Rayne,

Some of the information given in the replies go into more than just how to read a monitor.

To really give you good advice on your system, if you wish more advice, will be to give us more information.

--  What is your planned use of this system, i.e. what you plan on powering when not connected to shore power or generator?  How long do you plan on using each device? 

--  Are you going to dry camp/boondock for a  week or more before going back to shore power, or are you just going out for 2-5 days and back to shore power?  Or do you plan on running a generator in addition to solar? 

-- Which battery monitor did you just install?

--  What battery brand and type do you have?  Are they marine batteries or are they true deep cycle batteries?  There are lots of group 31 batteries which are not true deep cycle batteries and you can buy them most anywhere.  To find and buy true deep cycle group 31 batteries or most any 12V true deep cycle battery you have to shop carefully and specifically demand deep cycle.  

This quote is from the links I provided earlier:

 
Quote

Deep cycle batteries are designed to be discharged down as much as 80% repeatedly, and have much thicker plates. The major difference between a true deep cycle battery and others is that the plates are solid Lead plates - not sponge. Unfortunately, it is often  impossible to tell what kind of battery you are really buying in some of the discount stores or places that specialize in automotive batteries.

Many Marine batteries are actually "hybrid", and fall between the starting  and deep-cycle batteries, while a few are true deep cycle. In the hybrid, the plates may be composed of Lead sponge, but it is coarser and  heavier than that used in starting batteries. It is often hard to tell what you are getting in a "marine" battery, but most are a hybrid. "Hybrid" types should not be discharged more than 50%.

Edited May 4 by Al F

Hi Al, I am in the process still of absorbing all of this.  So far, I have added a Battery monitor to be compatible with my Xantrex Solar Charge controller, and I am now seriously looking at adding batteries.  I'm thinking of two of the 6 volt in addition to my current 12 v ones, but I am thinking that it may not be a good combo, right?  Reason to keep my two current ones is that I was thinking of adding the two more 6 volt ones in the bed of the truck directly below the camper battery compartment in the section between the camper wall and my truck bed wall.  I would of course need a quick disconnect there for when I may someday be able to take my rig off my truck to camp (this is a rear stair issue being worked on by someone for me).  

The info you sent to me via the links was very helpful.  Thank you.  But it still makes me nuts on the batteries and their various Amh hours versus their sizes etc.  Makes NO sense to me how they can vary so much.  even amongst the 6 volt batteries, or should I say especially!  LOL.  So, give me a few more days of absorbing.  

Yawn, okay, heading off to sleep now.  

Rayne

Hi Al, so sorry, I have been dealing with a family situation so have had very little time or mental energy to think about this.  I am confused on how to "quote" what in this forum as well.  I would much rather do it by phone personally.  Anyhow,  hmmm, somehow I just quoted what I wanted to quote.  see my answers below.  And thank you.

Rayne

  On 5/4/2019 at 5:05 AM, Al F said:

To really give you good advice on your system, if you wish more advice, will be to give us more information.

--  What is your planned use of this system, i.e. what you plan on powering when not connected to shore power or generator?  How long do you plan on using each device? 

--  Are you going to dry camp/boondock for a  week or more before going back to shore power, or are you just going out for 2-5 days and back to shore power?  Or do you plan on running a generator in addition to solar? 

-- Which battery monitor did you just install?

--  What battery brand and type do you have?  Are they marine batteries or are they true deep cycle batteries?  There are lots of group 31 batteries which are not true deep cycle batteries and you can buy them most anywhere.  To find and buy true deep cycle group 31 batteries or most any 12V true deep cycle battery you have to shop carefully and specifically demand deep cycle.  

My planned use is to be able to stay at free or low cost Federal campgrounds, boondocking locations etc. and NOT be dependent upon having shore power except maybe 1 time a week and only if necessary.   I live in my RV technically, so this should be factored as full-time.  I am just stuck at my daughters due to health problems back in January only recently resolved, and plan to be back on the road again by the end of May!  Oh, and I do not know what brand of Battery monitor my technician ordered for me, but my controller is Xantrex as I suspected.  40 amp.  My batteries are 2 type 31 AGMs and they are Universal Power Group batteries with only 100ah hours each.  I only had them installed last October, but they may have been allowed to discharge too much 3 or 4 times at minimum as I had no idea that my truck had not been trickle charging my rig correctly while I was enroute for 3-4 hours at a time and I was running my refrig on propane with igniter and my furnace fan was running as needed too.  I know, I get it now.  So, I am having them LOAD tested by RV place before they install solar system so we can order me new ones of a more recommended configuration asap for them to connect to my system.  

I plan to power my refrig fan in the back where my coils are (12v), the Fantastic fan in my bunk overhead compartment, it is 12v and only a few amps and has a thermostat, occasional bathroom fan when I shower in the camper.  To power my laptop, charge my cell phone, Flat screen TV, water heater and refrig ignitor for their propane function, water pump as needed for dishes and showering as well as toilet flushing.  My furnace occasionally, but If I HAVE to run my generator to protect my batteries, I will.  Oh, and I am having a new 12v awning added to my rig.  There are the usual safety monitors, 2 slideouts, stove fan when needed.  Hmmm, Oh, and occasionally in cooler weather, my sewing machine which is very low amps and voltage, and LED portable lights plugged into my outlets when necessary, or interior LED lights in the evenings and during the day.  I have two little dogs I need to keep cool in hotter climates too.  Hope this is everything you asked me about.  I have to get to dr. appt now so I will do my best to check back later.  I thank you again so much for your help and advice on this Al.

Sincerely,

Rayne

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JdIj1GwtxXdPccxmhefzy0ZWlAZzk5qb/view?usp=sharing

I understand the family concerns take lots of time and energy and makes it difficult to think about RV technical details.  Take your time. 

Excellent info in your reply.  That is what I was looking for.

Basically you don't seem to be planning on using any high current devices, like microwave, coffee pot through your 2000 watt inverter.

Your two group 31 batteries have a total capacity of 200AH of which about 100AH is usable for decent battery life.  The 640watts of solar panels will do an excellent job of keeping the batteries charged.  With your fairly light power consumption the solar should keep your batteries pretty well charged even with some haze in the sky or light cloud cover.  Even in light rain the solar panels will provide a few amps. Every little bit helps.  That is one of the very nice things about solar.  They always provide some power when there is some light.  If you park overnight in a Walmart parking lot and park directly under the lights you will see a couple of amps coming in.  Overnight (8-10 hours) that gives you 15-20AH back in the batteries.  That is about 15%-20% of your usable battery capacity. 

A flat panel TV only pulls a couple of amps of 12V power from the batteries through the inverter.  So unless you have a satellite TV receiver your TV use will use very little power.  

One down side of such a large inverter (2000 watt inverter) is that just being turned on, but not powering any 120V devices it will pull 2-3 amps all the time.  So be sure to use the remote panel to keep the inverter turned off unless you need to power something like your sewing machine.  Note, leaving the inverter on all the time, pulling 2-3amps it will use 48 to 72 amp hours in 24 hours.  That is 50% to 70% of your total usable battery capacity.  

Once you get the battery monitor installed and everything set up you will be able to see all these numbers (I gave above) in your battery monitor. Just turn things on and off while watching the amps on the battery monitor.  

Be sure to talk with your solar installer about the charger you will be using in your RV.  That charger is probably the "converter" that was installed by the manufacturer of the camper.  If it is not a 3 stage charger, you will need a better converter or just a separate charger.   My recommendation would be to use an inverter with a built in 3 stage charger and just disconnect the converter.  Without a 3 stage charger, it will take a really long time, 4-8 hours, to get much of a charge back into your batteries and 24-36 hours to get a 100% charge while running a generator or shore power. 

One more thing about solar panels.  They get dirty from dust and light rain. You need to be able to get on the roof, or have a ladder to prop up against the side to reach the panels to clean them off every so often.  Every couple of weeks or every month depending on how quickly the get dirty. 

I hope all this make sense to you.  

Keep in mind once you get your full system set up and are able to play with it, and relate what you see to what you have read, things will make much more sense.  It is hard to comprehend things you know nothing about just by reading about it.  

Edited May 9 by Al F

BTW, nice looking rig in your photo.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JdIj1GwtxXdPccxmhefzy0ZWlAZzk5qb/view?usp=sharing

That will take you lots of great camping places to make use of your solar, batteries, etc. 

I  know from your original post that the following is not what you were asking for, but I feel I would be remiss if I didn't include it. 

One more link to some great info about RV battery/solar/electrical while dry camping/boondocking.  Pretty much explained in plain english (for the most part).  Also some excellent examples of what to watch out for that makes for poor charging from your system.

It is well worth printing out and talking with your installer and have them show you how they installed your system to prevent the problems detailed. 

Also have them take you up to see the roof and panels and show you their work.  How they fastened down the panels, how they sealed the hole and sealant to seal the hole, etc, etc. They should be proud to show you their work. 

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-battery-charging-puzzle-2/

  On 5/4/2019 at 5:05 AM, Al F said:

To really give you good advice on your system, if you wish more advice, will be to give us more information.

--  What is your planned use of this system, i.e. what you plan on powering when not connected to shore power or generator?  How long do you plan on using each device? 

--  Are you going to dry camp/boondock for a  week or more before going back to shore power, or are you just going out for 2-5 days and back to shore power?  Or do you plan on running a generator in addition to solar? 

-- Which battery monitor did you just install?

--  What battery brand and type do you have?  Are they marine batteries or are they true deep cycle batteries?  There are lots of group 31 batteries which are not true deep cycle batteries and you can buy them most anywhere.  To find and buy true deep cycle group 31 batteries or most any 12V true deep cycle battery you have to shop carefully and specifically demand deep cycle.  

HI again Al,  First, thank you for the compliment on my rig.  I LOVE it!  electrical issues from the mouse or squirrel all fixed as of today!  YAY. 

Also, regarding my system, since I take so long on my replies I know it has been hard for you to keep up with my thread.  My Inverter is an Inverter/ charger it is the Go Power IC2000 with the built in automatic transfer switch. 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1430/0262/files/Phocos_Go_Power_2000W_Pure_Sine_Wave_Inverter-Charger_Specification_Sheet.pdf?3184031003158149263

It eliminates the need for the Converter that came in my rig is my understanding.  It came last week and it just seems HUGE compared to the size of my converter.  I don't know if it will fit where my converter is currently installed either.  or how we would get it in there.  I am a little concerned that my rig may look "rigged" when they are done with this, but I am hoping not.  Good suggestions on having them "show me their work on the roof" etc. too.  Thank you.  The solar panel are the glue on flexible panels in order to accomodate getting me as much panels as possible due to the 2 skylights and two roof vents on my roof.  I am having them remove my satellite from the room as it is right where a panel needs to go and I do not use it at all anyway.  I stream most of my TV watching, or I use the little flat panel antenna that is on the back wall in my overhang closet.   

Also, in my PLANNED USE I forgot about my VITAMIX blender/ juicer 1500 watts used for about 1.5 minutes at a time, 4 times when I use it about every week.  I should use it even more than I do, but I know I will need to turn off other things to run it.  My Instant Pot ideally, up to 20 minutes at a time.  Mostly in the colder weather though and then I will most likely need shore power every few days, and my occasional use of my Air fryer-it's teeny tiny, and only 1000 watts, and my 1000 watt microwave oven for 2 minutes a day on warm days or I will use the propane stove to heat my morning/ evening coffee water.  again, in cooler weather that would be used more often for the same duration.  So, now what do you say about my set-up?  

FROM MY PREVIOUS POST: My planned use is to be able to stay at free or low cost Federal campgrounds, boondocking locations etc. and NOT be dependent upon having shore power except maybe 1 time a week and only if necessary.   I live in my RV technically, so this should be factored as full-time.  I am just stuck at my daughters due to health problems back in January only recently resolved, and plan to be back on the road again by the end of May!  Oh, and I do not know what brand of Battery monitor my technician ordered for me, but my controller is Xantrex as I suspected.  40 amp.  My batteries are 2 type 31 AGMs and they are Universal Power Group batteries with only 100ah hours each.  I only had them installed last October, but they may have been allowed to discharge too much 3 or 4 times at minimum as I had no idea that my truck had not been trickle charging my rig correctly while I was enroute for 3-4 hours at a time and I was running my refrig on propane with igniter and my furnace fan was running as needed too.  I know, I get it now.  So, I am having them LOAD tested by RV place before they install solar system so we can order me new ones of a more recommended configuration asap for them to connect to my system.  

I plan to power my refrig fan in the back where my coils are (12v), the Fantastic fan in my bunk overhead compartment, it is 12v and only a few amps and has a thermostat, occasional bathroom fan when I shower in the camper.  To power my laptop, charge my cell phone, Flat screen TV, water heater and refrig ignitor for their propane function, water pump as needed for dishes and showering as well as toilet flushing.  My furnace occasionally, but If I HAVE to run my generator to protect my batteries, I will.  Oh, and I am having a new 12v awning added to my rig.  There are the usual safety monitors, 2 slideouts, stove fan when needed.  Hmmm, Oh, and occasionally in cooler weather, my sewing machine which is very low amps and voltage, and LED portable lights plugged into my outlets when necessary, or interior LED lights in the evenings and during the day.  I have two little dogs I need to keep cool in hotter climates too.  Hope this is everything you asked me about.  I have to get to dr. appt now so I will do my best to check back later.  I thank you again so much for your help and advice on this Al.

Sincerely,

Rayne

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JdIj1GwtxXdPccxmhefzy0ZWlAZzk5qb/view?usp=sharing

Edited May 9 by Rayne

I wrote an intro to reading charge controller data to tell how the system is working.  Might help or might make things worse.  ?

  On 7/14/2019 at 8:08 AM, frater jason said:

I wrote an intro to reading charge controller data to tell how the system is working.  Might help or might make things worse.  ?

Excellent write up.  Maybe overly technical for some.  Your write up matches my experience of extensive use of solar over the last 7 years. 

Might add your write up is strickly standard (non lithium) batteries and strickly 12v system.