Post by fulbright on Nov 20, 2016 16:16:23 GMT -8
Hello.
I live in North Texas/Dallas area so our temps don't get very low. High 40s is generally the lowest (not uncommon to have a few very cold nights. Was 86 degrees on Wed,but 38 degrees last night...crazy).
I have a very small greenhouse 4x6x8. My idea was to install a 50 watt solar panel (renogy) with a 12v battery, a power inverter, charge controller, and run a small 2 quart crockpot on low filled with water for apprx 8-10 hours per night to keep the greenhouse a little warmer inside than outside.
Well, the first night (Friday night) I turned it on at 8 pm and the battery was down to 55% 11.9v at 10:30 -- and I shut it all off. Ugh. Plan fail.
My new plan is to run a scentsy warmer with a 25 watt bulb instead. I'm not a math person (writer by trade). This is what I've calculated by piecing things together across the web and with my Backwoods Home Magazines/Countryside/Mother Earth News:
50 watt panel charges at apprx 3 amps per hour
25 watt bulb uses apprx 2.0 amps per hour
In the winter, I get probably 5-6 hours of peak sunlight (in summer, more like 9-10?) = apprx 15-18 amps per day charged
If I run the bulb for 8-10 hours per night, I'll use 16-20 amps per night
Sooo, do I need another 50 watt solar panel or another 12v battery? Assuming my calculations are correct?
Right now my battery is at 55%, 11.9v...I'm guessing it's going to take about 7 days of sunny days to fully charge it again? I disconnected (for a few minutes) the panel from the charger and the charger from the battery then reconnected all in order to reset the charger and get rid of the E1 error code. Everything seems good now. The charge controller is super cheapo (came with the panel). I can only see the charging panel icon if I look at it from a top down position. I can see the battery and load icons if I look directly at it. Strange. Anyway...it seems to be operational at the moment. I don't think the panel was charging today until I disconnected and reset the charge controller though. So, I think I lost Sat and Sun of recharging.
Am I making any sense? I guess what I'm asking is do I need another battery or 50 watt panel to do what I need to do (25 watt bulb, 8-10 hours per night, 6-7 nights per week during the winter)? And -- will it take about 7 days of 5-6 hours peak sunlight to recharge my 55% 11.9v battery (current reading)?
Thank you for any help.
I live in North Texas/Dallas area so our temps don't get very low. High 40s is generally the lowest (not uncommon to have a few very cold nights. Was 86 degrees on Wed,but 38 degrees last night...crazy).
I have a very small greenhouse 4x6x8. My idea was to install a 50 watt solar panel (renogy) with a 12v battery, a power inverter, charge controller, and run a small 2 quart crockpot on low filled with water for apprx 8-10 hours per night to keep the greenhouse a little warmer inside than outside.
Well, the first night (Friday night) I turned it on at 8 pm and the battery was down to 55% 11.9v at 10:30 -- and I shut it all off. Ugh. Plan fail.
My new plan is to run a scentsy warmer with a 25 watt bulb instead. I'm not a math person (writer by trade). This is what I've calculated by piecing things together across the web and with my Backwoods Home Magazines/Countryside/Mother Earth News:
50 watt panel charges at apprx 3 amps per hour
25 watt bulb uses apprx 2.0 amps per hour
In the winter, I get probably 5-6 hours of peak sunlight (in summer, more like 9-10?) = apprx 15-18 amps per day charged
If I run the bulb for 8-10 hours per night, I'll use 16-20 amps per night
Sooo, do I need another 50 watt solar panel or another 12v battery? Assuming my calculations are correct?
Right now my battery is at 55%, 11.9v...I'm guessing it's going to take about 7 days of sunny days to fully charge it again? I disconnected (for a few minutes) the panel from the charger and the charger from the battery then reconnected all in order to reset the charger and get rid of the E1 error code. Everything seems good now. The charge controller is super cheapo (came with the panel). I can only see the charging panel icon if I look at it from a top down position. I can see the battery and load icons if I look directly at it. Strange. Anyway...it seems to be operational at the moment. I don't think the panel was charging today until I disconnected and reset the charge controller though. So, I think I lost Sat and Sun of recharging.
Am I making any sense? I guess what I'm asking is do I need another battery or 50 watt panel to do what I need to do (25 watt bulb, 8-10 hours per night, 6-7 nights per week during the winter)? And -- will it take about 7 days of 5-6 hours peak sunlight to recharge my 55% 11.9v battery (current reading)?
Thank you for any help.
