solar and battery questions. January 02, 2019, 09:17:29 pm Good evening ; We have a new to us 2005 23.5 fl. and unlike our previous lds this has solar and battery fillers.Questions I have are simple I think for people not solar challenged like me. The solar is factory im sure and blue sky 3000i if im reading this right. also there is a xantrex control thing. I have never had or desired to have such because of not knowing anything about them. My question here is it seems to be up and running and not having any issues but do you have to do regular maintance or any regular checking on this stuff or will it pretty much run its self. Also the batteries have a filler system on them you pump in the water to all at one time I think. How often with the solar stuff do you need to usually do this adding water??? Pro Fill System. Sorry for being so lacking on this subject. Grumpy 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #1 – January 02, 2019, 10:01:04 pm "How often ... do you need to usually do this adding water *with the* Pro Fill System." Looks to me like you're not such a newbie at all. Your question shows a certain amount of understanding, kudos!Before I went to AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries I had the Trojan T-105 batteries and the Pro Fill system. How often you need fill the cells is variable but on average I'd say about every four to six weeks. It will depend on the amount of charge/discharge taking place over time. Inspecting one or more cells over a short time period will give you the answer that is correct for your usage. Don't wear your finest togs when working around wet cell batteries else they begin to look like a lace curtain. 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #2 – January 02, 2019, 10:30:38 pm Periodically check/fill the batteries with water, just as you would without solar.If you want to, cleaning off the panels from time to time will improve their output. Other than that, enjoy the silent free battery recharge. It really is that easy!Rich03 MB in NC 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #3 – January 03, 2019, 09:55:46 am I would recommend cleaning the solar panels with a Windex like chemical. Use a soft cloth type material. I have done experiments and clean solar panels can almost double the amount of output. 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #4 – January 03, 2019, 10:28:12 am "I would recommend cleaning the solar panels with a Windex like chemical."--- A spray bottle of white vinegar and water and a wipe down with a terry cloth shop towel is a cheap and very effective panel cleaner. The factory manual for my 2003 recommended removing water spots from the solar panels with 0000 steel wool! (I have no idea who came up with that one, or when that "advice" was removed from the manual.) 2 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #5 – January 03, 2019, 11:21:02 am Quote from: Esther Spradlin - January 02, 2019, 09:17:29 pmthis has solar and battery fillers. The solar is factory im sure and blue sky 3000i if im reading this right. also there is a xantrex control thing.Also the batteries have a filler system on them you pump in the water to all at one time I think. How often with the solar stuff do you need to usually do this adding water??? Pro Fill System. First, none of this outside possibly the panels is stock LD - the previous owner upgraded - a good thing. Checking the pro-fill involves submerging the pump tube in a container of distilled water and pumping until you can't. I recommend every couple of weeks until you find out how often you need to do it. The timing will have a lot of variables, and may not be consistent.Steve 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #6 – January 03, 2019, 11:52:05 am Quote from: Joan - January 03, 2019, 10:28:12 amThe factory manual for my 2003 recommended removing water spots from the solar panels with 0000 steel wool! (I have no idea who came up with that one, or when that "advice" was removed from the manual.)Using 0000 steel wool to clean water spots off windows is an old auto detailer's trick, it works.Don't screw up and use a 000 or coarser steel wool, it will scratch the glass.Larry 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #7 – January 03, 2019, 11:59:44 am Quote from: rich - January 02, 2019, 10:30:38 pmPeriodically check/fill the batteries with water, just as you would without solar.As Steve says, you should use only *distilled* water for this job. 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #8 – January 03, 2019, 12:08:08 pm I know that the 0000 steel wool thing works for hard water spots, but, to me, there's too much risk of rubbing too hard and possible scratching the surface of the solar panel or glass, so I stick with the white vinegar. If there are hard water spots or sticky bird droppings, I use a soft nylon "scrubbie" pad. (I did have to use a bit of solvent and a plastic scraper on a couple of pitch spots once.)As ever, YMMV! 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #9 – January 03, 2019, 01:05:06 pm Note that the panels have an anti-reflection coating, and damaging that could seriously reduce their efficiency, particularly at extreme angles of the sun. I don't know if this coating is on the outside or inside, but logic says outside would be more effective, so using anything hard and abrasive would be a bad idea.Steve
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #10 – January 03, 2019, 07:25:04 pm Or try this. Works great on the Lazy Daze tinted windows too!Note: Elbow grease required! 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #11 – January 04, 2019, 01:05:25 am I want to thank whoever posted panel cleaning a while back. It gave me that idea to extend it to the 6KV system on the house.(a couple of panels on the LD's a lot easier). It's worth the effort every month or so (more often in the NorCal fire season). For the last yearly cycle, PGE credited me $42 (at $.02/KWH). I use a window cleaner's sponge on a pool brush pole and a hose. Impressive number of birds around here..... 1 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #12 – January 04, 2019, 10:43:36 am I would like to thank everyone above for the response. I have learned what I was after. I do however have one more question on the battery filling. We pretty much don't use our unit thru the winter it is semi stored (hard but not impossible to get at) I start the gen an truck occasionally but do I still need to regularly check the batteries during this time???Thanks and happy travels.Grumpy
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #13 – January 04, 2019, 11:59:10 am Quote from: Esther Spradlin - January 04, 2019, 10:43:36 am I do however have one more question on the battery filling. We pretty much don't use our unit thru the winter it is semi stored (hard but not impossible to get at) I start the gen an truck occasionally but do I still need to regularly check the batteries during this time???How cold a winter climate do you have where you live? You have not indicated where you live.I'm gong to assume it's a cold climate.When in storage, does the rig receive sunlight or is it plugged into shore power, to power the converter?If neither, fully charge the battery and leave it alone. It should receive additional charging during the winter's maintenance runs.If the battery is being charged, check its water at least once during the winter to make sure it isn't overcharging and boiling the battery away.It is best keep the battery fully charged during freezing weather, it is more resistant to freezing than a discharged battery.When exercising the engine and generator, run long enough for both to come up to operating temperature and then stay running for at least a half hour. When running the generator, turn on an electric heater or two, to put a large load on the generator. The more load, the merrier.The lower the ambient temperature, the longer the run time should be. In your original posting you mentioned "also there is a xantrex control thing" . What is it? Can you provide more information on what it looks like? It may be a battery capacity meter, a very useful device that lets you know the battery's charge level, showing how much battery capacity if left. Think of it as a battery gas gauge. Does it look like this?http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/power-accessories/linkpro-battery-monitor.aspxLarry 2 Likes
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #14 – January 04, 2019, 05:02:49 pm Quote from: Joan - January 03, 2019, 10:28:12 am"I would recommend cleaning the solar panels with a Windex like chemical."--- A spray bottle of white vinegar and water and a wipe down with a terry cloth shop towel is a cheap and very effective panel cleaner. The factory manual for my 2003 recommended removing water spots from the solar panels with 0000 steel wool! (I have no idea who came up with that one, or when that "advice" was removed from the manual.)I've noticed my home solar panels don't put out like they used to and I was thinking they are just getting old but I never have cleaned them. Thanks for tip.
Re: solar and battery questions. Reply #15 – January 04, 2019, 07:47:05 pm Came across this link on another RV forum about a guy who puts a used Tesla model S battery in his rig for solar use. Would love to see this setup in a LD:Solar Phase 2 - The Tesla Battery - Mortons On The Move
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