amp space but need a little more power the inverter will provide it.

[Last2Die]

I will check Magnum out ! Thank you. The solar system will definitely be on the smaller and simpler side for sure !

[rames14]

Tony, your (2) 230 ah batteries, gives you 230 ah at 12v. But, you can only discharge to 50% without damaging the battery. So, you effectively have 115 ah usable. Have your batteries been doing well for you? Using a Bogart meter with shunt on my last unit, my four golf cart batteries allowed me to do a few hours of tv in the morning/evening and then a pot of coffee plus some ancillary things. If it were me (just my opinion), I would get a Smart Meter with shunt to get accurate battery usage data. Victron 712 is a good brand. Once I knew what my usage is, I would figure what additional usage I would want. Then I would buy lithium batteries to match that usage with an additional 10%. Don’t forget, 5 amps at 120v is 50 amps of battery usage through your inverter. So, you will also be wanting a charger capable of lithium charge profiles. As for brands, it’s like trucks, everyone likes their brand. I have had Magnum and Xantrex. Montana’s Super Solar comes with Magnum. Best of luck.

[Last2Die]

Is that correct ? on my 6v battery it states 230AH, so each one would be 115AH so a total of 230 AH...? this is all greek to me LOL. The batteries have been working fine no issues. I have thought about lithium but the wife does not like boon docking much maybe a nite or two at the most !! She's a glamper LOL

[rames14]

Each battery is 230 ah at 6v. When you run them in series to get 12v, you have 230 ah available at 12v. However, battery manufacturers of lead acid batteries advise not discharging them more than 50%. Lithium on the other hand can be discharged to almost zero, depending on brand.

[Last2Die]

Gotcha !! Thanks for the clarification

[rames14]

Almost everyone agrees that Trojan makes one of the best 6v batteries. Here is their documentation. https://www.trojanbattery.com/tech-s...y-maintenance/. If you read down to the section on discharge, it calls out 50% or less preferred. My experience is by the time I’m down to 60% I’m close to being under 12v. That will cause a problem with your inverter. Again, my experience, your mileage may vary.

[PNW Fireguy]

I would highly recommend that you circle back and lock down what it is you actually want to do. Inverter chargers, solar chargers and other needed equipment can add up in cost fairly quickly. At the end of your journey to have spend the dollars and not have your outcome align with your expectations would be quite the let down. If you are using PbSO4 batteries and based upon your stated capacity your are not only going to be limited by what you can do with them but your PV array and solar charger selection may have a very hard time reaching absorption for those PbSO4 batteries. Determine what you want to do and make a plan and design and commit to it. A small PV array and trying to charge PBSO4 with it are not a good match. You generator and SP will be needed to get that battery chemistry through absorption charging unless you have a fair amount of solar panels (>1000). Even at that level you will find that 85% and up SOC will take 4-6 times longer than it took to get from 50-85% (bulk).

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by Last2Die

Morning, I had a question on my 2018. its wired and im thinking about adding roughly 500 watts of solar. I already have a Onan 6500 and the transfer switch for that. Adding the panels and the controller would keep the batteries charged correct?

Second I was thinking about adding a I C inverter but how would that get wired up ? Do I need to turn off the factory converter ? Just trying to figure its all out.

Tony

500W is an odd number since the panels they sell today are close to 200, mine are a few months old and are 180 each, I installed 6 for a total of 1,080W. A few months earlier I had installed 4x170 but quickly realized I needed more. I use 6x100AH Lithium batteries. Inverters make AC from DC, converters make DC from AC. Many RVers use Victron and the usual size is 3,000 Watts. That comes with a 120A charger. I uninstalled the factory converter. There is a better new Victron Inverter/charger just recently released.