Question:

volvosolar panel battery charger And the start-ups surge varies a lot depending on the TV. volvosolar panel battery charger  I’ve had a 300 watt inverter fail to start up a 13″ color TV.  In fact, I got frustrated with trying to find a TV that the 300 watt inverter *could* start and just bought an AC/DC TV instead.  Nowadays we have a 1500 watt inverter powering the wall sockets and don’t really need the DC feature of that TV, but that was our solution before getting the big inverter. The base problem here is that all the newer TVs use switching power supplies Believe it or not, most of these sets are protected by 2 or 3 amp fuses!volvosolar panel battery charger  The reason they don’t blow on power-up is becasue the current surge is so brief (100’s of microsecs where a fuse reacts in millisecs). The above is not quite true. The starting surge of a color TV is the “Degausing Coil”. This is a big coil of wire placed at the edge of the picture tube that demagnitizes the shadow mask. The circut places this load on the AC input on initial turn-on. a temperture sensitive resistor controls the flow for a few milliseconds. When it warms up the current is cut off. Normaly the current dosn’t flow through the main fuse but uses the resitor as it’s fuse.

THANK YOU! I never fully understood WHY the startup current was so high on the 19″ color TV in our fiver -volvosolar panel battery charger  I actually blew out a 300 watt/ 600 watt surge inverter I bought to power it, even though the TV power rating claimed to be 175 watts. I never thought about the degausing setup!volvosolar panel battery charger Time is the best teacher… unfortunately,  it KILLS all it’s students! The FDA recently forced the removal of a leading anti-impotence drug from the market when the main ingredient was found to be ordinary starch…

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And the start-ups surge varies a lot depending on the TV.  I’ve had a 300 watt inverter fail to start up a 13″ color TV.  In fact,volvosolar panel battery charger

Yo, Warren   I have a 19″ color TV which I run with a little $79 inverter. It is one of the Asian “cheapies” which is rated for 300 watts (yeah,right) . The TV draws 70 watts when running. I found that the TV would “overload” the inverter at turn-on, due to the very large starting current. If the starting current were not there, the inverter would run the TV just fine, at about 7 amps/12 V. The high starting current is caused by the automatic degaussing circuit inside the TV, which de-magnetizes the picture tube each time it is turned on. This is done so the user can move his set around the house and not have the color messed up (simplified explanation). The degaussing circuit is a coil around the outer edge of the picture tube which plugs into the main Tv board with a simple 2 prong plug.   If it is unplugged, there is no high starting current and the TV/inverter works fine. It is not dangerous and does not degrade the operation of the TV or shorten its life in any way., Since I do not move my set ( located in a little nook in the barn, which I run off a PV array) , I am having no problem with the color. If I should have a problem, I would just plug the degausser back in and run it off the AC line once or twice, then unplug it. This would degauss the screen (each time it is turned on) a couple times. If you are not comfortable with going inside your TV, perhaps you have a friend who “tinkers”.  This is about the simplest thing you can do, easier even than replacing a fuse or a switch, since all sets that I have found use a plug, which is simply disconnected and is VERY EASY TO LOCATE. Just look for the coil around the outside of the LARGE END of the picture tube and the 2 wires which run from it to a plug which plugs into the main board. It is working well for me. 12 V/7 amps is well withing my battery and cheapie inverter capabilities.         volvosolar panel battery charger

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volvosolar panel battery charger And the start-ups surge varies a lot depending on the TV.  I’ve had a 300 watt inverter fail to start up a 13″ color TV.  In fact, I got frustrated with trying to find a TV that the 300 watt inverter *could* start and just bought an AC/DC TV instead.  Nowadays we have a 1500 watt inverter powering the wall sockets and don’t really need the DC feature of that TV, but that was our solution before getting the big inverter. The base problem here is that all the newer TVs use switching power supplies Believe it or not, most of these sets are protected by 2 or 3 amp fuses!  The reason they don’t blow on power-up is becasue the current surge is so brief (100’s of microsecs where a fuse reacts in millisecs).

The above is not quite true. The starting surge of a color TV is the “Degausing Coil”. This is a big coil of wire placed at the edge of the picture tube that demagnitizes the shadow mask. The circut places this load on the AC input on initial turn-on. a temperture sensitive resistor controls the flow for a few milliseconds. When it warms up the current is cut off. Normaly the current dosn’t flow through the main fuse but uses the resitor as it’s fuse.

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Running generators is prohibited at a lot of wilderness parks now – with good reason of course, their noise carries for miles. volvosolar panel battery charger

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In the annals of history it is recorded that on Sun, 22 Jun 1997 : I’m curious why some folks go with an inverter versus a propane or : gasoline generator.  Could someone illuminate this issue (pun : intended)? It’s usually a question of power vs cost. When you decide that AC and/or a microwave oven is a necessity, the cost of an inverter and batteries for this kind of power loading soars, 12VDC or propane handles most requirements and appliances until you have a larger heating or cooling requirement from a 110 VAC device. These devices use a huge amount of power in comparison to fans, lights, radios, TVs, etc. Also, as your power requirements grow, you will probably come to the conclusion that you can store more power per pound carried in combustible fuel than in batteries and the generator solution becomes easier to maintain as the complexity increase in the battery/inverter solution.volvosolar panel battery charger

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Hi, We puchased a small inverter to use at night for our TV.  Many of the places we camp don’t have electricity and we don’t want to disturb any nearby neighbors.  The generator certainly works bettter, but I bet the neighborhood is happier with us when we don’t intrude on their peace and quiet. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m curious why some folks go with an inverter versus a propane or gasoline generator.  Could someone illuminate this issue (pun intended)?

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In article I’m curious why some folks go with an inverter versus a propane or gasoline generator.  Could someone illuminate this issue (pun intended)?

1 – Noise. Even the best propane generator is much noisier than a solar panel and/or battery. 2 – Smell. Again – batteries and solar panels are essentially smell free. Nor do they pollute nor add more noxious stuff to the air around the RV. 3 – Cost. Lower (much) initial investment. Far lower operating expense. Little if any maintenance cost (my solar panel/battery has worked for years with only a little distilled water for the batteries). True – they won’t run an AC – but that is really a small price to pay. Why leave home to be trapped inside an aluminum box?

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I’m curious why some folks go with an inverter versus a propane or gasoline generator.  Could someone illuminate this issue (pun intended)?

Not every appliance in an RV operates on DC power.  When camping on sites w/o hookups, it’s nice to be able to operate 120V appliances without having to start a generator and annoying neighbors.  The better inverters also include state of the art 3-stage battery chargers, thus improving battery efficiency and longevity. volvosolar panel battery charger It’s also nice to be able to operate 120V items such as blenders, VCRs, vacuums, coffee makers, etc., while on the road.  We have both a generator and an inverter. Many parks restrict operation of generators to certain times of the day, and we only operate the unit during those times, primarily to recharge batteries. Use of an inverter results in decreased dependence on having to have 120V hookups available whereever you go.

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volvosolar panel battery charger- Northern Arizona Wind & Sun, Inc. Solar Electric systems and components http://www.windsun.com  In most cases a 100 watt inverter will not power a 100 watt TV.  The reason is that the intitial start up surge is much more than 100 watts. Most people use a 250 to 800 watt, depending on other loads, TV, VCR etc. And the start-ups surge varies a lot depending on the TV.  I’ve had a 300 watt inverter fail to start up a 13″ color TV.  In fact, I got frustrated with trying to find a TV that the 300 watt inverter *could* start and just bought an AC/DC TV instead.  Nowadays we have a 1500 watt inverter powering the wall sockets and don’t really need the DC feature of that TV, but that was our solution before getting the big inverter. volvosolar panel battery charger

The base problem here is that all the newer TVs use switching power supplies that drive the horizontal deflection system.  The flyback pulse (otherwise wasted power – in the older sets) is utilized the drive the rest of the set.  The turn-on current draw for these sets is quite high (as Warren pointed out and Barry found out).  The first dozen or so cycles of 60 Hz power can see current draws in the 10’s of amps, as the set labors to charge up all the filter caps distributed throught out the circuitry. Believe it or not, most of these sets are protected by 2 or 3 amp fuses!  The reason they don’t blow on power-up is becasue the current surge is so brief (100’s of microsecs where a fuse reacts in millisecs). -volvosolar panel battery charger

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Northern Arizona Wind & Sun, Inc. Solar Electric systems and components http://www.windsun.com  In most cases a 100 watt inverter will not power a 100 watt TV.  The reason is that the intitial start up surge is much more than 100 watts. Most people use a 250 to 800 watt, depending on other loads, TV, VCR etc.

And the start-ups surge varies a lot depending on the TV.  I’ve had a 300 watt inverter fail to start up a 13″ color TV.  In fact, I got frustrated with trying to find a TV that the 300 watt inverter *could* start and just bought an AC/DC TV instead.  Nowadays we have a 1500 watt inverter powering the wall sockets and don’t really need the DC feature of that TV, but that was our solution before getting the big inverter.

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What wattage inverters will work?  Are they reccomended for 13′ TV etc. mhw

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Depends on what you want. There’s all the way from little ones that plug into the cig lighter to ones (plural) like I have that power PC’s, stereos, tv’s, CD’s, vcr’s, and laser printers What working inverters will fit your needs and your walletvolvosolar panel battery charger

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Northern Arizona Wind & Sun, Inc. Solar Electric systems and components http://www.windsun.com   In most cases a 100 watt inverter will not power a 100 watt TV.  The reason is that the intitial start up surge is much more than 100 watts. Most people use a 250 to 800 watt, depending on other loads, TV, VCR etc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What wattage inverters will work?  Are they reccomended for 13′ TV etc. mhw

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Question:

I took my truck into the RV dealer to have my 5th-wheel hitch and brake installer installed and asked the service manager what he’d do and he said he’d put the fuse on the positive side within 18″ of the battery and not fuse on the negative side.  So my question is unanswered,solar panel battery charger  do I need a fuse on both the positive and negative sides? It’ll cost another $50 or so for another fuse.

If you give some thought to the issue, you will realize that all you need to do is to break the connections between the battery and the rest of the circuit.  That fuse can go on either the positive or negative side of the system as long as it is between the batteries and the rest of the system. It needs to be close to the batteries so that if the cable shorts anywhere, the fuze will blow and prevent those batteries from dumping and causing a fire.solar panel battery charger   My fuse is in the battery compartment and is in the positive lead. I wired up a single solar panel which I had laying around and put a fuse in series with the panel.  Since the function of that fuse was to protect the panel and the associated wiring from the panel to the rest of the system, it was quite small, of the order of 6 amps.  This is for a 42 watt panel.  42 watts at 14 volts is only 3 amps.  In addition, I also put a diode in series with the panel so that it wouldn’t discharge the batteries through the panel at night.  If you look at the characteristics of the panel, you will see that the reverse leakage is quite high when the panel is in the dark. For additional fun, I wired up a 12 volt computer fan to blow on the refrigerator coils.  I put it in series with a old house thermostat that could be set to come on when the temp in the area behind the refrigerator got too hot.  I connected that fan in such a way that the diode prevented the fan from sucking on the batteries.  So, it only works on hot, sunny days when the panel is generating. My motorhome came with a 2000watt Heart inverter.  It puts out a modified sine wave and will run the TVs, VCRs, Laptop and I have even run a 8 & 1/2 inch radial arm saw when my wife forgot to get the power turned on at our summer home.solar panel battery charger   It ran that saw just fine, and I used it to fit a new bannister on the inside stairs of the summer home.solar panel battery charger

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I missed the rest of this thread because my *lovely* ISP changed news providers and just dumped everything in the process. I will be very interested in the answers to this question, as I was also confused about the placement of this.   Just FYI, I found a suitable 100 Amp in line fuse at Lowe’s for about $7.

If you’re talking about a conventional cartridge fuse, I think you’ll find it unsuitable for 12 volts service.  The internal resistance is too high, or it was in the samples I evaluated a couple of years ago for the same purpose.  A volt of voltage drop doesn’t matter at 240 volts but it’s a killer at 12 volts.  Even a standard blow fuse is too slow to protect an inverter’s semiconductors from overload.  The special low voltage semiconductor-type ultra-fast blow fuses are the only practical solution if you’re trying to protect an inverter.  Might try the local fork lift dealer. Shawmut is one major brand. I have found that a household circuit breaker works pretty well in a 12 volt system.  Not fast enough for semiconductor protection but adequate for a disaster fuse.  The resistance is a little high but not a killer, at least below 60 amps, which is the size I experimented with. John — John De Armond solar panel battery charger

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Thanks for the answer to my question.  I thought that putting a disaster fuse on both the positive and negative legs was redundant. On where to buy fuses, I called a fork lift repair and parts place today and the guy said he had DC fuses in 100, 200, 300 and 400 amps in stock.  For the 300 amp fuse, he quoted $11.00–about 1/3 the cost of the 300 fuse I ordered from RV Solar Electric in AZ.  So for anyone else putting together a solar battery charging system, you can save a few bucks buying the large disaster fuse at a fork lift repair shop. I will put a 50 amp fuse in the DC line going from the Trace C-40 controller/charger to the batteries, because I will use 8 AWG wire there.  I will put it near the battery. The guy I bought the Kyocera KC-120 panels from said that they have a diode built into the electrical circuitry on each panel.  So I don’t need to add a diode to prevent the solar panels draining amps from the batteries at night. Bill W. in CA – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I took my truck into the RV dealer to have my 5th-wheel hitch and brake installer installed and asked the service manager what he’d do and he said he’d put the fuse on the positive side within 18″ of the battery and not fuse on the negative side.  So my question is unanswered, do I need a fuse on both the positive and negative sides? It’ll cost another $50 or so for another fuse.solar panel battery charger  If you give some thought to the issue, you will realize that all you need to do is to break the connections between the battery and the rest of the circuit.  That fuse can go on either the positive or negative side of the system as long as it is between the batteries and the rest of the system. It needs to be close to the batteries so that if the cable shorts anywhere, the fuze will blow and prevent those batteries from dumping and causing a fire.  My fuse is in the battery compartment and is in the positive lead. solar panel battery charger

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-solar panel battery charger I missed the rest of this thread because my *lovely* ISP changed news providers and just dumped everything in the process. I will be very interested in the answers to this question, as I was also confused about the placement of this.   Just FYI, I found a suitable 100 Amp in line fuse at Lowe’s for about $7. If you’re talking about a conventional cartridge fuse, I think you’ll find it unsuitable for 12 volts service.  The internal resistance is too high, or it was in the samples I evaluated a couple of years ago for the same purpose.  A volt of voltage drop doesn’t matter at 240 volts but it’s a killer at 12 volts.  Even a standard blow fuse is too slow to protect an inverter’s semiconductors from overload.  The special low voltage semiconductor-type ultra-fast blow fuses are the only practical solution if you’re trying to protect an inverter.  Might try the local fork lift dealer. Shawmut is one major brand. I have found that a household circuit breaker works pretty well in a 12 volt system.  Not fast enough for semiconductor protection but adequate for a disaster fuse.  The resistance is a little high but not a killer, at least below 60 amps, which is the size I experimented with.solar panel battery charger

To protect the inverter, I use a 40 W automotive maxi fuse in the positive line, as per instructions with the inverter.  I was contemplating the 100A cartridge fuse on the ground of the AC line, for those really strange electrical supply setups in the occasional commercial campground, and of course for the spike that might be induced by an unfortunate nearby lightning strike.  The idea behind this particular fuse is to prevent a fire. Bob

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solar panel battery charger I missed the rest of this thread because my *lovely* ISP changed news providers and just dumped everything in the process. I will be very interested in the answers to this question, as I was also confused about the placement of this.   Just FYI, I found a suitable 100 Amp in line fuse at Lowe’s for about $7. If you’re talking about a conventional cartridge fuse, I think you’ll find it unsuitable for 12 volts service.  The internal resistance is too high, or it was in the samples I evaluated a couple of years ago for the same purpose.  A volt of voltage drop doesn’t matter at 240 volts but it’s a killer at 12 volts.  Even a standard blow fuse is too slow to protect an inverter’s semiconductors from overload.  The special low voltage semiconductor-type ultra-fast blow fuses are the only practical solution if you’re trying to protect an inverter.  Might try the local fork lift dealer. Shawmut is one major brand. I have found that a household circuit breaker works pretty well in a 12 volt system.  Not fast enough for semiconductor protection but adequate for a disaster fuse.  The resistance is a little high but not a killer, at least below 60 amps, which is the size I experimented with. solar panel battery charger

To use a circuit braker for a 300 amp disaster CB–those are very big and expensive, much more than a DC 300 amp fuse.  I checked out several local (SoCalif.) wholesale electric places and when I told them what I needed (300 amp DC fuse) they quoted prices around $70. When I told them how much the guys at RV Solar Electric were charging ($38), both wholesalers said that was below their cost.  So RV Solar Electric must buy these fuses by the hundreds to get a good price. But RV Solar Electric’s prices for the inverter, charger and solar panels are much higher than the solar contractorr charged.  So to those thinking of putting solar panels on their RV themselves, check out the prices from solar system contractors in your area and maybe you’ll save enought for a few tanks of gas (in my case, quite a few tanks full). Also, a 100 amp fuse from Lowes is not going to work as a disaster fuse in an RV system like mine, even if it is the correct type of fuse, because it is rated for too low an amperage.solar panel battery charger

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I read here on this NG that several users have experienced problems with the Heart inverter and recommended the Trace units.  I bought the Trace unit after talking to a local solar system (for homes) installer and he said he no longer uses the Heart inverters because they failed too often and has found the Trace units to be much more reliable. I bought the TRace unit from him as he had a minimal markup.  I paid $1,100 for the Trace Legend II 2512 inverter and %538 for each Kyocera KC-120 panel.  Every other place I priced the Trace units, the dealers wanted over $1,400 and no one else in my area had any 120 watt panels in stock and were back-ordered and were chargeing $650-890 for a 100 watt panel. solar panel battery charger Someone asked why I got the large Inverter for a small load.  I plan to use the microwave (1100 watt) and after pricing the 1500 watt vs the 2500 Trace units, the larger one was not much more, so I went with the 2500 watt unit.  Maybe some time in the future, I’ll want more AC power while dry camping, like running a saw or some other tool. I ordered the 300 amp disaster fuse from RV Solar Electric and the guy said to put it on the negative side of the battery where it goes to the trailer frame.  The solar contractor I purchased the Trace inverter and charger from said he didn’t think I needed a fuse on both the positive and negative sides but he said he was not RV expert.  In his residential installations, he seldom has customers who use batteries, but when he does install them, he follows the NEC and puts a fuse within 18″ of the positive terminal of the battery and the inverter with no fuse on the negative side. I took my truck into the RV dealer to have my 5th-wheel hitch and brake installer installed and asked the service manager what he’d do and he said he’d put the fuse on the positive side within 18″ of the battery and not fuse on the negative side.  So my question is unanswered, do I need a fuse on both the positive and negative sides? It’ll cost another $50 or so for another fuse. I’ll call Trace tomorrow and ask them. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Unless you already have the equipment, I suggest that you check out the Heart Interface inverter/charger.  I had the Trace equipment and replaced it with the Heart. The Trace would not do the same job as the Heart.  Also, Heart was MUCH more helpful in the design of the system. I talked to Max Piele at Heart.  BTW, Both are now owned by the same parent company.

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To get all the answers about solar, call Solar Electric in Scottsdale Az. 480-443-8520  They are very knowledgeable and helpful.  They also have all of the parts you will need. solar panel battery charger

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I am going to install a solar panel battery charging and inverter system in my new fiver. I am designing and installing the system myself just for the fun of it and to save a few bucks. Here is the equipment: Batteries: 2 banks of 2 Trojan 105s hooked in series for 12 VDC   Solar Panels: 2 Kyocera KC-120, 120 watts each Solar Controller/Charger: Trace C-40 Inverter/Charger: Trace Legend II 2512 (2500 watts 110 VAC) Power monitor: Trace RC-7

Unless you already have the equipment, I suggest that you check out the Heart Interface inverter/charger.  I had the Trace equipment and replaced it with the Heart.solar panel battery charger  The Trace would not do the same job as the Heart.  Also, Heart was MUCH more helpful in the design of the system. I talked to Max Piele at Heart.  BTW, Both are now owned by the same parent company. solar panel battery charger I will remove the converter/charger that is supplied by the trailer manufacturer and will add an A/C inverter sub-panel. I have read Noel Kirby’s “RV Solar Battery Charging” and Bill Moeller’s “RV Electrical Systems” books and I have downloaded and read the manuals for all three Trace products, but I am unclear about several points. 1)  The two books referenced above recommend a 300 amp ‘disaster fuse’ on the negative side of the DC system at the point where the DC negative wire goes to the RV frame.  The Trace manual for the inverter says that a fuse of suitable amperage rating should be provided, according to the NEC, no more than 18 inches from the battery’s positive terminal and the DC input terminal on the Trace unit.  Is having fuse protection on both the DC positive and negative sides recommended, required or redundant?  I’m asking because I need to order the fuse(s).

There are some that advocate the “disaster fuse” in the negative but it seems that the engineers agree that the fuse in the positive is all that is needed.   2)  Within the Trace Legend II inverter, do I use neutral to ground switching on the A/C side or do I isolate the neutral and ground by cutting the green wire?  Or should I follow what Carriage does in the factory A/C panel when I get my trailer (i.e. bonded or unbonded)?

Not certain about the Legend II but the NEC requires that the neutral be bonded to ground at all generating sources.  The inverter is considered a generating source. When in the charge mode, the neutral is to be un-bonded from ground.  Trace did not provide this switching in the past but may now.  Heart provides it internally. When I went to Heart, I was able to do away with one large, expensive relay box. Also, the NEC requires that the neutral be insulated from ground in all sub-panels.  The distribution box in your RV is a sub-panel by definition and the neutral must be  insulated from ground.  Another thing that I found is that the circuits that are fed by the inverter need to have their own insulated neutral bar or you will trip the GFIs in CGs. 3)  Do the solar panel RV users here have switch(es) to turn off or isolate the solar panels from the charger?

I don’t but it is not a bad idea. Think I will add one…  Thanks. 4)  From what I’ve read, the Trace Legend II modified sine-wave inverter will run a TV, VCR and DVD-CD system.  Anybody have experience with this?

The modified sine wave inverters seem to operate everything I have wanted to including computers, TVs, Stereos, etc.  The Trace would run an air conditioner but the Heart will with no problem. (BTW, I have a 300 amp oil cooled alternator.) Georgesolar panel battery charger

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snip 1)  The two books referenced above recommend a 300 amp ‘disaster fuse’ on the negative side of the DC system at the point where the DC negative wire goes to the RV frame.  The Trace manual for the inverter says that a fuse of suitable amperage rating should be provided, according to the NEC, no more than 18 inches from the battery’s positive terminal and the DC input terminal on the Trace unit.  Is having fuse protection on both the DC positive and negative sides recommended, required or redundant?  I’m asking because I need to order the fuse(s).

I will be very interested in the answers to this question, as I was also confused about the placement of this.   Just FYI, I found a suitable 100 Amp in line fuse at Lowe’s for about $7. snip 3)  Do the solar panel RV users here have switch(es) to turn off or isolate the solar panels from the charger?

I don’t use solar, but the systems I have read about use a diode for this. I would suggest you call the Kirkbys and ask these questions.  People I have talked to about this say they are quite friendly and helpful on the phone.  The number is on their page at solar panel battery charger

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I do not put the negative to the RV frame.  I always keep everything on the 12 volt side above earth. You only need a fuse on the positive side, and I use the standard cartridge fuses. I always use the neutral to ground as I use a standard RCD (Residual Current Device).  I think you call them a GFI? or Earth Leakage Unit in the US. I do not use a switch to isolate my solar panels, as the regulator I use has an inbuilt electronic switch. Your trace unit will walk in your TV, VCR and DVD-CD.  My question is why did you spend so much excess $$$ on such a large Trace unit to run so little. –

solar panel battery charger I am going to install a solar panel battery charging and inverter system in my new fiver. I am designing and installing the system myself just for the fun of it and to save a few bucks. Here is the equipment: Batteries: 2 banks of 2 Trojan 105s hooked in series for 12 VDC Solar Panels: 2 Kyocera KC-120, 120 watts each Solar Controller/Charger: Trace C-40 Inverter/Charger: Trace Legend II 2512 (2500 watts 110 VAC) Power monitor: Trace RC-7 I will remove the converter/charger that is supplied by the trailer manufacturer and will add an A/C inverter sub-panel. I have read Noel Kirby’s “RV Solar Battery Charging” and Bill Moeller’s “RV Electrical Systems” books and I have downloaded and read the manuals for all three Trace products, but I am unclear about several points. 1)  The two books referenced above recommend a 300 amp ‘disaster fuse’ on the negative side of the DC system at the point where the DC negative wire goes to the RV frame.  The Trace manual for the inverter says that a fuse of suitable amperage rating should be provided, according to the NEC, no more than 18 inches from the battery’s positive terminal and the DC input terminal on the Trace unit.  Is having fuse protection on both the DC positive and negative sides recommended, required or redundant?  I’m asking because I need to order the fuse(s). 2)  Within the Trace Legend II inverter, do I use neutral to ground switching on the A/C side or do I isolate the neutral and ground by cutting the green wire?  Or should I follow what Carriage does in the factory A/C panel when I get my trailer (i.e. bonded or unbonded)? 3)  Do the solar panel RV users here have switch(es) to turn off or isolate the solar panels from the charger? 4)  From what I’ve read, the Trace Legend II modified sine-wave inverter will run a TV, VCR and DVD-CD system.  Anybody have experience with this? Bill W.solar panel battery charger

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I am going to install a solar panel battery charging and inverter system in my new fiver. I am designing and installing the system myself just for the fun of it and to save a few bucks. Here is the equipment: Batteries: 2 banks of 2 Trojan 105s hooked in series for 12 VDC   Solar Panels: 2 Kyocera KC-120, 120 watts each Solar Controller/Charger: Trace C-40 Inverter/Charger: Trace Legend II 2512 (2500 watts 110 VAC) Power monitor: Trace RC-7 I will remove the converter/charger that is supplied by the trailer manufacturer and will add an A/C inverter sub-panel. I have read Noel Kirby’s “RV Solar Battery Charging” and Bill Moeller’s “RV Electrical Systems” books and I have downloaded and read the manuals for all three Trace products, but I am unclear about several points. 1)  The two books referenced above recommend a 300 amp ‘disaster fuse’ on the negative side of the DC system at the point where the DC negative wire goes to the RV frame.  The Trace manual for the inverter says that a fuse of suitable amperage rating should be provided, according to the NEC, no more than 18 inches from the battery’s positive terminal and the DC input terminal on the Trace unit.  Is having fuse protection on both the DC positive and negative sides recommended, required or redundant?  I’m asking because I need to order the fuse(s). 2)  Within the Trace Legend II inverter, do I use neutral to ground switching on the A/C side or do I isolate the neutral and ground by cutting the green wire?  Or should I follow what Carriage does in the factory A/C panel when I get my trailer (i.e. bonded or unbonded)? 3)  Do the solar panel RV users here have switch(es) to turn off or isolate the solar panels from the charger? 4)  From what I’ve read, the Trace Legend II modified sine-wave inverter will run a TV, VCR and DVD-CD system.  Anybody have experience with this? Bill W.solar panel battery charger

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Question:

I found an solar panel battery car charger
amazing amp site, but its not what you would think. Prepare yourself for some amazingly bizarre science. I actually took the time to read it, and I was about ready to blow it off as some kind of a scam, but then I read the part about the use of pulsed current… and then I remembered the Solargizer battery conditioner / charger / desulfator using pulsed current as the means by which it prevents sulfation in acid cells and even reverses it.   You can buy a pallet of used batteries at a junkyard, and a Solargizer is capable of restoring 90 percent of them back to a usable condition. Ion migration prevention using pulsed current instead of brute force steady current… a really interesting comparison and anology to the negative resistor formation by manipulating ion migration using pulsed energy that is described on John’s site. Don’t get too impressed for your own good though, read the part about the unexplained disappearance of the guy who built and then publicly demonstrated an 8000 watt generating unit…  You might get “disappeared” like he did.  Apparently, it is acceptable for people to know about this advanced application of Tesla’s discovery, but it is not acceptable to attempt to commercialize it. http://www.icehouse.net/john1/ At first it appears to be a normal amplifier site.  Many know of his very expensive and very high end amplifiers, but they are oriented more towards hi-fi than musical instrument amplification. http://www.icehouse.net/john1/fordtrk.jpg Yeah, this guy has done alright for himself.  Look at the ‘34 pickup he dooded up and rebuilt from a rusted body hulk… and especailly notice the very high class female sitting on his masterful restoration of the truck further on down.  That was taken from the third page of his “My 1934 HotRod Ford Pickup page”.  And notice the photos of the expensive class of buildings he runs his amp business out of on his home page at http://www.icehouse.net/john1/  solar panel battery car charger
A lot of people would say this guy really has it made.  He is obviously very competant at what he does, and has obviously profited very respectably as a result. Now, scroll on down to the bottom and read the last two links from the end, entitled “Stubblefield” and “This Will Take You To The Energy ” Some of you probably have heard some of this material before in one form or another.  Stubblefield is strange.  But “This Will Take You To The Energy ” is really and truly bizarre. He claims to have working demonstration models of over-unity devices that produce more power than they consume, by tapping into the background energy of the universe.  He shows pictures of the devices. As if that isn’t strange enough though, what is stranger yet is that there is past research done by the likes of Tesla that support his postulations and claims of working models.  Some of the details of the devices are very, very convincing.  If you follow classical electrodynamic theory, leave it somewhere else before you visit.  You can always pick it back up later if you still feel you need it. The science behind it is really bizarre, but appears to actually be valid.  Look up “Solargizer” on eBay or the web sometime, a brand name for a battery conditioner / desulfator, and compare the descriptions of its operation to that of the over-unity setup described by Bedini. I was feeling 50/50 as to whether it was a scam or not, and remembering how the Solargizer operates changed my appraisal of the odds considerably in Tesla’s and Bedini’s favor and agaisnt it being a scam.  That particular aspect of the basic function of the basic pulsed, controlled current principle works so well that it has been commercialized.  I can buy a Solargizer. On the other hand, there are mentions of free plans, so you can build your own working setup, yet there are no links to where these plans might be located, and he says he deletes e-mail from anyone he does not know.  And some asshole did in fact create a fake “Bigfoot” video, which, as a scam, persisted for decades.  Who knows why someone would be so motivated…  On the other hand, there are elements of the principles that are described that do make scientific sense. Any amp techs out there with physics backgrounds, will get a real kick out of that site.  Its some serious food for thought, but it relies on your having some degree of physics background.  Anyone who does not have such a background probably won’t be able to get much out of it. Stay out of trouble…  and as always, don’t get yourself killed. What is your assessment? subtract where I hang at to unmunge feklar’s guitar playing: solar panel battery car charger

Response:

Interesting site. Eagle research sells plans / manufactured and plans for water torches and some wierd and practicle science stuff, iv’e actually built/ used some of his devices and all have worked.  You can build a Free energy accumulator  for around $10.00 tops.solar panel battery car charger

Response:

Good God something in my brain just fizzled.solar panel battery car charger
I found an  amazing amp site, but its not what you would think. Prepare yourself for some amazingly bizarre science. I actually took the time to read it, and I was about ready to blow it off as some kind of a scam, but then I read the part about the use of pulsed current… and then I remembered the Solargizer battery conditioner / charger / desulfator using pulsed current as the means by which it prevents sulfation in acid cells and even reverses it. You can buy a pallet of used batteries at a junkyard, and a Solargizer is capable of restoring 90 percent of them back to a usable condition. Ion migration prevention using pulsed current instead of brute force steady current… a really interesting comparison and anology to the negative resistor formation by manipulating ion migration using pulsed energy that is described on John’s site. Don’t get too impressed for your own good though, read the solar panel battery car charger
part about the unexplained disappearance of the guy who built and then publicly demonstrated an 8000 watt generating unit…  You might get “disappeared” like he did.  Apparently, it is acceptable for people to know about this advanced application of Tesla’s discovery, but it is not acceptable to attempt to commercialize it. http://www.icehouse.net/john1/ At first it appears to be a normal amplifier site.  Many know of his very expensive and very high end amplifiers, but they are oriented more towards hi-fi than musical instrument amplification. http://www.icehouse.net/john1/fordtrk.jpg Yeah, this guy has done alright for himself.  Look at the ‘34 pickup he dooded up and rebuilt from a rusted body hulk… and especailly notice the very high class female sitting on his masterful restoration of the truck further on down.  That was taken from the third page of his “My 1934 HotRod Ford Pickup page”.  And notice the photos of the expensive class of buildings he runs his amp business out of on his home page at solar panel battery car charger
He is obviously very competant at what he does, and has obviously profited very respectably as a result. Now, scroll on down to the bottom and read the last two links from the end, entitled “Stubblefield” and “This Will Take You To The Energy ” Some of you probably have heard some of this material before in one form or another.  Stubblefield is strange.  But “This Will Take You To The Energy ” is really and truly bizarre. He claims to have working demonstration models of over-unity devices that produce more power than they consume, by tapping into the background energy of the universe.  He shows pictures of the devices. As if that isn’t strange enough though, what is stranger yet is that there is past research done by the likes of Tesla that support his postulations and claims of working models.  Some of the details of the devices are very, very convincing.  If you follow classical electrodynamic theory, leave it somewhere else before you visit.  You can always pick it back up later if you still feel you need it. The science behind it is really bizarre, but appears to actually be valid.  Look up “Solargizer” on eBay or the web sometime, a brand name for a battery conditioner / desulfator, and compare the descriptions of its operation to that of the over-unity setup described by Bedini. I was feeling 50/50 as to whether it was a scam or not, and remembering how the Solargizer operates changed my appraisal of the odds considerably in Tesla’s and Bedini’s favor and agaisnt it being a scam.  That particular aspect of the basic function of the basic pulsed, controlled current principle works so well that it has been commercialized.  I can buy a Solargizer. On the other hand, there are mentions of free plans, so you can build your own working setup, yet there are no links to where these plans might be located, and he says he deletes e-mail from anyone he does not know.  And some asshole did in fact create a fake “Bigfoot” video, which, as a scam, persisted for decades.  Who knows why someone would be so motivated…  On the other hand, there are elements of the principles that are described that do make scientific sense. Any amp techs out there with physics backgrounds, will get a real kick out of that site.  Its some serious food for thought, but it relies on your having some degree of physics background.  Anyone who does not have such a background probably won’t be able to get much out of it. Stay out of trouble…  and as always, don’t get yourself killed. What is your assessment? subtract where I hang at to unmunge feklar’s guitar playing: http://www.angelfire.com/empire2/kahless This will always take you to my ftp server if its up. The Amazing and Mysterious Powers of Mexican Females. Chapter 1: Levitation and Summoningsolar panel battery car charger
.

Response:

You might be disappointed with Solargizer. IMO, no way it restores 90% dead junkyward batteries. Check out the criticism of these pulse gizmo’s. Also, a lot of the “testimonials” were written by Solargizer dealers. The Solargizer is simply IMO a solar-panel battery maintainer, worth $10 or so. Snake oil, in my view.solar panel battery car charger
Good God something in my brain just fizzled. I found an  amazing amp site, but its not what you would think. Prepare yourself for some amazingly bizarre science. I actually took the time to read it, and I was about ready to blow it off as some kind of a scam, but then I read the part about the use of pulsed current… and then I remembered the Solargizer battery conditioner / charger / desulfator using pulsed current as the means by which it prevents sulfation in acid cells and even reverses it. You can buy a pallet of used batteries at a junkyard, and a Solargizer is capable of restoring 90 percent of them back to a usable condition. Ion migration prevention using pulsed current instead of brute force steady current… a really interesting comparison and anology to the

solar panel battery car charger

Response:

Question:

Are you hoping to power this device using a shaft drive from a windmill? Malcolm

solar panel battery charger  now I’m really confused….  This is of course because I’ve never done this before.  Based on what I’m doing here….  I’ve built a frenette type heater from the patent of Eugene frenette in 1979.  Its quite small and its power source is a solar panel/battery set up.  The electric motor requires 40 watts constant ( 3.3amps at 12V) The drum heats to 250 degrees F in 30 minutes and will maintain this heat with a small fan blowing over the cylinder for as long as it runs.  I’m trying to figure out the BTU rating  output ) to come up with a basic (and somewhat acurate) rating then compare it to the input in watts for an efficiency factor.  So far with all the sites I’ve visited the formulas used are for other things and really don’t follow what I’m doing…. so… confusion sets in….

Response:

no, actually just solar/batteries.  I may add a windmill for assisting in the charging the batteries when the sun not out.  I really don’t want to dedicate any one thing with one windmill.  Mostly because in the summer there is no real need for heat ( unless I put together an amonia cooler – which can be run directly from the sun ).  The power can be used where its needed or on demand in any season this way.

solar panel battery charger Are you hoping to power this device using a shaft drive from a windmill? Malcolm Ok, now I’m really confused….  This is of course because I’ve never done this before.  Based on what I’m doing here….  I’ve built a frenette type heater from the patent of Eugene frenette in 1979.  Its quite small and its power source is a solar panel/battery set up.  The electric motor requires 40 watts constant ( 3.3amps at 12V) The drum heats to 250 degrees F in 30 minutes and will maintain this heat with a small fan blowing over the cylinder for as long as it runs.solar panel battery charger  I’m trying to figure out the BTU rating  output ) to come up with a basic (and somewhat acurate) rating then compare it to the input in watts for an efficiency factor.  So far with all the sites I’ve visited the formulas used are for other things and really don’t follow what I’m doing…. so… confusion sets in….

Response:

Hi Dragon; Thanks for the help !!!  I’m a little thick headed sometimes, especially when it comes to working with numbers I’m not familiar with.

That’s OK, I understand the confusion that can occur sometimes with regard to unfamiliar units. By the way I like your solar tracker unit, I may be in touch with you shortly.

Thanks. We don’t get much sun in the winter time so it would be nice to be able to capture all that is available.

I find that in Minnesota NREL says that one can get about 40% more from tracking in December than when stationary. solar panel battery charger

Yes. What the LED3 does is track to the east in the morning during twilight before the sun rises. The unit draws very little power itself. About .04 watts at 2.5mA continuously. Of course the actuator itself draw more. Mine runs at about 3 watts when moving and none when it gets to the destination which is most of the time. The total energy consumed by my actuator is about .solar panel battery charger  I’m a little thick headed sometimes, especially when it comes to working with numbers I’m not familiar with.  By the way I like your solar tracker unit, I may be in touch with you shortly.  We don’t get much sun in the winter time so it would be nice to be able to capture all that is available.  Does that unit have a reversing circuit to bring it back to the east in the morning? Thanks again!!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Dragon; Basically trying to find the BTU output of a small heater.  A prototype model to be exact. So in order to come up with a “rating” I need to be able to calculate the output, prefereably in BTU.solar panel battery charger

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After reading it completely, this makes sense and seems to work.  I came up with about 67% efficient between input and output.  Not real impressive but satisfactory.  A larger unit with a 1 hp motor run from solar panels/batteries should knock the punch out of the fuel bills.  Wouldn’t be real practical to “plug in” and run on Grid. Thanks for the help this works.  I think I confused myself using the formula on the hotwatt web site and trying to remove the watt conversion.  Thanks again, this cleared up the whole thing.

solar panel battery charger Basically trying to find the BTU output of a small heater. Assume for the moment that it is a propane heater.  The BTUs are in the propane, not in the heater.  The heater is just a device for extracting the BTUs from the fuel. The faster you burn the fuel, the more BTUs you get per hour. The slower you burn the fuel, the fewer BTUs you get per hour. That means the heater itself should be rated in “BTUs per hour” or equivalent. Even if the heater “burns” electricity rather than fuel, the same thing still holds.  Luckily it turns out that 1 kilowatt-second is about the same as one BTU, and electricity-burning is essentially 100% efficient.  So if you want 1 BTU per hour, you need to use one kilowatt-second per hour.  If you want one BTU per second, you need to use one kilowatt-second per second — i.e., 1000 watts. A 1-kW heater thus puts out about one BTU per second, or 60 BTUs per minute, or 3600 BTUs per hour.  (Actually slightly less — divide by 1.054350 to get just a bit over 3400 BTUs per hour.solar panel battery charger

solar panel battery charger   This is of course because I’ve never done this before.  Based on what I’m doing here….  I’ve built a frenette type heater from the patent of Eugene frenette in 1979.  Its quite small and its power source is a solar panel/battery set up.  The electric motor requires 40 watts constant ( 3.3amps at 12V) The drum heats to 250 degrees F in 30 minutes and will maintain this heat with a small fan blowing over the cylinder for as long as it runs.  I’m trying to figure out the BTU rating  output ) to come up with a basic (and somewhat acurate) rating then compare it to the input in watts for an efficiency factor.  So far with all the sites I’ve visited the formulas used are for other things and really don’t follow what I’m doing…. so… confusion sets in….

- Hsolar panel battery charger  It seemed to me that there had to be a time reference involved. Of course it does take time to *move* the heat.  But what do you want to measure?  If you want to measure “heat moved over time”, you want a unit other than BTUs.  BTUs just measure the heat itself. Imagine, for instance, that you are insulating your house (or a thermos or whatever).  If you have bad insulation, the heat will move quickly — something you did not want.  If you have good insulation, the heat will move slowly.  What BTUs measure is not how fast it moves but how much eventually moved. Suppose you put a pound of cold water in a thermos, and go out for a hike on a hot day.  When you go to drink it you find your water got one degree F warmer.  That means 1 BTU has moved into the water, through the thermos’s insulation.  If it only took five seconds for this to happen, you obviously have a bad thermos; if it took five years, you have an amazing one.  Either way you still have 1 BTU.  The BTU measures the heat that moved in; to find the time it took, you need another unit. If you applied 10,000 degrees to heat it 1 degree in one second  … then you moved 1 BTU in one second, i.e., you moved some heat  at a rate of 1 BTU per second. or 5 degrees to heat it 1 degree in 10 hours. Then you moved 1 BTU in 10 hours. If you applied 10,000 degrees to heat it 1 degree in 10 hours, then you *still* moved 1 BTU in 10 hours, but your insulation is obviously very good. The amount of heat on the “other side of the insulation”, as it were, never enters into BTU calculations.  It may enter into BTUs-per-hour calculations, when you go to figure out how good your insulation is. This is what units are all about.solar panel battery charger.  This is because watts need a time multiplier to become BTUs.  With a bigger multiplier — more time — you can use a smaller number of watts to obtain the same amount of heat (BTUs). This might all be a little easier for you to think of if you consider a gas heater, rather than an electric one.  Suppose you have a very small tank of propane.  You can connect this tank to a teensy stove (camping stove, perhaps) and use it up over the course of 20 minutes, or connect it to a really big grill, and burn it all in 2 minutes. On the teensy stove, you can only heat small pots of water.  (The big pots do not fit.)  So, you take one pound of water, put it in a pot, put it on the stove, and heat it for a minute to get it to go up 1 degree.  Then you take another pound of water and heat that for a minute to get *it* to go up 1 degree.  You repeat for 20 1-pound pots of water, which takes 20 minutes, and now your tank is empty and you have heated 20 pounds of water 1 degree each. You got 20 BTUs out of the propane tank. On the big grill, you put a big 20-pound pot of water, hook up that same tank filled to the same amount, and start the grill going. In 2 minutes the tank has run dry, and your 20 pound pot of water has gone up — 1 degree.  You have heated 20 pounds of water 1 degree each. In other words, you *still* got 20 BTUs out of the propane tank. The BTUs measure the heat you get when you burn the propane.  It does not matter if you burn it in 2 minutes or 20 minutes; you get the same amount of heat out of it. Of course, on real stoves and grills, some heat gets lost, so if you tried this experiment for real, you would find that one of the two methods is more efficient.  But the principle still applies: the tank contains some number of BTUs.  You can dribble out those BTUs slowly, or burn them all up in one great big fireball, but either way you get the same *amount* of heat. — In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Berkeley Software Design Inc Note: PacBell news service is rotten

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This website gives the wattage calculation required to heat an element (water, metal, etc) to a certain temperature solar panel battery charger  Do you want to give us the website? Malcolm I found a web site that explained it better.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. solar panel battery charger

Response:

Watt is a unit of power. BTU is a unit of heat energy. These are not the same thing but are related by time. You can determine power by dividing transferred energy by time taken. Malcolm

solar panel battery charger This website gives the wattage calculation required to heat an element (water, metal, etc) to a certain temperature www.hotwatt.com/calculat.htm Do you want to give us the website? Malcolm I found a web site that explained it better.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm

Response:

Weight of material(lbs) x Specific Heat x Temperature Rise ( deg F)                     Time ( hours of fraction there of) This equals BTU output To change this to watts the lower portion would be  3.412 x Time There has to be a time involvement to provide proper calculation of BTU output otherwise it is meaning less…… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Dragon; I found a web site that explained it better.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! This is clearly wrong. 1 BTU = 1 deg F change in temperature of 1 lb of water. No time involved. Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied.solar panel battery charger    They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!!

This is clearly wrong. 1 BTU = 1 deg F change in temperature of 1 lb of water. No time involved. Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm

Duane —      Home of the $35 LED solar tracker.     hsolar panel battery charger.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm Which just supports the idea that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the web. Regards, John Phillips To respond by e-mail, please remove the parentheses from my address

Response:

It seemed to me that there had to be a time reference involved.

Of course it does take time to *move* the heat.  But what do you want to measure?  If you want to measure “heat moved over time”, you want a unit other than BTUs.  BTUs just measure the heat itself. Imagine, for instance, that you are insulating your house (or a thermos or whatever).  If you have bad insulation, the heat will move quickly — something you did not want.  If you have good insulation, the heat will move slowly.  What BTUs measure is not how fast it moves but how much eventually moved. Suppose you put a pound of cold water in a thermos, and go out for a hike on a hot day.  When you go to drink it you find your water got one degree F warmer.  That means 1 BTU has moved into the water, through the thermos’s insulation.  If it only took five seconds for this to happen, you obviously have a bad thermos; if it took five years, you have an amazing one.  Either way you still have 1 BTU.  The BTU measures the heat that moved in; to find the time it took, you need another unit. If you applied 10,000 degrees to heat it 1 degree in one second

… then you moved 1 BTU in one second, i.e., you moved some heat  at a rate of 1 BTU per second. or 5 degrees to heat it 1 degree in 10 hours.

Then you moved 1 BTU in 10 hours. If you applied 10,000 degrees to heat it 1 degree in 10 hours, then you *still* moved 1 BTU in 10 hours, but your insulation is obviously very good. The amount of heat on the “other side of the insulation”, as it were, never enters into BTU calculations.  It may enter into BTUs-per-hour calculations, when you go to figure out how good your insulation is. This is what units are all about. solar panel battery charger  Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm

Response:

I found a web site that explained it better.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm

Which just supports the idea that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the web. Regards, John Phillips To respond by e-mail, please remove the parentheses from my address

Response:

Do you want to give us the website? Malcolm

solar panel battery charger I found a web site that explained it better.     They stated the BTU unit has a built in time frame. 1 BTU = 1 degree change of 1 pound of water in 1 hour.  Now  all I have to do is break it down.  Thanks for all the help!!! Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied.solar panel battery charger

Response:

Perhaps you started off with the wrong units.  Heating power is sometimes given as BTU/Hr. To find energy you need to multiply that power by the time(in hours) that it was applied. Malcolm

solar panel battery charger Well yes and no, I’m trying to calculate the  output of a small heater and it seems I need a time factor to calculate the energy output,  I’m a little lacking in knowledge in this area…     Thanks Hi Dragon; The BTU is calculated by the amount of heat to raise the temp 1 degree in 1 pound of water, Correct, but I would state it slightly differently. It’s the amount of heat to change the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree F. my question is … isn’t there a time factor involved here? No! That would imply a rate. BTUs are simply a unit of energy. I can’t seem to locate anything on the web for calculating BTU. Can any of you Higher IQ type help me out here?  Thanks in advance for any help and advice…. Hope that helped. solar panel battery charger The BTU is calculated by the amount of heat to raise the temp 1 degree in 1 pound of water, Correct, but I would state it slightly differently. It’s the amount of heat to change the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree F. my question is … isn’t there a time factor involved here? No! That would imply a rate. BTUs are simply a unit of energy. I can’t seem to locate anything on the web for calculating BTU. Can any of you Higher IQ type help me out here?  Thanks in advance for any help and advice…. Hope that helped. Duane —      Home of the $35 LED solar tracker.     hsolar panel battery charger

Response:

The BTU is calculated by the amount of heat to raise the temp 1 degree in 1 pound of water, my question is … isn’t there a time factor involved here? I can’t seem to locate anything on the web for calculating BTU. Can any of you Higher IQ type help me out here?  Thanks in advance for any help and advice….

Response:

Hi Dragon; The BTU is calculated by the amount of heat to raise the temp 1 degree in 1 pound of water, solar panel battery charger

Correct, but I would state it slightly differently. It’s the amount of heat to change the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree F. my question is … isn’t there a time factor involved here?

No! That would imply a rate. BTUs are simply a unit of energy. I can’t seem to locate anything on the web for calculating BTU. Can any of you Higher IQ type help me out here?  Thanks in advance for any help and advice….

Hope that helped. Duane solar panel battery charger

Response:

The BTU is calculated by the amount of heat to raise the temp 1 degree in 1 pound of water, my question is … isn’t there a time factor involved here? solar panel battery charger

solar panel battery charger  That would be power, not energy. — A Jerk Sometimes its better to be quiet and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt

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Question:

= =What is a”steaming Lite”? Don’t you mean running lite for night use and an =anchor lite for anchoring? Running lites are off while anchored. There is a =pull switch you can buy that has your running lites on as well as a 360degree =lite while underway and just the 360 on when anchored….kinda fool proof…… = Larry = = =I thought the 360 degree light was used for anchoring, and then =converted to a 180 degree light when underway.solar panel battery wiring  Yes, but when underway, your stern light should also be on, yielding 360 deg white light.  On boats less than a certain size, this can be one all around white light (12 meter?  I forget).  If your boat has the forward white light mounted on the windshield or otherwise forward from the helm, a stern light is nice because it doesn’t blind the helmsman. I’ve been thinking about taking the light off the windshield and moving it to the arch.  In that case, assuming my boat is not too long, I can disable the stern light.  Stern lights on 30′ boats with a fairly low stern aren’t useful anyway.  I was following a friend’s boat one night, and noticed his wake pretty much obscured his stern light. solar panel battery wiring

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solar panel battery wiring  but only when using mechanical propulsion. Curiously enough during sail Boston all the recreational sail vessels motoring after dark displayed there masthead light, which was mounted some 4-8ft up the mast. I do not know if they are only wired to display lights only for a power driven vessel? But if I wanted to be really slick with my wiring of such a vessel. I would connect the masthead light to the ignition circuit of the motor. Additionally I could have a little motor pull up the dayshape on the forstay whenever the ignition is on. BBJ Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! solar panel battery wiring

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I basically added a lot of new wiring.  I installed an AC plug on the transom to accept dock power cord, then added an AC battery charger and an AC GFCI outlet for AC power while at the slip.  On the DC side I installed six cigarette lighters in various places, as well as a separate bilge switch.  I installed a new VHF and rewired the speed log meter on a separate switch so its use is optional.  In addition I also Installed a solar panel battery charging system for charging while away from the dock AC power for a while.  I wired the solar in such a way as to give battery volts and amps in use.  My battery bank is 2 group 31 105amp hour. Overhead cabin lights were already wired when I got the boat so I just reconnected them to the new DC panel, the cigarette lighters should provide juice for additional lighting and personal fans when necessary.solar panel battery wiring   The big thing now is that the anchor and steaming light are not working.  Both were already installed when I got the boat and I am thinking it is just a bad bulb.  I’ll be going out today with my multimeter to see if I can determine the problem.  I’ll need to put the steaming light on a new separate switch (I cant figure out how it was originally wired).  My last wiring project if all goes well is to add deck lights somewhere on the mast or spreader. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed. solar panel battery wiring  As you have read by now you will need three switches to set things up. If you are re-wiring the boat what arangements have you made for cabin lights & such? Personally I have just recently installed a 6 circut switch plate.(West Marine) $23 or so.  Used a bus bar for common ground.  Rather than cut into something to install I purchased a “project box” from Radio Shack and mounted it to some existing holes.  All the wiring is in the box. I really like this because everything is right there and handy.  I have room to add a steaming light and a few other items if needed.  I have wired in a cigarette lighter for a plug in power source. My boat did not have a steaming light. It is on my list of things to do this summer. I am new to sailing and  just got an Oday 23.  Upon doing some electrical wiring I have noticed that according to the rules there should be three different options for navigation lights. 1)  Anchor light.  all ’round white for use while anchored 2)  Running lights consisting of a white stern light and star. green and port red, for use while under sail at night. It is the third option that I am dealing with. 3) Sailboats under power at night must have a masthead light in addition to the white stern and red/green bow lights. How is this masthead light wired so it only comes on when sailing under power at night?  It seems that everyone would need a control panel with 3 switches dedicated only to navigation lights.  Currently I am wired for only for running lights and an anchor light.  Do I have to install a separate on/off switch for the masthead light so I can activate it when occasionally boating under power at night?solar panel battery wiring

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Canadian regulations: “(a) “Masthead light” means a white light placed over the fore and aft centreline of the vessel showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 225 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on either side of the vessel. (b) “Sidelights” means a green light on the starboard side and a red light on the port side each showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 112.5 degrees and so fixed as to show the light from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on its respective side. In a vessel of less than 20 metres in length the sidelights may be combined in one lantern carried on the fore and aft centreline of the vessel. (c) “Sternlight” means a white light placed as nearly as practicable at the stern showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 135 degrees and so fixed as to show the light 67.5 degrees from right aft on each side of the vessel. (e) “All-round light” means a light showing an unbroken light over an arc of the horizon of 360 degrees. ” Vessels generally should show a masthead light forward and a sternlight, but there is an exception: “(c) (i) A power-driven vessel of less than 12 metres in length may in lieu of the lights prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule exhibit an all-round white light and sidelights.” I simplified my lights (9 m, 30′ vessel) by disconnecting the sternlight (now covered by the dinghy on the transom anyway), and the masthead light (it was right at eye level in front of the flybridge anyway) and replacing them with an all-round white light high on the radar arch.  Seems to be common practice here.  Prior to this we had to turn on the anchor light/bow light breaker in the DC panel, then pull a control switch part way up for the bow light and all the way up for the anchor light.  Now the red and white sidelights come on when we open the “nav light” switch on the breaker panel, and the all-round white light comes on when we open its switch.  The white light stays on when we anchor, or both go off if we dock.  Much simpler,solar panel battery wiring

What is a”steaming Lite”? Don’t you mean running lite for night use and an anchor lite for anchoring? Running lites are off while anchored. There is a pull switch you can buy that has your running lites on as well as a 360degree lite while underway and just the 360 on when anchored….ksolar panel battery wiring

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What is a”steaming Lite”? Don’t you mean running lite for night use and an anchor lite for anchoring? Running lites are off while anchored. There is a pull switch you can buy that has your running lites on as well as a 360degree lite while underway and just the 360 on when anchored…solar panel battery wiring

I thought the 360 degree light was used for anchoring, and then converted to a 180 degree light when underway. **Due to unscrupulous spammers, if responding by e-mail, please remove “NS” from the e-mail address**

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What is a”steaming Lite”? Don’t you mean running lite for night use and an anchor lite for anchoring? Running lites are off while anchored. There is a pull switch you can buy that has your running lites on as well as a 360degree lite while underway and just the 360 on when anchored….kinda fool proof……  Lsolar panel battery wiring

What is a”steaming Lite”? Don’t you mean running lite for night use and an anchor lite for anchoring? Running lites are off while anchored. There is a pull switch you can buy that has your running lites on as well as a 360degree lite while underway and just the 360 on when anchored….kinda fool proof…..solar panel battery wiring.

I’d have to double check the regs to be absolutely sure, but I think you can only use the single 360 degree light on fairly small boats. Medium size and larger boats require both a stern light and a forward steaming light. Chuck Gould Float and let float.

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