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I hear you. That's a pretty kick ass unit though. Just have to keep it topped off with water to make ice.

I don't know, man. I found one that runs on 160 watts. Since it only runs when making ice, it might not be too bad. It's probably about a 10A load, so not the most efficient, but someone might be able to take the cooling unit and turn it into a pretty kick ass fridge. Just a thought.

Agreed on the compressor fridge. A 12v Danfoss or something similar is the way to go. If I end up with a way to do it, I would get a compressor kit and build the box. That may be cheaper, but I haven't looked into it. It's a pretty popular option on sailboats since they don't have good places to...

Very cool idea. Getting to the jambo isn't in the cards for me so far this year, but I would totally be up to do it. I'm sure there are others who can share what they have learned with the community.

Pretty sweet. Use what you need and sell/scrap the rest. Probably could make a nice trailer/camper out of the frame.

That's pretty sweet that the charge controller can handle such a wide range!

It's basically where the battery is fully charged and the solar panel is just maintaining a steady voltage. I would probably go to the cycle voltage since you are using it all the time.

You could go higher. Does the battery manufacturer have a float voltage recommendation? Barring that, I would probably go between 13.5 to 14.5. It's more important to not let it go below 11 or 10.5.

Any update? Were you able to get this installed and tested on more sunny days?

The wire does have a maximum capacity; however, for what you are doing, I think you will put in the sizes recommended by specification or by maths. Since you are DC all the way, life is good. If you have volts and power, the equation is Current = Power / Voltage I would use 12V for your...

Yes, it will be loose, unless you fold the 16 gauge wire over once or twice so that there is something for the splice to crimp onto. You can do just the 16 gauge, but you have to smash the crimpdown so much that it just about destroys it. At least, that is my experience. +++++++]-=== + is the...

Gotcha, wasn't paying attention. Best cheap thing then is to make sure the batteries stay about the same voltage when fully charged. I am not sure, but it's probably within 10% of each other's voltage.

Yes, any wet cell battery. They also make a battery maintenance solution, but I have always used distilled water. If I remember right, we read around 1.300 for a fully charged L16RE-2V Trojan 2 Volt, but those batteries read really high. I think normal is somewhere around 1.26 or 1.27 for...

You can see what the battery voltage is and it will give you an idea, but the best way is to check the specific gravity of the water with a hydrometer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JFHMRU/ I don't really like the type with a floating piece of plastic. I would rather have one more like a...

Yes, it's fine. I usually double up the smaller wire so it fits in the splice better by stripping a bit extra and folding it over to make it thicker. You are low enough power that it should be OK.

You can use the crimps on the wire stripper. The MC connectors almost require a special crimper, which sucks when you are in a country that doesn't have it and you are trying to solder them with an iron that doesn't work. O_o

Worked on a system that had them. Works if you have no other choice, but prefer not to.

Sorry, I'm tired and my words are failing. Yes, you will have to splice in fuses somewhere, but they can go anywhere between the panel and the charge controller, so for the sake of upgrades later, you might as well use the MC connectors.

You can put them anywhere you want to, so you might as well put the MC connectors on there.

If you do it, get the ones with waterproof heat shrink, or run the panel cable inside the vehicle and have the splice inside. There are on amazon: You can also get heavy duty heat shrink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NI3LQ4/ 3/16 or 3/8 should be fine for what you are doing. The stuff that...

I think the AGM batteries are either 5/16 or 3/8 threads, but some have bolts. Best to find something that fits and get more just like it.

Forgot about those connectors. You could splice the bare wire to where ever you are hooking up (charge controller). Those MC connectors are a PITA, I would rather not have to deal with putting them on anything, but it makes it easier to replace panels.

Very cool. Can't wait to see the results!

As long as the equipment you are using is rated for a 24v system, you are good. The batteries will probably float charge at 26+ volts anyway. Your inverter input depends on the battery bank voltage, not the panels, so you'll be fine there. As far as mounting, getting a little air gap of an inch...

Yes, you are correct.

Didn't realize shipping was so out of sight. Wow. I have never had them shipped, just bought them at the distributor and picked them up. That's probably why they were $0.90 per watt. I can't find my notes on the free or really cheap used panels. I would probably start calling or emailing around...

Pretty cool calculator! Takes the guesswork out, just have to remember that sun hours is not daylight hours. That's why I suggested a 5-6 hour time period of good panel output. A 5A MPPT controller might be a wee bit small for that panel as you will be right on the edge at 18V and full output...

Have you looked into how to do system sizing? If not, it's pretty simple. I think it will make more sense if we start at what a 100W panel will produce in a day. At best, you will make full power for about 4-6 hours a day, and limited power for a couple more. I usually figure on getting about...