As someone who is new to solar paneling I have a question about the fuses. What fuses and high amperage fuses are needed to make this work properly?
1155208
You don't need any fuses for the panels. Even if shorted it's not a problem. You likely shouldn't use a fuse on battery either cause it draws a lot of current depending on its use. Most things are protected now as long as you don't short across you battery.
1155209
There needs to be an in line 20 amp fuse between the battery and the controller. I put mine near the battery.
1155210
All you are looking at with item is solar panel and charge regulator. Only fusing you need in this area is at the charge controller 12 volt output for 12v DC lighting (if used). Don't forget to buy the panel mounting brackets. The inverter that I am assuming you are buying separately has fusing built into it.
1155211
you are running on a 12 volt system I use 15 amp fuses, but I check my draw and output accordingly and don't push more than I need or run more circuits and have switches, like 6 flood lights and a separate circuit for appliances/tools, depends on your 12 volt battery, a trolling motor steady draw or a faster high output for tools with a short draw.
1155212
We do not have fuses.our is hooked to a controller and it is hooked to battery.works awesome....
1998852
One 85 watt panel Should deliver around 7 amps at 12 volts in full sun. If you have all 4 panels connected through a single (7 amp) controller, it is way overloaded. Sounds like you might need 3 more controllers or simply a bigger controller unit.
2203338
Jaco, I have used that same breaker on my RV solar panel array. I have not had any problems with it. It is well build and it is resettable should it trip. Your load I am assuming is connected directly of the batteries. You did not state how many batteries you have. Should the load be greater then 50 Amps the breaker will trip. As you have stated that your controller output is 30 Amps you should be fine.
974748
You run the panels to a charge controller. These put out 3.33 amps roughly. If you have a charge controller that can handle 15 amps, you could run 4 of these together.
119546
generally you fuse according to cable size. This unit can charge up to 20amps on the battery side and I had a difficult time getting anything larger than 6gauge cable in the connections. I have not used a fuse between the charger/controller and the batteries (I have a fuse between my panels and charger and between batteries and my inverter.
264929
Is this the only panel in the circuit? If yes you could use as little as 10 amp charge controller.if you plan on adding I'd total the amps your panels produce....
1041510
If all accessories are run through this panel the one additional fuse is at the battery. This fuse should be large enough to handle the load of all accessories on at the same time.
1502847
I'd suggest a circuit with a 20amp minimum. Preferably 25-30amp. Theses heaters draw a lot of power. (And no, its not a good idea to put a 25-30amp fuse in what was intended to be a 15amp circuit. The wiring is a smaller gauge and can't handle the current)
63410
Tisa, it would really help if you do some research before you set up the panel/battery/controller. When I started I had so many questions and so many things came up that I wasn't sure about, even with a small system. There are books like "the solar electric home" by Joel Davidson (an oldie but goodie) and you can also go to websites like Alt-E and backwoods solar for video and reading resources. Good Luck, John
1891104
I have some that are working perfect I just had to make sure the solar panel is receiving sunlight throughout the day. I positioned it so it is in the sun several hours each day. I hope this may help so you can enjoy them they look so cool each evening when they are on for the night! Good luck
1042255
I cannot help you. The solar panel I purchase was a gift to a Hopi friend of mine who lives on the Reservation here in Arizona. I believe his is working well.
1708384
All solar panels should use charge controllers. For this controller you need at least a 5-10 amp controller to support this panel.Let us know if you need any further help.Regards,AW
615414
I use a 20watt panel and a voltage regulator. If you have a battery,you will need a solar regulator.
119544
Adding to what others have said, I would go a little higher than the max Amp rating but also limit according to your battery. My unit feeds anything from 225Ah to 360Ah battery banks. If you use the 10-15% of Ah capacity rule then a 30A fuse is fine. I would have to swap in a much smaller fuse if charging a smaller battery bank and of course limit the PV power coming in or connect it to a smaller array.
2133558
not sure what it is designed to use but if you use 1500 watts(the size of the unit) divided by 13.6 volts (The normal voltage you would expect) it gives you aprox 110 amps, so I used a 100 amp fuse that I got at Home depot. and it seems to work well. I use it to run my whole cabin and it works well.Hope that helps
1397704
I asked the company a similar question and received a great, informational answer. First you need the Solar Panel Kit: http://www.baldwinpines.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=190 We would need extra low voltage wire since our panel had to be so far from the gate. And we would need a charge controller to protect the battery. There's one on amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-7-Amp-Charge-Controller/dp/B0006JO0XI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1415053411&sr=8-6&keywords=charge+controller I would highly recommend asking the Gatekeeper company - I'm just passing on what we were told about our particular installation. They were so great with us and they definitly know their stuff! Here's all of the contact information from their website: BaldwinPines 224 McLemore Pvt Dr Somerville, AL 35670 (256) 333-GATE (Phone) (256) 498-0469 (Fax) Sales@baldwinpines.com For Technical Support, email support@baldwinpines.com
841533
I have a 1600 watt inverter connected, also with an inline fuse. It all works fine, my only concern is the cables get quite warm, but it has been connected for about a year now just fine. Makesure you use an inline fuse with proper watt fuse.