Rv Inverter Install The Remote Switch
A remote switch offers the convenience of turning the inverter ON or OFF remotely. Most inverters come with a remote connection port for a remote switch that can turn the device on or off from distances of up to 30 meters.
Remote switches come in wired or wireless configurations. Heres how to install them to your inverter.
- Turn off the power button on your inverter.
- Attach one end of the cable to the remote port on the inverter
- Attach the other end of the cable to the remote switch/wireless remote receiver
- Pressing the On/Off button on the remote switch will turn on/off the inverter
Connect The Dc Cables
Choose Between Grid Or Off
Again, this often depends on the location.
If the building or facility is in a remote or under-developed location, the only option might be off-grid. This means that the solar panels will be the only source of electricity, as there will be no link to an electricity grid.
In a more developed or inhabited area, we may consider connecting to the grid, as this will provide support to the solar panel.
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Inverter Cable Size Requirements
There are many types of cables used in solar system installations and inverters are no different. The cables used has a huge effect on performance, safety and reliability.
- Use the shortest DC cable and largest gauge.
- The cable between the battery and inverter must be no more than ten feet long.
- Use copper wires. Avoid aluminum because it generates more resistance.
- As per the NEC, the smallest cable size allowable is #4/0 AWG 75C.
- The smallest DC cable that you can use is #2/0 AWG.
- The recommended ground chassis wire size is #8 AWG.
- For connections to the hardwire terminal block AC output, use jacketed #10 AWG.
Decide How To Install The Solar Panel And Other Components
For your installation, it is best to seek the services of professionals.
However, you may wish to install the panels and the entire system yourself. In this case, you would need to gather as much helpful information as possible. It will also be good to contact any professional in a solar-related field to ask questions.
It is necessary to mention that there is a high risk of error if you decide to install your solar system on your own. Such errors may be hazardous, and may incur costs as well.
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Not Tilting The Solar Panels
In addition to being installed on the roof of your house, you need to tilt the solar panels at least 10 degrees for optimum performance. When you tilt the panels, you will get more power from them. A lot of people just place the panels at the top of their roofs without tilting them. Avoid such mistakes.
Safe Place To Install Your Solar Inverter
If you are looking around for solar you should be aware about the key components of a solar PV system. A solar system is made up of several components which combine together to produce electricity, balance the control or flow and maintain the standard of electricity to mount the system to your building. It is essential that all the components are designed to work optimally and that one component does not compromise the performance, safety or life expectancy of the others components.
Inverter is the crucial component of a solar system. To understand why inverters are an important component we need to get into the functioning of the solar system. It is simple and basic, most of us already know it. Solar panel working out into simple steps:
- Solar panels absorb the suns energy and convert it to Direct Current electricity. However, DC electricity is unable to power a home or workplace on its own.
- A Solar Inverter converts DC electricity generated by the solar modules to Alternating Current electricity, which is required by most appliances.
- AC electricity flows through the home or workplace, thus powering electronic devices.
- Excess electricity produced by the solar panels is supplied to the electric grid or batteries for future use.
An ideal question a property owner usually asks is what is the best and safe place to install a solar inverter?
Most households or commercials install a string inverter. Lets look at 5 basic points that can help decide where to place the inverter.
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Find A Space In The Camper To Install Your Power Inverter
The next step in your RV inverter installation is to find the ideal place for your power inverter. The ideal places is:
- Near your RVs battery charger
- Not in the same compartment as your RVs battery
- Away from heat, liquids, and foot traffic
- In a place where it will receive adequate airflow
Many people install their power inverter in the cargo hold, but every campers layout is different. Remember to keep safety in mind when deciding where to install an RV inverter.
What Is Solar Charge Controller
The current we get from solar panels will not remain constant throughout the day, so many ups and downs will be there, so that we can not connect solar photo voltaic modules directly to charge our battery, it will spoil our battery over time.
So, we need a device called solar charge controller to control the current we receive from solar panels, the charge controller has inbuilt PWM charger to charge the lead acid battery in three stages, which ensures long life for battery.
In this 500 watts solar setup, we will get 400 watts current for sure from solar panels in day time
which means 8 am to 5 pm
We can use the free current from PV modules during this day time by manually switching off the Input to Inverter , so that the inverter battery will be charged with available solar power.
While the battery is getting charge from solar panels, concurrently we can use the battery power to power up our home.
So, with solar power, the battery will be get charge and on the other side the battery will deliver current to inverter for powering up our gadgets, this happens simultaneously.
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What You Will Need
First, we are going to need the materials below so you can start this solar panel setup with no bumps in the road.
Solar panels
The most important material for this project would be your solar panels. There are different solar panels. Standard ones can have 250 to 400 watts of power output.
The higher the power output, the more expensive the solar panel will be, but the fewer solar panels you will need. If you go for a 250 watt solar panel, eight of them would be able to produce about 2kWh of power, but you would only need five 400 watt solar panels to get the same amount of power.
However, the latter would be more expensive. Overall, it will depend on your budget and free space to install the solar panels.
Power inverter
Since your house runs on an AC circuit but your panels are DC, you cannot directly connect them with your power grid. That is why you need an inverter, so your solar system can connect to your power grid by inverting DC to AC.
But you have to size your inverter first. Determine the total power requirement you want and divide it with the efficiency or power factor of the inverter to find the VA rating of the inverter you need. Efficiency of inverters range from 60% to 80%.
So if you have a 600 watt power requirement and an inverter efficiency of 80%, you will need a 750 VA inverter.
800 VA inverters are available in the market, like the Luminous Eco Watt Plus 850 Square Wave Inverter.
Battery
Solar charge controller
AWG wires
Option : Plug & Power
Plug & Power is the easiest way to install Go Power! Inverters. Your inverter should be located close to the batteries but in a protected area free from moisture, dust, dirt and battery fumes. The DC Install Kits listed on page 10 contain everything you need to install your inverter properly. Once installed, simply plug your power cord into your Go Power! Inverter and you will have AC power.
Overview
- Install the inverter near the batteries
- If available, plug shore power cord into inverter when camping
- To prevent extra battery drain, turn off the converter when using the inverter
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Length Of Wire & Solar Inverter Performance
One of the factors that can affect your inverter’s performance is the distance between your solar panel array and your battery bank. The longer the wire used here, the lower your inverter’s voltage should be to perform optimally, because with long wires voltage drops and current increases.
The higher the voltage and the lower the current, the shorter length wires you can use. With longer wires, you would need to use thicker wires. This is covered in the Solar Wire Types section.
Connect The Inverter To The Consumer Unit
The inverter should be connected to the consumer unit to generate electricity. A generation meter should also be connected to monitor the amount of electricity the solar panels actually produce. You can use your computer or other device to check your solar systems performance. For example, you can check how much electricity you generate at different times and decide what time is suitable for using your washing machine or other utilities.
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Where To Install Solar Panels
Solar Panels are generally installed on rooftops, building tops, or stand-alone facilities. It is very important to install your solar panel at location that gets the most direct sun exposure.
Solar Panels perform at optimum capacity when placed in direct sunlight. When you install your Solar Power system, try to position your photovoltaic panels directly under the noontime sun for maximum efficiency from your photovoltaic unit.
Before Installation, take care of any obstructions to sunlight. Remove all unnecessary obstructions and items such as branches that may block sunlight to your solar unit. You should also trace the path of the sun in the sky and make sure there is no object that may cast a shadow over your solar photovoltaic panels. The operating efficiency of your solar energy unit will suffer because of this shadow.
What Exactly Is An Inverter
An inverter is a piece of a solar panel system thats responsible for transforming the energy collected by solar panels and stored into batteries into electricity you can use in your household. Since the solar energy collected by the panels produces direct current and almost all of the household appliances need alternating current in order to function, youll need an inverter to make this possible.
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Why Choose A Pure Sine Wave Inverter
Pure sine wave inverters cost more than a modified sine wave inverter, but the added expense is required if you intend to run sensitive equipment or devices with AC motors.
We dont need to go into the wave patterns of AC but suffice to say that many of the appliances we use rely on a smooth sine wave to function effectively.
I would be hesitant to plug my laptop into an inverter that is not a Pure Sine Wave Inverter.
So we advise not to skimp on this element. A pure sine wave inverter will suit all your electrical equipment requirements.
Identify The Required Fees And Permissions
Depending on the location, the scale and connection of the solar system, fees may be charged. It is necessary to carry out a bit of research to identify these fees, in order to include them in your overall budget.
Also, it is important to estimate the likely cost of electricity, especially if you are using the net-metering connection. For net-metering, the cost of electricity is equal to the cost of all electricity provided by the grid, minus the cost of all electricity sent to the grid by the solar system.
Asides these costs, you must identify the needed permissions in your area, if any. Usually, such permissions concern the installation of your solar panels, and the connection to the grid.
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Going Solar : Tips For Solar Inverter Installation And Maintenance
If youve been exploring the idea of installing a solar panel system, you probably already know all the components youll need to obtain. Some of these components may vary depending on the type of system youre about to install. That said, youll still need to get your hands on solar panels, batteries, charge controller and inverter.
With that in mind, here are some interesting pieces of information youll need to keep in mind to ensure that youve chosen the best possible inverter for your setup. Since they can vary so much in capacity, performance, and type, choosing them without prior research may lead to mistakes and thats certainly something you wish to avoid.
How To Install Solar Pv System On Flat Roof
- How to Install Solar PV System on Flat Roof?
When Solar System company/installer design our solar photo-voltaic array, they specify two standard slopes: The first is the orientation which means the solar panels face direction, whether it will be to North, South, East or West, and the second is tilt angle which means the solar panel angel with horizontal surface “roof angle”. Ideally, solar panels should face the south, and the tilt angle should equal to the solar system location latitude, so we can get maximum electricity production from our solar phot-voltaic system.
If our roof faces north or any other direction except south, the solar system will generate less electricity, also if our roof has a sloop Not flat much differ from the latitude, there will be less than ideal electricity generation. The result will be less electricity production over the solar system life span “20 years”.
However, for flat roof, its flexible and the solar panel installer can face solar panels to south, also, they can mount the solar panel power inverter for the perfect tilt angle regardless of our home direction, and the result will be a better performance and high electricity production for our business or home installation.
Really, the flat roof is a perfect starting point for effective solar system installation for residential and commercial building, as we can typically install a standard frame for best optimization to idle ordination and tilt angle.
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Solar Installation Planning & Safety
The key to any successful solar panel installation project is having a clearly constructed plan with measures in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
In fact, there are a few things you can do before you even unpack your system to make sure the solar installation process goes smoothly from beginning to end. These include:
- Purchasing materials that are not included in your shipment
- Staying organized while unboxing your system
- Inspecting your shipment to ensure nothing is missing or damaged
- Reviewing safety guidelines for installing your system
Connecting The Backup Battery
The battery is not an essential component of a solar energy system. You may include a battery bank to ensure 24 hours solar power for your home. As mentioned earlier, the Sun is not available during the night hours and the system cannot generate electricity during these hours.
A battery can be used to store the excess power generated during the day for use during the night time. The output load of the inverter is connected with a 120 VAC load of the battery using a parallel connection.
DC power coming from the solar module is supplied to the inverter. This is used to charge the battery bank as well as converted into AC for use in appliances. When solar power is not available, the stored energy in the battery bank is used to power the system through the inverter.
Inverter connections have been explained in the figure below.
The solar power system can provide both AC and DC loads. AC load comes from the inverter, while the DC load comes directly from the battery bank with the help of a converter. This arrangement can keep the voltage of the entire system in check and prevent accidental spikes.
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